Each month in 2021, I’ll be posting a ranked list of some of my favorite director’s films. Be sure to check back in February for the latest entry.

To kick off my Ranked series, we are going to take a look at the career of Maya Rudolph’s husband: Paul Thomas Anderson. A man who, despite his eight Oscar-losses (R.I.P.), is one of the most consistently exceptional filmmakers in modern American cinema. From a horny mystery to a horny Scientology allegory to a movie about literal porn, the man can truly do it all.

8. Inherent Vice

I’ll get this out of the way early; to date, Paul Thomas Anderson has never made a bad movie. In fact, I don’t think he has ever made a movie that isn’t great. However, with Inherent Vice, I’m always left with a lingering sense of frustration. It has some stellar direction, and it gets another killer performance out of Joaquin Phoenix alongside a star-making turn from Katherine Waterson, yet it always just feels like something is missing.

Maybe I need to get wasted out of my mind the next time I watch it. Maybe I need to give Pynchon’s novel a shot. But for now, all I can say is that it takes the prize as my least favorite of Anderson’s works.

Martin Short is fucking hilarious, though. 

7. Hard Eight

An incredible debut that, more importantly, is a powerful showcase for the leading-man talents of Phillip Baker Hall and John C. Reilly. Two actors who, even in some of the later works of Anderson, are often relegated to supporting films. That’s not to say that they don’t absolutely nail their supporting roles (I’m looking at you in particular, Boogie Nights), but god damn if it doesn’t rule to see the two of them get to lead. 

As a relatively unknown entry in an otherwise widely-known and beloved filmography, Hard Eight never seems to get the praise that it deserves. It’s a playful, riveting drama, one worthy of just as much praise as any other of Anderson’s works. 

6. The Master

An actor’s movie, through and through. Somehow you get Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman AND Amy Adams, all of whose careers are full of dozens of rich and wonderful performances, giving near career-best work in The Master. It is endlessly quotable (“If you already know the answers to your questions, then why ask PIG FUCK?”) and, just like several other entries on this list, isn’t bogged down by its lengthy runtime, but rather enriched by it.

Also, while Phantom Thread and Boogie Nights are certainly in the running, this must be Anderson’s most horny movie. I mean, in the first five minutes of The Master, Phoenix literally has sex with a sand sculpture. I don’t know how you can get any hornier than that.

5. Magnolia

Raining frogs. Tom Cruise as a horned-up motivational speaker/predator. A children’s gameshow host named fucking Jimmy Gator. A runtime of just over three (!) hours. 

Magnolia is an epic in every sense of the word. It is operatic and bloated and melodramatic, and it all comes together to equal something that I’ve never quite seen before. It certainly isn’t for everyone, but if this hits for you, it truly is a special film.

4. There Will Be Blood

One of those films that, if directed by most other filmmakers, would be the absolute pinnacle of their career. There Will Be Blood is a testament to not just Anderson’s talents, but to those of his film’s star, Daniel Day-Lewis. In a career full of critical acclaim (only actor to win Best Actor in a Leading Role three times) and widespread commercial love, this may be the finest performance in his entire career. It is most immediately comparable to that of Orson Welles’ in Citizen Kane, one that spans time and characterization in a way that few other performances are able to capture.

And also, to answer the age old questions: should this have beaten No Country For Old Men for Best Picture? My answer: Maybe!

3. Boogie Nights

I’m a star, I’m a star. I’m a big, bright shining star.

Just pump me full of whatever they were filling Marky Mark with in this. Anytime you watch one of his more recent performances, it’s like watching someone’s roided-up gym teacher trying to scold you for making fun of his foster kids or something. But Boogie Nights Wahlberg? Yeah, that’s the good stuff.

2. Phantom Thread

While his performance in There Will Be Blood may be the best performance of Daniel Day-Lewis’ career, there is no performance of his that I cherish more than his in Phantom Thread. However, despite it containing my favorite performance from one of the world’s greatest actors, living or dead, it isn’t even my favorite performance of the film. That honor belongs to the unfathomably brilliant performance of Vicky Krieps. 

Of the best decade or so, there has never been a performance that caught me off guard as much of that of Krieps. With Phantom Thread being yet another Day-Lewis/Anderson collaboration, those were the two I came in anticipating to be wowed by. Yet to watch Krieps, an actress who I previously had never even heard of, give such a deeply nuanced and commanding performance absolutely floored me. I instantly fell for her, much like I did with Kirsten Dunst in The Virgin Suicides or Julie Delpy in Before Sunrise. It is a magnetic performance within a magnetic film, one that I often find myself thirsting to watch yet again.

1. Punch-Drunk Love

When Punch-Drunk Love is brought up, it is often to prove that Adam Sandler is a “capable” actor, alongside his wonderful performances in Uncut Gems and The Meyerowitz Stories. This conversation is painfully reductive, as it imagines Sandler as a hapless actor who, once every decade or two, pulls off some astounding feat and delivers a nuanced performance. Instead, the conversation should not be about whether or not Sandler is a good actor, but rather if he is one of our best actors.

Punch-Drunk Love is probably the closest we will get to another Sirk film. It’s colors are as vibrant as its romance between Sandler and the never better Emily Watson, and their first kiss is as powerful as that of Wyman and Hudson in Sirk’s crowning masterpiece, All That Heaven Allows. And it’s all centered by Sandler’s performance, one that is truly remarkable in not just its range, but it’s pure depth of emotion. It is a performance that most actors can only dream of, a big old middle finger to the countless moviegoers who think of Sandler for his Jack and Jill-esque roles. I’ll admit, I was once a Sandler-skeptic, but damn am I reformed. 

Punch-Drunk Love is not just one of Anderson’s best films; it is one of the best American films ever made. It is ridiculously watchable and painfully relatable, a stunning showcase of the vast narrative, visual and directorial talents of Anderson. Let’s hope he has plenty left in the tank.

Let’s see: according to my Letterbox account, I saw exactly 35 movies that were released in 2020. Christ, is that depressing or what? While I did miss some of the bigger releases of the year (Tenet, First Cow and Never Rarely Sometimes Always), I struggled to write a top five list, let alone a top ten.

So instead, let’s take a look back at all of my favorite first-time watches of 2020. There are no real rules for this list, other than if I saw it before 2020, it’s disqualified.

A couple of honorable mentions (in alphabetical order): Broadcast News, Casino, Perfect Blue, Thief and Videodrome.

10. The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone

Okay, I guess I’m cheating already.

Listen, The Godfather: Part III has always and will always be the second best of the Godfather trilogy. I will not hear any slander against the good name of Vincent Corleone, so please do not even waste the energy.

The Godfather Coda, which is Francis Ford Coppola’s re-edit of his misfairly-judged original, trims off a little bit of the fat and tightens up the whole experience, allowing the tragedy of Michael Corleone’s conclusion to get the true gravitas that it deserves. If you didn’t like the original, it’s hard to say that any of Coppola’s edits are revolutionary enough to turn you around. But if you are like me and have an immeasurable fondness for The Godfather: Part III, Coda is definitely worth checking out.  

9. The Night of the Hunter

My first Robert Mitchum film, and let me say: this fella sure can act. He just has one of those faces that looks so lived in, as if it was born to be on camera. What better way to capture Mitchum than through some of the most luxurious black-and-white cinematography captured on film. An absolute marvel, one that I’d kill to see on the big screen.

It’s a damn shame that this was the only film that Charles Laughton ever directed.

8. Before Trilogy

I’m gonna go ahead and cheat and count all three entries in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy (Sunrise, Sunset and Midnight) as a single film. It’s my list, so I get to make the rules!

Watching the entire trilogy over a weekend felt like watching a group of documentaries, as Delpy and Hawke’s performances are so natural and authentic that they feel nothing like characters, but rather true-to-life humans. Nothing is played up for the camera, because to them, there is no camera! The trilogy hits every note of a modern romance; it’s lustful and mundane and dramatic, never succumbing to the desires of a mainstream production or a short attention-spanned audience.

7. In the Mood for Love

In the Mood for Love is not about passionate love or physical connection; it is about longing and its powerful, devastatingly painful nature. Somehow a movie consisting almost entirely of two people walking down a hallway, looking at each other only through the very corners of their eyes, is one of the most heartbreaking romance films of the past decades. Wong Kar-wai’s characters get no catharsis, so neither do we as an audience. We have to just sit there, longing for some form of release that we just know will never come.

6. Strangers on a Train

You could ask the following question to 20 people and get 20 different answers, but is this the best Hitchcock film? I absolutely adore Rear Window, Psycho and Rope, but god damn if there isn’t just something so special about Strangers on a Train. It has that signature Hitchcock sleaze, but it is wrapped around a package so elegantly made that it feels almost operatic.

Also, and I’ll totally count this as a technicality, this may be the best sports film ever made!

5. Police Story

Jackie Chan moonwalks! Jackie shows his buttcheeks! Jackie shows the same clip of himself sliding down a pole at a mall not just one, not just twice, but three whole times! Fuck yeah!

It’s incredible how much this works as both a straight-up action film and a straight-up comedy. Chan is a relentless performer, committing himself to a ridiculously dangerous degree (see the film’s end credits). It’s tragic that so many Western audiences likely see this as some stupid, lowbrow Asian-action flick, because there are few films as brilliantly paced and directed as Chan’s Police Story.  

4. Society

God, stumbling upon Society on Shudder reminded me of when horror movies used to be good; its nothing but gratuitous sex and gore and naked women, all wrapped around the most shlocky of B-movie dialogue. It’s a perfect drinking movie, especially if you got some friends around. It’s even better if they have absolutely no idea what it’s about!

I so, so badly want to talk about Society’s ending. But if I was to spoil the ending to just one single person, I would be committing an unforgivable sin. Please go watch Society; have some drinks, yell at the screen and get ready for one of the most feverishly-enjoyable horror movies of not just the late-80s, but of all time. 

3. Heat

Badass bank robbers? Check. Our two greatest living actors, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino? Check. That oh so glorious line reading of “Cause she’s got a great ass?” Another check.

Heat may be one of the most strictly-entertaining films that I’ve ever seen, period. It’s a film that I’ve seen many try to explain their love for, as if they were embarrassed to fall for something so unabashedly cool. Is Heat the crown jewel of vulgar-auteurism? I don’t have any idea. All I know is that there are few works with this caliber of artists performing at such a high level, and to try to explain it away as some exploration of popcorn cinema would be an absolute travesty.

Dudes fucking rock.

2. Twin Peaks: The Return

Twin Peaks: The Return has spawned some of the most insightful, beautiful writing that I’ve ever read. I am neither intelligent enough nor articulate enough to describe what I love so dearly about David Lynch’s Twin Peaks universe, so let me just list a couple of points:

• Laura’s Theme? Up there with Third Floor Hallway as my favorite pieces of cinematic music.
• I, quite literally, jumped off my coach and screamed during Cooper’s “I am the F.B.I.”
• I wept profusely when Ed and Norma finally embraced after all these years.
• Over these coming days, I will be moving into my new place with my girlfriend. You can bet your ass that she will be forced to watch through all of Twin Peaks with me.

1. All That Heaven Allows

Back in my freshman year of college, my first film professor was this psycho old man, someone who I struggled to understand how he got his job in the first place, let alone maintain it for so many years. We all bombed his tests (I’m still certain he just made up random “facts” about film history) and begged him to curve our grades, lest we all fail his course.

But God damn did he have great taste.

From RoboCop to Showgirls to Written on the Wind, he played a critical role in my exploration of films that were vastly different from what I was normally consuming. Then, when discussing the significance of a film’s first five minutes, he showed us the opening to Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows. Well, after three years, I finally watched the next hour and a half of it.

All That Heaven Allows is my all-time favorite movie. It is painfully romantic, one completely unafraid of drawing on our primitive, uncontrollable desire to love and be loved. Everything, from Wyman and Hudson’s wonderful performances to the sweeping score, is full of the beautiful melodrama of a mid-century soap-opera. Trying to avoid the charm of Sirk’s crowning masterpiece is impossible, so why even try? 

I’ve caught myself saying this every year for the past few years, but this year really felt like a special one for film. Don’t get me wrong, it had its fair share of trash (I’m looking at you, Rambo: Last Blood), but the movies that connected with me this year truly connected. Each film on this list impacted me in a profound way, and here’s hoping 2020 can match this savage pace.

After whittling away on a list, these are my ten favorite films of the year, and my favorite scene from each of them.

And be warned-spoils ahead. You’ve been given your one and only warning.

10. The Beach Bum

Favorite scene: Captain Wack’s dolphin tour.

Let’s start this list off with something fun! Martin Lawrence plays Captain Wack, an old friend of Moondog (a career-best work from Matthew McConaughey) who now runs a low-rent dolphin watch down in the Florida panhandle. The two friends, alongside the whitest family in the history of American cinema, take off to see if they can find some dolphins.

As expected, things don’t go quite as expected for our lovable dufuses. Captain Wack mistakes a handful of sharks for dolphins, takes a swim with them, and proceeds to have his foot bitten off by one of them. It is some pitch-perfect comedy, accented by the young daughter of the family who seems totally oblivious to Wack’s suffering (“When was the last time he clipped his toe nails? Seriously, that’s gnarly, man.”).

9. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Favorite scene: Mourning Kofi.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is the most beautiful film of the year, but it is also one of the most heartbreaking. Our lead, Jimmie Fails, has a complicated relationship with Kofi and his friends; enemies in some scenes, seemingly close friends in another. But after Kofi is killed, emotions start to spill, and tensions begin to mount between Jimmie and one of Kofi’s closest friends, Jordan.

But right when you think Jordan’s going to explode in fury, he does the opposite: he breaks down, sobbing into Jimmie. It is such a tender scene, as Jordan’s pain feels so raw, so painful. It’s highlighted by Jordan’s friends in the background, who force themselves to look away in attempt to hold back their own tears. It’s a brutal bout of grief, as well as another example of the film’s willingness to challenge masculinity and the confines that it creates.

8. The Farewell

Favorite scene: Billi’s goodbye.

I lost my grandmother at a young age. My grandfather then remarried, but his wife died soon after their marriage. He remarried yet again, but this time, he passed away first, with his third wife dying soon after. Although I wasn’t the closest with my grandparents, I’ve certainly experienced my share of grief from them. Almost too much, in fact, that the pain eventually became numb.

Yet the finale to The Farewell brought me back to the moment when I found out that my grandmother was passing, or when I was told my grandfather had a few days left to live. That pain, that anger, that anxiety. And while The Farewell does ultimately have a happy ending, the look that Billi (Awkwafina) and Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen) share was oh so familiar. Thank you, Lulu Wang, for making such a beautiful film, and damn you for making these memories come back.

7. Ad Astra

Favorite scene: Roy’s call to his father.

Daddy Issues in Space wasn’t anything close to what I expected from it, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed. For a film so purposefully cold, Ad Astra was one of my most emotional moviegoing experiences of the year. And no scene better exemplifies the film’s emotional power than when Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) sends out a last ditch call to his father Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones).

In what is the year’s most underrated performance, Pitt reads a letter calling for a response from his father, who alongside his crew members went missing during a space exhibition. The camera is tight on Pitt’s face, his eyes watery but refusing to let a tear drop fall. It’s a painful plea, one that Pitt masterfully performs, and it sets the foundation for the film’s later emotional payoffs.

6. Marriage Story

Favorite scene: Charlie & Henry read a letter.

Is it cheesy? A bit. Is it obvious? Maybe. But did this scene make me well up with tears? Most certainly!

Marriage Story wraps up its melancholy tale of lost love and divorce with its most tender of scenes. Charlie (Adam Driver) walks in on his son reading a letter from Nicole (Scarlett Johansson), Charlie’s now ex-wife. After watching his young son struggle to read through the letter, Charlie reads the letter aloud, in which Nicole described all of the things that she loved about Charlie. It is beautifully written & yet another showcase for Driver’s immense talent, and it serves as a painful reminder that even love doesn’t always work itself out.

5. Parasite

Favorite scene: Geun-sae’s revenge.

Parasite has a hell of a lot of influences; it bounces from comedy to drama to even some horror, all while maintaining its allegory of class conflict. No one scene better exemplifies these influences than the Park’s birthday party. This is a scene that so heavily relies on previous context that it would be a waste to spoil it here, so just know that Bong Joon-ho sure knows how to stick a landing. And that shot of Geun-sae coming up the basement stairs? Shivers, man. Shivers.

4. Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood

Favorite scene: The home invasion.

Coming into Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood, I was worried how they’d handle the, you know, whole Manson murder thing. Luckily, we don’t have to sit through the dramatization of the murder of Sharron Tate. Instead, we get to see the two coolest motherfuckers of the year brutally kill three members of the Manson family. I mean, c’mon, what more do you need?

Also, the reveal that Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) was holding onto his flamethrower from The 14 Fists of McCluskey in his pool shed may be the funniest gag of the entire year.

3. The Lighthouse

Favorite scene: Any scene involving alcohol & screaming.

The Lighthouse is without a doubt the least conventionally scripted film on this list. A majority of scenes consist of unintelligible screaming and arguing, especially once our good ole sea captain Thomas (Willem Dafoe) has gotten some booze into him. The last act of The Lighthouse almost entirely consists of scenes such as this, and Dafoe and Patterson give powerhouse performances, weaving between humor and tragedy so fluidly. It’s a damn shame neither of them will be recognized come the Academy Awards.

2. The Irishman

Favorite scene: Frank’s call to Jo.

Scorsese’s The Irishman is full of contenders vying for the film’s top scene. But one scene has stuck out each time I’ve watched the film, realizing the horror of what preceded it: when Frank (Robert De Niro) has to call Jo to comfort her, despite being the murderer of her husband, Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).

Robert De Niro is, hands down, my favorite actor of all time. But throughout his countless roles, many of which are some of the most acclaimed performances of all time, no one scene of De Niro’s has impressed and moved me as much as this. De Niro stumbles through his words, obviously distraught at having lost his best friend, but also ashamed at having to face the repercussions of his acting. It is a remarkable bit of acting, a reminder that De Niro still has plenty left in the tank.

1.  Uncut Gems

Favorite scene: The last 20 minutes.

I know that I gave spoiler warnings, but I don’t think I can in good conscience write about the final 20 minutes of Uncut Gems. If I was to spoil the ending for even just one person, I would be robbing them of one of the greatest cinematic experiences that I’ve ever experienced.

Please, everyone, go see this film. I’m going to try to avoid too much hyperbole (for now), but there has not been a film I’ve enjoyed more than this in years.

Adam Sandler for life.