I hated this movie and I'm trying to figure out why. Here are some possibilities:
1. The movie was pointless. Or maybe the point was that everything is bad in life and that people are either bad or they are imbeciles. That seems to have been the director's point of view. But what is the logic in that? No one would go to a movie where the only action was people sitting around laughing like hyenas, would they? So why all the critical acclaim for a movie that only shows pain and suffering and swearing and cruelty?
2. It was confusing. The guy loses his gun but gets it together to go out on a date. The actors, even the half-dead ones, all spontaneously sing the same gloomy song. Frogs rain down and break a lot of windows. Penis crazy Tom Cruise gets sensitive enough to restrain himself from kicking a dog. Myriad drugs get taken with illogical consequences.
3. Julianne Moore was a joke. Julianne's been one of my favorite actresses for a long time, but the script has her only saying variations on the f-word and making unattractive faces. that's boring and her performance is boring as well. Why couldn't she have stayed in that car?
4. It was too long. More than three hours of this!! People who like this film are masochistic. Three plus hours of a crappy movie whose only goal is to make you feel like crap. By the way, I have seen and enjoyed countless so-called depressing movies.
5. It tried to copy Altman's Short Cuts, but failed miserably. Short Cuts is depressing as hell, but you actually CARE about the people involved. That's why it's a tragedy. In Magnolia there is no one to care about because they are all absurdly one-dimensional.
So I guess I've figured out why I didn't like the film. It's only my opinion. See it and decide for yourself. But don't say I didn't warn you.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Ambitious, But Overly Long
Added 1/28/2010
"Magnolia," from director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Boogie Nights"), takes on the difficult task of focusing on ten major characters who illustrate the film's theme -- that odd things happen all the time and coincidence is inevitable no matter how carefully we plan our lives. Characters are sent over the brink of polite social behavior by conflicts between offspring and parents, adults against children, employers with employees, cancer, and fame vs. anonymity.
Julianne Moore and Melinda Dillon play wives to men (Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall) dying of cancer. Cocaine addict Claudia (Melora Walters) and former wiz kid Donnie (William H. Macy) are the damaged offspring of cruel parents, while home nurse Phil Pharma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and cop Jim (John C. Reilly) ooze compassion from every pore.
Most notably, Tom Cruise plays misogynist crusader Frank T.J. Mackey, whose motivational speeches are captivating in style, repulsive in content. The actor has seldom been so fiery on screen.
The problem with "Magnolia" is its length -- over three hours. This epic running time allows Anderson to explore each of his characters with some depth, but the film never comes together and, at the final credits, remains a collection of interesting scenes and people thrown into an uncertain mix. Bonus extras include "Magnolia Diary" -- a featurette chronicling the making of "Magnolia" -- a music video, a Frank T.J. Mackey seminar, the infomercial "Seduce and Destroy," and a trailer and TV ads.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Paul Thomas Anderson's Greatest Film? Could be.
Added 1/20/2010
Paul Thomas Anderson created a thing of beauty with Magnolia. Stringing together the lives of many individuals into a portrait of loneliness, Magnolia uses multiple narratives to expose that empty space inside each and every one of us. It doesn't matter if you're speaking to an auditorium filled with chauvinistic men eager to learn secrets to scoring more sex or working a solitary beat as a California police officer, you can still feel alone. Having both written and directed this requiem for the human condition, Anderson takes aim at different personalities and how they intentionally or accidentally alienate themselves to nights spent alone. Whatever the angle of a unique character, chances are they mirror at least one or two others in the film. Chances are. With loneliness, chance is perhaps the greatest theme to be found in Magnolia.
Frank Mackey (Tom Cruise) teaches men to dominate women. Phil Pharma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) manages the hospice care for the dying Earl (Jason Robards). Meanwhile, Earl's trophy wife Linda (Julianne Moore) traipses about town securing the drugs needed to send Earl off in a painless daze. Donnie (William H. Macy), who gained fame at an early age for being the `Quiz Kid', hates his job and has an obsession with braces thanks to local bartender Brad (who also has them, yet still charms the ladies). Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) is currently living Donnie's youth as the hotshot contestant on a quiz show where kids and adults square off under the guidance of host Jimmy (Philip Baker Hall), whose fight with cancer and marital indiscretions affect his daily life. In the middle of everything, Jimmy's daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) finds herself the object of attention for lonely police officer Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly).
Each of them is alone. Each of them longs for something to change their lives for the better. For some it's reconciliation with a loved one and for most it's human contact, closeness with someone else spinning in the void. Frank sleeps with women, crowds himself with adoring men, but never once has an instant of vulnerability before any of them. Officer Kurring tends to the calls of public disturbances and consequently spends his days talking with people all day long - but none of them ever connect, their reactions are always violent and angry. Boy genius Stanley sits apart from his friends at school and remains aloof even from the other kids on the quiz team; his father, a starving actor, can't begin to relate to the wunderkind he produced.
The sorrow produced in Magnolia builds with every cut. Anderson's weaving between similar stories of lost connection and failing facades make Magnolia one of those rare beautiful opuses that boast incredible talent, storytelling and emotion. Before Reilly buried himself in a slew of comic roles, he was throwing himself entirely into one dramatic film after another - this might be his finest of those. Similarly, this was the film that made me say, out loud during the film (when I saw it in theaters a decade ago), "Philip Seymour Hoffman is incredible." It was the first film where he really had the chance to go all out (screw you, Patch Adams). Julianne Moore's breakdown monologue also deserves mention. It might be crass at points, but it's filled with self-loathing and humanity in ways that few performances ever come close.
Anderson serves up a film packed with cameo appearances and every single one of them is notable. Among the supporting members are Alfred Molina, April Grace, Luis Guzman, Felicity Huffman, Orlando Jones, Neil Flynn and Thomas Jane. It may sound weird to say this, considering it clocks in at just over three hours, but Magnolia wastes neither time nor talent. Watch it over and over again and marvel at the recurring patterns and character traits and how they weave together. It's not entirely perfect, but it's one of the closest approximations to have come out of the 1990s.
Magnolia looks sublime on Blu-ray. The style really benefits from the increased resolution and the film can finally be seen for the masterpiece it is. Again, it's a tremendous looking film on Blu-ray.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The disc sports the trailer and (I think) all the TV spots for the film (which is a good number) as well as a music video for Aimee Mann's "Save Me". If you're disappointed by a lack of an audio commentary for the film (I was), then you'll find a little bit of satisfaction in the 72-minute candid video diary segments covering the film's production at different stages, with P.T. Anderson front and center for most of them. It's not a three-hour commentary, but it's something. Closing out the disc is a collection of the scenes from Frank Mackey's seminar as well as the promotional commercial for his "service".
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Very well-made, but it's no "There Will be Blood"
Added 1/7/2010
PTA's camera work and editing are very distinctive--he does this Scorsesian thing where, when he cuts to a new character or scene the camera rushes to get there, much like he did in Boogie Nights. The pace in TWBB, to its credit, is more stately--the director's presence is less obvious. He also structures his films very well; this one moves between a dozen or so characters whose climaxes all come about the same time. There was too much melodrama in this movie for me, however. PTA kind of buys into this bogus pseudo-Freudian idea that we're all harboring our childhood demons and they can be exorcised with a teary, screaming confrontation with estranged relatives. Hokey. The character of Claudia is the worst. Is she based on Fiona Apple or something? She's too loud and crazy. The cop feels lucky to have her, but why? Her only redeeming quality, it would seem, is her looks. Tom Cruise is really great in this, but he's done this so many times: the sleek ultra-confident guy whose facade breaks down. The interrelated cast is similar to Boogie Nights except that Boogie Nights had a clear lead (Wahlberg) and the characters had a common backdrop (porn). Those are lacking here and I don't think it's to Magnolia's credit.
I don't know, the ballsier elements of this are difficult to judge, like having all the characters sing the Aimee Mann song (or whoever it was) and the raining frogs. On the one hand it's unmitigated pretension. On the other it shows confidence and a willingness to embarrass yourself for the sake of good art.
I guess I see it as a necessary step towards TWBB. Just part of PTA finding his own voice. But in no way his zenith. I'm really excited about his new Scientology movie. Wonder if Mr. Cruise might do a cameo.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
Excellent movie.
Added 11/28/2009
This is an excellent movie which takes you on a kaleidoscopical and rhythmical journey of lives. Without ruining anything, there were some aspects of this film which seemed to have proselytistic qualities that differ in strict word from my own beliefs, but in spirit the film felt emotionally in line with me. I've always liked it. The acting is excellent. The soundtrack is excellent. The film as art is top.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
I hated this movie and I'm trying to figure out why. Here are some possibilities:
1. The movie was pointless. Or maybe the point was that everything is bad in life and that people are either bad or they are imbeciles. That seems to have been the director's point of view. But what is the logic in that? No one would go to a movie where the only action was people sitting around laughing like hyenas, would they? So why all the critical acclaim for a movie that only shows pain and suffering and swearing and cruelty?
2. It was confusing. The guy loses his gun but gets it together to go out on a date. The actors, even the half-dead ones, all spontaneously sing the same gloomy song. Frogs rain down and break a lot of windows. Penis crazy Tom Cruise gets sensitive enough to restrain himself from kicking a dog. Myriad drugs get taken with illogical consequences.
3. Julianne Moore was a joke. Julianne's been one of my favorite actresses for a long time, but the script has her only saying variations on the f-word and making unattractive faces. that's boring and her performance is boring as well. Why couldn't she have stayed in that car?
4. It was too long. More than three hours of this!! People who like this film are masochistic. Three plus hours of a crappy movie whose only goal is to make you feel like crap. By the way, I have seen and enjoyed countless so-called depressing movies.
5. It tried to copy Altman's Short Cuts, but failed miserably. Short Cuts is depressing as hell, but you actually CARE about the people involved. That's why it's a tragedy. In Magnolia there is no one to care about because they are all absurdly one-dimensional.
So I guess I've figured out why I didn't like the film. It's only my opinion. See it and decide for yourself. But don't say I didn't warn you.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Ambitious, But Overly Long
Added 1/28/2010
"Magnolia," from director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Boogie Nights"), takes on the difficult task of focusing on ten major characters who illustrate the film's theme -- that odd things happen all the time and coincidence is inevitable no matter how carefully we plan our lives. Characters are sent over the brink of polite social behavior by conflicts between offspring and parents, adults against children, employers with employees, cancer, and fame vs. anonymity.
Julianne Moore and Melinda Dillon play wives to men (Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall) dying of cancer. Cocaine addict Claudia (Melora Walters) and former wiz kid Donnie (William H. Macy) are the damaged offspring of cruel parents, while home nurse Phil Pharma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and cop Jim (John C. Reilly) ooze compassion from every pore.
Most notably, Tom Cruise plays misogynist crusader Frank T.J. Mackey, whose motivational speeches are captivating in style, repulsive in content. The actor has seldom been so fiery on screen.
The problem with "Magnolia" is its length -- over three hours. This epic running time allows Anderson to explore each of his characters with some depth, but the film never comes together and, at the final credits, remains a collection of interesting scenes and people thrown into an uncertain mix. Bonus extras include "Magnolia Diary" -- a featurette chronicling the making of "Magnolia" -- a music video, a Frank T.J. Mackey seminar, the infomercial "Seduce and Destroy," and a trailer and TV ads.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Paul Thomas Anderson's Greatest Film? Could be.
Added 1/20/2010
Paul Thomas Anderson created a thing of beauty with Magnolia. Stringing together the lives of many individuals into a portrait of loneliness, Magnolia uses multiple narratives to expose that empty space inside each and every one of us. It doesn't matter if you're speaking to an auditorium filled with chauvinistic men eager to learn secrets to scoring more sex or working a solitary beat as a California police officer, you can still feel alone. Having both written and directed this requiem for the human condition, Anderson takes aim at different personalities and how they intentionally or accidentally alienate themselves to nights spent alone. Whatever the angle of a unique character, chances are they mirror at least one or two others in the film. Chances are. With loneliness, chance is perhaps the greatest theme to be found in Magnolia.
Frank Mackey (Tom Cruise) teaches men to dominate women. Phil Pharma (Philip Seymour Hoffman) manages the hospice care for the dying Earl (Jason Robards). Meanwhile, Earl's trophy wife Linda (Julianne Moore) traipses about town securing the drugs needed to send Earl off in a painless daze. Donnie (William H. Macy), who gained fame at an early age for being the `Quiz Kid', hates his job and has an obsession with braces thanks to local bartender Brad (who also has them, yet still charms the ladies). Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) is currently living Donnie's youth as the hotshot contestant on a quiz show where kids and adults square off under the guidance of host Jimmy (Philip Baker Hall), whose fight with cancer and marital indiscretions affect his daily life. In the middle of everything, Jimmy's daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) finds herself the object of attention for lonely police officer Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly).
Each of them is alone. Each of them longs for something to change their lives for the better. For some it's reconciliation with a loved one and for most it's human contact, closeness with someone else spinning in the void. Frank sleeps with women, crowds himself with adoring men, but never once has an instant of vulnerability before any of them. Officer Kurring tends to the calls of public disturbances and consequently spends his days talking with people all day long - but none of them ever connect, their reactions are always violent and angry. Boy genius Stanley sits apart from his friends at school and remains aloof even from the other kids on the quiz team; his father, a starving actor, can't begin to relate to the wunderkind he produced.
The sorrow produced in Magnolia builds with every cut. Anderson's weaving between similar stories of lost connection and failing facades make Magnolia one of those rare beautiful opuses that boast incredible talent, storytelling and emotion. Before Reilly buried himself in a slew of comic roles, he was throwing himself entirely into one dramatic film after another - this might be his finest of those. Similarly, this was the film that made me say, out loud during the film (when I saw it in theaters a decade ago), "Philip Seymour Hoffman is incredible." It was the first film where he really had the chance to go all out (screw you, Patch Adams). Julianne Moore's breakdown monologue also deserves mention. It might be crass at points, but it's filled with self-loathing and humanity in ways that few performances ever come close.
Anderson serves up a film packed with cameo appearances and every single one of them is notable. Among the supporting members are Alfred Molina, April Grace, Luis Guzman, Felicity Huffman, Orlando Jones, Neil Flynn and Thomas Jane. It may sound weird to say this, considering it clocks in at just over three hours, but Magnolia wastes neither time nor talent. Watch it over and over again and marvel at the recurring patterns and character traits and how they weave together. It's not entirely perfect, but it's one of the closest approximations to have come out of the 1990s.
Magnolia looks sublime on Blu-ray. The style really benefits from the increased resolution and the film can finally be seen for the masterpiece it is. Again, it's a tremendous looking film on Blu-ray.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The disc sports the trailer and (I think) all the TV spots for the film (which is a good number) as well as a music video for Aimee Mann's "Save Me". If you're disappointed by a lack of an audio commentary for the film (I was), then you'll find a little bit of satisfaction in the 72-minute candid video diary segments covering the film's production at different stages, with P.T. Anderson front and center for most of them. It's not a three-hour commentary, but it's something. Closing out the disc is a collection of the scenes from Frank Mackey's seminar as well as the promotional commercial for his "service".
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
