Interview: "Catchin' Up With PTA"

Written By Cigarettes & Red Vines
November 2nd, 2000


Tell me about the rumors that you did a rewrite on Universal’s Charade remake for Jonathan Demme?

[Scoffs] No. Not even close [Laughs]. No, Jonathan & I just have a relationship of sending things to each other. So, he’ll send me draft of Charade & I’ll say boy, this is good, this is bad, you should try & fix this & look at that.

So, your opinion basically?

Yeah. Just swapping ideas & stuff. I did not even remotely touch a draft. & Jonathan is going to eventually do Charade. A year & half from now or something like that.

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 17, 2000

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


After looking through a few hundred entries of the Magnolia DVD Contest, I've just got one thing to say, "Uh Oh!" I'm not getting very many correct entries at this point. Do yourself a favor & check out the Articles & Interviews section for answers to most of the questions. To help you out a bit, I will give you a two hints on where the first public screening of Magnolia was held. PTA wanted to show it somewhere away from the film industry & wanted one of the stars to see it while he was on location shooting his next film...To enter the contest go here.

Did anyone catch the Hard Eight screening this past weekend at the Reno Film Festival or the Boogie Nights screening at the Egyptian? Drop me a line & let me know how it went...

John C. Reilly will be featured in Martin Scorsese's new film, The Gangs of New York with Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz & Daniel Day-Lewis. It's currently filming overseas in Rome & is scheduled for release in 2001. (Thanks Anne!)

Magnolia dropped to 21st place on the VHS rentals chart for the week ending October 1st.  Weekly rental revenue was 0.82 million for a total of 42.3 million since its release on July 25th. These numbers are courtesy of National Rental Revenue & Video Store Magazine.

October 13, 2000

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

Happy Friday the 13th! To celebrate, check out our new contest. Win one of 5 copies of the new 2 Disc Magnolia DVD! Entries will be accepted until November 13th & winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 15th. Check out all the details here.

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!

October 10, 2000

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

The Melora Walters interview is finally available for your reading pleasure. She was extremely friendly & you'll learn a few things about her relationship with PTA, acting philosophy & future projects. A graphic link will be available soon, but for now, just click here.

October 5, 2000

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

There will be a PTA double feature at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 4th & Thursday, October 5th. Hard Eight will be shown each day at 7:30 p.m. & Magnolia at 9:30 p.m. For more information, here's a link to their website. Don't miss your chance to see these on the big screen!

Hard Eight will be screened on October 14th at 3:00 p.m. at the 1st Annual Reno Film Festival. For festival & ticket information go here.

Boogie Nights will be screened as part of American Cinematheque's Hollywood on Hollywood film series on October 15th at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles. Boogie Nights will be shown at 5:45 p.m. For more information, check out the American Cinematheque's site here.

Magnolia landed in 13th place on the VHS rentals chart for the week ending September 17th.  Weekly rental revenue was 1.38 million for a total of 39.2 million since its release on July 25th. 

Phil Hoffman did a two hour Q & A at Yale University this past Thursday. He spoke about his stage acting & working with PTA, among other topics. Sounds like it was a great evening! (Thanks Nick!)

It sounds like the screening of Hard Eight at Brown University did not go off as planned last weekend. Brown is set up to show 16mm prints & the Hard Eight print was 35mm. (Thanks Jared!)

September 28, 2000

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

Just a quick update today. If all goes well this week, I will return on Friday with that long talked about interview with Melora Walters!

More home video tidbits for your reading pleasure. The region 2 Magnolia DVD has been delayed yet again & now should be out on October 2nd (Thanks Ewan!). The domestic Magnolia DVD slipped to 13th on the DVD Sales Chart for the week ending September 10th. 

Hard Eight will be screened as part of the 1st Annual Reno Film Festival which will be held October 13th - 15th. The festival will feature an opening celebration, tour of Reno film sites, buffet dinner party, champagne brunch & wrap party. Ticket prices range from $7.50 for individual movies to $130 for an all-events pass. For more information, call (775) 334-6707. The date Hard Eight will be shown is not yet known & it's not clear if there will be any involvement from PTA's camp. I will let you know as soon as I hear anything else. (Thanks Bob!)

Did anyone attend the screening of Hard Eight at Brown University this past weekend? If so, drop me a line & let me know how it went...

September 24, 2000

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

Fiona Apple's Fast as You Can directed by PTA is nominated for Best Pop Video of the Year at the annual Billboard Music Video Awards. The ceremony will be held on November 10th at the Hilton in Universal City, CA.

Magnolia held at 11th place on the VHS rentals chart for the week ending September 10th.  Weekly rental revenue was 1.98 million for a total of 36.8 million since its release on July 25th. Magnolia's rental revenue is 163.8% of Box Office gross, which is an outstanding number. Nothing else in the Top 20 is that high. What does it mean? That a lot more people are seeing Magnolia at home than they did at the theater. Now we just need to get these VHS folks to invest in a DVD player...

There are a few PTA related tidbits in the brand new Total Movie Magazine. What's cool about this magazine is the DVD that's included. It has trailers, featurettes, short films & more. It's worth checking out. One feature called Cinemullets, chronicles the worst haircuts on film. Here's their take on Boogie Nights:


Mullethead: Little Bill

Interestingly, Boogie Nights spanned two critical mullet eras, the '70s and the '80s. The '70s were all about, "Am I a hippie? Am I disco? Pass the coke, I think I'm Bowie." In the '80s the mullet M.O. became "Well, yeah, I'm metal, but I'm fancy metal." Full credit, then, goes to William H. Macy's Little Bill for standing out in one of the greatest ensemble mullet movies ever made. If we had hair that bad, we'd blow our brains out, too.

Side Note: The soundtrack album is a monument to mulletdom in itself, featuring such hirsute heroes as Rick Springfield, ELO, Night Ranger & Dirk Diggler.

Another feature entitled "Commentaries That Don't Suck" also highlights PTA's Boogie Nights track:

The Set-Up: What's so great about the commentary from director Paul Thomas Anderson is that he obviously truly admires all of the actors he worked with on this film, and more than that, their performances crack him up. He also provides a surprising amount of background on everyone onscreen, including even the weird extras.

Revealed: Why Elliot Gould's picture is in the background of three separate shots; which real porno flicks influenced Boogie Nights.

Shining Moment: Anderson ponders at length how actor John C. Reilly leaves him "break-down-crying, falling-on-the-floor-thinking-I'm-going-to-throw-up laughing." About the time he admits, "I can't get enough of him. I could stare at that fucking face all day long," you're wondering if maybe our man Reilly needs to look into a restraining order.

Typical Quote: This is just like you've got this scene that you've written and you just kind of feel like you've got three great actors and a bunch of cocaine and you'd be foolish if you didn't sit them down and get a bunch of improvisational shit.