Boogie Nights vs Magnolia

[1987_Lakers]

Which PTA film do you prefer?

[TheeBeast]

Never seen Magnolia, but I seen Boogie Nights when I was like 6

[IGotACoolStory]

Boogie Nights and it's not really close.

[Qwyjibo]

Magnolia.

It's my 2nd favourite movie of all time (I still love Shawshank). It's a perfect melodramatic mess. From the narrated opening sequence about absurd coincidences to "Wise Up" to the frogs, these scenes shouldn't be in great serious movies and yet they all worked. Surrounding all that you have Tom Cruise giving his best performance ever (sorry Born on the 4th). He basically steals the movie with two incredible scenes with the interview and the bedside visit. I absolutely love the manic but subtle musical score that gives the movie a frantic feeling. That style was ramped up in Punch Drunk Love.

And then there's Melora Walters' smile as the last scene. Where you hear just enough of John C Reilly's speech over another great Aimee Mann Song. Perfect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdajEccNZSM

[franchise#3]

I love Magnolia. Really love the characters and the story.

[JohnnySic]

Magnolia sucked. All I got out of it was people screaming and dramatizing for 3 hours, then they start singing for some reason and then it rains frogs. I finished it just for the sake of finishing it.

[johndeeregreen]

Never seen Magnolia, but outside of the drug deal scene (which is one of my favorite scenes of all time) Boogie Nights is largely uninteresting and generally mediocre. So I'm not sure. Is Magnolia worth a watch?

[rufuspaul]

Never seen Magnolia, but outside of the drug deal scene (which is one of my favorite scenes of all time) Boogie Nights is largely uninteresting and generally mediocre. So I'm not sure. Is Magnolia worth a watch?

Spot on about Boogie Nights. Magnolia is mostly artistic masturbation with a somewhat amusing over-performance from Tom Cruise. Worth a view but nothing special imo.

[Tarik One]

Boogie Nights had a quite a few actors in it before they reached their peak.

[OldSkoolball#52]

Never seen Magnolia, but outside of the drug deal scene (which is one of my favorite scenes of all time) Boogie Nights is largely uninteresting and generally mediocre. So I'm not sure. Is Magnolia worth a watch?

Completely agree with this take on Boogie Nights.



I just watched Magnolia for the first time. Pretty interesting movie. It was simultaneously really flawed and really compelling. It reminded me of Requiem for a Dream in a way, with the parallel courses of misery and desperation. Altho I thought Requiem was kind of ehh throughout most of the movie, but the final scenes were very nerve-striking, which redeemed it. Whereas I thought Magnolia was really intense and riveting throughout the first 2/3 of the movie, but then just kind of unraveled very unmemoraby.


Definitely worth watching. It's pretty long tho.

[fsvr54]

And then there's Melora Walters' smile as the last scene. Where you hear just enough of John C Reilly's speech over another great Aimee Mann Song. Perfect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdajEccNZSM

I love this scene so much. This movie has some of the most emotional scenes ever, it's parts are greater than the sum though.

[Supersonics33]

Magnolia for me. As the years have gone by, I am still amazed at how brilliant this film is. The story kind of just goes and builds up and never really slows until the near the end when it's appropriate.

Boogie Nights on the other hand was great the first two times, then I kind of just watch it now waiting for the better scenes (drug house scene for example). It's not bad but there are just stretches where I could care less.

[Rake2204]

Just watched Magnolia this evening for the first time. Gave me similar feelings as Synecdoche, New York. That is, once the movie ended, I felt I was supposed to have been hit with something and I knew it was going to be a film with which movie buffs would be enamored, but I just didn't feel it. It wasn't awful, per se, but I cannot say I derived much joy from watching either.

After starting things off with There Will Be Blood, I kind of figured I'd dig Paul Thomas Anderson's other works just as well. That has not always been the case thus far. Alongside Magnolia, I also did not care for Punch Drunk Love.

[T_L_P]

I saw Magnolia in the cinema (in 2008) and I left with a feeling of utter boredom. What was PTA trying to say, exactly?

Boogie Nights was pretty fun. Nothing deep or contemplative, and the cheesy Raging Bull homage at the end sort of ruined it for me.

If I had to pick one to watch again, it'd be Magnolia. I'm always intrigued by films I didn't get that others love.

There Will be Blood and The Master are two of the greatest American films I've ever seen. The Master would be in my top 10

[Rake2204]

I saw Magnolia in the cinema (in 2008) and I left with a feeling of utter boredom. What was PTA trying to say, exactly?

Boogie Nights was pretty fun. Nothing deep or contemplative, and the cheesy Raging Bull homage at the end sort of ruined it for me.

If I had to pick one to watch again, it'd be Magnolia. I'm always intrigued by films I didn't get that others love.

There Will be Blood and The Master are two of the greatest American films I've ever seen. The Master would be in my top 10

Yeah, regarding Magnolia, I left feeling like I bet this was the type of movie a lot of people have enjoyed writing extensive interpretations about on the internets. Unfortunately, literary interpretation is not always my strong point. Or maybe it just takes for me to engage with a piece of media that makes me want to interpret it.

Magnolia did not really bring that out of me. I watched it, it happened, and that was about as far as I was interested in taking it. That said, I did read that after the success of Boogie Nights, P.T. Anderson was basically given the green light to do whatever the heck he wanted for his next movie (Magnolia) and subsequently kind of threw in a bunch of random ideas he semi-developed as he went along. It sort of felt that way to me.

I loved There Will Be Blood, but I haven't been super keen on the last two of his I watched (Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love). I remain interested in see The Master though.