Paul Thomas Anderson worked with Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Hard Eight is a 1996 American neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson , and stars Philip Baker Hall , John C. Reilly , Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson , with brief appearances by Robert Ridgely , Philip Seymour Hoffman and Melora Walters . Magnolia (film) . The film stars Jeremy Blackman , Tom Cruise , Melinda Dillon , Philip Baker Hall , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Ricky Jay , William H. Macy , Alfred Molina , Julianne Moore , John C. Reilly , Jason Robards and Melora Walters , and is a mosaic of interrelated characters in search of happiness , forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley . Paul Thomas Anderson . After he attended the Sundance Institute , Anderson had a deal with Rysher Entertainment to direct his first feature film , a neo-noir crime thriller titled Hard Eight , in 1996 . The Master is a 2012 American psychological drama film written , directed , and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Joaquin Phoenix , Philip Seymour Hoffman , and Amy Adams .