grumpy-13

Being a great fan of P T Anderson after watching the stunning "Boogie Nights" and the low-key "Hard Eight", I waited with mounting anticipation for the release of "Magnolia". I wasn`t to be disappointed.

It starts hesitantly with a strange prologue about the nature of co-incidences and fate, before each character is introduced by an Aimee Mann song. There`s failed "quiz-kid" Donnie, moralistic cop Jim, dying TV producer Earl and a host of other intriguing people. The depth and pain of these characters only begins to emerge slowly over the next 3 hours, and these initial sketches are filled out to tragic and hopeful climaxes. Essentially, this is a tragic tale, illustrating the pain and hurt at the centre of so many lives.

Jimmy Gator (Phillip Baker Hall) is a much-loved veteran quiz-show presenter, who has a dark shadow hanging over his geniality. His daughter Claudia (Melora Walters) has a long-hidden secret that is slowly destroying her life and sanity. She meets moralizing cop Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly) after he questions her at her apartment. Jim seems "straight" and "together" to the screwed up Claudia but he is riven by self-doubt and loneliness, clinging to his moral beliefs for dear life. Their hesitant courtship is heartbreakingly rendered by the two stunning actors (who must surely go on to larger roles). Earl Partridge (the late, great Jason Robards)is dying, with his wife Linda (Julianne Moore...excellent as ever) starting to have a breakdown. He is estranged from his famous son,controversial sex therapist Frank Mackey. Tom Cruise`s portrayal of this egotistical monster is a masterpiece; however following the running theme, he eventually reveals his weakness and pain. He too, is the same as the rest of us...

This is a once in a blue moon masterpiece, that left me breathless at the end. By the end, you develop a real empathy for the characters, and in particular the moral compass of Jim Kurring. PT Anderson throws in a remarkable ending that quite possibly is the strangest twists in a serious film ever, and along with the touching singing interlude mid-film (which involves all the major characters) reveals his position as one of the the most innovative directors working today. He is the true heir to the 70`s greats.

An unabashed, unashamed 10/10

This is one of the true horror classics of all time. I first watched it on a cold,windy, rainswept night, alone in the house. Only one other film (The Exorcist), has made me so jittery after.

Julie Harris` jitters are contagious, and Claire Bloom`s predator is magnetic. The tension between the two really add a new dimension to the horror that is unfolding around them. The real reason for the excellence of "The Haunting" lie in the lack of effects; all is in the imagination. The cinematogrophy really indicates that the object of evil is the house itself. There is a palpable sense of evil throughout the film.

One final recommendation...please see this before you see Jan De Bonts joke remake.

Eeek, quite a scary unnerving film. Gregory Hoblit was able sculpt a tight supernatural thriller that succeeded in ratting me fro weeks after.

There are some particularly good sequences that remain; where Azrael moves from person to person at the police station, with the Stones song "Time is on my side" as the only link, and the sequence where Embeth Davidtz is "chased" down a busy city street the same way.

The ending is very cynical, but I still like to see Hollywood taking a chance ever now and again, and deciding not to create another pat ending.