Magnolia discussion

Started by SailorOfTheSeas, May 08, 2014, 03:42:40 PM

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SailorOfTheSeas

Hey, couldn't find a broad Magnolia thread in the last few pages so decided to make one, to put all little things you find and thoughts you have on Magnolia.

I got a question to start it off with tho.

What encouraged me to make this was finding out about Short Cuts. I've spent a lot of my recent PTA loving years oblivious to it and thinking Magnolia's framework was totally original. I haven't seen the film and haven't gt the time atm because of exams, but i read something that pointed out loads of similarities that go beyond simple thematic and story links. Both 3 hr and 8 mins long.  Both have a similar police-man character. Both culminate in a natural disaster. Both play with the idea of luck and coincidence.Things like that. Not that this ruins Magnolia for me at all, it's still phenomenal and one of the best films i've seen, but just punctures my awe of its originality and character a lil bit. I get that the two probably have very different messages and styles and are their own films, but these kinda similarities are quite crazy.

Can anyone who's seen Short Cuts debunk this and say that they do have some similarities but nothing major or is it true that the two are extremely similar? 


SailorOfTheSeas

Please tell me if comparing these two films is as stupid as saying Requiem for a Dream copied Trainspotting because they both feature a group of characters and drugs, or if the comparison is entirely justified.

jenkins


SailorOfTheSeas


Mel

There is no question that Altman has been and is huge inspiration to PTA. In that regard comparing any work of Altman to Anderson doesn't seem artificial to me.

"Magnolia" was the first film of PTA I have seen. Since then I re-watched it again somewhere between "CMBB" and "Master", so my memories aren't fresh. Maybe it is time to revisit it?

Anyway "Magnolia" feels much formal to me than "Short Cuts". Opening of "Magnolia" is good example of that. It set ups mood and themes in the beginning of the film, in your face way. On the other hand "Short Cuts" are more subliminal (probably same goes for other Altman). There is voyeuristic feel to it - we got glimpses at lives of characters, often without much explanation to their behavior, film is resolved without conclusion.

Compared to that PTA is much more attached to characters, he cares a lot more for them. Cop character is good example of that - in both films they are stupid, but in case of PTA there is true sense of calling and that makes him much more likable.

Themes are also more visible in "Magnolia", maybe even to the point of being sometimes repetitive. In case of "Short Cuts" it is easier to point out themes after seeing the film than in the middle of watching.

Not sure if this is helpful at all, since I compared those films in very abstract way.
Simple mind - simple pleasures...

modage

Must-read piece on Tom Cruise in MAGNOLIA with quotes from PTA & Cruise from Amy Nicholson's new book on Cruise...

http://grantland.com/features/tom-cruise-magnolia-amy-nicholson/
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

Jeremy Blackman

Loved that. Beautifully written and researched. Basically everything about Tom Cruise & Magnolia that had been missing.

©brad

Great stuff. I wish Cruise would take a break from saving the world and do another Magnolia or something small and character driven.

polkablues

Not to be that guy, but I assumed everyone knew that already.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Jeremy Blackman

I had no idea, personally. I actually thought Reelist was joking at first, until I recognized the resemblance, then a few seconds later, the actual sincerity in Reelist's post.

Fuzzy Dunlop

Its a great week to be a MagnoliaFan, between the Grantland excerpt and now this essay from The Dissolve:

http://thedissolve.com/features/encore/696-the-beautiful-imperfection-of-magnolia/

AntiDumbFrogQuestion

Quote from: polkablues on August 07, 2014, 07:20:48 PM
Not to be that guy, but I assumed everyone knew that already.

haha yeah, you're totally "that guy"

Fuzzy Dunlop

A nice little essay about Magnolia, by Britt Hayes over at Badass Digest.

http://badassdigest.com/2014/11/12/this-is-something-that-happens-the-loneliness-of-magnolia/

It's a little strange that it's been 15 years and all these 'looking back' articles are trickling out. I've been watching this film for over half of my human life.

Fuzzy Dunlop

If you're anything like me, you've been waiting to see Julianne Moore scream her Magnolia drug store monologue into a real stranger's face for years. Today is our day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsfoKkBdVnI&feature=share

Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: Fuzzy Dunlop on December 01, 2015, 07:05:34 PM
If you're anything like me, you've been waiting to see Julianne Moore scream her Magnolia drug store monologue into a real stranger's face for years. Today is our day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsfoKkBdVnI&feature=share

Jeremy Blackman [01|Dec 02:52 PM]:   Hahaha... confused bystander at 2:06 is priceless