Has it become apparent that Paul Thomas Anderson is my favorite director? If not, then either I'm doing something wrong or you're not paying attention. Regardless, I won't be using Boogie Nights
for a third time. Instead I'll pick up on the director's first film, Hard Eight, a low key film noir about a sad sack(John C. Reilly) who gets sucked in by the many temptations Las Vegas has to offer. It isn't long before he finds himself way in over his head as seedier elements begin to circle around him, his sketchy new wife(Gwyneth Paltrow), and his mentor(Philip Baker Hall) who has more than a few skeletons in his closet too. 
