Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26 1970 in Studio City, California, USA) is an American filmmaker.

Related Topics:
June 26 - 1970 - Studio City, California - USA - Filmmaker

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Anderson is best known for making works with ensemble casts and complex storylines. Perhaps most of all though, he is known for using very few cuts, and thus relying heavily on tracking shots such as the opening shot in Boogie Nights, which lasts approximately 3 minutes without a cut. He is part of the first generation of "VCR filmmakers" - directors such as Quentin Tarantino, who through seeing thousands of films on video, have an encyclopedic knowledge of technique and cultural references. He is also the son of voice actor Ernie Anderson, best remembered as the voice of the American Broadcasting Company and as Cleveland-area horror host Ghoulardi, for whom Anderson's production company, Ghoulardi Films, is named.

Related Topics:
Ensemble cast - Cut - Tracking shot - Boogie Nights - VCR - Quentin Tarantino - Ernie Anderson - American Broadcasting Company - Cleveland - Ghoulardi

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Anderson's films typically deal with the significance of familial relationships over time, especially with regard to fathers and their children. Themes concerning divine fate, the serendipitous nature of love, and the role of media in contemporary life are also common. The director stresses the interconnections between his characters as these forces unpredictably, and even chaotically, weave in and out of their fragile lives.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman has appeared in all four of Anderson's features. Other actors with multiple appearances in Anderson films include Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Luis Guzmán, Ricky Jay, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Melora Walters and the late Robert Ridgely. His three big-budget films (after Sydney) were headlined by Burt Reynolds, Tom Cruise and Adam Sandler, respectively.

Related Topics:
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Philip Baker Hall - John C. Reilly - Luis Guzmán - Ricky Jay - Julianne Moore - William H. Macy - Melora Walters - Robert Ridgely - Burt Reynolds - Tom Cruise - Adam Sandler

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Anderson's next film is set to be an adaptation of the Upton Sinclair's novel Oil!. The novel is set during the oil scandals of the Harding administration, providing in the process a detailed picture of the development of the oil industry in Southern California.

Related Topics:
Upton Sinclair - Oil!

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