Ranking PTA's 10! - From HARD EIGHT to ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

With the release of One Battle After Another, one of our greatest living filmmakers has officially hit the #10 mark. It seems like the perfect opportunity to rank the works of one Mr. Paul Thomas Anderson, and due to how many truly phenomenal works he has made, it will make for an incredibly difficult ranking.

If you read my recent review of One Battle After Another, you will see how I compared PTA to Stanley Kubrick in terms of quality and variety. Ranked lists are often a wash because you are comparing films or performances or filmmakers or whatever that may be grouped together haphazardly. 

In this case, we are taking several films by one truly iconic filmmaker and I have to figure out what I prefer over another and why.

However...the bottom two were easy for me to choose. In addition, I will also be rating these films on a 10-point scale.

My bottom three is actually pretty consistent with most people's bottom 3:

#10 - Licorice Pizza (2021)

4/10

I wrote a review for Licorice Pizza back in 2021. I said a lot of the same things about PTA at that time that I did above, but it was bittersweet considering Licorice Pizza was the first true misstep of his career.

I will say that he came a bit close with the film I will rank at #9 to make me question its quality, but there was something just so aimless and messy in the worst way with how Licorice Pizza was presented.

Set in 1970s LA/San Fernando Valley (where PTA sets a lot of his works), it revolves around 15 year old child actor named Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) who actively pursues a 25 year old woman named Alana (Alana Haim)...who rebuffs him...and then continues to respond to his persistence. 

It's an odd setup, but the first half hour or so of the film had me sold. But then...waterbeds come into play. 

I am sure that sentence threw you off if you haven't seen the film; imagine how I felt WATCHING the film. The storyline of Licorice Pizza is not the least bit cohesive; it is just a series of vignettes that are loosely connected by the fact that we are following these two characters around through their various escapades...such as a teenage child actor hocking waterbeds while the older woman he is pining for decides to tag along. 

And then Bradley Cooper popping up to play Jon Landau being sleazy and chaotic for 10 minutes.

Oh, and then Alana dives into the political scene where she becomes a beard to a mayoral candidate's boyfriend.

It's just...a lot. It's a movie you could call "vibes", but it just doesn't make me want to invest in their lives. I think the simple fact it is a PTA film makes me harder on it than if it were a film by another filmmaker.

For my original review - please check that out here.

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#9 - Inherent Vice (2014)

7/10

 I have seen a few of these PTA lists popping up as of late, and what I have noticed is that Inherent Vice is often at the bottom for a lot of people. Do I understand that method of thinking? Honestly, yes. Although, the wacko energy and surreal vibe of Inherent Vibe was a bit more palatable to me than that of Licorice Pizza. 

Also set in the 70s like Licorice Pizza, the main plot of Inherent Vice revolves around Joaquin Phoenix playing the drug-addicted detective Larry "Doc" Sportello who is searching for his missing ex-girlfriend. 

I have seen a lot of film people proclaim that you really need to see it multiple times to embrace what it is selling, and to be fair, I have only seen the film once. It is one of two films on this list that I have only seen just the one time (the next film will be the other), so maybe it will be due a rewatch.

My memory of the film was that it somehow felt like his most entrancing affair as if we were in a drug-fueled haze while also being very down-to-earth and maybe even his funniest film.

I do feel inclined to revisit it soon, but even from memory, I am more positive on this film than not.

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#8 - Hard Eight (1996)

7.5/10

Some filmmakers give us a true classic right out of the gate. Truffaut gave us The 400 Blows; Ray gave us Pather Panchali; Steven Soderbergh gave us sex, lies, and videotape.

PTA did not give us what I would say is a true classic, but he showed good confidence and signs of great potential as a filmmaker with Hard Eight.

It is also nice to see PTA give character actor Philip Baker Hall a leading role in a film. Most people will likely recognize him as Lt. Joe Bookman, the "library cop" from Seinfeld, one of Larry David's most brilliant one-off character creations. Here he plays Sydney (which was the original title of the film), a very well-to-do senior gambler who takes a homeless man named John Finnegan (John C. Rielly) under his wing to help him learn the tricks of the trade. Meanwhile, John takes up with a cocktail waitress named Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow) who happens to be moonlighting as a prostitiute.

Hard Eight is a solid debut. However, while watching the film, it is also clear that PTA hasn't found his true voice yet. As would be evident even with his two proceeding films, there is a very clear reason why a lot of people dubbed him "the new Scorsese". His influence is clearly peeking in throughout Hard Eight, but despite this, it is still a well-made film that not only gives us good work from Hall, Rielly, and also Samuel L. Jackson, but this might be the best work Gwyneth Paltrow has ever given us. Certainly far more interesting than what she'd win the Oscar for two years later.

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#7 - Punch Drunk Love (2002)

9/10

I had the pleasure of revisiting Punch-Drunk Love earlier this year after having not seen it since it first came out. My recollection of it from memory was that it was a pretty good film, but nothing special. 

There is a lot more to this one than meets the eye. Leave it to PTA to make a 90-minute romantic comedy and make it one of the most original and easily the most subversive so that it has an edge.

Adam Sandler has managed to gain a little more respect as an actor in recent years with films like Uncut Gems and Hustle and Jay Kelly, but I cannot express what a shift it was to see him act in a film like Punch-Drunk Love and see him navigate this quirky world created by PTA. 

This was the same Adam Sandler who had just released Little Nicky, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, and Eight Crazy Nights between 2000 and the release of this film in 2002. I do think he should've been nominated for Uncut Gems, but I also feel he was worthy to be nominated for this as well. It holds up SO well!

He plays Barry, a socially awkward entrepreneur who manages to woo his sister's co-worker Lena (Emily Watson). These two have the most adorable chemistry and to think that Watson at that point was mostly known for depressing dramas, it is so lovely to see her in this kind of bewitching setting.

Also - you just gotta love perennial PTA favorite Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Dean. He doesn't get as much to do, but who can forget his "shut up! shut up! shut up! shut up!" rant over the phone to Sandler? 

Lastly - kind of crazy that we are at #7 and already we have a 9/10 on our hands...

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#6 - Magnolia (1999)

9/10

This is one film of his that I feel has slightly dipped for me over time compared to some of the others, but that is by no means a true knock against it. 

I still give it a 9 out of 10 and that is nothing to sneeze at!

As his third film following Boogie Nights, PTA has tapped into that ensemble vibe yet again which gave him an extra dose of Robert Altman comparisons to go along with the Scorsese ones. 

Magnolia is sprawling and chaotic and messy, but usually in the best possible ways. I don't even know where to begin to even explain exactly what Magnolia is.

One phrase I often see offered up to describe the film is "an epic mosaic". We have several people whose lives are intercepting and connected in various ways as they try to cope with life's struggles in the San Fernando Valley. 

We get strong work from the likes of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Phillip Baker Hall, William H. Macy, and Julianne Moore but the big story at that time was how this felt like the career best work of Tom Cruise who had a big year in 1999 having also starred in Stanley Kubrick's swan song Eyes Wide Shut. 

Many expected Cruise to win the Oscar but the Academy ended up embracing Michael Caine's work in The Cider House Rules...don't get me wrong, I adore Michael Caine but that film getting nominations let alone winning anything was a joke. 

Magnolia was one of the many classic films from 1999 that got mostly shafted at the Oscars in favor of lesser films...something that will be discussed further when my 1999 post comes out sometime this week.

PTA did get a Screenplay nom, but the film was not in sight for Best Picture or Best Director. The messy chaotic nature of this film makes it feel like a feverish modern-day opera with Aimee Mann interjecting with the vibe. Even though PTA felt that he would never make a better film than Magnolia, I do feel like he clearly excelled in the years after.

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#5 - The Master (2012)

9.5/10

PTA has said on multiple occasions that The Master is his personal favorite of the films he has made...and there was a period where I actually felt the same. 

Truth be told, I do think the film might suffer a bit from a little of the listless feeling that some of his films can have from time to time, but what truly saves it is the acting. Amy Adams is there giving us a very sterling supporting performance that was yet another example of how she is one of our most overdue working actresses today.

However, this film is a legend due to the duo of Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, the latter in what would've been his final nominated performance before his untimely death in 2014, an acting loss I still greatly mourn as I firmly feel that he was the greatest actor of his generation.

I actually think Phoenix should've won the Oscar for this over Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln...but don't worry, Day-Lewis gets his due from me later on. He plays Freddie Quell, a WWII veteran who is struggling to fit back into society until he comes across Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), a leader of a cult known as The Cause which is reminiscent of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He soon becomes a devoted disciple to Dodd and travels around spreading The Cause. 

Watching these two act together is spellbinding. I would even go as far to say it may be one of the greatest film duos I've ever the pleasure to witness. Two of the greatest actors at the top of their game working with such wonderful material. 

Maybe it doesn't have the strongest propelling narrative, but to watch these characters live is a joy enough. 

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#4 - Boogie Nights (1997)

10/10

The legend of PTA began with Boogie Nights. With his sophomore effort, his voice and verve came into clearer focus (although the Scorsese influence is clearly there).

PTA did have a lot of cocky bravado for the time. He was adamant that the film be over 3 hours long and that the final product would receive an NC-17 rating. The producers, understandably, felt that the film would have no chance at any kind of success with an NC-17 rating. PTA would relent and cut the film down to receive an R rating...not to mention, he ended up making the film less than 3 hours.

You can understand why he'd opt for a film edit that would lead to an NC-17 as he was making a film about the porn film industry in late 70s/early 80s LA. 

I just recently named Boogie Nights as my #1 film from 1997 as I am beginning a series of posts that will delve into past decade's best films from each year. I am on the verge of completing the 90s very soon, but for now, I will share what I wrote about Boogie Nights here for you:

Boogie Nights showcases a lot of the elements that would go on to become early trademarks of his style: vivid colors, one-shot continuous takes, a vast ensemble of performers. The ensemble angle feels very reminiscent of Robert Altman's works, namely Nashville or The Player or Short Cuts. 

It is 1977 in the San Fernando Valley (a setting that is also a frequent staple for PTA), we meet college dropout Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) who still lives at home with his father and abusive, alcoholic mother. While working one evening, he meets a porn producer named Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) who has an interest in using him in his films.

He takes on the stage name of Dirk Diggler, and a legend is born in that industry. Not only is he viewed as handsome and youthful, but he just so happens to have a rather large penis. The image of Phillip Seymour Hoffman holding a boom mike lusting over after this penis will always stay with me. 

Boogie Nights embraces the idea of depicting sex on film, but it also doesn't shy away from the more disenchanting elements or the negative stigmas. We live in a society that would sooner allow a child to watch someone's head get blown apart than catch a glimpse of a woman's breasts. 

Perhaps one of the more emotional and grounded bits of the film revolves around Julianne Moore as Maggie, who goes by the porn name of Amber Waves. 

She has a young son that she really wants to raise and take care of, but her ex-husband takes her to court and they instantly deem her unfit since she is a porn star with drug issues and a criminal record. When we see Moore crying outside the courthouse, it feels devastating. It is easily some of Moore's finest work and I think she should've won the Oscar that year...certainly over Kim Basinger in the previously discussed L.A. Confidential. 

Boogie Nights might not be as praised as strongly when put up against some of PTA's later work, but I still think it stands pretty high on his list...but it is also a very mighty list considering the man has only made one film I truly didn't care much for (Licorice Pizza) and perhaps only two pretty good efforts: Hard Eight and Inherent Vice.

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#3 - One Battle After Another (2025)

10/10

Recency bias could be playing a factor here, and it does admittedly feel weird to rank this above Boogie Nights but what ultimately leads me to giving One Battle After Another this fairly lofty rating is that we are still continuing to witness PTA grow in new ways.

He's never really had a true action film before, and he's managed to make one with a fun adventurous vibe, plenty of comedic elements, and a script that is very smart that should clearly appeal to the average movie goer along with all of us film people who have been worshipping PTA for over 25 years. 

It may be his most accessible film, but it might very well be his most entertaining film too. It manages to balance those qualities while not losing any artistic merit. It is a masterclass at blending genres and building up tension.

Considering I just wrote about the film the other day upon seeing it, I will link to my review here.

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#2 - Phantom Thread (2017)

10/10

The release of Phantom Thread was a very key example of how you never truly know what you will get out of PTA from film to film. While not as seismic of a change of pace as his #1 film would've been, Phantom Thread leaves behind his California locales for 1950s London and a setting that is the definition of "posh".

Daniel Day-Lewis plays Reynolds Woodcock (what a name), a haute couture dressmaker who latches onto a working-class waitress named Alma (Vicky Krieps) and is taken by her enough to invite her to dinner. This soon blossoms into a relationship where she becomes his lover and muse. Meanwhile, Reynolds' sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) is a bit distrusting of Alma but eventually does come to respect her.

Reynolds is the kind of man you might come to expect working in this kind of field: he is aloof, he is cold, he is distant, he is picky, and he is arrogant. Alma tries her best to warm his heart, Cyril works to keep the day-to-day operations in order, but she clearly keeps him at bay.

The relationship between Reynolds and Alma is, in a word, toxic. It also happens to be incredibly compelling...and then you throw Lesley Manville into the mix, and it adds this extra layer. 

I don't want to say much else about the plot if you haven't seen the film, and I haven't done any official review to link here but I will say this:

Phantom Thread is a gloriously stunning film. Daniel Day-Lewis is exquisite here and I wish he had won his 3rd Oscar for this instead of Lincoln. I do remember the absolute joy I felt when Lesley Manville got a surprise Supporting Actress nomination for this as she was not seen as a likely contender, her "I'll cut you down" moment is so quietly brilliant. It is a shame that Vicky Krieps couldn't go along for the ride and get a nomination because she more than holds her own with these two acting titans.

PTA adapts so well to this world that you would think he was making films of the Merchant/Ivory variety for years and also don't get me started on that glorious Jonny Greenwood score. He did lose to Alexandre Desplat for The Shape of Water, which is certainly worthy as well, but I remember being so swept up in what he did here. 

Beautiful, tragic, fascinating and an all-out masterclass.

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#1 - There Will Be Blood (2007)

10/10

I almost put Phantom Thread here as I do respond a lot to the dynamics between the characters a lot more in that one, but I decided to go with the typical selection in the end.

I don't think any of us were truly prepared when this film was released. This came out 5 years AFTER Punch-Drunk Love...so, bear in mind, he had only made Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch-Drunk Love and then we got treated to this sprawling, brooding, moody character study set in the early 20th century about a rather volatile man who struck oil.

It would also net Daniel Day-Lewis his second Oscar for playing Daniel Planview, who broke his leg while mining for silver in 1898 only to strike oil 4 years later. When a fellow worker dies in an accident, Daniel decides to adopt the worker's son as a means to present himself as a family man.

Things take a turn when Daniel crosses the paths of two twin brothers: Paul and Eli Sunday (both played by Paul Dano). Paul is willing to allow some of the land to be sold for Daniel to utilize the oil on the property but Eli, a preacher, is a bit more resistant and hopes that some of the money coming from this purchase could be used to help fund his church.

Based on Oil! a novel by Upton Sinclair, There Will Be Blood felt like a coronation on top of what already seemed like a coronation towards PTA; at least in terms of the embrace by the film community. 

It is such a damning look at capitalist corruption and greed and how destructive it can be to us as a society...and through it all, you get Daniel Day-Lewis giving us what might be the greatest performances of his career and one of those performances that could easily be listed in contention as one of the greatest of all time. He is truly psychotic in this with every single sinister and darkly humorous layer. 

The famous moment when he yells that he abandoned his child starts off as seemingly sinister but as Eli begins to baptize him after embarrassing him in front of the congregation, you can see the snark coming out that seems oblivious to Eli...particularly on his delivery of "YES I DO!".

I think when you look at this performance, you could argue it borders on being melodramatic and cartoonish but that is not the case in my opinion. These crazier moments often meant to be performative on purpose. Daniel Day-Lewis, known for being a very meek, humble, and genteel man in real life, might get flak from some for his extreme use of method acting to the point that he lives as his characters during the duration of the film shoot, but if it works for him, who are we to judge?

Just like Meryl Streep gets adorations from all factions of life, I do feel Daniel Day-Lewis is in a class by himself when it comes to what he is able to achieve onscreen as an actor. 

Paul Dano, who at that point was really only known to me as young Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine, wows in this...particularly his scenes as Eli where he taps into that fire and brimstone style of preaching that I know all too well from my childhood which is also very much performative.

I just can't convey what a monumental achievement this film is. PTA may have given us multiple masterpieces that belong on all-timer lists, but There Will Be Blood is his magnum opus. It is easily on the shortlist of the greatest films ever made, especially of the 21st century so far. Maybe it isn't the film of his I would seek out to rewatch repeatedly (I actually think One Battle After Another will become that for me), but there is no denying the artistry here. 

Shoutout to all the tech team for what they accomplished and once again, Jonny Greenwood giving us a score that felt alive and original and basically perfect for the energy of the film.

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QUICK FINAL THOUGHT:

Considering his output schedule typically, we could only get one more film from him in the 2020s... possibly in 2028 or 2029. Or maybe this will be it until the 2030s... but all I know is that I still consider a PTA film being released as a major event, so I am already eager for film #11!