Paul Thomas Anderson ranks among the most revered auteur filmmakers of the past 30 years. Whether telling contemporary stories in Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love or period-set dramas like The Master, There Will Be Blood, Phantom Thread, and more, few filmmakers can transport viewers to a specific time and place, like Anderson. The rich writing, intricate costumes and art direction, fluid camerawork, and outstanding performances under PTA's direction often evoke a historical epoch more vividly than others.

PTA has written and directed three features set in the 1970s thus far, each encapsulating a decade marked by great change and upheaval. While all three are highly recommended, Boogie Nights and Inherent Vice are available on Max and deserve extra praise for how PTA elicits the aesthetic of the 1970s. Perhaps most impressive, whether adapting a novel or writing an original screenplay, Anderson appears most comfortable telling cinematic stories set in the past.