Magnolia-PTA Club Discussion

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Magnolia


Time for another PTA thread. I love this film and wrote a bunch about it when I first came to the site. I despise my review for it but will post it anyway.


If you have not seen Magnolia it is very hard to get a grasp for the narrative from a normal plot summary. We have two older men at the end of their lives who want to make amends with their children. We have two child game show prodigies. One who was that years ago and is trying to deal with the fact that he no longer is. The other who is trying to deal with the pressure of being one now, most of that pressure coming from an overbearing father. We have a lonely cop who wants nothing more from life than to do the right thing and meet the right women. The film transitions quickly from story to story. It does so perfectly and this is all because of Anderson's direction. I don't think I have ever seen a better directed film. To juggle so many moving parts yet keep them all running seamlessly while still engaging the audience emotionally is directing perfection.

Magnolia does engage you emotionally right from the start. If it doesn't you will probably not enjoy this film. If it does you will probably have the reaction that many have over the years. No character is wasted in Magnolia and every single one is drawn perfectly. All of the characters are shown dealing with something from their past that has effected all aspects of their life. As we learn what those circumstance are we gain understanding of their psyche and connect with them. The first half of the film is spent building this theme of dealing with the past. The torment that each character is going through builds and builds until each gets some type of release. Anderson guides us through it every step of the way with his beautiful transitions and his choice of music which sets the tone and fits perfectly.

Of course as hard as every character tries they cannot bury the past. They most face their demons as we all do. The raw emotion of seeing each character deal with their circumstance in their own way engages us in yet another way emotionally with Magnolia. Every actor does a tremendous job of conveying these emotions in their respective scenes. In fact there is not a bad performance in Magnolia. Cruise, Moore, Hall, Reilly, Hoffman, and Walters are each brilliant. Each also have emotional scenes to showcase their talent. This is something else that Anderson should be given a lot of credit for. Similar to Tarantino he rarely, if ever, has bad performances in his films. I believe this is because of the characters he creates. They are so well fleshed out that if you simply put them in the hands of a capable actor then he receives a great performance.

It is hard of course to pick a favorite scene in a movie you love so much, but for me the best scene in Magnolia is the musical interlude. I have read many negative things about this scene but for me it fits the film perfectly. It comes at a moment when Anderson wants us to know that the characters are having an emotional release. Maybe I am in the minority but many times in my life when I have needed such a release it has happened when I was by myself and listening to a song that effects me. Exactly the way it happens for the characters in Magnolia. The song comes at a perfect time, it is the perfect song, and it is a joy to watch.

Concerning the frogs. Another device that has been decried by critics. Like the song I again think it is simple and well handled. In Exodus God sent plagues on Egypt until Pharaoh would let his people, or children, go. Simple but effective symbolism used here by Anderson. The characters in this film are in bondage. They have been held in bondage by someone in their life. They need to be freed. Some may have a better or deeper take on this sequence. For me it was simple, it was effective, and once again handled amazingly by Anderson.

In my estimation Magnolia is nothing short of perfect. I love going on this journey, as emotionally draining as it may be, with the characters. As stated above I do not think there is better film out there at dealing with raw humanity. The characters and themes are complex and must be experienced, probably many times, to be unraveled. It is well worth the effort if you have any interest in experiencing film on a emotional level.

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Hope this one generates discussion. I think it is one of the best films I have seen at just showing people in their raw state, split wide open and vulnerable. I love it for that but it is also extremely funny and entertaining. Nothing but great performances. I love the score and Aimee Mann soundtrack. Might be the greatest film of all time. I have recently put The Master in my top ten replacing Magnolia. Right now that feel like a mistake but we will see in a few weeks. This might be my favorite movie ever.



Lol I still need to work on my Boogie Nights write up.

When I first watched Magnolia I gave it
mainly cause of the length. I feel that rating could go up and I'm definitely planning on rewatching this. It just that I probably need at least 3 hours without any distractions to appreciate this for what it truly is.
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Originally Posted by Iroquois
To be fair, you have to have a fairly high IQ to understand MovieForums.com.



It's a long movie, it's an intense movie, It's perfection yet imperfect. It's one of my favourite films, but it has yet to and probably never will earn full five... and all for the better.

I wrote a review of it too, so I'll post it here... I think this is also one of those reviews I'm very proud of (I'm totally touching myself to that opening paragraph. Gets me all excited!!)

MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
227 .......................... 261

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September 18th

—— 1999 ——
magnolia
—— drama ——
REWATCH


What is Magnolia...
What does it mean...


Magnolia is the calm and controlled hand of a master at work. A film directed by a man wearing cinema directly on his back, carrying his craftsmanship like a clear cut crown in the midst of the muddy center of moviemaking itself. It is an eccentric exercise in the exact expertise of filmmaking, within its purest form, fumbling only faintly but purely and simply for the sake of his own art. Seeking the feeling of falling and the feeling of failing, but only to relieve himself once again by pushing and pressing himself to the absolute limit. A film so picture perfect you can’t even frame it and a cast so charismatic that caring is completely inescapable. The purest form of escapism trapped inside an escalating epic of biblical proportions, showing us how tightly fitted free form story telling can actually be. This... is Magnolia.

With a story arc leaping all the way into a lengthy three-hour runtime, you will be surprised to see just how meticulous and organic this major magnum opus actually feels, as well as how admirably it continues to climb as a movie and connect us as a viewer throughout its multiple storylines. When thinking about it, I can’t quite come to recollect any film from my many movie viewings, which essentially carries out a central story so extremely downplayed and dramatically driven, but with a conclusive outcome that feels far greater than one’s past perception of potential. Inside the very core of the film, this is a fairly calm and collected story, which ends up feeling far more complex and meticulously calculated than formerly anticipated, especially considering how the story is actually about human examination and not explosive annihilation, which would be the easy way out. ‘Magnolia’ is certainly no bloated action film that begs for our attention, but instead it continues to blossom in bold and beautiful ways, until the point where it eventually earns it.

Writer-director of the film, Paul Thomas Anderson, does something rather impressive with his story by simply planting a seed and watching it grow, evolve and dissolve from a starting point that almost stretches and structures itself along the way. So despite being a little weird at first, the pretty peculiar plant-based parallel of the title is definitely not weed for the movie, but more a winning element that secures the grounded feel of the film and ensures the audience’s involvement with the characters. And just like a flower with lots of leaves the movie leaves lots of layers on its way, while organically growing as a story and maturing as a depiction of life, the humans within it, and the relationships between them. As the flower begins to unfold, the story begins to reveal more sides to the same situation, and as we all know, the life of a flower is not eternal and at one point some leaves will wither and eventually fall dead, breaking its connection with those surrounding it. We also know that unexpected elements will interfere along the way, resembling that of bad weather conditions where wind, rain and whatnot will take its tow on the fundament of which this entire thing is build. The question is whether or not this metaphorical mashup leaves the situation muddier than needed be. But whatever the answer, after all, the movie does take place on Magnolia Blvd. for one so there’s that. And did you know the magnolia flower cures cancer?

‘Magnolia’ prides itself with an unpredictable storyline told with unmatchable storytelling expertise, where the grand runtime goes past us so fast and with such a firm grip on the viewer, that you can't help but be utterly impressed. This can simply be called a prime example of an endless epic of colossal and almost canonical magnitudes, which moves along with a pitch perfect pace and in a very moving manner, packed with powerful emotional flair. But empathy isn’t all, since it far from fails in the technical department where the editing remains one of the most refined works I have ever seen, crafted and calculated with a pace and precision that creates a constant and ever-growing tempo, leaving the audience on the edge of their seat to the purest form of drama there is. ‘Magnolia’ stands out in the field of thousands, while merging masterful filmmaking from every angle imaginable – some admirable actors gives us astounding performances; an amazing writer-director graces us with powerful cinema; all of which ends up being one hell of a cinematic adrenaline rush and a revelation of right and wrong choices, characters, coincidences, care and carelessness…



This is why I watch movies, this is why I love movies, and this is why 'Magnolia'
is one of my all time favorite films…


+

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Sean... you know what I'd hate? I'd hate to see this thread be a failure. The other PTA discussion threads have been quite weak and that's a damn shame for such a great director and such a great dedicated member as yourself...

Therefore, I will watch this movie again and get something going. I just bought the Blu-ray, so that's an even better excuse. Let's get at it!



it's been years since I saw this movie but I still play 'Wise Up' regularly. I just really loved how that song felt in the movie.
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Great review @MovieMeditation Definitely reads like a five star though. Hope you watch again and hop back in.
I knooow it does! And in many ways it is a five star. But the sheer ambition of PTA and the way he pushes himself and the movie medium so much that he falters ever so slightly is part of why Magnolia is great. It's amazing because PTA dares and does things beyond what he should. It's a 3 hour constant build up of greatness and as far as I remember the only real place he falters enough to make me notice is towards the end. It takes a bit too long for it to close up after everything seemed to be over and done with. But that's NOTHING compared to how much he achieves leading up to those last, what, 10-20 minutes, tops, of a tiny bit imbalance.



Rewatched Magnolia, i'm not going to be doing a review because if i'm honest i wasn't completely feeling it. Not that i disliked it just i dunno...the length, how much goes on in the film, i got quite restless at times. This is the third time i watched it and i think knowing what happened effected me in the opposite way i was expecting, and the opposite way to how it did the second time i watched it. The film has some incredible highs and they still worked, but i dunno some of the lesser parts kind of stood out when they didn't before, made it all feel uneven for me. Still think it's very good but it's not third favourite anymore sadly, although i don't think this is my final opinion of it; definitely hoping to reconnect with it when i decide to watch it again in a few years. On the plus side my gf watched it for the first time and she completely adored it, like top 20 film material how much she was gushing after. She accused me of not liking it as much anymore because she watched and liked it

If you guys get a discussion going i'll try to join in. Sorry, i really wanted to post something about it but i don't even have any specific criticisms i simply wasn't feeling it like i normally do. Will definitely contribute more to the Punch Drunk Love one; actually really looking forward to that. Have to say though @seanc: i swear to god i'll sue you if these turn me off any more PTA Films

01. There Will Be Blood
+
02. The Master
+
03. Boogie Nights
-
04. Magnolia

05. Hard Eight



I've also rewatched this and my rating has increased to
. I'm still going to leave this at #5 on my lPTA ranking for the mean time because I want to see how it stacks up against Punch Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood



Have to say though @seanc: i swear to god i'll sue you if these turn me off any more PTA Films ]
Definitely not my intention. The last thing I need is someone else giving me a hard time about PTA.



Definitely not my intention. The last thing I need is someone else giving me a hard time about PTA.
There's no chance of that anyway. I'm pretty strict with my rating, i rarely give above a
+ and i haven't went below
for PTA yet. Magnolia just fell from one of my favourite films to a very good film, it's just really disheartening when that happens and i hope i can reconnect with it in the future like i said.