Cinema is Dope

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Being surrounded by seven sisters could not have been an easy existence for Barry, except perhaps in moments like this one.

“The idea was to emphasize the unique place that Adam and Emily’s characters occupy in the film by surrounding them with non-actors. This was especially important in the case of Barry’s sisters. Paul (Thomas Anderson) didn’t want to hire actors because he wanted to capture the raw awkwardness of family, where people nag and talk over each other and don’t wait for their cues.”

“I went to meet with these two sisters and in talking discovered that they had two cousins. So of the seven sisters in the film, six are non-actors and four are related. It was kind of crazy, especially given that we asked some of the women to bring their husbands along, but they all gelled perfectly. They had no fear.”

- Casting director Cassandra Kulukund on casting Barry’s sisters in Punch-Drunk Love

Caption:
(From L. to R.) Elizabeth (Mary Lynn Rajskub) introduces her friend Lena Leonard (Emily Watson) to her brother Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) hoping that the two may hit it off in the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

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Striking framing, colors and strong classic look mark this famous scene from Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love.

“Paul wanted Hawaii to be the antithesis of minimalism, so we were looking for gorgeous sunsets and flowers, anything that would make it a romantic escape for Barry and Lena. We managed to find a great hotel that required virtually no dressing, in a beautiful spot, with beautiful furniture.”

- Production designer William Arnold on crafting the Hawaiian location shoot in Punch-Drunk Love

Caption:
Adam Sandler and Emily Watson star in the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

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It won’t be too long now with the arrival of December for Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest There Will Be Blood, to start hitting movie theaters! Easily my favorite film I’ve seen in 2007.

“I’m so used to having a wasting disease or a special talent, something that I can really get my head into and work on. Paul (Thomas Anderson) said to me, ‘If you find yourself working on this in any way that you’ve done before, throw it out the window.’ He wanted it to be something completely fresh for me as an actor.”

- Emily Watson on working with Paul Thomas Anderson on Punch-Drunk Love

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Paul Thomas Anderson is the director, the writer and a producer of the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

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One of the best parts of falling in love is when you do so without even realizing it… as is the case here.

“Both apartments are generic, but for different reasons. Because it’s not really clear where she comes from, we didn’t want to leave any clues about Lena’s history. Whereas Barry’s place is reflective of the blandness in his life, so there is no passion showing on his walls or in his furniture.”

- Production designer William Arnold on crafting the apartment locations for Lena and Barry in Punch-Drunk Love

Caption:
Adam Sandler stars as Barry Egan and Emily Watson stars as Lena Leonard in the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

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Emily Watson is stellar as Lena in this film as she offers up a complex exterior emotional facade that protects her internal longings and keeps her from opening up her real beauty to others. Though through her walls Barry seems to see this beauty shining through and keeps him pushing ahead to win her over.

‘’Paul (Thomas Anderson) took me to Art’s Deli and told me that he was writing something for Adam Sandler. He asked me what I wanted to do next and I said, ‘I don’t want to do anything more like cry or die.’ We had a great afternoon, just chatting away; of course I didn’t know at this stage that he’d already written me a part.”

- Emily Watson on being cast in Punch-Drunk Love

Caption:
Emily Watson stars as Lena Leonard in the Revolution Studios/New Line Cinema presentation of Punch-Drunk Love, distributed by Columbia Pictures.

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