Paul Thomas Anderson has, to date, earned 14 Oscar nominations and not a single win, though that will almost certainly change March 15 when he has a shot at three gold statuettes for his latest magnum opus, One Battle After Another. His first nom arrived in 1998 for Best Original Screenplay. He lost to Matt & Ben, but became a golden god anyway with Boogie Nights, a rollicking look at the Seventies porn industry in the San Fernando Valley. All bouncy fun until it becomes kinda desperately sad, PTA’s second feature still rips, even if these days Mark Wahlberg would rather distance himself from Dirk Diggler. His loss: He was never better onscreen. – Kimberley Jones
