Infograph: The P.T. Anderson Scorecard

P.T. Anderson is back in theaters, with Inherent Vice gaining a wide release this weekend. He has built quite a career for himself. Any conversation about the best American filmmakers working today has to include his name. Over the years, he has developed a style all his own, complete with recurring themes, actors, and even individual elements. I’ve put it all together in a scorecard.

Film Color Palettes

A lot of aspects help create a movie’s thumbprint. Acting, writing, foley, and score all come to mind. Another aspect that comes to mind is cinematography. Whether you realize it or not, films have a unique color palette that can invoke any number of feelings. Here are some examples.

There Can Be Only One!

There are many cinematic debates that have raged on for years. These debates provide two options–two icons or two tremendous films–that are strikingly similar, and yet still distinct from one another. Almost universally, they’re presented in black and white. As the title suggests, there can be only one option chosen as a favorite. There’s no room for gray area. I find that notion horribly misguided. I can love pizza and beer equally, for instance. Having said that, the debates are still a whole lot of fun and they’ve made me try to learn more about the other side far more than I would have without the debates. Here are some of my favorite debates, and my verdict.

This is the End (Credits Song List)

I am not one of those people who must remain seated as the end credits roll. More often than not, a spring launches out of my ass and I make for the exits before the second name in the credits has appeared. I don’t need to know who the boom operator was. But sometimes, a movie will play a really cool song that convinces me to stick around. Here are some of the best. Fair warning- since these are the endings of these movies, there are spoilers all over the place.

There Will be Blood (2007)
The Song: Violin Concerto in D Major (Movement III)
The choice of a classic violin concerto adds to the air of the film as a true classic. Moreover, the segue from Plainview’s complete descent into greedy insanity juxtaposed with the powerful but mischievous violins flows so naturally. It’s finished. Take the ride to the 14:00 mark for a tiny taste:

Old Yellers: Famous Movie Yells!!!

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Sometimes in film, using a calm demeanor isn’t enough. Sometimes, a character has to go up a few decibel levels to make their point. In honor of the long, rich tradition of characters yelling things in movies, here’s a list of famous movie lines, yelled:

Minimalist Designs of Famous Film Hairstyles

Nike recently released a series of t-shirt designs that pay homage to classic Major League Baseball hair styles. Every great player in the last 30 years who featured a goatee, an afro, a fu manchu, a beard, or a simple mustache is featured on these shirts. Upon seeing Nike’s creations, my thoughts naturally shifted towards what a similar design style would look like with movie characters. Here are some minimalist designs of famous film faces and hairstyles:

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Lifestyles of the Rich and Crazy: The 10 Best Eccentric Wealthy Movie Characters

Over the weekend, I finally caught Grey Gardens (1975), the documentary about Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale. There really isn’t any other way of saying it- the pair of women were nuttier than squirrel feces. Naturally, it made my synapses turn towards other eccentric and affluent characters. Here are the ten best.

Howard Hughes, The Aviator (2004)
The way of the future. The way of the FUture. The way of the future. The WAY of the future. The way of the future. The way of the future. The way of the future. The way of the future. The way of the future. The way of the future. The way of the future.

Jaw-Dropping Scenes From the Last Ten Years

[Spoilers ahead] I recently purchased my own copy of A Serious Man. The ending to that movie haunts me like few can, and I’m not really sure that I can explain it. It has something to do with dealing with petty annoyances only to discover that there may just be far bigger threats around the corner. The image of Danny Gopnik, flush left in the screen amid a sea of classmates staring at their approaching doom as Grace Slick belts out “Somebody to Love”, is gut-wrenching. Seeing it again the other night made me ponder- which other recent scenes have made my jaw drop like that, either through raw emotion or pure filmmaking skill? Here are some of my favorites from the last ten years.

Film Interpretations of Various Artists

Photoshop is an absolute blast sometimes. It allows you to entertain yourself for hours. And that’s precisely what I did here- I imported film themes into the artistic styles of various artists like Warhol, Munch, Van Gogh, etc… Be sure to click on any of these to get the full-resolution versions, especially the more horizontal prints.

The Last Supper using only Scorsese characters:

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100 Things I Love About the Movies

I passed a milestone recently here at TDYLF. Thanks to the help of the editors over at IMDB, I passed the 100,000 Hits milestone on Sunday (with a whopping 80,000+ of those hits coming just since September 30th). To celebrate, I’m beginning a brand new series called “100 Things I Love About the Movies”. To be sure, there a LOT more than 100 things that I love about the movies. As such, this has the potential to become a series- 100 Things I Love About Horror Movies, 100 Things I Love About Foreign Movies, and on and on. I present to you the first edition of “100 Things I Love About the Movies”.