Lets discuss Magnolia

[Ezikiel]

I saw Puch-Drunk Love a couple of months ago and I loved the way Paul Thomas Anderson directs his movies, Punch-Drunk Love wasn't a chessy love story movie like every other movie on earth, this was so much different and so much better.Then I heard of Magnolia, also written and directed by P.T.A.I saw this movie, like 10 storylines going on at the same time, I got one thing to say : This movie is a masterpiece! Again I see that directing style that P.T.A uses and I totally loved this movie.I loved every storyline, my only problem with the film, they never said anything else about that storyline in the beggining of the movie.What are your thoughts on this movie?

[linespalsy]

didnt see punch drunk love, didnt really care for magnolia though. found it at times interesting and even touching but lots of little things that just annoyed me about this messy and obnoxious [i was banging my fist into my head when everyone started to sing along with the popsong on the radio] movie. i could see what people liked about it, but for me much of it was grating.

[Holden Pike]

Lets discuss Magnolia

Oh, let's not.

[Kong]

Possibly the best film of the '90s.

[Golgot]

me liked

(but is that opening bit true about the suiciding guy shot [by his parents was it??] before being caught by the safety net?? - the rain of frogs can happen etc, so i'm imagining it was true :shrugging-smilie: ;))

I know what you mean about the cheese-factor linespalsy, but i still kind of thought that the song fitted with some of the themes they seemed to be putting forward (and with the occasional pretentious feel, but there you go. You can't explore big broad "life" themes without being a bit pretentious)

Overall, me liked a lot.

EDIT: And now i'm just pondering.... I'm remembering the obvious intent to take on quite a few life-themes (from death, regret, denial, lives lived in a mould, in fear, in hate, etc ..to lives destroyed by fame/greed, and people's need for life gurus these days etc etc)....and again their solutions/suggestions are broad/understated/multiple etc.

I can understand those who didn't like the faux-ness of things like the stereo-type-breaking pretty-young-wife-loves-old-bastard-husband scenario etc etc...

But i think, despite things like this (i.e. apparent "wouldn't-it-be-nice" wishful thinking), maybe they were trying to preach a "don't run away" line. i.e. a recognise/accept who you are etc and you can give and receive comfort from others too, if you (and they) go through these regular confrontations with the unpalatable.

I think that's their "wise up" thing they're suggesting. Whether it be accepting the highly improbable, or accepting the the very probable fact that you have a problem that needs fixing.

Is it, overall, a film about acceptance?

Dunno ;) :dizzy:

[Herod]

Oh, let's not.
No kidding.

[The Silver Bullet]

No kidding.
You're not a fan either?
Just out of interest.

[Sinny McGuffins]

I've owned Magnolia on DVD for ages but never watched it until a few days ago.

The film definately stays with you after you watch it. I couldn't stop thinking about it. The only thing that confused me was when it rained frogs. Can that really happen? How?

After the three "matter of chance" stories at the begining, I thought the film was just going to be about chance. But it really went deep into these people's lives. Overall, great film.

[casa]

The film definately stays with you after you watch it. I couldn't stop thinking about it. The only thing that confused me was when it rained frogs. Can that really happen? How?

my freind and i were discussing it the other day and i was tryin to tell him how this movie was garbage, whilst he was disagreeing with me anyways what the deal with the frogs was that somewhere a plane dumped a shipment of frogs and it appeared to be raining frogs or something. anyways ill watch it again soon but i still think ill hold the same oppinion of it as before.

[Sinny McGuffins]

Just found this (http://www.komotv.com/asksteve/story.asp?ID=29480). It really can happen.

[SamsoniteDelilah]

I think Magnolia is a beautiful film. The characters are archetypes for a reason: this is a film about abstracts and about life, and character development is not the point. I think the point of it is to see the beauty in all the details of life - the good and the bad - to accept that "these things happen" and live with that understanding. The photography is beautiful. The metaphorical aspect of it is apropriate for the themes. The music is awesome (love that Aimee Mann). And the nod to Salinger in the middle of all of it charmed my socks off.

[Garrett]

Just found this (http://www.komotv.com/asksteve/story.asp?ID=29480). It really can happen.

What do you know. Thanks for the article, Parky.

[PimpDaShizzle]

That movie was bangin'. Off da' chain like a motorcycle gang.

But, what was with the blue and red lighting that seemed to get more fierce throughout the movie? Was it a metaphor/symbolic for something?

Anyways, the part I liked most was when they all started to dance in the subway and then got into the knife fight wearing the leather pants and jackets while snapping their fingers and holding arms. Awesome song too.

[Sinny McGuffins]

Anyways, the part I liked most was when they all started to dance in the subway and then got into the knife fight wearing the leather pants and jackets while snapping their fingers and holding arms. Awesome song too.We're talking about Magnolia, not Michael Jackson's Beat It video.

[Tacitus]

I saw this for the first time the other night after manfully avoiding it for years.

Couldn't stand it.

Short Cuts without a script, and some of the most horrendous overwrought performances from respected actors (and Tom Cruise) that I've seen.

I'm talkin' to you Bill Macy, Julianne Moore (especially you), John Reilly, Philip S Hoffman....

For me this was a pity. Magnolia is very well shot and the style of story can work, as Altman and Carver proved. Shame nobody told the cast to stop emoting for 5 minutes and act a little. ;)

[blibblobblib]

Oh Tacytuss! I thought better of you! ;)

I absoloutly adore Magnolia, it just makes my heart ache! But i am a mug for sentimentality. it's easily in my top ten favourite movies ever ever to infinity, no full stops. I agree with what you say you LIKED about the film, but your biggest dislike for the film is what i think makes it have such an impact. Each character and their story we see in the film are searching for some kind of redemption. In cases like Frank (Cruise), he is not aware of this search, but for other characters like Julian Moore's, it is her main focus. They are all so so unhappy, and have these awful incidents and worries in their lives that are just eatin away at them, and as the film progresses and we slowly see how all their fears and doubts and sadness are linked, and just after they are all at their lowest, and they sing 'Its not going to stop.' (Which is my favourite part), their redemption is delivered in the form of a spectacular shower of raining frogs, that changes everything for them. Its wonderful.

If i have ever seen a chance for Cruise to get his best actor oscar, it was with the role of Frank. shame he didnt though. Superb stuff.

[Tacitus]

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one blib. :)

If i have ever seen a chance for Cruise to get his best actor oscar, it was with the role of Frank. shame he didnt though. Superb stuff.
I think Cruise was the best thing in Magnolia. It suited his 'stare-at-the-ground-furrow-your-brow-and-shout' style of acting perfectly.

Ignore me, I'm an auld cynic.

If you want a film about sadness, try this one: Link (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330229/)

It takes a lot for me to squeeze a tear out and Dolls comes pretty close. :)

[blibblobblib]

i'll check that out ma man. I am a sucker for sentimental crap...i mean i even own Bicentennial Man on dvd...i know i know :(

But come on, you must have at least liked the music? Aimee Mann is supoib!

[Tacitus]

I honestly couldn't tell you whether the music was good or bad, and the last experience I had of Aimee mann was when someone threw one of her CDs at my head.

Sorry. :(

[blibblobblib]

Get thee gone from thy sight...



;)

[Sexy Celebrity]

I read the screenplay to it, which I borrowed at the library. I loved it.

Then I decided to check out the actual movie... I couldn't finish it... why, I don't really know. Maybe everything just seemed so fast paced with me. Maybe the mood was different than the mood I had created in my mind.

[chicagofrog]

their redemption is delivered in the form of a spectacular shower of raining frogs, that changes everything for them.

i wonder why, but that appeals to me. :rolleyes:
Julianne Julianne Julianne. nuff said. but Tom is really overacting, or emoting, like Tacitus said.

[nebbit]

Have to watch this again, then i might have an opinion. :yup: when I watched it I had a friend over, she kept on talking :babbling: I missed half of it :rolleyes: peoples opinions here are quite polarized, that always make me more interested in a movie http://bestsmileys.com/tvshows/3.gif :dizzy:

[TwentyOne]

I loved the first ten minutes of this film with all the stuff about chance. After that i felt it sort of went downhill. I liked parts of it, and i certainly like PTA's visual style of it, but i felt the movie kind of dragged on and didn't quite make sense all the time. One example is when John C. Reilly is sitting at the restaurant with the girl he met and they both start crying for like ten minutes. I thought the movie was very well made, but i just couldn't seem to get into it.

[rikkidunbar]

"Respect the cock!"

[chicagofrog]

tis what i keep saying them!... ;)

[Lester Burnham]

when their all singing at the same time, and reflecting on their lives that is one of the best scenes I have ever seen, very emotional and moving really made me think about life

[onto le cabaret]

Sigh

when people see this movie and only remember, "respect the cock" a part of my groin retreats inside me

such a gorgeous gorgeous heartwrenching film

arg oh the frogs, who's imagination wasn't spinning out of control trying to think of why it happened, truely ended on a high note

[nebbit]

Hey nice avatar. :yup:

[IDigCereal]

I loved this film from the first time I saw it, and I've never met anyone out here in the real world that's not loved it (but I only know about 5 people who've seen it and one of them was a burnout stoner wrestler whose opinion of the film went a little something like this:"That Magnolia movie is some crazy **** man!"). I watched it again recently and the film rose to my top 20 of all-time. It had always been around it, but this viewing really hit me. I think the ensemble is one of the finest of the 90s, with each actor fully realizing their character and bringing them to life so that they were all believable, even when crazy occurences were happening all around them. Most of the problems people have with the film, I enjoyed: the raining frogs was quite the shock and brings on the movie's catharsis perfectly, the sing-along was wonderfully executed and further illustrated the characters connection, and although the film certainly was ambitious, it was by no means meaningless or overly-pretentious. The only thing that keeps this from being higher on my list of favorites is that Anderson's style borrows a lot from Scorsese, but it works in the style of the film, so its hardly worth mentioning. This isn't a film for everyone, but I loved it.

[Son Of A Preacher Man]

"Respect the cock!"

[squeezyrider]

I went to see Magnolia one afternoon when I was free from College. I had loved Boogie Nights so I was looking forward to it. There were times at the beginning when I seriously considered walking out. It was one of those films that gave me knots in the stomach I just felt uncomfortable. However half way through when the characters began singing along to the Aimee Mann song it all made sense and I felt elated.

The lyrics of the song suddenly seemed to express everything I had witnessed in one moment. I now think it's one of the best films I've ever seen I don't watch it often it's not my favourite but I do feel it to be truly great and important.

[blibblobblib]

I now think it's one of the best films I've ever seen I don't watch it often it's not my favourite but I do feel it to be truly great and important.Perhaps the most confusing and non-sensical statement i have ever read. Glad you liked the film though...i think.

[Sedai]

Added this to my netflix Queue. I'll post thoughts when it eventually arrives (it's about 12 films deep currently)...

I am sort of on the fence with his other stuff, which I thought was creative, but a bit heavy handed....

[squeezyrider]

Perhaps the most confusing and non-sensical statement i have ever read. Glad you liked the film though...i think.
Fair comment. The aforementioned statement was written in a hurry but I'll give another example of what I was trying to say; in my opinion Requiem For A Dream is also one of the best films that I have ever seen but I don't particularly like it. I wouldn't watch it casually and as a result I find it difficult to make time to watch it at all. I mean what's the point watching all that pain and suffering when you've got Ghostbusters on the shelf. I'm very glad I've watched both films though.:)

[ash_is_the_gal]

I think Magnolia is a beautiful film. The characters are archetypes for a reason: this is a film about abstracts and about life, and character development is not the point. I think the point of it is to see the beauty in all the details of life - the good and the bad - to accept that "these things happen" and live with that understanding. The photography is beautiful. The metaphorical aspect of it is apropriate for the themes. The music is awesome (love that Aimee Mann). And the nod to Salinger in the middle of all of it charmed my socks off.


Exactly.