Magnolia

This isn't a movie review. I just wanted to know if everyone understood and caught all the little things. The frogs, 82's, flowers, magnolias, frogs...Do you know why it's called Magnolia, why it rained frogs? Things like this. Whenever I discuss the movie, people never caught what I did.

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You don't have to be sober to weigh spinach.

I PRETTY MUCH GOT IT ALL, BUT I'M STILL NOT SURE WHY IT'S CALLED MAGNOLIA.

IS IT BECAUSE IT TAKES PLACE ON MAGNOLIA BLVD?

Why what with the frogs?

TWT's gonna want a spoiler notice, i guarantee it.

I like the movie, think it's superior to Boogie Nights.

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Sorry man...I'd rather keep all discussion of SPECIFIC movies to the Reviews forum is possible. Perhaps I should change the description to reflect this. Anyway, yeah, we need spoiler notices here.

Well, that's one of the reasons why it's called Magnolia. One of the other reasons is how they are placed all over the place in the movie, either in real or in paintings. Also, there is a theory that if you eat the root of a magnolia tree, it will cure cancer.
As of the frogs, it has to do with the 82's. In Exodus 8:2 in the bible, it rains frogs. That's one of the reasons why the movie has 82's all over the place. Just one of the many things I caught: TJ Mackey's number is 1-800-Tame Her. On the phone, T = 8 and A = 2. TA = 82. Cool, huh? The movie isn't meant to be religious. PT Anderson said it was just something that he felt like doing on the set. Something to keep him not bored. But what I wanna know is why would he spend so much money on the falling frogs thingie if it was just to keep him away from boredom...

Cause frogs are cool.

Saw Magnolia yesterday...couldnt stand the last scene.Yuck.

Anyways..it was OK movie.

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I have never saw it only because I heard it wasn't good. I can't understand why a movie with such star power could do poorly, but I guess this isn't a perfect world after all.

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"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

SPOILER





The frog scene redeemed the whole movie for me! It brought the story together when it didn't seem like it was going to get there. It sealed the film's concept of fate, and quite effectively.

PT Anderson has yet to make a film that comes anywhere near "Hard Eight". He has, however, become a favorite director of mine. I like his way of telling a story and the fact that he re-uses actors without re-hashing concepts.

As far as a thumbs up or down on "Magnolia", my digit would have to hang loose, somewhere between the two. Brilliant idea, fine performances, overblown realization.

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You get me slapped with a fine, you argue with the customers and I have to patch everything up, you get us thrown out of a funeral by violating the corpse, and then to top it off, you ruin my relationship. I mean, what's your encore? Do you, like, anally rape my mother while pouring sugar in my gas tank?

Just saw Magnolia last night.

***SPOILER ROTTEN***

This is one of those movies where there are people who love it so much that they can't see its flaws; and those who hate it with such ferocity that they can't see its good points.

I enjoyed Magnolia immensely but there are plenty of problems. Some of the stories I felt were lacking. Either I didn't care for the characters or the story itself just didn't work.

For instance, what are we supposed to feel for the quiz kid who needs to go to the bathroom? This story thread was a bit childish and yet the music builds its up as if its a climactic moment in the film. In fact one of my mine gripes was Anderson's direction of the child actors. Child actors need a special kind of direction. Some can do it (Colombus on Home Alone and hopefully on Harry Potter), some can't (whoever directed The Little Rascals Movie). The young actors in Magnolia are terrible from Stanley, to his two teammates to the black rapper kid. Terrible performances one and all. And it affected the movie.

The other flaw for me was William H Macy's story. I thought it was superfluous. Sure Macy always delivers but that storyline never properly linked with the others. It, and the other quiz kid's story were out of place. Removing them would have solved two problems - shortening the overwhelming length and allowing the other fantastic stories to be given more exposure.

The adult acting in Magnolia is over and above the call of duty. Tom Cruise got all the plaudits, and he deserved them. He is very good. Ladies, "Respect the C-ck". I'd love to know of the female reaction to Frank Mackey. I also loved Cruise's interviewee. She's one of those actors who's in a lot of good movies but never shines, never gets any recognition. I don't know her name. Favourite Cruise Line: "I'm quietly judging you". Brilliant.

Other standouts are King and Prince Philip - that's Baker Hall and Seymour Hoffman to the uneducated. These are my two favourite character actors acting today. Hoffman gets a very unshowy part and makes you feel for him. When I heard him order "those magazines", I thought we were in for a repeat of his Happiness character, but Hoffman is always a surprise. My favourite moment of acting from him was a simple touch when Cruise finally arrives to the house and asks to stand by the door for a while. Hoffman's shy little stance and the way he works his hands is so minimal but so effective. Baker Hall plays the dying quiz host. The fact that he retains dignity on the show after collapsing is a measure of the actor's stature. His big moment comes at the beginning when he repeats to his troubled daughter that: "I have cancer. I'm dying." Heartbreaking.

Speaking of his daughter. Melora Walters performance was the stand-out for me with John C. Reilly coming a close second. Their relationship was so fresh and so true. I'm not ashamed to say that it made my cry about five times when they were on screen together and they're not on screen together very often. When Reilly's walkie-talkie goes off as he's standing outside her house and he's forced by chance (one of the film's themes) to ask her out. When Claudia (Walters) chooses not to inhale the drugs because she thinks that Reilly might be something special. When they start to sing. When she blurts out to Reilly everything she wants to say, but was never able to say before. When she kisses him on the cheek. When they, out of nowhere, kiss each other for the first time. When she says: "Now that I've met you, would you object to never seeing me again?". And of course, Claudia's range of emotions at the final scene which builds to her smile at the end which concludes the film perfectly.

And the frogs? Well, a strange but oddly fitting conclusion to an imperfect but emotionally heated movie.

PS Sorry for the length. I guess I liked this movie more than I thought.

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I couldn't believe that she knew my name. Some of my best friends didn't know my name.

Hey, use the new spoiler tag.


I'm still working on it...I'm hoping to add a link to the right side of the box that highlights the text automatically! The tag looks like this (curly braces used in place of brackets);

{spoilers=Movie Name Here}Spoilers go here{/spoilers}

SULTAN!! - CHECK YOUR MESSAGE!!

Curly braces? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

I don't know what's happening here anymore!!!! I can't read your weird moon language!!!! I don't know how to check my messages! I accidentally did it before!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!!

the { <-- curly braces were used in place of the [ <-- brackets

for instance

Actual spoiler so if you haven't seen it don't click

Don't you Red Wings fans ever think? Curly braces: those things I used in place of brackets. Those are braces...curly ones. What else could I have meaned in that example? I had to demonstrate the use of the spoilers tag, but I couldn't actually use the tag, because then it would be processed by the forum.

Anyway, the tag isn't done...it's primitive right now. I'm trying to provide a link with each spoilers box to highlight the text automatically.

I see...

Down at the bottom of the main page, there is a thing that says Messages, click there.

everybody needs to see Magnolia! It's beautiful