Watching Movies with Rob Reed
At the end of this month a new film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson opens in movie theaters, and in this household that is the equivalent of a national holiday. In fact, I’m leaving work early on opening day to catch the first screening of “One Battle After Another.”
Every PTA movie is worth seeing as soon as possible, but this one is different. His most well-known and acclaimed films, “Boogie Nights” and “There Will Be Blood,” were made for respective budgets of $15M and $25M. The budget for his new movie was $115M, but reporting from Variety says that ballooned to at least $130M.
A big budget doesn’t mean a movie will be good, but for Anderson it’s especially intriguing to wonder how he’ll put that extra cash to work on the big screen. This movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Teyana Taylor in a story about a group of ex-revolutionaries whose past comes back to haunt them.
In anticipation of what’s very likely to be an Oscar-nominated action spectacle, here are a few movies you may want to watch in advance.
“Licorice Pizza” (2021) - Anderson’s most recent film is also one of his most underrated. It’s a movie about characters running toward adulthood while others are running away from it, and what happens when they meet in the middle.
“The French Connection” (1971) - Obviously not a PTA film, but one he has cited as an influence on “One Battle.” The car chase in this movie is still as riveting as it was more than 50 years ago, and the trailer for Anderson’s new movie suggests car-related action galore.
“The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) - Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t often associated with comedies, but the trailer for “One Battle” suggests he’s heading back to the comedy/drama territory he first started mining in one of Martin Scorcese’s best films of the century.
“One Battle After Another” opens in movie theaters nationwide on Friday, September 26th.
Rob Reed was born and raised in Emporium, currently residing in Lancaster. His love for movies was sparked by childhood visits to the Emporium and St. Mary’s Theaters, as well as countless trips to local video stores.
