BS: Magnolia -the movie

Subject: RE: BS: Magnolia -the movie
From: robomatic
Date: 25 Apr 05 - 10:48 PM

John:

I liked the kid's line "you've got to be nicer to me". I also liked the line of William H. Macey "I've got a lot of love to give, I just don't know where to put it!" especially in the context of the irony of his escapade to buy himself some cosmetic surgery costing him the part of his appearance he was most concerned with, and at the same time getting help from the compassionate (and innately conservative and by-the-book) police officer.

I wouldn't say any of the characters are evil in the context of the movie, they are all damaged and imperfect, and except for the kid's father, usually aware of it. Some have done evil things. Some of them evoke no sympathy, but Philip Seymour Hoffman, The kid, the restless guilty energy of the dying Robards, trying to follow what was going on with Cruise and his inquisitor, held it together for me even though there was no one identifiable hero (God?).

The movie takes the position that miracles exist, redemption exists, and fantastic coincidences do in fact happen, (not always good ones).

And the f-word sure came out of the mouth of Julianne Moore a lot. She makes the word "overwrought" look tired. They were trying to get across that although she was a lot younger than her husband, she loved him and was not taking his helplessness and impending death at all well, possibly because she was too young to have experienced much of it in her life as yet.

The tension builds and builds and builds, and for those who haven't seen it yet i wouldn't tell them what happens, but it is not a typical kind of thing. And like I said before, to my surprise, it worked for me. And it was beautifully choreographed from all points of view.

Subject: RE: BS: Magnolia -the movie
From: John Hardly
Date: 25 Apr 05 - 07:44 PM

I've read with interest that "realism" for its own sake is killing film. I can see the point. The best of movie making should probably target "art" not "journalism".   

And, though I like a happy ending -- that is not the measure of a good movie for me.

But I couldn't find a character to relate to. It was truly the most hate-able group of characters I have ever seen in a movie.

Tom Cruise character was exceedingly well done but simultaneously so evil as to be unwatchable -- even when "getting his" while stewing in his own juices of deceit during the interview scene. I will give him HUGE points for pulling it off.

The soon-to-be-widowed suicider's dialog consisted almost totally of the single word "fuck". It became neither jarring, funny, real....anything but utterly meaning-free.

...and it's not unusual to really despise characters in movies (though rarely ALL of them) -- but usually at some point, in good literary fashion, characters grow into something if not likeable, at least interesting or, dare I say, redeemable.

I guess that if there was some character "growth" it was in the young quiz show kid who, in the end takes the control of his life that will give him the greatest chance to not becoming the Macey character. "You need to be nicer to me" --probably the best line in the film. Quite jarring that it reflected the true change of individual resolve rather than the false hope of a kinder father.

While the frogs were jarring, they jarred to exactly no change. I guess I missed their meaning. I would have thought that they would represent the "other" but I can't see how they did.


...I'm just thinking as I type.

Subject: RE: BS: Magnolia -the movie
From: robomatic
Date: 25 Apr 05 - 07:19 PM

John:

I guess I could just start out simply by asking "What's to get?"

I really liked it, for several reasons. I liked the narrator Ricky Jay who crops up now and then. He is a magician and a conossieur <=don' know how to spell that word of dice. He's been on X Files, he's been in a cute little movie called "Hole in the Sky" with Sam Elliot, and he is one of the regulars in the films of David Mamet.

I liked the backing vocals of Aimee Mann

I liked the filmography, i.e. the quality of the shots, the pacing, which is on the slow side for an American film.

And I bought the climax, which for me is amazing. I'm a real stickler for reality and causality etc. etc. but in this case I went for it.

I guess I accepted the notion that things can get or seem overwrought, that we are all quite messed up each in his or her own way, and that if there is a resolution it may be out of our own hands.

I liked Tom Cruise, I always like William H. Macey. It was one of Jason Robards' last roles, Philip Seymour Hoffman was outstanding, some of the scenes were a bit much in their emotional effluvia (I insisted that my brother watch it and he was less enthusiastic than I).

Considering the nature of the film, I thought it was also very funny. I found it charming and unique.

I'd be happy to go into it more with you, because I was rather surprised that I liked it so much.

Subject: BS: Magnolia -the movie
From: John Hardly
Date: 25 Apr 05 - 06:57 PM

Would someone kindly 'splain it to me?