Paul Thomas Anderson's first film. It's sort of a gambling movie, sort of a father/son movie, sort of a P.T. Anderson movie. After doing a little reading on this, I found out that the reason why it seems so derivative is because Anderson had barely any input on this film (right down to the title, which was originally supposed to be Sydney). Hard Eight revolves around an old-timey Rat Pack kinda guy (Phillip Baker Hall), a new jack (played to naive perfection by a young Dr. Steve Brule), a hooker (Gwyneth Paltrow, of all people), and Samuel L. Jackson basically reprising his role as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction.
I watched this movie without knowing what it was about at all, and I was pleasantly surprised. I feel as though Anderson's movies all have that similar "dark" look to them, and this is no exception. Had I seen this movie in 1996, I would have probably thought that it was indicative of Anderson's potential as a director. Seeing this now, after seeing all of his other films, I see it as a stepping stone on his way to becoming a great filmmaker.
Best Line: "I will fuck you up if you fuck with me, ok? I know three kinds of Karate: Jujitsu, Aikido... and regular Karate." - John Finnegan
Grade: B+
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2 comments:
If you are a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson check out Robert Altman films. I would recommend Short Cuts first it is amazing. I like the site though it's entertaining.
-Joe (Mnmts2thieves on Getalife)
hey joe! i have seen popeye, and i love that. i also have MASH on the 250 list. i'm really excited to see that because it's the first time the word "fuck" was ever used in a major motion picture!
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