Burt Reynolds and William H. Macy make porn in "Boogie Nights."

Tom Cruise and Jason Robards in "Magnolia."

Luis Guzman (left) and Adam Sandler in "Punch-Drunk Love."

With the Indianapolis opening of "There Will Be Blood, I thought it would be prudent to summarize some of the work of director Paul Thomas Anderson (not to be confused with video game hack director Paul WS Anderson or "Alien Vs. Predator" fame).

In general, Anderson's work is large and sprawling, with large ensemble casts and multiple plotlines, and is darkly comic, with strange situations that just get stranger.

Technically he uses a lot of long shots (that is, he cuts infrequently as a narrative device). The opening shot on Boogie Nights is around 3 minutes long without a cut, starting outside of a Southern California nightclub, going inside, and introducing most of the principal actors. He's also known for his use of 70s and 80s era music.

Hard Eight-Stars John C. Reilly as a down-on-his-luck gambler who finds himself mentored by a crusty old card sharp (Philip Baker Hall). Also starred Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Boogie Nights-Focused on the porn industry in the 1970s and 80s. It altered the direction of Mark Wahlberg's career from celebrity brother (of "New Kid" Donnie Wahlberg) and a teenybopper rap star to a legitimate actor, playing the anatomically gifted Dirk Diggler. The film had a large ensemble cast, including Burt Reynolds, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, Thomas Jane, Philip Baker Hall, Alfred Molina, Luis Guzman, and Heather Graham.

Magnolia-A film of more than 3 hours, with a dizzyingly intricate plot and a bizarre ending, Anderson again employed familiar faces, as actors such as Hoffman, Macy, Molina, Reilly, Hall, Moore, Guzman, and Melora Walters. Joining the regulars are Tom Cruise (giving arguably the best performance of his career), Jason Robards, Recurring instances of 8s and 2s that give clues as to what is happening in the film.

Punch-Drunk Love-A slight shift of gears, as the film focuses largely on Adam Sandler's character, a repressed man-child with seven sisters who won't leave him alone, and an appropriately explosive temper. Emily Watson puts in a nice understated performance as his Lena Leonard, a lonely woman who might understand his neuroses. Guzman and Hoffman are among those who return among Anderson's regulars, playing Sandler's employee and a mattress store owner who is trying to extort money from Sandler, respectively.