Welcome back to the Deep Focus podcast (like our new logo?) My guest this week is none other than Alan Haim from the rock group HAIM, but more importantly, she is the star of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film “Licorice Pizza.” "Licorice Pizza" is Anderson’s latest throwback, vintage, nostalgic look at the 1970s San Fernando Valley, his old stomping grounds, and the place he loves to keep returning to. In a recent Q&A I attended with PTA, the filmmaker said unapologetically about “Licorice Pizza,” and his return to his roots, “if nostalgia is a disease, well I guess I have it.” "Licorice Pizza" is unabashedly throwback, but it's still very different from "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia." More importantly, Haim, in her debut screen performance is just terrific in the movie. She told me all about making it, working with PTA and the uber-secretive, circuitous way he pitched the movie to her--an mysterious email with an attachment sent to her in the middle or the night.