DylanSkylar
Sex God
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- Aug 6, 2005
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I love interwoven character-driven films. It is truly interesting to see how perfect strangers can be perfectly connected to one another without every knowing and/or expecting it. Throughout the years there have been numerous films that tell their story through an ensemble cast of characters floating amongst each other waiting to make a collision. From the recent Best Picture winner "CRASH", to overlooked films such as "Nine Lives" and "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her", the formula of such storytelling is tried and true. However, for me, no film stands out in this realm more than P.T. Anderson's "MAGNOLIA".
"MAGNOLIA" is one of those unexpected films that takes awhile to truly get into, but once it has your focus you find yourself mesemerized as you meander from one broken soul to another. Throughout, you find pieces of yourself, or those you know scattered about the screen in the emotional kaleidoscope it creates up until its truly odd yet memorable finale that is sure to leave a number of people scratching their heads...
The film features a cast that is amazing in itself-- Julianne Moore, John C. Riley, Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Robards, William H. Macy... just to name a few. The performances, individually, are equally amazing as the actors are pushed to dive deep within. I must say, Julianne Moore's notable scene in admitting the motive behind her initial interest in her husband is beyond heartbreaking and honest. It is the one lasting scene of hers that I have somehow etched into memory everytime I hear her name. Simply amazing perfomance to say the least.
"MAGNOLIA" is sure to raise some questions and debate... I am very much interested in hearing what others have to say...
Check it out at: MAGNOLIA page
TLA Synopsis:
L.A. does strange things to people, especially fictional ones. P.T. Anderson's unbelievably ambitious Magnolia brings together dark pairs of people: a young TV quiz whiz (Blackman) and an over-the-hill one (Macy), a dying producer (Robards) and a dying TV game show host (Hall), along with other related Angeleans at crisis points in their lives… and then puts them in the midst of the strangest weather pattern in recorded history. The framework is reminiscent of Altman, the long, free-flowing scenes could be Cassavetes', but the well-schooled young director makes an exhilarating concoction out of his parts, the whole being not a plot but dozens of moments of redemption that have deep personal meaning in a random and coincidental city. Each actor gets two or three big scenes which encompass their characters' story arc; even with the uniformly high level, Cruise stands out (way against type) as a woman-hating self-help guru. The movie's length and obsession with detail will alienate a few; most, however, will be left with mouths agape and emotions swelled. Aimee Mann contributes the tender songs.
"MAGNOLIA" is one of those unexpected films that takes awhile to truly get into, but once it has your focus you find yourself mesemerized as you meander from one broken soul to another. Throughout, you find pieces of yourself, or those you know scattered about the screen in the emotional kaleidoscope it creates up until its truly odd yet memorable finale that is sure to leave a number of people scratching their heads...
The film features a cast that is amazing in itself-- Julianne Moore, John C. Riley, Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jason Robards, William H. Macy... just to name a few. The performances, individually, are equally amazing as the actors are pushed to dive deep within. I must say, Julianne Moore's notable scene in admitting the motive behind her initial interest in her husband is beyond heartbreaking and honest. It is the one lasting scene of hers that I have somehow etched into memory everytime I hear her name. Simply amazing perfomance to say the least.
"MAGNOLIA" is sure to raise some questions and debate... I am very much interested in hearing what others have to say...
Check it out at: MAGNOLIA page
TLA Synopsis:
L.A. does strange things to people, especially fictional ones. P.T. Anderson's unbelievably ambitious Magnolia brings together dark pairs of people: a young TV quiz whiz (Blackman) and an over-the-hill one (Macy), a dying producer (Robards) and a dying TV game show host (Hall), along with other related Angeleans at crisis points in their lives… and then puts them in the midst of the strangest weather pattern in recorded history. The framework is reminiscent of Altman, the long, free-flowing scenes could be Cassavetes', but the well-schooled young director makes an exhilarating concoction out of his parts, the whole being not a plot but dozens of moments of redemption that have deep personal meaning in a random and coincidental city. Each actor gets two or three big scenes which encompass their characters' story arc; even with the uniformly high level, Cruise stands out (way against type) as a woman-hating self-help guru. The movie's length and obsession with detail will alienate a few; most, however, will be left with mouths agape and emotions swelled. Aimee Mann contributes the tender songs.
