2. There Will Be Blood, this is a masterpiece tour de force sweeps you off your feet. Only downside is it's dark as hell and you can't watch it every day

3. Phantom Thread, his most moving relationship drama, edge of your seat dialog, anyone well adjusted with a pulse is going to feel something. Among his best written films.

4. Punch Drunk Love, Sandler is a genius the chemistry is off the charts and nothing gay happens. Downside not as memorable as his other works.

5. Magnolia, this has amazing characters and quotable scenes even though the ending is incredibly gay retard tier. Arguably better than PDL but I am morally opposed to Deus Ex Machina.

6. Licorice Pizza, it's a romp nothing crazy but it's a fun time. A high level popcorn film would watch again.

7. Inherent Vice, this one bored me to tears and I was a fan of the book. Somehow it was just unwatchable. I would try it again though.

8. Hard 8 aka "Sydney" I have zero recollection of this film but I remember thinking it was relatively good. Gets a pass for being a debut.

9. The Master, unwatchable self indulgent trash for hipsters. This is like a post-success MGMT record with no hits. No one can admit it just sucks. Everyone I know who sucks says it's the best PTA film because hipsters love saying that things that are bad are good. This is the Yo La Tengo of movies it's just bad and anyone who says it's good is a low IQ chud who's clamoring for indie cred.

Fuck you all if you disagree you're wrong.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106428)

boogie nights is a masterpiece.

inherent vice i remember being trash but i saw it while very sleep deprived, just after we got home with our first kid.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106472)

The movie was almost shot for shot true to the book and maybe should have been substantially reworked to make a better movie.

I have no issue if you rank Magnolia higher it's classic PTA. I just don't like the ending.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106495)

they're eating the cats

they're eating the pets of the people

who live there

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106497)

ir eally hated the master. i love that you acknowledge that it;s trash.

never saw super 8.

overall this guy seems like a kinda uneven filmmaker. some absolute classics, some solid stuff, and a bit of trash.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106502)

He falls into the main pitfall of the majority of amazing directors: not a natural writer. Needs help with the writing to tell a good yarn. Almost all auteur style directors have this same flaw. They just don't know how to craft a narrative end to end.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106635)

Mainlining (as Frank T.J. Mackey):

"Respect the f*ing cock, men! Tame that pussy, tame it!"**

audience claps; some guy in the front wearing a “180 or bust” shirt fist pumps

"Look at yourselves. Sitting there like it’s 2 AM and you’re waiting for Boom to finish a rant on urban decay. You’ve been lied to, cheated by society, and what do you do? You open up AutoAdmit, stare at that blank post box, and think the same st you always do—'I’m stuck.' That big-titted ‘Mary Jane’ you still dream about? Yeah, she’s gone. She’s with the guy in tech, the one Disco Fries thinks he could mog, but you’re still stuck watching from the sidelines."**

He pauses dramatically, scanning the room like Boom evaluating the collapse of another American city. A few guys glance around, someone is furiously typing on their phone—probably posting in the Nightcrew thread.

"But here’s the truth: it’s all a game. You thought you could win by just playing along? You’re in the matrix of mediocrity, fellas. Time to wake the f up*! Respect the fing cock. Look in the mirror and tell yourself, 'I’m the one who’s in charge. I say yes! I say no!' Because let me tell you something—it’s evolutionary, it’s anthropological, it’s fing biological. We. Are. MEN."**

More clapping. Evan39 mutters something about ‘how dare you!’ from the corner, while a guy in the back mumbles, “TITCR.” Frank nods like a professor grading papers—he’s got the room.

Mainlining (as Frank T.J. Mackey):

"Men are shit. That’s what they say, right? ‘Men are shit.’ Yeah, because we do bad things, terrible things, heinous things. But you know what? Women lie, too. Women manipulate. You think they don’t? You think that big law associate at your firm isn’t finessing the situation while you’re stuck grinding on doc review? They’ve all got the upper hand in this f*ing rigged game, and you’re sitting there apologizing like Evan39 apologizing for his grocery store shifts!"**

Audience snickers, a lone guy wearing a “Seattle Sucks” hoodie chuckles darkly.

"But here’s the kicker—you don’t owe anyone an apology. I don’t care if you got passed over for partner, I don’t care if some girl left you on read. You take what’s yours. Don’t let society tell you that you’re broken or fed up because Daddy hit you or because Mommy didn’t let you join the soccer team. It’s all excuses. Fing grow up. You are here to take."

Frank steps back, letting the words hang in the air like a well-timed Boom post on late-night decay. Someone in the back yells “120, but this is 180”—and the audience rustles, nodding.

Frank T.J. Mackey’s voice booms in the dimly lit seminar room, filled with middle-aged men who look like they've lived their lives stuck in AutoAdmit threads. These are the men who have spent too many hours browsing XO late at night, typing out their frustrations, only to see a Boom post about how the world has “cheated” them out of their lives, or an Evan39 thread about homelessness and lost ambition. They’ve read the Disco Fries posts, admired his wit, and laughed at his snarky, biting commentary, but deep down, they know that no amount of clever poasting will save them from the creeping sense of irrelevance that now clings to their souls.

Frank, pacing like a panther, his voice thick with authority, yells again, "Respect the cock! And tame the cunt!" The AutoAdmit audience is captivated. These men understand the metaphor. It's about control. It's about taking back what society has told them to give up—their masculinity, their dominance, their right to dictate the terms. The tired, frustrated faces stare at him, drinking in his words like they’ve stared into the void of endless pointless threads on XO.

"You want to think it’s not a game, huh?" Frank leans in, smirking. "Go back to the schoolyard. Think about big-titted Mary Jane, huh? Think about that time you blank-bumped a Disco Fries post because it hit a little too close to home. You were embedded in that thought—I'm not in control. But you are in control. YOU are the one who says yes or no! YOU are the one who takes the game on."

Frank scans the room, the sea of faces flickering in recognition. “Remember that Evan39 post about being ‘lied to and cheated out of your life, then laughed at?’ Yeah, you do. You’re here because you’ve been lied to. But it’s time to stop being a victim. Time to Seduce and Destroy.”

Boom’s name comes up again, and a few men nod. They’ve seen his posts—the ones that make you feel like the world is rigged, and there's nothing you can do. But Frank isn't Boom. Frank is here to tell them that the world isn’t rigged against them. They’ve been playing the wrong game, and now it’s time to play the real one.

“You’ve seen the Disco Fries posts. Smart, cutting, but at the end of the day, he’s still playing the game that’s been handed to him. But I’m here to give you the tools to Seduce and Destroy! It’s not about apologizing, not about bending to the whims of society. It’s about TAKING what you want! You don’t ask for the sweet little panties—you TAKE them."

The men, enraptured, cheer. Frank has become their voice, a reflection of their internal monologues, now blasted across the room in booming authority. He’s their Mainlining, their dark philosopher, telling them what they’ve always wanted to hear: that they are not victims, they are predators, and society is the prey.

"And let me tell you something—language. That’s the key. You think Evan39 got anywhere whining about homelessness and feeling cheated? You think Boom’s endless lament about society's decline got him anywhere? No. But YOU—YOU are going to take what’s yours by mastering the language, by taking control of the narrative. Seduce and Destroy will teach you how to unlock that analytical female mindset. You will tap directly into her hopes, her fears, her desires, and her SWEET little panties.”

Frank pauses, his eyes sweeping across the room. He knows he has them. Every single man in the room is ready to step out of their online personas, to stop blank-bumping posts they admire, and start becoming the posts they admire.

"You can keep being the guy who posts about how the world has screwed you over, or you can be the guy who TAKES what the world isn’t offering. You can keep staring into that endless void of threads, hoping someone notices your pain, or you can walk into the world and MAKE them notice you."

A few of the men stand up, fists clenched, their eyes wide with realization. They’ve heard enough. Frank’s words have hit the core. This is the gospel they’ve been waiting for, the one that tells them that they can still win, still conquer, still be relevant in a world that’s moved on without them.

“Now get out there. Seduce. Destroy. And never apologize for what you want.”

The seminar ends, but the men leave changed, their minds filled with the fiery words of Frank T.J. Mackey. For them, the game isn’t over. It’s just beginning.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106717)

Date: September 19th, 2024 9:42 PM

Author: Mainlining the $ecret truth of the univer$e (The Masterpiece of Our Time)

Let me lay it out for you: The Master is not just PTA's best film—it’s the Rosetta Stone of modern cinema. It’s THE movie that burns slow, drags you into a spiral of disillusionment, and never lets you go. The way Lancaster Dodd (RIP Hoffman) wraps Freddie around his finger—it’s the eternal tension of control vs. chaos. This is America, baby. We're all Freddie, wandering from one scam to another, pretending we’re not part of the machine, but still locked into the cycle. "I am a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, a theoretical philosopher, but above all, I am a man"—bro, this is AutoAdmit. This is every poaster thinking they’ve got the world figured out, but really just spitting into the wind.

Remember that processing scene? Pure metaphysical violence. It's a breakdown of Freddie's identity, boiling down to nothing. All his rage, his confusion, is us—drifting through life’s hustle, bouncing between structure (Dodd) and destruction (Freddie’s whole goddamn existence). If you’ve ever lived through modern existential burnout, The Master is your mirror, showing you how little control you actually have. 180 to every word Dodd says—it’s the same half-baked, cultish self-actualization we all fall for when we think we’ve found something "real." This movie is a god-tier TITCR (This Is The Credited Response) for the human condition.

Date: September 19th, 2024 9:48 PM

Author: Evan39 (Seattle Store Manager - No, Not a Lawyer)

You guys know I'm not just sitting here in Seattle watching garbage movies, right? But here's the thing about Phantom Thread—it’s a f***ing masterpiece, second only to The Master. You think this is a love story? Nah, this is domination through the lens of domesticity. You’ve got Reynolds Woodcock—a control freak genius, obsessed with perfection, and when Alma poisons him? Bro, that’s the relationship. That’s every toxic dynamic you see in this world, simmering under a facade of "elegance."

It’s like watching Boom and I rip into each other on XO—one minute we’re talking about how society’s screwing us over, the next, we’re poisoning each other’s intellectual wells. Alma is AutoAdmit: she’s unpredictable, ruthless, and capable of destroying you just when you think you’ve got control. The tension in that breakfast scene alone? It’s all about submission vs. rebellion. Dude can make a perfect dress, but he can’t handle eggs cooked wrong. There’s so much unspoken power in that. Phantom Thread gets it—true dominance is subtle, just like how this board controls your brain without you even realizing it.

Date: September 19th, 2024 9:53 PM

Author: Boom (Young and Fresh, Bboooooooooooom)

Ya’ll still sleepin’ on Magnolia like it wasn’t one of the greatest pieces of ensemble filmmaking ever? This is PTA at his messiest and most raw, showing how interconnected all these miserable lives are. That Tom Cruise performance as Frank TJ Mackey? Unf***ingbelievable. That dude walks in, slaps you with "respect the cock", and you realize he’s the most broken dude in the room. He’s every dude who posts on this board, talking big game, but really just scared of his own life. Cruise is the walking 120—all bravado, but barely holding it together. The scene where he confronts his dying father? Pure 180. You don’t come back from that.

Magnolia’s a tapestry of disappointment and failure, but it’s beautiful. It’s not about one character—it’s about everyone being a loser in their own way, trapped in systems of pain. I mean, come on, the frogs falling from the sky? That’s PTA telling you the world doesn’t care about your suffering. You could be crying about how women have more power now, or how you can’t get ahead, but f* it**—frogs are gonna fall from the sky, and none of it matters. PTA made this film for those of us who get that life’s just endless cycles of chaos, and sometimes all you can do is sit in the car while the rain pours down on you.

Why These Films Matter (In AutoAdmit Terms)

The Master: It’s the blueprint for understanding AutoAdmit itself. You’ve got the cult-like followings, the ideological battles, and every poaster swinging between deep intellectual introspection and complete collapse. Freddie’s journey? That’s your burnout in real time, trying to escape the mindless churn of BigLaw, capitalism, or whatever hellish system you’re stuck in.

Phantom Thread: This is the XO user in love with his own creation—his words, his influence on the board. Alma is the unyielding force of nature—think of her as the trolls, the unpredictable threads that take over your carefully crafted narrative. You might control your replies, but you don’t control what hits you when you’re vulnerable.

Magnolia: Everyone’s interconnected, but none of it ends well. Every poaster has their moment, thinking they’re at the center of the narrative, but the universe’s answer is to drop frogs on your head. It’s the ultimate film for the fatalist poaster—the guy who realizes all his posts are just shouting into the void. The Cruise subplot? It’s a slow-motion existential crash, like watching someone post their entire mental breakdown in real time.

In Conclusion

The Master is pure AutoAdmit energy—chaos, control, and existential dread, wrapped in one slow-burning film. Phantom Thread is the flex—control masked by beauty and grace, until it isn’t. And Magnolia? It’s all of us, failing and falling, waiting for the next weird thing to drop from the sky.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106664)

Freddie’s chaotic nature mirrors the constant flailing you see in the darker hours of XO, where people search for meaning and connection but wind up posting into the void. Dodd, meanwhile, is like every RSF post—full of bluster and false authority, only convincing the easily impressionable. That final scene in the jail? It’s like Freddie saying, "I see through this, bro," and walking away from the long con of pseudo-religious self-help scams (or in XO terms, serious business poasts). You think this movie is self-indulgent? No—it’s the anti-libertarian, post-lib cr film of all time, literally analyzing control and freedom from within the individual psyche.

Then we have "Phantom Thread", the TITCR of PTA films when it comes to examining toxic, co-dependent relationships. It’s like a dark, twisted version of every "What are you doing with your life, bro?" poast. Reynolds Woodcock is basically Mainlining—meticulous, focused, obsessed with control—while Alma’s the one person who breaks through that iron defense by playing the game on her own terms. It’s a literal power struggle, with Alma pulling the ultimate "just jump" move by poisoning him to gain control in their relationship. It’s dark, but it’s also hilarious if you think of it like a classic XO thread where two poasters keep one-upping each other until one snaps and takes it to the next level.

The rest of your list is basically "120" material compared to these two films. Boogie Nights? Sure, it’s iconic, but it’s popcorn fare compared to the psychological 180s of “The Master” and “Phantom Thread.” There Will Be Blood? Great, but no way it cuts deeper into the soul than these two, which is why they sit comfortably at the top. Licorice Pizza? Lmao, flatlander energy compared to the mountaintops these films reach.

So yeah, I’m sticking with "The Master" at number one, followed by "Phantom Thread." Everything else is just noise.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48106510)

1. There Will Be Blood. This is PTA's masterpiece, boosted enormously by one of DDL's greatest performances. It captures everything that is great and terrible about America, with a brooding score and an uncomfortably aggressive visual style. Introduced Paul Dano to the world.

2. Boogie Nights. PTA's most enjoyable film from start to finish, he gets iconic performances out of nearly every member of this ensemble cast. Creative story-telling and visual style - the only negative is that the main plot is a well-worn tale of success followed by descent.

3. Magnolia. PTA's blank check project seemed to perfectly cap off the end of the 90s intersecting plotlines in the L.A. area genre, with an allegorical tale about the search for happiness that I still think of regularly. Hard to forget the musical interlude of 'One'.

Excellent Movies

4. Phantom Thread. Another fantastic performance from DDL, and a haunting tale of love and romance and the tension between excellence and domesticity.

5. Inherent Vice. Could swap this with Punch Drunk Love as both films represent PTA at his slapstick absurdist best. Inherent Vice is like the Big Lebowski on heroin, funny and dire all at once.

6. Punch Drunk Love. A wild love letter to love letters, the romance between two damaged characters pops off the screen and is Adam Sandler's second best performance of his career. The Big Lebowski if it was a Rom-Com.

7. Hard Eight. A quiet character study with all the best PTA regulars. Dark and funny and a debut film that showcases all the talent PTA can bring.

Nobody's Perfect

8. Licorice Pizza. Young Tony Soprano and an excellent cast are stuck wallowing in this indulgent trip down memory lane.

9. The Master. If this bizarre and bonkers film is meant to be a meta commentary on the creative process then I am perfectly fine admitting that I didn't get it. I've tried to watch it four times and it is a slog. There's a movie in here somewhere.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48108867)

You are probably wrong about The Master but it was a frustrating and inscrutable movie so I would need to watch it again to rank properly. Certainly not in the top few slots but putting it last is an emotional reaction rather than a critical judgement.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48109602)

Disagree on The Master it's actually just bad but hipsters with no Taste can't admit this.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48109773)

A parting question for the esteemed experts of the ZoZo salon: How do Chinatown and Bogart’s Big Sleep literally never get old no matter how many times one rewatches them…?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48109814)

Try Le Samouraï if you haven't seen it. Also the other Big Sleep is pretty good.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48109889)

Tyty - both you and Alex Turner have recommended that so I need to get on it

Also I never realized how 180 the other Big Sleep looks - Robert Mitchum AND a Jimmy Stewart cameo, simply gorgeous casting decisions IMO.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48109904)

gunneratttt: i like boogie nights because of heather graham's tits.

we're not the same.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48109999)

BN is his Pulp Fiction, Mgnolia is his Jackie Brown - everyone hiugh iq knows the latter is better

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5597465&forum_id=2#48110228)