Rating: 
Summary: What a waste of celuloid!!
Review: This is the worst film I have ever seen!! What a huge waste of my time. The writter/director tries to make a complex film about nothing! It really stunk!
Rating: 
Summary: The REAL American Beauty!!
Review: The irony of the human condition is that we are self destructive in nature, while at the very same time struggling to better ourselves. It is this friction that ignites it all: pain, fear, anger, passion, compassion, truth, revelation...and yes...bizzare events. So a message perhaps here is that coincidences often occur...and maybe they are not coincidences at all! Magnolia has moved in a way that not many films have. What is truly astonishing about this film is that it was disturbing and wonderful at once (friction) P.T. Anderson has put together a 'message' movie that shoves nothing down your throat! You will simply absorb the messages through your skin! Ths cast is superb..almost perfect...William H. Macy, Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, and John C. Reilly all shine. Magnolia was the best film of the year!
Rating: 
Summary: oh how my bottom aches
Review: Straight to the point, this film is overrated. Over ambitiousis the best way to describe Andersons work. Boogie Nights would have been perfect if the last half hour had been cut, but with Magnolia he would have needed a pair of garden shears. What exactly was he hoping to achieve here? You never suspect for one moment that the movie will culminate with a reasoned and satisfactory ending. Its messy throughout. I felt itchy just watching it. Am i the only one who squirmed as the cast sang the aimee mann track?Some of the characters and scenarios were interesting, and as ever, William H Macy gave us a watchable portrayal of a man struggling to come to terms with middle age. But its no answer as to how this film ever got the go-ahead. Yes, we all like films like this, films that are different,challenging,thought provoking and over long! But still,i would be lying if i said this was anything more than a pile of over-indulgent porridge. Mr Anderson! Length doesnt signify art! END
Rating:
Summary: We may be done with the past but the past isn't done with us
Review: The mark of a truly great film is how long its memory stays with you after you have seen it and whether the ideas contained within it lead to a change within you and in your actions. This film is about regret and, without a doubt, I have never before left a cinema with such a need to desperately have to become a better person. The film follows the events in the lives of many different characters from different walks of life, in a similar fashion to Raymond Carver's Short Cuts, for those who have seen it (if not, see that too). Many of these characters are related to each other, a father with a quiz show genius for a son, another father (the quiz show host) who abused his daughter as a child, another man who was previously in the same quiz show in 1968 but is now a nobody, a dying father (who owns the company that made the quiz show) who wants to see his long lost son (Tom Cruise) and more. This is certainly a very, VERY complex film. It attacks the senses with so much information that it is very hard to contain it in one sitting. However, if you can survive this, if you can either take it all in or have the stamina to go back once you have digested it the first time and see it once more, you will see that this is in fact one of the most incredible films of the decade. The film can be understood as an explanation of a monologue set at the beginning of the film, spoken by a cop. In this, the cop explains his philosophy for day to day living, that every day he tries to go out and do good. Then he goes on to say that he tries to do good in his life because.... and then we see the film and the film is an explanation. This is why, because if we do not do our best then the pain of regret will eat up inside of us and will stop us from truly ever being happy. But it is more than a simple, moralistic tale, the film is in part a description of the mystery and reason behind the actions of God, as well as containing some of the most fantastic acting, dialogue and a stunning soundrack to boot. It is delivered with such style, such attention to detail and artistry that every moment, every scene has more to it than the simple events which go on within them. There is something so much deeper going on here, something fundamental as to what drives us as human beings. Do not be dissuaded by the scale of this film. It IS a long film, there IS alot going on and alot to keep track of but if you perservere with it then I have no doubt that it is worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: excellent, thought-provoking movie.
Review: I just saw it last night, and loved the movie Magnolia. The plot lines are confusing, but you eventually see them coming together in a beautiful way. The effect leads to amazement. It has to be one of the most original movies out there. The peformances by the ensemble is fantastic, and they draw you in. You might even forget that it's a movie. There was too much cursing, though, as a side note. All of the small components leads to a breathtaking project that fuses confusion, story-telling, emotion, sorrow, bizarreness, plot, thought, grief, and so much more.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but definitely not great
Review: Alright. Here's the deal. Paul Thomas Anderson is today's greatest filmaker. But Magnolia is not his best film. Sure, he crams it with dozens of carefully contrived characters, sweeps the camera across every shot and pumps the movie with a fine soundtrack. You get the feeling, however, that Magnolia is simply Anderson's answer to Nashville, Robert Altman's signature flick. But, aside from a terrific opening sequence, Magnolia is flatter than a opened can of ginger ale. And Julianne Moore? Sorry, didn't buy her performance for a second. And while Tom Cruise looks convincing as a slimy, how-to-pick-up-hotties guru, his character's sheer vileness works against any sympathy the audience may build for him. Of course, I'd be bonkers if I didn't offer a tip of the hat at the ending. Loved the frogs. So I dunno. Anderson thrilled me with Hard Eight, and blew me away with Boogie Nights. But Magnolia offers too much indulgence, too much character acting Ñ too much, really, of all the fancy stuff Ñ but not enough of the core elements that make a good film truly great.
Rating:
Summary: No Regrets
Review: Without a doubt, this film is about regret. I have never before left a cinema needing so desperately to have to become a better person. The film follows the events in the lives of many different characters from different walks of life, in a similar fashion to Raymond Carver's Short Cuts, for those who have seen it (if not, see that too). Many of these characters are related to each other, a father with a quiz show genius for a son, another father (the quiz show host) who abused his daughter as a child, another man who was previously in the same quiz show in 1968 but is now a nobody, a dying father (who owns the company that made the quiz show) who wants to see his long lost son (Tom Cruise) and more. This is certainly a very very VERY complex film. It attacks the senses with so much information that it is very hard to contain it in one sitting. However, if you can survive this, if you can either take it all in or have the stamina to go back once you have digested it the first time and see it once more, you will see that this is in fact one of the most incredible films of the decade. The film can be understood as an explanation of a monologue set at the beginning of the film, spoken by a cop. In this, the cop explains his philosophy for day to day living, that every day he tries to go out and do good. Then he goes on to say that he tries to do good in his life because.... and then we see the film and the film is an explanation. This is why, because if we do not do our best then the pain of regret will eat up inside of us and will stop us from truly ever being happy. But it is more than a simple, moralistic tale, the film is in part a description of the mystery and reason behind the actions of God, as well as containing some of the most fantastic acting, dialogue and a stunning soundrack to boot. With the films climactic ending you cannot help but be wowed. Do not be dissuaded by the scale of this film. It IS a long film, there IS alot going on and alot to keep track of but if you perservere with it then I have no doubt that it is worth the effort.
Rating: 
Summary: You either love it or hate it... I just haven't decided yet.
Review: I suppose this is the kind of movie one either completely loves, or wholeheartedly loathes. I saw it in the theater, and I came out unimpressed. Actually, that's too mild a description; I came out angry. Why? I went into this movie expecting briliance. I just wasn't well-prepared for what I was about to see. It took multiple viewings for me to appreciate the little things that this film does, such as the situational irony that's widespread througout the screenplay. This movie was good in parts, excellent in others. The only hesitation in my giving this movie a 5 star rating is the ending. It seems to me that PT blew a perfectly good opportunity to tie all of the stories together (although I did like the "rain" bit). See this movie, if for no other reason than to say that you saw it and either loved it or hated it. Regardless of what you think about the actual story, the acting is superb; I've since watched the movie 3 more times, and I've gained a much greater appreciation for the characters. Oh yeah, word around the grapevine is that Tom Cruise was pretty good in it too...
Rating:
Summary: The Flower Children
Review: There's not many words that would perfectly describe a film like "Magnolia". Only simply because it is one of those rare and complicated films that fuses so many emotions and stories that you're left wondering--just what happened? What was this movie about? It was a masterful, intricately webbed film about love, hate, failure, death, life, and our own journeys to truth and self-fullfilment. if anything, Magnolia is a hallmark for the Generation X'ers in a clutter of a crumbling American culture and a foresight for the Y generation for the mess they will have to clean up. This film slowly grows into its own darkness and beauty. It's not for those in need of happy endings and easy understandings. It's for those of us who rather think ad wander about our own endings and understandings.
Rating:
Summary: And So It Goes. . .
Review: P.T. Anderson has written and directed a film that you either love or hate. Most people hate it simply because of the length! (Not a big deal.) For those who love this film are true fans of great movie making. It's very obvious that P.T. is one of the best directors as well as writers out there today and by making Magnolia he's on the top of my list. Magnolia is turely stunning. The whole film has sooo many things that are secretly hidden but if you listen and watch closely you'll see what I'm taking about. Magnolia is about nine people in the San Frenardo Valley and how their lives are woven together. Belive me. It's allot better then it sounds. Overall, I just have to agree with Roger Ebert and say: "Magnolia is alive and free to surprise us."
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