← Back to Reviews
in
MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
227 .......................... 261
__________________________
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…
+
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... viewing day count
227 .......................... 261
__________________________
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…
+
__________________________