Top Commentary: Paul Thomas Anderson

P.T.A. is one of those directors who's so interesting that even when I don't like one of his films (like I am with Punch Drunk Love) I still watch it more than once because I figure the problem is with me. When one of my favorite directors makes a film, I'll see it, even if I think I'm not going to like it because it's not what I expect from that director. Case in point, James Cameron's Titanic. No interest in the story, but I went because of Cameron.

Not too surprisingly, P.T.A. earned some of the highest marks of any director so far. According to the poll on Filmspotting.net...

44% think anytime he makes a movie, there's a good chance it'll be a masterpiece.
37% think he is usually great and certainly one of our best directors.
14% think he's solid, but only sometimes great.
2.5% think he's good, but not one of our best.
2.5% think he's simply not one of the Best Directors working today

Definitely a winner in my book. I'm happy whenever he comes out with something.
--Edgar Chaput

I think he has potential, and certainly a unique and independent vision. I just dont think he has reached his prime yet. If he lives another 20 years, people will refer to his current stuff as his "early films".
--zarodinu

That's exactly how I would rank them. I'm hoping he does something smaller with his next film. Just because it's epic doesn't make it a masterpiece
--roujin
Just because it's small doesn't make it more lovable
--Tequila
...but PT does indeed make epic masterpieces and smaller lovable films.
--Keith

I'll end with our good friend Humby...

PT Anderson is probably my favorite working director and while in my opinion he has directed some of the finest films of the last 10 years, I still hope and believe that the best is still to come.