working on something set in california in 1973 so i started watching some scenes from my favorite film set in california in 1973 on a whim for inspiration and before i knew it it was 3 am, the film was finished, and i’d accidentally watched the whole thing
the magic of the movies (and alana haim)
A movie that makes me feel like few movies - if ever - have before. I catch myself saying “This is my favorite scene!” every single scene. Not just my favorite film of last year, but of many many many years. Sheer movie magic from start-to-finish.
(And it should be winning Best Original Screenplay in a WALK.)
Warts and all… I just LOVE Licorice Pizza with my whole heart. It’s the most fun I’ve had at the movies in ages, it’s my favorite PTA, and I can’t explain how much the character of Alana means to me. Therefore, it was my honor to give it one last push for an Original Screenplay win in Next Best Picture’s annual FYC post!
So, without further ado:
“It’s absurd that we’re 25 years - and 11 Oscar nominations - into Paul…
With all the conversation surrounding leading and supporting actors and actresses during awards season, standouts in significantly smaller roles (and sometimes, those in a single scene) don’t receive the recognition they deserve, so here’s OUR ode to the best film cameos of last year, from Licorice Pizza’s Harriet Sansom Harris to Eternals’ Harry Styles to the bevy of Broadway stars in tick, tick… BOOM! and everyone in-between!
Check it out on Awards Watch!
I get so sad every time the Benny Safdie segment starts because I realize this is almost over and I just… wish it would never end? I’ve said it a million times (and probably already in one of these reviews), but I literally wish I could live in this film forever. Y’all can have your Hogwarts or Middle-earth or [insert fan-favorite fictional world here], but give me PTA’s specific vision of the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s, and I’m…
There are moments when I’m watching this where I think “Is this the best movie ever made?”
And you know what? It might be 😌
Took the roommates to see this at the Regency Village on Wednesday night. Always a bit nerve wracking showing one of your favorite films to a few of your favorite people in the world, but, thankfully, they thought it was simply terrific, and I may or may not have recruited three more people to our “Alana Haim for Best Actress” cause…
(Also, as if I haven’t praised Licorice Pizza ENOUGH, it was a treat to talk with three of my…
Licorice Pizza is one of the films that is quickly becoming a big threat to presumed Best Picture frontrunner Belfast. After eight nominations, will PTA finally get his Oscar gold this year?
Read my thoughts over on Next Best Picture!
Licorice Pizza is Paul Thomas Anderson’s most deeply felt film to date - an overwhelmingly openhearted odyssey with enormous emotion that envelops you from the first frame to the last. Thanks to his witty, winsome writing and two dynamite debut performances from Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, it’s a staggering success on every level imaginable.
It’s not just the kind of movie that reminds you why you fell in love with the film medium in the first place, but the kind of movie that restores your faith in the medium's future.
Read my full (rave) review on Next Best Picture!
I literally want to live in the world of Licorice Pizza forever. The kind of movie that reminds you why you fell in love with the film medium in the first place. It’s PTA at his most playful, but still powerfully - passionately - poignant. Alana Haim is a fucking SUPERNOVA star who is absolutely getting a Best Actress nomination. Cooper Hoffman is such a natural charmer who does his daddy justice with one of the finest performances from a…