Paul Thomas Anderson

While watching this film I kept going back and forth between "good effort but ultimately a bit of a failure" and "eh, maybe this sequence will make me give it a passing grade". Because there are incredible sequences in this, and the atmosphere and, I suppose, the vibes are often spot-on. Haim and Hoffman are terrific as the leads. But then that final line was such a tone-deaf decision that it soured me on the rest of it.

Good effort, but ultimately a bit of a failure.

Paul Thomas Anderson's bravura directorial turn is the real star of this hugely powerful and compelling story about the rise and fall of '70s porn star Eddie Adams, / Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg). The chintzy look of the film and each scene and sequence is a flashy show case for Anderson's directorial abilities; at times begging comparison with Kubrick and Scorsese at their best. His lurid script is equally good presenting rich and detailed character studies of all the individuals that fall show more into the ambit of porn director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds). Anderson's writing and directing is so strong that he is able to give us real insight into his characters with very little dialogue allied to smart visuals and elegant musical cues. The ensemble cast is stunning - each delivering a standout turn, none more so than John C. Reilly who delivers a perfect balance of emotion and comic timing as Diggler's sidekick Chest Rockwell. "Boogie Nights" is a modern masterpiece that is hugely original, stunningly directed, beautifully photographed and with acting performances are hugely touching, emotionally powerful and wryly humorous. show less

Very loosely based on Oil by Upton Sinclair. One interesting change is that the son is adopted instead of biological, which lends the main character a degree of empathy and kindness that has to carry the audience's sympathy through some monstrous behavior. One of those movies that should feel slow, but every moment is riveting due to the carefully choreographed tension between the characters, and between Daniel's precarious morality.

This film never lost my interest in its 2 1/2 hour running time, but neither did it rivet me. It is sort of like skipping from peak to peak over a mountain range without ever quite understanding the valleys in between. A succession of quirky characters parade across the screen in memorable scenes, played by excellent actors, but the whole story is sacrificed to individual moments. As the private detective at the center of the goings-on, Phoenix gives a likable, low-key performance that holds show more things together. Brolin is effective as his nemesis, a loner detective, whose motivations are never quite made clear. Waterston is is Phoenix's ex-girlfriend, now at the heart of the disappearance of a real estate developer, and her performance is memorable for one scene at least--and you can guess which one. The settings and cinematography and pacing of the film are good as well, as one would expect from this director, but it is easy to see why this one didn't make any money to speak of. I do love all the character names, however. show less