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| Magnolia 9 of 10 |
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| Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson Cinematography by Cassandra Kulukundis Melora Walters John C. Reilly Philip Baker Hall Melinda Dillon Jeremy Blackman William H. Macy Philip Seymour Hoffman Jason Robards Julianne Moore Tom Cruise |
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| This movie has the best non-Night script I have ever seen. The story revolves around ten characters that begin the film mostly unrelated to each other. By the end of the movie, which covers only a single day, they have all been connected. The film also sports a great, great cast, where every single character is amazingly memorable. Particular note goes to Melora Walters, whose portrayal of an addict searching for love is truly riveting. Tom Cruise, in a very uncharacteristic role for him, is also very notable, especially during the scene at his father's death bed. Hoffman's Phil Parma is one of the most genuinely good people ever portrayed in film. And John C. Reilly's character, Officer Jim Kurring, is so nuanced that I still don't know exactly what I think about him. The camera work is also splendid, especially Anderson's affinity for the SteadiCam. There is a scene in the game show studio where he has the camera simply follow a person around through the hallways until they run into someone else. Then, he follows the new person. It goes on for a long time. Neat stuff. But the thing that really makes this movie go is the writing. There were several scenes where I was actually holding my breath for fear of missing anything. (That's a really great feeling. And pretty rare in my film experience.) He really has a way of capturing human nature, and there are some very interesting moral questions raised. Then, of course, there is the finale. It ranks right up there as one of the strangest things I have ever seen, although it is a real tribute to Anderson's ability that it only seems strange in hindsight. At the time, it seems perfect. One of the most thought-provoking films I have ever seen. "And no, it is not dangerous to confuse angels with children." |
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