Boogie Nights

Hard Eight apparently taught everything Paul Thomas Anderson everything he needed to know since with Boogie Nights there seems to be a true master at work. Now there still is a subtle growth with Anderson found in his creation of his own personal style, since with the next few films he approaches new subject matter by utilizing aspects of other filmmakers's methods, though always with his own flair. In Boogie Nights this is his Altmanesque examination of the Porn industry of the 70's and his "degradation" through the change of a decade. The film most closely Dirk Diggler(Mark Wahlberg)'s career path in the industry, but around that covers fascinating variety of the various people in the life. This is most interesting in that Anderson allows different tones depending on the character depending on the scene, and it never feels as though it seem ill-fitting despite the fact that in one given scene you can have Dirk hilariously belting out "the Touch", then another that entails a brutal murder suicide. Anderson weaves it all together just about flawlessly, and the entire film has the mark of a great director.
5/5