Comments on: Paul Thomas Anderson

By: Other Jordan

Other Jordan — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:08:57 +0000

well, i am a jordan and i for one love magnolia in all it’s excessive over the top glory. i look at it this way- i’d rather have a talented artist giving it his all and looking a little silly than a crap artist just squeezing another one out, you know? and then theres the frogs. the frogs make it all worthwhile. its kind of like how even if you hate there will be blood, you have to admit the last scene is ridiculously wonderful.

By: veronicaromm

veronicaromm — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:31:22 +0000

Great piece on PTAnderson. I am a huge fan.

By: Jürgen

Jürgen — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:03:30 +0000

Yeah, Boogie Nights kind of blew me away this time around — I had filed it away with a lot of other tongue-in-cheek Nineties exercises in cynical retro chic, but man, it’s extremely well done, and not so cynical after all. Lots of flashy directing and full of incredibly strong scenes, of course. I always resisted it because I felt that it puts its characters through the wringer in the end to wave a moralizing finger at us — see, all this depravity only leads into the gutter! — but I’d completely forgotten that that’s not quite how it ends. It’s kind of lovely, actually, and incredibly assured. Pretty much every shot screams “major talent.”

I’d agree that Magnolia is weaker, but you have to admire how it just keeps going. I know what you mean by “sustained climax” — after the first twenty minutes, it really takes flight and just doesn’t stop. It turns into a series of superextended montage sequences that just won’t quit — but they do culminate somewhere, and I do think it comes together.

On the downside, something about it feels terribly “writerly” to me (for lack of a better word), and I think you can still feel PTA strain for gravitas — he’s obviously trying pretty hard — but I ended up watching it twice over the course of the last week because once I put it on, I simply can’t stop. And again, it’s full of great scenes, great speeches, and excellent performances. And I love the frogs….

By: Jordan

Jordan — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:21:17 +0000

I wish I could say I liked Magnolia.

It is fascinating to watch, but I just don’t think it comes together as a film. 3 hours of pure climax? A fascinating exersize more than a movie.

Haven’t seen Boogie Nights since beginning to end since it came out, but I’ve got the DVD – should give that a shot. I think I dig all his movies but Magnolia – and I’ve seen that three times just to make sure.