What is your favorite movie?

I’ve been going through this kind of crazy PT Anderson kick lately, and it’s not only attributed to “There Will Be Blood” being released. After rolling through Boogie Nights, Hard Eight, and Punch-Drunk Love, I saved the best for last. What a way to finish the decade. I’m not going to say this film is flawless, but it is both heart-breaking and incredibly optimistic. Not one actor puts a bad foot forward in this, and I am still blown away at the “Wise Up” moment. I continue to find it very hard to not draw comparisons to Altman’s “Short Cuts”. Should be in this list, without a doubt.

amazing…

Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 masterpiece is a haunting mosaic of American life. Spanning one long, soggy day in the San Fernando Valley, and covering the tracks of about a dozen characters, Anderson’s ensemble epic is a fast 3-hour trip through the heartbreaks, hopes and crises of a huge cast of melodramatic characters dealing with coincidences of nigh on Biblical proportions. With some stellar acting from Philip Baker Hall, Melora Walters, Ricky Jay, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Melinda Dillon, Julianne Moore, and others, this is the best film of the 1990’s!

While I agree with ‘Citizen Kane’ being number one, Magnolia, by P. T. Anderson should definitely be number 2 or 3. A flawless, real, slice-of-life story that reminds us that we’re all looking for the same thing and are too often held back by the things we refuse to deal with. Life is so complicated and we have to make it so much harder to just live by dwellings in lies and secrecy and anger. Magnolia is pure brilliance.

What is to say about this being the greatest movie of all time? Is it the cast? Portraying characters beyond there own capabilities? Stretching every fiber to bring belief to their own realities, and there by, pulling from the depths something that can only be called beauty. Every moment from the beginning to the absolute end, first frame to last, tells more per second than most films tell in 2 or 3 hours. Few films come to mind with iconoclastic characteristics in the leading actors and actresses. This film has standing behind it 11 main characters, all of which represent the classic mythical characters from old. All of which go on there own intertwining journeys with one another, all of whom are being judged. The “biblical” ending alone makes the “Altman” like journey worth the three hous you take.

A deep, dramatic movie that wonderfully interweaves the lives of ten people during one day, and ties the vignettes together with a surprising, twisted, random ending.

“Magnolia” has to be the film with the greatest acting ensemble I have ever seen. And not only could I believe the reality of the characters, but I could also feel their emotions, and take what most of them had learned byt the end of the film and apply it to my life. Life can be coincidental at times, and God can throw random things, good and bad, at you. But you have control over your own actions and you own emotions. And there are always consequences, good or bad, that follow your actions and emotions. The screenplay of the movie was wonderful, and Aimee Mann’s songs along with Jon Brion’s score also helped “Magnolia” stay at such a high level. A perfect movie. Absolutely amazing.
By: Eric Fremen

Nine characters all connected by coincidence and chance. Their stories woven together in the San Fernando Valley in a 24 hour period.

Magnolia was a fitting end to a fitting year in movies that was 1999. It was the film with the most unforgettable performances, great direction and a wicked script.
I credit Magnolia for being the one film in the last fifteen years to subliminally tell me to get out and write screenplays. This is how movies should be made.
Magnolia doesn’t offer any short cut redemptions, easy answers or cliched scenes. Every moment in THAT MOMENT is real, unforgiving and completely original
By: Darryl Timm

It has been worked to perfection.

It has been worked to perfection. Every little detail has something to do with the story. Everything connects. Everyone has their ups and downs at the same time. The acting is brilliant, the music is perfect, the direction is amazing, the cinematography is mind-boggling, the list goes on and on. Every time I watch it I fall more in love with it.
By: Kyle Sundgren