Philip Baker Hall Talks PTA; New Set Photos From Fashion Film Surface

Some late night treats for you before we close out the work week --

The very smart and good people at the Talk Easy podcast brought us the extensive interview they did with PTA-alum Philip Baker Hall from a couple weeks ago and PBH talks quite a bit about the three films he did with Paul. If you're short on time, that stuff comes in right around the 45 minute mark, but the whole thing seriously warrants listening. Thanks to Sam and Nora from Talk Easy for laying this embarrassment of riches at our feet  --



In other news, we obtained a few new set photos from the set of #ProjectPhantomThread courtesy of reader Luke Roulstone. If you play Where's Waldo, you can spot the man himself in one or two of them.

And lastly, we particularly like this candid moment that comes courtesy of Twitter user @MariamGonzalez7

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C&RV

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#ProjectPhantomThread

October 27, 2000

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005

If you're addicted to tobacco or have a weakness for dingy diners, you'll be itching for a smoke in your favorite local eatery after watching Cigarettes and Coffee, a 30-minute short written and directed by Paul Anderson in 1993, before he took on the snazzy moniker P.T. Anderson. From the corner of my eye I spotted the label on the video's white, hard plastic case. It read: "Warning: Only available version of this ultra rare film. Picture quality may be affected." Hmmm ... my curiosity was piqued.

This was Anderson's, director of the much lauded hits Boogie Nights and Magnolia, first film. Set in a diner outside Las Vegas (a city with very lenient smoking regulations), it gives a quick glimpse into the lives of five people, a minuscule cast compared with his other films which are filled to the brim with many well-known actors. There are three narratives: two friends, one young and in trouble, the other older and supposedly wiser (Philip Baker Hall); a young couple on their dysfunctional honeymoon; and a shady hustler. On the surface, they all seem to be connected solely by their love of nicotine. However, as their secrets unfurl, their stories seem to softly glide together along the fringes. When one crumples a $20 note and throws it on the floor, another finds it and picks it up on her way out.

These types of cat-and-mouse coincidences, which tie seemingly disparate characters together through small, unassuming actions, are key structural points that Anderson builds upon and polishes in his later films. Like Quentin Tarantino, he possesses a knack for blending different life stories together onto one large canvas, but does so in a slightly more subtle way.

He expanded Cigarettes and Coffee into the 1996 feature Sydney, which was then dubbed Hard Eight. He used bigger stars then, like Samuel L. Jackson and Gwyneth Paltrow, but here he only musters up a relatively unknown cast with actors like Kirk Baltz and Scott Coffey. This initial effort seems to be an exploration of human nature and relationships, particularly in the face of friction. He presents a few, quick vignettes that leave the viewer with the knowledge that there is and will be more.

The short opens with close-ups of the ritualistic act of preparing and lighting a cigarette. Hall breaks the silence with precisely enunciated words – as if each syllable needs to be pronounced just so – to benefit the viewers so that we may absorb the full importance of the point. The point? Drink coffee and have a smoke when you need to get something serious off your chest.

Tobacco and caffeine are the Valium of this created world. Each drag soothes the nerves of both the distraught and mellow characters. Is it a commentary on commonplace addictions or an exercise in product placement? Even as the newlywed husband barrages his wife with caustic words because of her irresponsible gambling binge, when he pauses to smoke life seems a bit more bearable and his wife less stupid.

But cigarettes and caffeine aren't the core of his film; the dubious mysteries are slowly revealed. Of course, they come at the very end leaving you waiting for a sequel. However, this being Anderson's first film, you know that it does pan out. Following the short is Aimee Mann's haunting music video for "Save Me" from the Magnolia soundtrack and two short trailers for the movie. Though a bit strange to watch after a film, it was a nice release from the tension built up earlier.

October 12, 2000

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005


Magnolia will be re-released to sell on VHS on January 16th, 2001. I don't know what additional features to expect, but I imagine that will see a letterboxed version. The suggested retail price will be $19.98. More information as soon as I have it.

Philip Baker Hall will be the featured guest tonight on NBC's Later with Cynthia Garrett. Check your local listings for the time in your area. (Thanks Jed!)

Magnolia fell to 19th place on the VHS rentals chart for the week ending September 24th.  Weekly rental revenue was 1.07 million for a total of 41 million since its release on July 25th. These numbers are courtesy of National Rental Revenue & Video Store Magazine.

I've added quite a few new pictures to the PTA/Fiona section of the PTA Photo Gallery, including pictures from the 1998 & 2000 Academy Awards. More Photo Gallery additions in the near future.

I'll return on Friday with your chance to win the new Magnolia DVD!

November 8, 1999

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005

1st Magnolia Interview

Here's a great interview with John C. Reilly from the Sunday Edition of the LA Times. There is quite a bit about Magnolia as well as John's entire career. Some funny stories are shared about Paul and John and some of the wacky things they do. Check it out. 

Trailer Talk

A very funny and sarcastic take on the Magnolia trailer from my local paper, The Seattle Times: 

We don't really know what this is about, but it's got the director and the cast of Boogie Nights and one raggedy-looking Tom Cruise. He's grown out his hair - does this mean he can act? The camera spins from character to character, and each says, "I'm (fill in the character's name)." What they really should say is, "I'm (fill in character's name) from Boogie Nights, but now I have more facial hair." Except for Julianne Moore.

The Farrelly Brothers?

Entertainment Weekly recently concluded their Online Poll to coincide with the unveiling of their 100 Greatest Entertainers (1950 -2000). These online polls should be taken with a grain of salt (Seth Green from Buffy the Vampire Slayer won best TV actor), but I was interested in how the Best Movie Director category would shake out. Without further adieu, here's the results:

1.  Kevin Smith, 18.9%
 

2.  Quentin Tarantino               16.7%
 

3.  Tim Burton                           14.3% 


4.  Bobby & Peter Farrelly         7.3% 

5.  Andy & Larry Wachowski     5.0% 


6.  Paul Thomas Anderson        4.2% 

7.  John Singleton                       3.9% 


8.  David Fincher                        3.8% 


9.  Sam Mendes                         3.5%
 

10. M. Night Shyamalan             3.3%

Magnolia the Underdog 

Ten Underdog fall movies you shouldn’t miss by Peter Travers

1.  Magnolia - 
Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights) wants to keep this personal drama under wraps until it opens, but here’s what to expect: Anderson tracks 10 characters over one day in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, crafting an intimate epic that exposes the emotional highs and lows of life at the end of the century. And look for an unbilled Tom Cruise to win the best reviews of his career as a sleazy motivational speaker.

Courtesy of US Magazine - November 1999 Issue

PTA on Cruise

An interesting quote from PTA on Mr. Cruise which was also found in EW's 100 Greatest Entertainers issue (Tom was #52).

"He's like an animal for information. He was always asking questions. Really interesting, technical stuff about what sort of lens I was using, or what I was thinking when I wrote a particular scene. He's ferociously curious."

PTA Alums at the Box Office

Philip Baker Hall turns in another great performance in Michael Mann's new film The Insider. Hall plays a 60 Minutes executive producer and goes toe to toe with Al Pacino. As usual, he's not given enough screen time, but he energizes the film whenever he shows up.

Luis Guzman has a critical (but small) role in the #1 film this past week, The Bone Collector. He gets most of laughs in this thriller in the vein of Silence of the Lambs and Seven (it doesn't hold a candle to these two movies). 

It's good to see these great actors get some screen time in major studio films.