WATCH: PS Hoffman (A Tribute)

Good afternoon.

We were passed along this beautifully constructed, and extremely moving tribute to the colorful career of Philip Seymour Hoffman, which was tragically cut short last month. The piece contains highlights from all five of the films PSH made with PTA, alongside countless other memorable PSH screen moments. It is sure to put a lump in your throat.

Thank you to the creator of this piece, Caleb Slain, for reaching out to us personally with this.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Mondo Debuts 5 Film Paul Thomas Anderson Poster Series

While PTA is gearing up for his next film, Mondo -- who you will remember from their dazzling "The Master" print from a few months back -- have decided to look back. This week the Austin-based powerhouse is debuting a series of Paul Thomas Anderson poster prints this week featuring his first five features. The series was curated by artist Aaron Horkey and as per the company's usual policy will go onsale at a random time at a date still TBD sometime this week. Check out all the posters on our Facebook page and vote for your favorite or check them out at Indiewire who also features quotes from the artist/curator.

Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
"The Master" is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

‘Hard Eight' Archives Completed

Over the next week, the entire Paul Thomas Anderson archives that have been collected over the last 12+ years will be uploading to our website. The first archive completed is Hard Eight, featuring endless information and multimedia including:

EXCLUSIVE HARD EIGHT ARCHIVES / Cigarettes & Red Vines  

DVD DETAILS
Domestic & Forgein Releases, Art and Technical Specifications

ARTWORK
Posters, print ads & forgein/format specific box art

PHOTO GALLERY
Photos from the premiere of the film & site-exclusive images from the official Rysher Entertainment press kit for Hard Eight

PRESS & RECOGNITION
Features Production Notes transcribed from the press kit, Awards & Nominations & Top Ten Critics Lists.

10 DELETED SCENES
Transcribed from the original draft of the Hard Eight Screenplay.

There is still a little more to be added to the HE archives, but the idea is to fill each section up with the most relevant/unique information for each film and flesh out the pages with the more wildly available information (cast & crew, imdb-esque things etc) after. Enjoy.

Flashback Friday: Exclusive Mark Rance Interview

Today we take you back to August 21st, 2000 when our site first posted an exclusive interview called "Reliving 'That Moment'" that focused on Mark Rance. My own interview title offering featured on the banner. On topic: Mark was the filmmaker responsible for creating the feature length documentary following Magnolia from pre-production to projection that can be found on the newly released Magnolia Blu-Ray disc.

Reliving "That Moment" with Mark Rance

Mark Rance & his company, 3 Legged Cat has been a pioneer in creating supplemental footage for special edition releases. Mark made a name for himself working for Criterion on their LaserDisc releases such as Silence of the Lambs, This is Spinal Tap, El Cid & Lord of the Flies from 1991 - 1995. 

Mark then helped establish New Line with the ground breaking Platinum Series DVD’s. Mark was an integral part of many of the early releases including Spawn, Blade, Lost in Space, Nightmare on Elm Street Collection, Detroit Rock City, Austin Powers, Dark City, The Corrupter, Pleasantville & more.  

It’s Mark’s work with Paul Thomas Anderson that immediately comes to mind. He worked on the commentary tracks for both the Criterion LaserDisc of Boogie Nights & New Line’s first DVD Platinum Release. 

He followed that up with his work on the Hard Eight Special Edition for Columbia/Tri Star before tackling his most ambitious DVD project to date. That Moment, A Magnolia Diary, is a 74 minute intimate look at the creative process following PTA’s latest film from conception to creation. 

Not your typical promotional documentary or featurette,  That Moment shows you the highs, lows & especially the hard work required to make a film. I spoke with Mark about his relationship with PTA, making “That Moment” & his future projects. 

C&RV: When did you first meet PTA & get involved with the Boogie Nights releases on DVD & LaserDisc?

MR: I had already been given the assignment to work on the Criterion LaserDisc of Boogie Nights, when we met really briefly at the Los Angeles Film Critics Award luncheon. I went over to an apartment where he was living. I got there early so I was in the building sitting on the steps across the door from the apartment & he comes up carrying groceries. 

There's this young woman following him carrying groceries as well. "Hi I'm Paul, how are you doing?" I really didn't put two & two together until everybody sat down for the interview & I realized, "Oh, that's Fiona Apple." She sat there during the interview drawing pictures & listening. We did that in the living room of his apartment in January 1998.

C&RV: How did the Hard Eight DVD come about. Did PTA seek you out?

MR: Yeah. I was at a screening of one of my friend's films & we ran into each other. Paul says, "You gotta help with this thing". We began recording the tracks with Philip Baker Hall while he was still writing Magnolia. We probably did about six hours worth of recording. This is my tendency. I like these longer interviews & try to reduce them down to fit. Edit them to sound chatty without them being chatty. 

There was a lot to talk about on this film. When it was edited down, we had one full track & a half hour worth of material for a second track. We dedicated the first track to PTA & Philip on his first film & making the thing. The second was dedicated to isolating the soundtrack cues & talking about Rysher. I wanted to make the ultimate commentary about first films, bad experience & successful experience.

C&RV: Rumor has it that Columbia/TriStar was not happy with one of the commentary tracks that PTA did & his comments about Rysher. The word inflammatory comes to mind. Did anything have to be reedited for the release?

MR: Yes. When the thing was submitted to Columbia, they reviewed it with their legal department & asked us to take out all the stuff referring to Rysher. Around that time, MGM had been sued by a writer who did not receive proper credit on a commentary track. The suit went through & the guy won. 

That made some of the studios nervous about what people might say on these things. It's that whole issue when an opinion is libel. It took them months to decide this & Magnolia was in production. I came on the set & I was thinking exactly what Paul said. Let's go around & interview everybody that worked on Hard Eight.

C&RV: Whose idea was it to isolate the score on the second commentary track?

MR: I wanted to do that because I'm always fooling around with the format. I loved the score & sort of by accident put it up against the picture without any dialogue. I thought in that in a couple of cases, when you do that with a movie, it becomes a different movie in a good way. In addition, the soundtrack's not available, so it seemed like a good idea. 

C&RV: And include the alternate closing credits song [Aimee Mann's "I Should've Known"]?

MR: Yeah, it was a surprise because he was singing that song during one of the commentary recordings to loosen up. I knew the song really well & thought these lyrics are kinda cool for this movie. I had it better in a rough cut, the timing was cooler. 

They're was a better edit. It's off a few frames. The really interesting thing is that it's the exact running time of the original credit sequence. The great thing about working with Paul is that he lets you surprise him & I try to.

C&RV: Tell me about recording his commentary tracks. I know you prefer to do extensive interviews & then edit them coherently to the film? Is that what you did with the Boogie Nights & Hard Eight?

MR: There's a lot of stopping & starting. I'm a firm believer in not forcing people to watch the movies. It's the technique that a lot of studios have adopted because it's fucking cheap. But I also think it's the technique that's killing commentaries. 

That's why a lot of people don't want to do them anymore. There's so much resistance at this point from people who have heard all the dumb ones. There's more of those than the smart ones, that the idea of being trapped, having to come up with something as fast as the movies are generally cut is criminal. 

MR: In all of these cases & especially with Paul, I like just sitting & talking, seeing where he's at, trying to understand where he's coming from. Finding more if I can about the background to a particular movie, a particular scene, working with an actor, an idea in the film, films that he likes, what he admires in those films. Let those digressions take the conversation where it goes because often enough, it comes back.  

C&RV: It seems that PTA went from house to house doing segments with all the principal actors on Boogie Nights, were you involved with the recording?

MR: Paul & Dylan Tichenor did the original actors & I helped with the new additions of Melora Walters & Luis Guzman. When I got it, I made separate tracks with each voice. We dropped in the new interviews where Paul's solo commentary used to be since it duplicates the other commentary track. The new material will hopefully make the "Is Luis Guzman High?" joke pay off.

C&RV: Your condensed version of what happened to Exhausted?

MR: Paul toyed with the idea of including WADD: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes but decided to stay with the Exhausted footage from the Criterion LaserDisc. It ultimately came down to money & the director of Exhausted & New Line couldn't agree on a price.

C&RV: Moving to the Magnolia DVD, with PTA’s public comments about not wanting to do a commentary track for this film, did you explore other possibilities such as a cast & crew, actors, composer or film critic [Roger Ebert recorded one for New Line’s Dark City Platinum Edition]?

MR: No commentary period. No analysis.

C&RV: Did you guys explore other supplemental material such as the Charlie Rose Show, The "Cops" Footage or the Worm subplot?

MR: We did talk about all that kind of stuff, but he really didn't want any more of the deleted scenes on the disc. He was very specific about that. Paul's vision here was a simplified DVD with the fewest buttons to push. After Paul saw the work done on New Line's Detroit Rock City DVD, he called me up & said, "OK, Mark we got to talk about this. What the fuck were you doing?"

C&RV: I assume PTA chose the Magnolia 12 chapter stops as well?

MR: Yes, I think the beauty of it is that it emphasizes, as Julianne Moore says, the operatic structure. It's in movement, it's in passages. It's not in scenes. These scenes interconnect. There's an association building up between the characters, the lives they lead & the meaning of those lives. Paul is dead on about this & he told me that you could probably do it with one button or chapter. It's probably coming. Someone's gonna do that again.

C&RV: How did “That Moment” come to fruition?

MR: It was Paul's idea. He told me that I would be the only one on the set & "do my thing." He had seen a documentary I made called "Mom". He told me to try & document everything. It was that simple. There was no other direction or list of things to get.

C&RV: Tom Cruise, was noticeably absent from the film. Were there any limitations to your filming or access?

MR: Cruise's people asked that he not be filmed. The only limitations were my availability as I was working on multiple projects for New Line.

C&RV: It's surprising to see Tom Cruise in the outtakes then?

MR: We thought since we didn't have him in the documentary & Tom liked those outtakes, thought they were hysterical, & that they would represent his participation. Paul & Tom had a great relationship, so it really wasn't a stretch to include them.

C&RV: Was there every any tension on the set between you & the cast & crew?

MR: The only time that happened was when one of the actors was ready to start work & didn't want to be distracted. He made a good point that when the second camera is there, his peripheral vision would catch that & he's not sure where to play. It throws him & I understood that. The way that I was taught to make films is that it's not the camera, it's you. It's your job as a filmmaker to be human, to be present, to be the person you are. You just happen to have a camera. 

You do things to make them familiar with you holding the camera. In this way, you develop a more intimate relationship with everyone around you. Try to minimize the idea that they should feel like there's something different between you with the camera & without. That's just the whole style. Not to over analyze this, but interviews tend to separate you. The power switches from the star to the interviewer. In that imbalance, you get less. 

People are less willing to talk. They become guarded. If you show that you are not threatening them, then you get different kinds of footage. Like walking up to Bill Macy to ask him what he thinks about the script is sort of like walking up to Macy for the umpteenth time & asking him a stupid question. That's the way he talked to me all the time. If you needed a laugh, just go say something to Macy. 

C&RV: How much footage did you shoot?

MR: 128 hours. I had two very good people logging the stuff. We started thinking about structure & because we didn't have a lot of time to edit. I kept shooting. We decided on the most linear structure. It could been much more of a mosaic or organized in a different manner. The diary thing just became the guiding rule because there was no time to play with it more than once. The first edit was eight hours. The second edit was four. Then it hovered around 2:20 - 3:00 hours for a couple of weeks. I showed the cut to Paul three times after it was less than three hours. Paul gave me notes three times & we finally ended up at 74 minutes.

C&RV: Did you have complete freedom in what footage was ultimately included?

MR: Yeah. Paul did give me suggestions on where to trim it. There was plenty to choose from & that is always a problem. Throwing away a lot of good stuff early was kind of painful, but it was the only way. If you hang on to something, then you would have to hang on to two other things to explain it. You want to try to avoid adding voice over & let it evolve from the camera's point of view. 

C&RV: Was the very funny exchange between Paul/Fiona spontaneous or scripted? How did it come to pass?

MR: Spontaneous. I came upstairs & Paul said watch this. They did it again later in the evening at dinner. It wasn't quite as funny because she couldn't move around as much. They probably did some version of it at home. It was on the night it went into wide release (January 7th). We were about to get in a car & drive around to the various theaters & see the audience reaction.

C&RV: The last shot shows PTA listening to Aimee Mann’s Red Vines & working. Was this actual footage shot during the editing process?

MR: Paul was working on Fiona's Limp video. There was still this residue from the release of the film. Articles were lying around. There was just this feeling of exhaustion. I don't even know why I started shooting. I was just goofing around. I really love that song, too.

C&RV: What are your thoughts now looking back on the Magnolia Diary?

MR: The beauty of what Paul asked me to do...He's like the first person who really believed me as a filmmaker in ten years. I can't thank him enough. Making that thing for Magnolia was maybe the most challenging & the most fun thing I've had to do in all of this. As much as I like meeting all my cinema heroes & making these commentaries that is more meaningful to me. The fact that he liked it is even better.

C&RV: What future DVD projects can we expect from 3 Legged Cat productions?

MR: We're working on the Seven Platinum Series, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me & a John Waters box set for New Line. A Crow box set & Red, White & Blue for Miramax. I really want to do more work on foreign films but the market still isn't there yet. The market is still heavy into the science fiction films because they are the big sellers.

Tomorrow we will have details for an interesting upcoming screening of There Will Be Blood.

Join Cigarettes & Red Vines on Twitter and Facebook for extra updates & content.

Flashback Friday: Exclusive Melora Walters Interview

For today's installment of Flashback Friday, we have a site exclusive interview with Melora Walters that was conducted in 2000 called "Minutes With Melora" because apparently alliterations are awesome.

Minutes with Melora

After numerous TV appearances in such shows as Roseanne, The Wonder Years & Seinfeld, Melora Walters appeared in supporting roles in the feature films Dead Poet's Society, Ed Wood, Cabin Boy & Eraser. But it's her roles in Paul Thomas Anderson's films that have propelled her into the spotlight. Each of her roles have continued to increase in PTA's films culminating with her starring role in Magnolia. I spoke to Melora about her relationship with Paul, bringing her characters to life & future film projects.

C&RV: How did you first meet PTA & get involved with Hard Eight?

MW: I auditioned for Paul. You know, one of those audition things? I guess Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't going to do the part of Clementine for a while due to a scheduling conflict, so I actually auditioned for that part. I read the script & thought this was the most wonderful script that I'd ever read. Then when I met him, I thought he was amazing. 

Anyways, Gwyneth ended up doing it & in the middle of shooting there was this little part & they asked if I wanted to do it & I was like "Yeah!" I wanted to work with Samuel L. Jackson & I wanted to work with Paul & I wanted to be part of that story. 

C&RV: So, did he mention the Boogie Nights script to you during or after filming Hard Eight?

MW: No. It came up a few days before he started shooting Boogie Nights. Paul said, I want you to read the script & look at the part of Jessie St. Vincent. I said they'll never let me play that part. Paul said, "Trust me." I told him that I didn't want to read it & fall in love with it & not be able to do it. That would kill me. He said, No. Trust me." Three days later, they were dying my hair that color!

C&RV: What kind of research did you do for your character in Boogie Nights? Were you involved in the infamous porno film visits?

MW: No. I did watch the "Exhausted" documentary & that was very important, but I didn't want it to be about the way porno is now. I felt Jessie St. Vincent was just so much of a misfit among these people. She was very genuine. She didn't take drugs. She was just an actress. She got married, had babies & she was an artist. That was what it was about.

C&RV: Did you have fun doing the commentary track with Paul on the new Boogie Nights DVD?

MW: It sounded kind of crazy with my children in the background. I drove Paul home afterwards & told him that I think we should do it again. He said, no, It was fine." I told him that we should do it again because I thought I was acting like Jessie St. Vincent & the kids were talking.

C&RV: How did you become involved with Michael Penn's "Try" music video?

MW: Paul just said, "Will you come down & be in this video?"  I said sure. It was only one day of shooting & was a lot of fun.

C&RV: How flattered were you that after the success of Boogie Nights, Paul specifically wrote the part of Claudia, the center of Magnolia, for you?

MW: It was the most amazing gift in the world. I was completely flattered. It's an opportunity that you dream of.

C&RV: When you first read the Magnolia script & your part, were there any doubts that you could handle the emotional intensity of Claudia?

MW: Not really. I did get scared. I get scared every time I start something new. I told Paul that I will go in my darkest depths as long as he was there to save me if I start drowning. And he was always there.

C&RV: So, did you lean on him heavily for some of the more intense scenes? Did he provide you direction or just let you go?

MW: It guess it was a combination. He created her. It's all there. You just know this person. She's alive on the page. So, then you just follow what he's created & he kind of steers you. It was very intimate & very intense.

C&RV: What sort of research did you do for Claudia?

MW: I started with the script & Aimee Mann's music. I had some friends in New York who had really horrid childhoods. So, I've been around people who have been damaged. I suppose we all have been damaged in one way or another. I don't know how, but she just made sense to me. 

C&RV: Was it hard to escape the character & not take it home with you?

MW: It's funny because when I think of it, it was very cathartic & I went home happy because all my demons came out during the day. But my husband did say later, when the film was finished, that he was glad I was done, because I was starting to bring it home. I didn't think I was, so that's kinda of telling right there.

C&RV: Tell me about singing Wise Up?

MW: That was the scariest part, because I can't sing. I was absolutely terrified. I listened to the music a lot. The whole movie set was such a safe, nurturing, intimate environment. That provided a great place where you were safe to do anything. 

C&RV: How many times did you have to shoot the last scene?

MW: I can't remember how many, but we did it quite a few times.

C&RV: What's it like working with John C. Reilly?

MW: He's amazing. He's really funny. He's really sweet.

C&RV: How has Paul helped your personal development as an actor?

MW: Paul was the first one who saw how I can change into different characters & he's taken advantage of that. Because his films are so amazing, then people see that, & it's giving me wonderful opportunities.

C&RV: Why is it that virtually everyone that works with PTA devotes themselves to him for the rest of his life?  What does he have that no one else does?  

MW: I don't say genius lightly. I really think that's what he is. He really taps into something very deep when he creates these stories. Whenever somebody can do that, the people around cannot help but be touched by it. You feel it & then you're just committed to it, because it's rare. It's like Mozart. If you listen to his music, it touches something in you. Paul's films touch something very primal within you & how can you resist that?

C&RV: Paul is so vocal about his respect for actors in general and for specific actors (you included).  Does this respect ever lead to expectations that you have found difficult to live up to?  

MW: I try not to think of those things. I try to simply focus on the part I'm playing completely & make that person as true & real as I can. I can't worry about the rest or I would go crazy. Paul is always communicating with me & making constant adjustments when necessary. I would do anything for him.

C&RV: Were you disappointed over the lack of recognition you received for Claudia?

MW: No. I just think that the only thing you can do is just try to do really good work. The rest is all gravy. I was disappointed that Paul didn't win because I think in the whole film business, he is one very unique voice. I mean he doesn't make big special effects movies. Although the frogs were a special effect. [Laughs] That made me really mad that he didn't win.

C&RV: Let's talk about your upcoming films. Tell me about Desert Saints with Kiefer Sutherland?

MW: I play an undercover cop. It was really fun. I haven't seen a final cut yet. Kiefer is a bad guy & you get the sense he can kill you at a moment's notice. And you think, don't go with him, but I turn out to be worse than him! So I thought this is gonna be fun!

C&RV: What about Speaking of Sex with James Spader, Jay Mohr & Bill Murray?

MW: I finished that in July & it was so much fun. It's a big comedy farce about marriage, sex, marriage counselors, therapists & divorce lawyers. I'm married to Jay Mohr & he has a problem. In the process of trying to save my marriage, I end up sleeping with my therapist & then all hell breaks loose.

C&RV: Tell me about Rain, which is being executive produced by Martin Scorsese?

MW: I'm getting ready to do that now. It takes place in a very small town with deep, dark secrets. I will be filming this in Iowa.

C&RV: What do you think about Paul working with Adam Sandler?

MW: I think it's great. We talked about me being involved, but I don't think I'm supposed to say anything about it yet. It's top secret! [Laughs] It should be really interesting & fun.

Join Cigarettes & Red Vines on Twitter and Facebook for extra updates & content.

Hard Eight Archives Completed

We invite you to check out the completed archives for Paul Thomas Anderson's first feature film "Hard Eight"

As it will be with all the films, videos and short project pages shortly, you will find: Multiple different formats of poster art, promotional materials, reviews, low-res photos from the premiere, 9 deleted scenes transcribed from the original draft of the "Sydney" screenplay, original press kit production notes and more will be added once other pages have caught up.

Note: Please remind people that we exist under this new address http://www.ptanderson.info whenever you get the chance as we have had to change hosting companies/addresses a few times in the last while, but will be here permanently. Join Cigarettes & Red Vines on Twitter & Facebook.

"Hard Eight: Some Of The Best Reviews Of My Life"

John C Reilly was interviewed by the Onion's AV Club and was asked which of his 'smaller films' that he has been in that he felt didn't get the attention it deserved. His response:

JCR: Well, they all kind of find their way. They all kind of eventually percolate down and find the audience...Hard Eight, Paul Anderson’s first movie, which is really called Sydney, had some of the best reviews of any movie I’ve ever been in, and I think the shortest theatrical run. But as a result of Paul’s work, after that, he has definitely found an audience. I think just getting a movie done is an accomplishment in itself. It’s almost like a success that you’ve got the money to do it, and you made it, and it’s good.

Click to read the entire article in which the interviewer and Reilly don't seem to be getting along alot of the time.  In quick website news, the finished site will be uploading over the next day/s.

I apologize for the state of things the last while.

December 21-25, 2001

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

There's plenty of discussion about Hard Eight in an article about Reno & its place in movies. You can check out here.

ESPN.com writer Bill Simmons is at it again. He talks about his love of Boogie Nights & DVD in his latest column. Check it out here. (Thanks Ian, Chas!)

I've received multiple emails regarding the similarity of a scene from Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's 11 & the casino scene during the prologue of Magnolia. Elliott Gould's flashback sequence in Ocean's 11 is quite similar right down to the freeze frame of a guy getting smacked in the face. It could be homage (to PTA or other directors), since PTA has clearly been influenced by the likes of Demme, Ophuls & Scorsese.

December 14-19, 2001

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

As you've probably noticed, things have been extremely quiet, but I'm pleased to share some exciting news today. Yep, that's a behind the scenes still from the PTA/Adam Sandler film (courtesy of the Adam's official site). You'll notice that PTA's hair is quite short which means he probably continued his ritual of shaving his head whenever he starts work on a new film. Oh yeah, one more small thing. I've heard from PTA's camp that Punchdrunk Knuckle Love will not be the name of film. Not sure what happened, but I should be talking to Paul soon & I hope to find out.

Attn Canadian Readers: Showcase (sort of the Canadian HBO) is running a contest for people to vote for what movie they want played on New Years. Hard Eight, Exotica Another Day In Paradise, The Dreamlife of Angels & Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss are the nominees. You can vote at their official site.

December 3-6, 2001

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

Adam Sandler is a busy man. According to Variety, his next film may be Revolution Studios' Anger Management, playing a timid businessman who is sentenced to an anger management program where he finds himself tutored by an ultra-aggressive psycho. Possible co-stars include Jack Nicholson, though no offers have been made.

In addition to the upcoming PTA film, Punchdrunk Knuckle Love, Sandler has also completed work on Deeds, the Sony/Columbia Tri Star picture inspired by Mr. Deeds Comes to Town co-starring Winona Ryder. Other possible Sandler projects include the romantic comedy Fifty First Kisses with Julia Roberts & Scared Guys, a Dean Parisot-directed comedy about a man with phobias who attempts to leave his apartment for the first time in years to stop a contract killing.

Michael Chabon will be interviewing Ricky Jay in this Thursday, December 6th in San Francisco at the Herbst Theatre. Definitely worth checking out if you live in the Bay Area. You can call (415) 392-4400 for more information. (Thanks John!)

As many of you reported, Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings) was among the guests on the premiere episode of MTV's Movie House. Hard Eight was mentioned as one of his favorite films during a trip into a video store. He even explained that the film's original title was Sydney. The PTA fan base continues to grow...

Director Joel Schumacher briefly mentions Boogie Nights, referring to the opening tracking shot as "great" during his commentary track for the St. Elmo's Fire DVD. (Thanks Jeff!)

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 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 17, 2000

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

I'm pleased to announce the winner of the PTA DVD Music Video Contest is Jimmy Nguyen! What did Jimmy do to deserve this prize? Jimmy submitted a 3 minute short film set to Aimee Mann's "One". Big deal, right? His entry was received on CD ROM, complete with menus, an introduction, the short (with & without commentary!), cast & crew biographies & a behind the scenes featurette! There was considerable time & effort put into this & it really shows! I hope to have this (as well as many of the other entries) on the site in the near future, so you can all check it out.

Hard Eight will be showing at Brown University next weekend as part of their Director's First Film Series. Hard Eight plays at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 21st & on Sunday, September 24th. Admission is $2 for students & $2.50 for everyone else (per film). Other films showing include Bound, Clerks, I Shot Andy Warhol & Spanking the Monkey. You can check out this link for more info...(Thanks Ian!)

Magnolia was voted Best Film of the Year by FIPRESCI. PTA will receive the award at the opening ceremony of the San Sebastian International Film Festival on September 21st. I'm not sure if PTA will be there to receive the award. More info on this will follow. FIPRESCI is a worldwide organization of 150 film critics from 40 countries. For more information on the festival go here.

Back on Monday with the DVD sales chart, VHS rental chart & more!

August 14, 2000

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

I've discovered a great interview with John C. Reilly conducted in early 1997 for the release of Hard Eight. It's the first interview with John during that era on the site & it's a good one. There's also newly added hard to find reviews of the film by Bob Strauss (L.A. Daily News), Michael Medved (NY Post), Stephen Holden (NY Times) & J. Hoberman (Village Voice). You can check them out in the Hard Eight Critical Response section.

NBC will be showing the Ben Affleck/Fiona Apple Saturday Night Live rerun on Saturday, August 26th. This episode featured the PTA written & directed MTV FANatic short. For more info on the short, check out the Short Films section of the site

The Odds on Hard Eight

Actor John C. Reilly talks about how a little naiveté will go a long way

The title of the film "Hard Eight" is taken from a bet on a particular roll of the dice in craps; a "hard eight" is rolling double fours. In this film, a roll of the dice is also a metaphor for life.

"Hard Eight" is set entirely in casinos, restaurants and hotels, transmitting a feeling of transience that is reflected in the rootlessness of the characters. It opens in a coffee house where an aging, gentlemanly looking gambler named Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) meets young, down-and-out John (John C. Reilly). Sydney takes John under his wing - among other things, helping him arrange his mother's funeral - and two years later, they're together in Reno. There, Sydney befriends Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a cocktail waitress and fledgling prostitute. Meanwhile, John is hanging out with Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson), a fast-talking security guard who just doesn't get along with Sydney.

Reilly said his own life has some similarities to that of John, the character he plays. Reilly's father died just prior to shooting the film, and Reilly's best friend is a man in his 50s. Reilly also admits to going through a stage in his life like that of his unworldly, trusting alter ego.

"I still am kind of a naive person," he said. "But you know, a little bit of naiveté is good. [Filmmakers] keep seeming to cast me in these parts where I'm incredibly naive or innocent. I think I'm a pretty savvy customer. . . . It's probably because I usually take people at face value. I think it's positive, though, to be kind of naive. It makes it a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning, anyway!"

Although Reilly has had small parts in "Hoffa," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "The River Wild" and "Dolores Claiborne," John in "Hard Eight" is his first major role.

"Hard Eight" is also the feature film debut of writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson. Reilly met Anderson at the Sundance Filmmaker's Lab, a forum where first-time writer-directors work with professional actors and technicians. At this time, Anderson was "getting his [directing] feet wet," Reilly said.

"We'd take little trips up to Reno and Vegas, Paul and I," he said. "We'd have different read-throughs and rehearsals. Paul just loves to get me going, improvising one thing or another. Paul has a knack for capturing the little interesting details in people's behavior. He would take something I did and go, 'Oh that's great, that's great, what you just did,' and he would put it into the script. So I had to be careful, after a while, what I did in front of Paul."

After having worked with high-profile directors such as Woody Allen ("Shadows and Fog") and Brian DePalma ("Casualties of War"), Reilly described working with first-timer Anderson as "different in a good way."

"He's got a real freshness and energy," he said. "Part of that comes with it being his first time. He's a natural at directing. He has a real intuitive sense of the actors, and he's a very sensitive person. When it comes to emotional stuff he could sense what's going on. He could tell when he wanted to do another take - what to say, which is rare. Most importantly, he's a good audience. There has to be one person somewhere in that crowd or behind the camera who's really engaged in what you're doing and is really excited and listening, and Paul is definitely that. He loves to watch actors act."

Reilly has just wrapped up a role in Anderson's second film, "Boogie Nights," which is about the adult film industry.

In "Hard Eight," Reilly co-stars with seasoned actors like Jackson and Hall, as well as Paltrow, who plays his love interest.

"Gwyneth is a really fun person to be with," Reilly said. "She has so much energy and she's a very quick wit. She's one of those people [that] if you say something stupid, she'll nail you."

Although Paltrow has recently received much media attention for her role in "Emma" (among other things), she was a relative unknown when "Hard Eight" began filming. Of the seven films she had completed, only one had been released.

"At the time that we shot the movie it was a really exciting time for her [because] she was really just starting to come into her own," Reilly said. "The only film of hers that had been released at that point was, I think, 'Flesh and Bone.' So she was really just kind of exploding onto the scene at that point."

Reilly felt that the role of Clementine is one of the few Paltrow has had that is equal to her talents.

"A lot of people would get caught up in that stuff - the publicity, all the attention - but she, at the bottom of it all, is a really good actress and knows why she's in the business to begin with," he said. "And all this other stuff, this publicity and everything, I think just serves that purpose . . . that her acting is what it's all about."

Because he was the only bankable cast member at the time, Samuel L. Jackson helped the film obtain financing. Reilly described Jackson as a great storyteller.

"We traded back and forth location horror stories from making movies," he said. "He's just a very positive, easygoing person [and a] very funny actor."

Jackson's character, Jimmy, is a flashy gangster type who precipitates the film's explosiveness, and not only because his character is the only one who owns any firearms.

Knowledgeable, distinguished and well-spoken, John's mentor, Sydney, is the polar opposite of Jimmy. Sydney is played by Hall, a veteran of many television and film roles, including one in Robert Altman's "Secret Honor."

Reilly described Hall the person as very similar to Sydney the character: "After a while, he and I developed a relationship similar to the one we have in the movie. Philip is like the eye of the storm. When the shit is hitting the fan, Philip is the one calm person in all of it. It was like all these people running around trying to pull this miracle off, and Philip really relaxed people. He's a very wise person."

Given that "Hard Eight" is a writer-director's debut and features few high-profile stars, one could consider it a miracle that the film ever got off the ground. But Reilly disagreed that "Hard Eight" is a special case.

"Every film's a miracle," he said. "Every turn there's a million things that could go wrong, from the very beginning of the film to the very end."

June 21, 2000

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

I had a chance to ask PTA about some Frequently Asked Questions that I receive on email. His comments were brief & not what you want to hear, but it's nice to know where things currently stand.

Hard Eight/Boogie Nights Score: 
Many of you would love a compilation of the Michael Penn scores, but there are no plans to release one at this time. 

Hard Eight Script
: There are currently no plans to release the script in similar fashion to the Boogie Nights & Magnolia script/companion books. 

DTS Track on Magnolia DVD: 
This will not be included on the upcoming release, although there's a possibility that a DTS version could be released in the future. For those that are unaware, DTS is a competing digital audio system to Dolby Digital which many feel sounds superior.

As I said, these things may revisited in the future, so don't give up hope. If anything changes, you will hear it here first.

There's an interesting documentary currently showing on E! this month. John Holmes and the Wonderland Murders: The E! True Hollywood Story spans 2 hours & primarily focuses on John's involvement with the Wonderland Murders. It airs again tomorrow, June 22nd at 9:00 p.m. & Friday, June 23rd at 10:00 a.m. & 4:00 p.m. For a program description go here.

March 19, 2000

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

Last night I had the opportunity to see Fiona Apple live in my hometown of Seattle. She put on an incredible show as she alternated between center stage and sitting down & playing the piano. Two of her band members were from Seattle, so there were many friends and relatives in the audience. PTA was on hand to see her as he moved from backstage to stage left during "Fast as You Can". 

After the show, I had a chance to speak with PTA for a few minutes & catch up on the latest happenings. Here's a brief rundown:

6th Annual From Concept to Sale Conference: 
PTA was there to answer questions from attendees after the screening of Hard Eight (which was incidentally shown on DVD).

Saturday Night Live
: PTA will be contributing to additional shows as he has made good friends on the show & really enjoyed the experience. More specifics as soon as I find out.

Jonathan Demme Project: 
This was recently reported in the New York Times & confirmed by PTA last night. Jonathan Demme & PTA are serving as Executive Producers on Forest Hills Bob a new film written & directed by Robert Downey, Sr. "It's the story of a widower coming to terms with the next chapter in his life," producer Peter Saraf (Ulee's Gold) told New York Times. While the lead hasn't been chosen, expect quirky ensemble casting from the Chelsea-based Clinica Estetico production.

Magnolia DVD
: We talked briefly about the DVD & looks like there might be a documentary on making the film that will be included. (This is subject to change).

Boogie Nights DVD
: PTA confirmed that this will be a 2 Disc set (Disc 1 for the movie & Disc 2 for the supplementary content). I am not able to release all the info provided at this time but here is the latest features that PTA is working on. 

Please remember that things can change quickly & some of these features may change. I will update this info on this page & the Special DVD Page:

This will remain PTA's Theatrical/Director's Cut. All deleted scenes will remain as supplementary material on the 2nd disc.

The Dirk Diggler Story will not be included on the DVD.

Additional deleted scenes will include Becky & Jerome & hopefully more.

Additional commentary track by Melora Walters, Luis Guzman & more!

A simple menu navigating system (PTA thinks that many of the new DVD menu screens are getting too complicated).

I will be conducting an interview with PTA a little closer to the release of the date of these incredible new DVD's. Stay tuned for more info...

March 10, 2000

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

Great news today as I have learned more about PTA's involvement at the upcoming 6th Annual From Concept to Sale Conference which is being held at the Bel Age Hotel in Los Angeles on March 17 - 19. PTA will be screening his debut feature, Hard Eight on Friday, March 17th at 7:00 p.m.! If you haven't purchased your tickets to the conference, time is running out. For more info on the event click here. 

March 1, 2000

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

I'm back today with a large update and some great news if you are an aspiring screenwriter or live in the L.A. area and want to see Paul Thomas Anderson in person! He will be a featured speaker at the 6th Annual From Concept to Sale Conference where you can rub elbows with PTA, Frank Darabont (Shawshank, Green Mile), Kevin Smith (Chasing Amy, Dogma) & more! The conference will be at the Bel Age Hotel in L.A. from March 17th - 19th. You can go here for all the details and registration information. 

In other PTA news, east coast fans will get a rare chance to see Hard Eight (Along with Mamet's House of Games) on the big screen, as it will be featured March 16th at the NEO-NOIR: A selection of 61 35mm films inspired by film noir. The address is Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St., Manhattan, New York. Call (212) 727-8110 or check out their website for more information. 

According to a tidbit in NY Magazine, Paul will return to write/direct some additional material for Saturday Night Live on March 11th (Thanks Michael Schneider). Magnolia has received four nominations in the Sixth Annual Chlotrudis Awards (Best Picture, Director, Cinematography (Elswit) & Supporting Actor (Hoffman). Chlotrudis Awards is a non-profit organization that honors, supports and educates about independent and non-mainstream film. This Awards Ceremony will be held on April 8 at the Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. Find more information and vote for this year's Chlotrudis Awards on their website.

Finally, I have added some new content to the Magnolia Page & uploaded Version 1.0 of the Boogie Nights Page of the Multimedia Section. In addition, I have updated the Magnolia Awards Page, Magnolia Box Office Page & new articles and interviews to check out.  I'll be back on Flashback Friday!

January 9, 2000

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

I sat down with Paul for a bit on the set of the latest Fiona Apple video “Limp” which will be the second single & video from her critically acclaimed When the Pawn… release. This is their third collaboration together which follows “Across The Universe” & “Fast as You Can”

Greg Mariotti: Let’s talk about Magnolia. The preview screening you held in Sydney, Australia with Tom Cruise in late summer came in at 3:23. What did you trim? The worm is what I am hearing, some of the worm stuff? 

Paul Thomas Anderson: Yeah, the worm stuff. There’s sort of, a little bit more of a follow through on the mystery character, who’s in it now.  It’s better to remain sort of a mystery character.  The brown jacket and the little kid (Dixon).  And that stuff is sort of better served as something to truly think about as opposed to something to answer and in an effort to make it more mysterious and make it shorter…I just took it out.

GM: Cause I was wondering how the little kid (Dixon) got to the car where Linda Partridge was unconscious.  I mean seems like that was a way different neighborhood for him to be all of a sudden over there ….

PTA: No, that really wouldn’t have been any different if you had seen anything else. No, that makes total sense in terms of the reality base of the movie. I mean it’s not as if anything is missing now.

GM: Sure so what else got trimmed?  I heard that maybe the frog sequence got trimmed a little bit?

PTA: The frog sequence got trimmed, maybe like 5 minutes came out of the frog sequence and just heads and tails of film.

GM: I had read in Premiere Magazine that you made Bill Macy do like ten takes of the scene where he sticks a key a door and then turns around and slips and falls flat on his ass. I didn’t see that in the film, was that true or not true?

PTA: It’s in there. When he walks out and the key snaps off. He kinda smacks himself back into the door. We did like forty takes of it.  Or something like that.

GM: And he got hit in the face with a frog quite a few times too?

PTA: Yeah, he did. Yeah. Yeah

GM: I don’t know if I told you this I just thought the film was incredibly ballsy, raw and naked.

PTA: Thank you. Thanks a lot.

GM:  They are having a special screening in Seattle on the 28th of December, so I will get another opportunity to see it again before it goes into wide release on January 7th.

PTA:  Great. What kind of screening is it?

GM: My guess is probably a press screening with the few critics that are up there.  Speaking of critics, was there a gag order on reviews to try to keep the plot, etc. under wraps? I noticed that the Variety, Hollywood Reporter and David Anson (who gave it 3 1/2 stars) reviews have started to come out. Is that OK with you?

PTA: It’s fine, I think David Anson had to give it 3 ½ stars because he saw an earlier cut. He needed to give it a star rating for the magazine Film Comment. 

GM: Tell me about this proposed Lennon biopic rumor which has been circulating for more than two years. Is this true?

PTA: No, it’s not true.

GM: So with the dance sequence in Boogie Nights and the use of Aimee Mann’s music in Magnolia, I see a musical in your future. What do you think?

PTA: Sure. Oh yeah, definitely…definitely.

GM: Any idea what’s next at all? Maybe a lean mean short of thing?

PTA: Definitely short.

GM: Yeah. Are you going to take a break for a while?

PTA: I am, I am definitely going to try. I am going to try to take, like a year off or something like that

GM: Are you going keep doing music videos?

PTA: Just for Fiona

GM: What about Michael Penn who has a new record coming out early next year?

PTA:  Oh no, I would do it for Michael or Aimee or Fiona and of course John Brion. 

GM: Are they going to release Jon Brion’s Magnolia score? Because I know there is an Oscar promo CD floating around.

PTA: Yeah, there is an Oscar promo but there will be a true Jon Brion musical score for Magnolia coming out in January.

GM: What about your collaboration with Jonathon Demme?  What are you doin?

PTA: I can’t tell you…..

GM: All right, are you working on a script for him?

PTA: Sort of..

GM: A new script? Not a rewrite or something else like for the remake of Charade?

PTA: No. It’s so….I can’t say (chuckling under breath)

GM: Did you film the Sydney death sequence where the hostage kills him at the end of the film?

PTA: Yeah, I did.

GM: Did you also shoot the Clementine turd, story? 

PTA: Yes, I did.  Goddamn, that’s, how’d you know that? That’s great.

GM: It’s in the script. I read a bit about it in an interview with her and then I actually picked up the Sydney script and it was in there.

PTA: That’s great….is it in the script?  Gwyneth told me that story and I just wrote it down and then we shot it.  And it was just fuckin far too long.

GM: Hilarious.    

PTA: She just couldn’t tell the story any faster.

GM: Why not stick it on the DVD? 

PTA: I lost the footage. It’s gone somewhere….in hell with all that stuff.

GM: And you didn’t want to put your short film Cigarettes and Coffee on the DVD as sort of a precursor to Sydney?

PTA: No.

GM: OK. Why not include Johnny Doe’s death, the Becky and Jerome scene with Dirk crashing the car on the DVD (in the Deleted Scenes section) when it was one of the last things that you decided to cut. I know this was your final cut obviously but are you thinking of maybe eventually doing not a director’s cut… but maybe a fun cut…or an expanded version for people who really want to see that stuff?

PTA: I think we are going to do a new edition of the DVD. Because the directors cut is the cut of the movie.

GM: Right.  But even some of the lines that got cut….I know that you cut Dirk grinding on Amber a bit in addition to all the dialogue that was altered or removed for MPAA reasons (Little Bill’s Wife & Jessie, etc.)….   

PTA: You know it’s just so small. I don’t know if I really consider it exactly worth it. I might put the Becky sequence in possibly on a new Boogie Nights DVD. We might do a new version because I don’t really think it got transferred right the first time and I want to take another shot at it.

GM: Have you started to think about what you are going to do with the Magnolia DVD? Considering the length of the film that won’t leave a lot of room for extra materials unless you use the new DVD-18 or do a two disc set?

PTA: I think I will put one or two scenes that I took out. Maybe Earl Partridge’s longer monologue and the Frank Mackey seminar stuff that I took out. But I’m not going to do a commentary track for this movie.

GM: No? Do you just not want to talk about the film at length? Are you burned out talking about it?

PTA: Yeah. Totally. I just don’t want to talk about it. I’m just so proud of the movie and I think that it speak so much for itself that I should just shut up about it. We will put the Aimee Mann “Save Me” music video on there, and the trailers. I want to keep that stuff to a minimum so it allows more room for the best possible picture and sound.

GM: Are you ever going to do a real sex scene? I mean none of your films have had a real “Hollywood” type of sex scene. Maybe something like that but in a less clichéd way?

PTA: I really want to try. But I don’t want to worry about a ratings issue. I have to decide if it’s something I want to try to do within an R rating or something that I just want to period and not think about a rating.

GM: Melora Walters was incredible in this film. She completely stole the show in my opinion. I know all the early Oscar buzz is for Tom Cruise and Julianne Moore, but I really hope they seriously look at her and the job she did.

PTA: Me too. She’s incredible. I wrote the part for her. The last image in the film was the first one that I had in my mind.

GM: Did anyone pass on roles that were offered to them because I know that Rebecca Pidgeon (David Mamet’s wife) had to pass on a role because she was pregnant [this was the role of Jimmy Gator's mistress which was cut] Did anyone else pass?

PTA: There was moment where Jason Robards was too sick to do it and I offered the role to George C. Scott and he passed. And then Jason got better and I got my first choice back again which was great.

GM: Are there any actors that you are eager to work with?

PTA: Daniel Day Lewis. I think that he’s fucking awesome. I think that he’s a fantastic actor. I really want to work with him.

GM: What about Jennifer Jason Leigh? You are real good friends and I’m surprised that you haven’t worked together?

PTA: You know what. It’s just a matter of time before we get to each other. We are big fans of each other’s work. Maybe next time. I’ve been thinking about that a lot actually.

GM: What movies have you really liked the past few years?

PTA: La Promesse. I thought it was fucking incredible and amazing movie. I loved The Sixth Sense. I thought it was wonderful. I liked Eyes Wide Shut. Nothing else is popping into my head.

Bill Hader  (Friend of the site): Did you see Rosetta (same filmmakers that made La Promesse)?

PTA: No, not yet. I haven't had a chance but I really want to. I can't wait to see it.

GM: How’s your DVD collection?

PTA: I got a good collection going now. I’ve got a backlog of like a hundred that I haven’t had a chance to watch because I just buy them when I’m working or I’ll never remember if I don’t buy them now.

GM: What do you think of Cookie’s Fortune and the last few Altman films?

PTA: It was okay. I liked the Gingerbread Man. I thought it was a pretty good thriller, but Cookie’s Fortune was kind of silly.

GM: The spontaneous friction scene in Sydney. A reader from the site saw this happen outside a theater in 1990….

PTA: Hey, that might be true. I was outside of Reno and my car broke down and a tow truck driver picked me up and told me that story. It could have been. That was 1991. I can’t imagine that has happened a lot of times.

GM: So do you like the cigarettes & coffee website?

PTA: It’s great. Yeah. There’s maybe one time I saw something and I wanted to correct something. It wasn’t a big deal. I was gonna call you but I didn’t get around to it. No. Everything is pretty much spot on.

GM: I made the site for me because I was sick of searching the Internet and looking for stuff on you. I wanted somewhere for people to come and find everything they could need in one resource.

PTA: I don’t know if you know this but as my press gears up. People are going to your site and clearly they are getting shit from your website. All these big time interviewers are going there and getting all this stuff. Part of its great and part of its a little scary because they’re like “You once said” and I’m like “Really, Oh shit”. Oh yeah, I might have said that!

You will have peaks and valleys just like a director. I have a feeling these next few months there are going to be a lot of people checking out the site and looking for things.

GM: Yeah, I have really noticed the press on you gearing up. There was a real nice Q & A in Madison Magazine recently. Didn’t they want you on the cover?

PTA: Yeah. I don’t want to be on the cover. That’s not my style.

GM: Your films have made a lot of covers over in the U.K. They really appreciate you and your films quite a bit. I think there movie magazines are far superior to the ones we have over here.

PTA: I totally agree. Sight and Sound especially. I am gonna do another Sight and Sound interview in a few weeks. I don’t know. I can say with great pride that they really like my movies over there.

GM: Yeah, their love of film seems stronger than ours. Much better than the fluff over here.

PTA: Yeah, there’s a lot of weird internal politics over here with articles and interviewers.

GM: Do you mind if I post some pictures of your dad as himself and as Ghoulardi on the site? I didn’t want to do it until I got your okay.

PTA: Sure. That would be fine.

GM: I appreciate you having me out here and getting a chance to interview you and see you work.

PTA: No, are you kidding? You shouldn’t appreciate it. I appreciate you and all your work on the website