1. There Will Be Blood One of those movies like the Godfather where it’s supposed to be an indictment of capitalism and cultism but, cause you’re American, you get caught up in the Daniel Plainview ride. I drink your milkshake indeed!
2. Boogie Nights A ’90s earthquake film. Wears its influences on its sleeve, but is carried by actors and a director all ready to take over the scene.
3. Magnolia A Robert Altman tribute hopped up on cocaine and Aimee Mann.
4. Inherent Vice An almost perfect film interpretation of a Pynchon novel, for good and ill.
5. Phantom Thread Exquisitely built, like your Aunt Tilly’s china cabinet that you’ll eventually inherit and then realize it’s sorta useless so you sell it to an antiques store.
6. Punch-Drunk Love Look, An Adam Sandler Can Act! movie that’s just this side of coherent. Philip Seymour Hoffman steals the movie in just five minutes.
7. The Master Too many acting seminar scenes to make up for the fun surrealism on the edges.
8. Hard Eight Raw talent awash in ’90s bro shit – Vegas Baby! Samuel L. Jackson! Assassins! Old Man Mentors!
