One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson Tour (#10) Yes. Fuck yes.  The definition of electric, a 3 hour epic action dramedy propelled by a tireless Jonny Greenwood score at breakneck pace, something meant to be seen on the largest silver screen.  PTA is the perfect gateway drug for any cinephile wannabes, and this is no exception; I wanna imprint the feeling of seeing this movie for the first time into my nervous system because how does he release banger after banger without any hiccups? Seriously.  There’s these musical chords at the start of the movie that immediately snap you into focus, and from that moment, it’s a constant train of volatile sequences and character moments that feel perfectly balanced, with not a hint of fat. Leo drops another golden performance taking a more comedic route to his eventual awards season run, while the legendary Sean Penn fires on all (awkward) cylinders with one of the most unique villains I’ve seen in a long while; Teyana Taylor’s Perfidia leaves a lasting impression that haunts the remainder of the film, which then turns into a baton pass to Chase Infiniti’s Willa, a perfect portrayal of Gen Z realizing that we’re gonna have to deal with the messes that the previous generations cooked up and left burning on the stove. And Benicio’s Sensei Sergio? Effortlessly cool.  Timely and potent, it’s an unusually comforting and hopeful reminder that there has been and will always be battles to come, that fighting back will always be the response to keep humanity intact.  This one’s gonna join Boogie Nights in my hall of fame, here’s to PTA getting his flowers next year.