spazmodeus
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posted on October 27, 2001 01:48:54 AM new
I've been watching this movie Magnolia for almost two hours now and I don't understand it at all. Can somebody please explain to me what the hell this film is about?
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Shadowcat
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posted on October 27, 2001 01:59:30 AM new
Tom Cruise wearing long hair.
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Zazzie
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posted on October 27, 2001 02:20:52 AM new
http://www.screenit.com/movies/1999/magnolia.html
--explained in fine details for parents to decide if kidlets can see the movie
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Zazzie
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posted on October 27, 2001 02:24:02 AM new
---the F word gets used 197 times in this movie
and frogs fall from the sky ????????
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Shadowcat
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posted on October 27, 2001 02:34:11 AM new
Well. Talk about a mishmash of a movie.
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Zazzie
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posted on October 27, 2001 02:35:53 AM new
nope----a frogmash
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Shadowcat
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posted on October 27, 2001 02:43:18 AM new
And not a prince in the bunch, I'll betcha.
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uaru
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posted on October 27, 2001 03:40:54 AM new
I saw Magnolia and loved it. My wife hated it and would have left the theater but she saw how I was really enjoying it. I wish I could explain what it was about... difficult task. P.T. Anderson uses a style very similar to Robert Altman. Did you ever see Robert Altman's "Nashville" or "Short Cuts"?
P.T.Anderson is one of my favorite new directors, I've seen 3 of his movies and loved all of them. "Hard 8", "Boogie Nights", and "Magnolia".
Anderson uses some of the best actors in the business in my opinion. John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, and Philip Seymour Hoffman have been in ever one of his movies.
[ edited by uaru on Oct 27, 2001 03:42 AM ]
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julesy
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posted on October 27, 2001 05:57:41 AM new
Magnolia is the type of flick you have to make a concerted effort not to get frustrated with. It *appears* disjointed and all-over-the-place, but really isn't. There is an underlying common theme of redemption and regret.
I think for some folks (not speaking of anyone here) there is a temptation to dismiss it because the themes are so personal and the portrayals are hard to stomach.
[ edited by julesy on Oct 27, 2001 05:58 AM ]
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CAgrrl
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posted on October 27, 2001 08:46:53 AM new
I thought the acting was absolutely amazing. I really didn't get the frogs part, but I think I was able to follow the rest. To explain what I got out of it to someone else though...well that's another story! 
I LOVED Tom Cruise in it! And "respect the c__k" has become one of those oft-quoted lines in our inner circle...
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rachelcrisscross
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posted on October 27, 2001 10:50:02 AM new
The "F" word - you mean frogs?
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Rosebids25cents
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posted on October 27, 2001 12:07:23 PM new
Just completed hooking my computer back up here at home, signed-in and saw the name of this thread. It caught my attention because I had just slipped in a CD (my computer is my only sound system these days) and J.J. Cale is singing "Magnolia" as only J.J. can - hauntingly beautiful. Had to pop into the thread to see if Spaz was also listening (it was a bit eerie, I don't mind telling you).
But instead of discussing great songwriters of the 20th century, we are talking F-wordingFrogs. Oh well. I haven't seen the movie but have wanted to. I'll check back here and see what the general consensus is after a bit.
Rosie
*There is no conclusive evidence that life is serious*
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CAgrrl
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posted on October 27, 2001 12:28:08 PM new
if your referring to the "4 letter word" I posted, it is a C word, not an F word. You'd probably have to watch the movie to get what I was talking about...
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spazmodeus
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posted on October 27, 2001 02:05:07 PM new
I've frequented many an art cinema in my time, subscribe to the Independent Film Channel (even use the word "indie" sometimes in conversation) and watch that show "In the Actors Studio" hosted by James Lipton on Bravo ...
But I thought Magnolia sucked.
I was intrigued by the opening montage -- cases of extreme coincidence resulting in death. I figured this would set the tone for the film, that the conclusion would consist of a series of seeming coincidences leading to a surprising climax. There was a little of that, an attempt to weave the separate stories of the different characters together ... but for me it fell flat (much like the frogs splatting on the windshields and sidewalks). I should have taken a hint when I got annoyed with the fifteen minute rendition of "One Is The Loneliest Number" near the start of the film.
I felt bad for the young genius (who gave new meaning to the word "Wiz Kid" in the end, LOL). But the other characters were very unsympathetic (well, except maybe for Julianne Moore, who seemed in desperate need of my comforting  ).
I think William H. Macy is terribly overused. He's not that good, yet he shows up everywhere it seems. Must have a great agent. Ditto for the guy who played the cop (also seen in Perfect Storm, Boogie Nights, and so on.
I'm curious, how does the title Magnolia tie into the film? Was there a reference in the last five or ten minutes? I confess, I switched it off. I thought the rain of frogs marked the climax, but then it just kept going and I was like "Let me off here."
Word of advice: Never watch two Tom Cruise films in a row. Just before Magnolia, "Born in the USA" was on my movie channel. Watching two in a row destroys any illusion that he can act.
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uaru
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posted on October 27, 2001 05:02:07 PM new
Word of advice: Never watch two Tom Cruise films in a row. Just before Magnolia, "Born in the USA" was on my movie channel. Watching two in a row destroys any illusion that he can act.
I don't know that the illusion is as fragile as you may think. Tom Cruise was nominated for Oscars for both of those roles, He won Golden Globes for both of those roles, and he also won the Chicago Film Critics Award for both of those roles.
Personally I'd have picked Tom Cruise (Magnolia) over Michael Caine (Cider House Rules) for the Oscar. I thought Cruise was outstanding in Magnolia.
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snowyegret
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posted on October 27, 2001 05:10:34 PM new
Spaz, I liked Born on the 4th of July.
Didn't like Magnolia.
We just saw Memento, and it was the best film I've seen in years.
You have the right to an informed opinion
-Harlan Ellison
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julesy
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posted on October 27, 2001 05:13:58 PM new
The first time I saw Magnolia I posted here in the RT about the frog scene. I can't remember who...may have been Antiquary, but someone said the frog scene had a biblical meaning. Can't remember what it was though...
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julesy
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posted on October 27, 2001 05:17:25 PM new
Snowy --
I didn't "get" Memento. Was he going over it again and again just so he could seek revenge again and again with different people?
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spazmodeus
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posted on October 27, 2001 05:32:30 PM new
uaru,
IMHO, The Academy Awards are no real barometer of who can act and who can't. Even if they were, I'd have to conclude it was a really lean year if they felt Tom Cruise deserved the honor.
Personally, I think Haley Jo Osment should have won for the Sixth Sense.
julesy,
I suppose the frogs could have worked on a Biblical level, as God visited a plague of frogs upon the Egyptians as part of his ten-step plan to convince the Pharoah to release the Jews from Egypt (modern scientists theorize that there was a problem with the water in the Nile, which drove the frogs out of their natural habitat; this too might explain the phenomena of the water turning to blood).
On another level, and more in keeping with one of the themes of the film, are reported incidents of rains of frogs, fish, etc. at various times in history, and frequently chronicled in "Strange But True" type of books. Such incidents are now referred to as "Fortean," after Charles Fort, who devoted his career to chronicling odd, seemingly inexplicable occurrences. No doubt Mr. Fort would have been very interested in Tom Cruise's Academy Award nomination.
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snowyegret
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posted on October 27, 2001 05:33:56 PM new
He has no short term memory, so he didn't remember getting revenge or anything else. Everything is new after a few minutes, except for his memories before the shooting. And the narrative goes backwards, in a way. Existentialism updated in a film noir. His mementos are his records of existing in a certain moment. WOW!
You have the right to an informed opinion
-Harlan Ellison
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Rosebids25cents
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posted on October 27, 2001 06:45:20 PM new
I saw "A Simple Plan" last night. That Billy Bob Thorton is unbelievably talented.
Powerful film.
Rosie
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ohandrea
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posted on October 28, 2001 10:28:58 AM new
Just saw Memento last night, after going to the theater in the afternoon and watching K-Pax. Boy, talk about questioning your sanity after watching those two back to back!
So many people had recommended Memento that we had to watch it. I really enjoyed it and was able to follow it, but it didn't get me on that level where you would say, "that's the best movie ever!".
However, Magnolia did hit me on that level. I've watched Magnolia three times....back to back the first time and then the third with friends.
Spaz, I'm terrible at movie reviews, so I can't tell you why I loved Magnolia so much. It was more of an emotional reaction to the way the whole movie flowed. It transported me, I guess I was able to suspend logical thinking and just "be" with the movie. Sorry, that sounds really cliche'd and lame, but as I said I stink at movie reviews. Maybe you could help me out, Spaz!
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spazmodeus
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posted on October 28, 2001 10:35:09 AM new
I don't mind suspending disbelief or logic and just being carried by the momentum of the movie, not at all. But Magnolia seemed so disjointed to me that I began to resent being yanked from one scene to the next when there didn't seem to be any relation between them.
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ohandrea
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posted on October 28, 2001 10:43:17 AM new
Spaz, I wish I could pinpoint why this movie annoyed so many and why so many other's loved it.
The funny thing is, I can't stand it when a novelist does that with a book. When every chapter flip-flops back and forth between characters and story lines. But it doesn't bother me at all in a movie.
If a book does that, I've been know to just skip across the chapters and read one story line at a time, and then start again at the beginning for each plot thread. Maybe you could do that with Magnolia!
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spazmodeus
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posted on October 28, 2001 10:51:38 AM new
Maybe you can clear something up for me -- did something happen that caused Stanley to stop answering the questions? Some incident? Or did he merely reach a breaking point?
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ohandrea
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posted on October 28, 2001 02:25:13 PM new
Spaz. Both. When they wouldn't stop and let poor Stanley use the bathroom he wet his pants. And that caused the breaking point. Interesting question, though. We had to actually have a discussion about it hear in the household.
I mean, if you'd asked about the frogs, well, that's the OBVIOUS question!
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spazmodeus
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posted on October 28, 2001 02:31:44 PM new
Ah. I stepped away from the TV at the part where Stanley asked to go to the bathroom, so I missed it (I probably went to the bathroom myself, LOL). I was wondering what brought on his change of heart.
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ohandrea
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posted on October 28, 2001 06:55:56 PM new
LOL! Spaz, I thought you were asking some deep existential question! It had my whole family thinking......hmmm...why did little Stanley REALLY stop answering questions?
ROFPIMP just like little Stanley!
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julie321
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posted on October 29, 2001 01:19:44 PM new
I didn't get magnolia at all.
I asked a friend who LOVES it to explain it to me and I had to hold my tongue to prevent myself saying "well, duh i knew that and the movie still bored me to tears"
His explanation was something about the way people walk through life seemingly not affecting others when in reality their affect is further reaching than is obvious.
To me, this was very obvious, but it just wasn't all that entertaining.
I tried watching it twice and fell asleep both times.
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