Discussion of Sin City reminded me of this one, as the different stories link up in similar ways.
So, what did you reckon to Magnolia? I thought it was a great, moving film with some fine performances. The unexpected song near the end worked SO well.
Never saw it, to be totally honest…
I’ve been avoiding Cruiselord’s movies for a while, and may do so until he can learn to behave himself 
Oddly enough, I think he’s done a few fine movies. Last Samurai surprised the hell out of me.
Quite an annoying bloke though… 
I don’t know why, but I enjoyed Minority Report. May have been the Spielberg influence though. I have yet to see Magnolia… and I am not certain that I want to.
Magnolia may actually be my favorite movie. One has to give these things some time to see how it shakes out, but it’ll likely stay in the top 5. It’s not for everybody! In fact, I think it’s one of those love it or hate it deals.
I’m semi-boycotting Tom Cruise myself, but I certainly acknowledge his skills as an actor.
Magnolia is one of those movies that, if you’re in the category of people who love it, you can watch many times and still pick up on new things.
I really did not like Magnolia. I have been recently informed, however, that my dislike stems from the fact that I didn’t “get it”. What was there to get? Definitely not one of my favorites, but I may take the advice of my friend who told me I might want to give it another try. Maybe then I’ll get what I didn’t get to begin with
The Last Samurai was pretty good, but I tended to like the performances of the other actors rather than Tom Cruise’s. His seemed much more insipid in my opinion. He might want to try some “actor enhancing” drugs or something.
That’s a good point about ‘Samurai’. Mr C was not the best thing in it, by any means.
As for ‘not getting’ Magnolia… Some movies bear a second chance in case one’s attention wandered first time… but how can someone else tell that your dislike is because you didn’t get it. Maybe you got it and didn’t like it… 
Dale, you’re right. I watched it again a couple of weeks back and it worked as well as the first time.
Well, no, I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss people who didn’t like it as “not getting it.” It’s not like it’s a puzzle to be figured out. I can easily understand why some people wouldn’t like it just on the level of personal taste. I thought, for example, that the use of foul language, which rarely offends me, was just excessive. P.T. Anderson is personally kind of potty-mouthed and I think that shows in his writing. The movie is unorthodox, not particularly linear, not especially direct in its story-telling. That appeals to me. By the way, this may not be fair, but I think the movie Crash owed a lot, in style, to Magnolia.
I loved Magnolia.
Truly a Love or Hate film, but I believe that a second or third viewing could bring somebody around to loving it.
I’ve not seen Crash yet as the Cinemas over here are usually a few months behind of the American release.
Slan,
D.
Wow.
“Magnolia”.
One of a handful of movies I walked out on.
Terrible… There is nothing to “get”, and no entertainment value. Sorry.
Crash.
Brilliant.
M
Oh. Okay. Gee. I thought I got it and I thought I was entertained. Sorry.
If you walked out then I suspect you didn’t see the whole movie. Believe me, plenty happens late on to tie it all up in a (to me) very satisfactory way. The entertainment is, to a degree, deferred until the blow off.
I think you may have missed out.
That’s o.k. Dale, we just have diff tastes, whatever.
I know that I wasn’t the only one to leave early.
And I noticed plenty of folks glancing at their watches.
As fr entertainment, that’s cool. But if I have to sit thru 2-plus hours of saying to myself “WTF?!?!?” JUST to get to a “cool” ending (I heard about the frogs, one of the reasons my son just Loved the movie) then I pass. I want my 2 hours of life back!
That’s how I felt sitting thru Broken Flowers, as you know, but I didn’t leave. And, dammit, I want those 2 hours of my life back!!! 
Mary
Ok. You deserve to get them back. I recommend “Spanglish.”
Watched it last night with 2/3 of my daughters and really enjoyed it. No frogs.
Dale
Well, I do love Adam Sandler… For whatever reason.
But did you see Fever Pitch? It’s cute and your daughters might like it.
Anyway, am planning to see something this weekend, maybe Innocent Voices or A History of Violence.
M
I sat through Magnolia loathing it…until the end.
There is something quite powerful about a movie that takes banal, wretched, horrid, stupid, foolish people. . .and shows you the humanity and hope and wonder in their existences.
Another movie of the same ‘pull this mess together at the end’ feel was American Beauty. I detested every character in the movie…until the end when it all snapped into focus and became crystalline and right.
Tyg
My son’s comment about American Beauty: Every one in the movie was pretending to be someone that they weren’t.
Also a brilliant film.
M
Ah, the end… Why did they bother with the frogs? No need… Wonderful movie.
‘American Beauty’ was a brilliant film. Mendes also directed ‘Road to Perdition’, another fine movie.
American Beauty was a very tragic, sad film - but also funny, moving, successfully satirical… I lost count of the levels on which that movie worked .