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chapter11 [ 7.5 ]
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It's engaging and sordid enough, but "Boogie Nights" simply doesn't stack up to the rest of Paul Thomas Anderson's ouvre .. at two and a half hours, there's more filler than "Magnolia" managed to rustle up in three. And even still, "Boogie Nights" still manages to work as sort of a porno "Goodfellas" .. PTA's films are the sum of his influences, and you can see a ton of Scorcese and Tarantino in this one. The glitz of an era, the rise and cataclysmic fall of one man - these are all things borrowed wholesale from "Goodfellas" and "Casino," and used to terrific effect; scenes like Marky Mark and John C. Reilly witnessing a drug deal to the strains of "Sister Christian" and a Chinese lackey setting off firecrackers really work as something absurd, dangerous, and blackly funny enough to have appeared in "Pulp Fiction". (And to reiterate what jeff_v says on this page, it is simply one of the greatest scenes ever put to cinema.)
The ensemble here is terrific - but Mark Wahlberg?? C'mon, P.T. .. you can do better than that. Still, there's plenty of performances worth getting excited about, among them John C. Reilly (a terrific comic performance), Julianne Moore (better here than her shrill "Magnolia" performance), Don Cheadle, William H. Macy (an incredible tragic character), Burt Reynolds, Alfred Molina (who could forget Alfred Molina??)and, of course, Wahlberg's humungous prosthetic.
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Jeff_Wilder [ 10.0 ]
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Paul Thomas Anderson's second film has gotten something of a notorious reputation among some because of the lead character being a porno star. Look closely though and you'll see that porn is only the background for the story. The story itself is your classic rise and fall one as exemplified earlier that decade by Scorsese with Goodfellas. The story transcends its not new status thanks to the storytelling, Anderson's fantastic direction, a script that establishes characters well enough that we care about them and some fantastic acting. Mark Wahlberg is good in the lead even if he's still finding his footing as an actor at this point. But the standout performances are by Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore and John C Reilly. Also good in smaller roles are Phillip Baker Hall, William H Macy and Don Cheadle. Heather Graham makes a star out of herself as Rollergirl and Alfred Molina's cameo is worth watching by itself. The mix of great drama, dark humor and real characters we can care about make this (NOT TITANIC) the film of 1997.
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Stitch [ 9.0 ]
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This movie made me a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson. It was much funnier than I had anticipated and definitely for the more mature audience. Those scenes of Dirk Diggler putting together his series of action hero movies and taking it all so so so seriously was hilarous. The movie did a fabulous job as well with balancing the funny (Dirk Diggler) with the tragic (Dirk Diggler, Roller Girl, Amber Waves). What great names too.
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JD [ 7.0 ]
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The story about a porn director of the 70's and those who starred in the early films came together and how they lived the lives they did. Burt Reynolds and Mark Wahlberg are terrific (gotta love the DONG on Wahlberg at the end) but Julianne Moore seemed above the role. Pretty good film.
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Love_Spoon [ 6.0 ]
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Boogie Nights is one of a group of movies (such as The People vs. Larry Flynt and 54 that start out glamorizing an industry, but by the end of the film both completely expounding its downfall and martyrizing the main characters. It's the story of the porn movie industry in the 1970s, losing steam (and production values) as it moved into the 1980s. The characters here are somewhat cartoonish (perhaps purposely): Mark Wahlberg, the newcomer to the industry, Burt Reynolds, the aging but ruthless producer, Heather Graham as "Rollergirl," the seemingly (but not actually) young and naïve one who never takes off her skates, and Julianne Moore, the experienced tart. There's a whole slew of other, minor characters, but you get the idea. It was a well-made film, but I fear that most people will watch it for reasons other than its cinematic value. Not bad, but extremely pessimistic. Also beware of the closing scene! (If you don't already know what I'm talking about.)
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.0 |
| No. Ratings | : 31 | |
| No. Reviews | : 11 | |
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