hermit58

This is a very long film. If you have the attention span of the average viewer, then don't bother. If you are a film lover, then dig in, because this film is as full as it is long. Full of the vagaries of life, the sad, the awful, the tragic, and even the humorous moments that lie in between. As usual Paul Thomas Anderson takes a terrific story, and enlists as many fine actors as one possibly can, to flesh out the tale. This film has many stars, but all are given the chance to shine, and all do, brightly. Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, the list is as long as Magnolia itself. The stories told within could have produced two or three smaller films, but Paul Thomas Anderson chose to combine them all,and remarkably pulls it off. No Car chases, No big budget stunts, just people, and their lives, drawn here with a sometimes cynical eye, the story is the thing. People are cruel, and foolish, and sometimes maddening, but here they are always interesting.

Four Stars out of a possible four.Highly Recommended.****.

Simpatico wasn't a bad film, but nowhere near what I would have expected from the strong cast, and a Sam Shepard penned work. I don't know a great deal about horseracing, the backdrop of the film, but I do know if you bet on the favorite, you win less than betting on a longshot. That seems to be what happened here, the deck is stacked with terrific actors, Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte, Albert Finney, and Catherine Keener. The resulting film is a letdown however. Finney and Keener are wonderful in it, but I think Nolte and Bridges could have been given more to work with. I bet that this cast and a suspenseful thriller, would have me riveted, but, the payoff was meager at best. If you are going to build a tale around the storm clouds of the past gathering on the horizon, you better have more than a common rainstorm coming thereafter. Another blow to the hopes that film noir can be current and still as good as in the golden age of the 40's film classics. Two stars out of a possible four.Not Highly Recommended.**.

Sleep With Me,

A well written film, with sharp acidic dialogue that studies the relationships between friends and lovers, and the lines that we cross. Eric Stoltz and Craig Sheffer are the main players here, and are well supported, by a cast of friends and family, that have real conversations about real issues like Love, Friendship,Commitment and Betrayal. The script is better than most big budget films and the funniest lines are delivered with excellent comic timing. Meg Tilly is very well cast, and gives a strong performance. Todd Field and Thomas Gibson turn in good work in supporting roles, and an excellent cameo by Quentin Tarantino is one of the many pleasant surprises in this film. Sleep With Me, is well worth watching, an underrated film by my account, I give it three stars out of a possible four.***.

I was excited about the possibilities of Palmetto, I liked most of the cast, the location (Florida) lends itself to the noir style, with the unbearable heat and unpredictable storms, but the film relies too heavily on the so-called "formula" for this genre. The plot is at times too convoluted for even the most attentive viewer to follow, and at other times, it is far too simple. Woody Harrelson gives us a good performance as Harry Barber, a man betrayed by his principles, now understandably bitter and suspicious. Gena Gershon is wasted here in a role too shallow for her abilities, while Elisabeth Shue is stretched too far and fails to be a strong femme fatale. Shue is a fine actor, and certainly sexy enough to lead a man astray, but it just doesn't work here. A better screenplay would have given these actors a chance to breathe life into the steamy landscape. Two Stars out of a possible four.**

Jodie Foster has assembled a terrific ensemble of actors here, and allows them to develop at a pace which seems natural, and feels right. There are moments in this film which are funny, some are bittersweet, and all are genuine. The best lines are delivered with the proper amount of subtlety, and these moments happen, because they are given the chance, nothing seems forced and when strung together in the fabric of this story, the sum of the parts is outstanding. All families have their dysfunctional side, which is explored here, yet not exploited. The idiosyncrasies of these characters are not simply the stock eccentricities given to relatives in most films, they are original and as real as one's own frightening family. Holly Hunter is down on her luck, yet her strength and optimism keep the film, and the family together. Charles Durning and Anne Bancroft provide a strong rythm for the soloists in this film, Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. who carry the show. Foster's eye for detail is evident and well served in rare film that allows all the characters to contribute a moment or more. Highly Recommended. Three Stars out of a possible four.

An intense character study, focusing on the lives of salesmen, brilliantly illustrating the fine line they walk between success and abject failure. This would have been a good film with less talented actors, as the David Mamet screenplay was superb. The treat is, with this film, the cast is unparalelled. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, and a smaller but no less striking performance from Alec Baldwin, raise the story to it's highest form. Sales may be the specific lifestyle examined here, but the issues at the heart of this outstanding film, are universal. Respect, dignity, the notion that success is a fleeting dream to be lived only by those who would eschew all ethics in order to achieve it. The cutthroat nature of man is exposed, and for all it's ugliness, we must accept that it does not only exist in the high pressure world of salesmen. A sobering look at the world in which we all work, whatever our chosen profession, dignity and respect are in short supply. If you ever appreciated "Death of a Salesman", you will thoroughly enjoy this film. Highly Recommended. Four Stars out of a possible four.****

Hard Eight is an excellent debut for Paul Thomas Anderson, he has gathered a strong cast led by Philip Baker Hall, and leads us into a world of small time hustlers, and their struggle for a meager existence on the tattered fringe of society. John C. Reilly is terrific here, as a naieve man, down on his luck in a city where luck is everything. Samuel L. Jackson proves again that he is one of the better actors working today, in character roles like this one, he provides a worthy foil for Philip Baker Hall's, Sydney, as a man trying to acheive a measure of redemption. Gwyneth Paltrow makes the most a lesser role with her performance, in a film where all the characters are developed just enough to draw the viewer in for an interesting ride. Three stars out of a possible four.

Paul Thomas Anderson is at it again. He continues to defy the conventional "wisdom" of Hollywood. Someone in the film industry should take notes when Anderson speaks. This film boasts the finest cast in recent memory, you simply can't lose with actors like William H. Macy, who is strong as ever here, is he the best character actor in film today? He just might be. Julianne Moore is tremendous as well, Don Cheadle nails his role dead on. Burt Reynolds is the perfect actor for his part and does not dissapoint. Heather Graham takes a role that many actresses would have shied away from and she just runs with it, lending an odd innocence to the film, while remaining sexy as the role demands. John C. Reilly, consistently lives his roles in Anderson's films, no wonder he keeps returning in them, he is great also. Philip Seymour Hoffman once again turns in a performance deeper than the role he was given, no surprise there. There are so many fine performances in this film, it is hard to define them all, but Mark Wahlberg had his coming out party here, he was surrounded by talented actors, but his role was pivotal to the success of the film, and he delivered. Paul Thomas Anderson does the best job of developing his characters, and allowing them to grow, of any of the directors currently working today. Outstanding. Four stars out of a possible four.

Ang Lee is a perfectionist, and it shows here in this excellent film about relationships between friends, lovers and families. The attention to detail is second to none, this film is wonderfully crafted, the landscape is filled in every scene with the beauty of nature or the ugliness of the humans that inhabit it. The dysfunctional family is not only observed, it is clinically dissected and placed under a microscope. So many divergent paths these characters take, so many of them the wrong paths, it is hard to look away, because morbid curiosity grips all of us at times. Sigourney Weaver and Joan Allen are both outstanding here and well supported by the rest of this talented cast. Highly recommended.

John Favreau has baffled big time hollywood. This film has no car chases, no nudity, nothing gets blown up, and no digitized special effects, and yet it is a great film. A character study of men, not the men that you women know as husbands and boyfriends. This movie breaks even more rules, as Favreau takes us inside the secret society of "Guy's Night Out", he exposes the way we think, the way we speak, what we search for when we are out and away from the women in our lives. This film is an alltogether honest portrayal, of relationships between friends and lovers. An interesting look at the Los Angeles we never see in films, the underground life of the struggling actors and writers and less glamorous people, not living in Malibu opulence as seen in other weaker films. Vince Vaughn is cast perfectly, and flourishes in his role. Favreau is a generous man and doesn't hog all the best lines for himself. There are many good lines in this script, and delivered with subtlety and dead on timing. Three Stars out of a possible four.

This masterpiece belongs in the company of The Godfather, and other films often mentioned reverently as the best of all time. I am not going to compare this film to the other finest made, as that is often difficult to do, how does one quantify what is the best, without shortchanging other films. Simply put, this is a timeless story, which encompasses the best elements of all films, suspense, horror, comedy, tragedy, and puts them together in a seamless tapestry, as rich and colorful as life itself. Superlatives fail to illustrate the quality of this work, as complete and satisfying a film that has ever been made.

This film "should" be great, unfortunately it isn't. Wonderful actors, a fine director, and John Grisham, all these elements combined drew me in, but the sum of the parts,left me cold. The plot seems to adhere to the modern film noir stereotype, dizzying twists and turns, but it just fails. The story hints at something dark and sinister behind the drama, but it does not deliver. Robert Duvall's character is left half finished and he and his followers are not scary enough to justify the plot line. What a waste of talent, you have to work hard to make a bad film with this group of terrific actors and alas the filmaker succeeds. "The Emperors New Clothes"

would have been a better title, because it sounded like it

should be something good, but it's nothing after all.

This is a terrific film, if you are an uptight person,you should look elsewhere. If you want to laugh, then this is for you. Yes, the humor crosses lines that are seldom broached, but so what, the performances are terrific. Bill Murray is at his best, and he takes the ball and runs with it, as a phony self-absorbed, skirt chasing hustler. Woody Harrelson has a gift for comic timing, and is alternately despicable and lovable. Randy Quaid fits perfectly here and chemistry is so crucial in comedy films. This film has a great soundtrack, and is chock full of cameos, that add to the appeal, most notably Chris Elliot. Many quick comic references that may be missed the first time around, so watch it again and again, as I did, and enjoy. Bravo!

This film is an all-timer. It is among the best I could recommend, worth owning, rather than just renting, if you have a personal film library, this belongs in it. Al Pacino gives a tremendous performance, and is challenged by an equally strong Sean Penn. Penelope Ann Miller is cast perfectly as the woman Pacino loves, and would change his life for. A film about honor and loyalty, that wonderfully illustrates the cost of both. If you like suspense, this is for you, heartpounding and engrossing to the last detail. Boiled down to its essence, this is a story about a small time gangster, trying to break away from his past, and start a new life, but it is so much more. Four stars out of a possible four.

Blow Out may be derivative, but regardless, this is a fine film. An excellent premise, particularly for conspiracy theorists, supported by some wonderful performances. John Travolta is really solid here, as a b-movie sound man who discovers the conspiracy, and tries to expose the coverup. John Lithgow is outstanding as the psychotic killer, turned loose by the conspirators, and running amok trying to tie up loose ends. Dennis Franz turns in an excellent performance as the sleazy photographer Manny Karp. The imagery may be heavy handed for some, but I thought this was a very good film, suspenseful and interesting. I would give it three stars out of a possible four.