Rating: 
Summary: Gripping, powerful (despite a few quibbles)
Review: I never thought I would enjoy a film about the life and times of an exceptionally endowed porn star. Then I happened to tune in to "Boogie Nights" on cable, and was hooked -- mostly by the superb performances of Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, and Julianne Moore (not to mention excellent work by most of the supporting cast, but also by the quality of the directing. The film, at times hilariously funny and at other times heartbreakingly sad, succeeds as an epic portrait of a marginal segment of society that, in a way, represented its era.A few minor quibbles. I thought it wasn't entirely credible that after "Dirk" was fired, he'd be reduced to selling himself on the streets in just a year. He must have made a lot of money in the five years when he was a big star -- could he really have blown it all on coke in such a short time? (That said, the scene where he's picked up by the gay-basher pretending to be a customer was oustanding; Dirk's desperation and sense of how low he had fallen were made painfully real.) I also didn't care for the shootout in the donut shop -- gratuitously gory, and a little too "neat" a way for Buck to have a "happy ending" by finding the money he needed for the stereo store. Other than that, virtually everything in the film was on-target. Burt Reynolds had just the right mix of fatherly kindness, terrifying anger when his "alpha male" status was threatened, and amusing pomposity in his pretensions to be a "real" filmmaker. Julianne Moore made Amber a person who is genuinely warm but also quite screwed up (the scene where she introduces Dirk to coke-sniffing right after telling him that she sees him as a son was very emblematic of that). And Mark Wahlberg did an Oscar-worthy job of conveying Eddie/Dirk's essential sweetness and naivete, then his gradual transformation into an arrogant, paranoid and still essentially juvenile cokehead, and his despair and vulnerability as he hits rock bottom. Anderson does not pass heavy-handed judgment on his characters but there are a lot of subtle touches showing the destructive side of their lifestyle -- while remaining sympathetic to them as human beings. If you aren't offended by the subject, watch this movie! This is one that I definitely want to own.
Rating:
Summary: TIME IS ON MY SIDE
Review: BOOGIE NIGHTS is a great example of what's called "the americana genre" where you can find for instance George Stevens' GIANT or Arthur Penn's FOUR FRIENDS. This genre can be compare to the great novels of the nineteenth century describing the lives of numerous characters over several years. Here we have a look at the late 70-early 80 period through the glasses of a group of american porno related persons. The force of BOOGIE NIGHTS is that this description, through this microcosm, allows us to feel an epoch in its ensemble. That's the sign of a great movie. One of the most interesting ideas of this movie is to have taken Jack's house as the nest where all the characters return and where all the personal stories begin. The first time we enter this house, we see only three rooms, the next time four, and so on. At the end of the movie, we have explored so many rooms of Jack's home that we have the impression to have visited a labyrinth containing behind each door the life of a character. A DVD for Rollergirl.
Rating:
Summary: A look at the next great filmmaker of our generation!
Review: Boogie Nights is an amazing film. It has all the right elements. A great script, an amazing ensamble cast, and a maginificent director. Paul Thomas Anderson brilliantly weaves his way through the lives of several people during the the 70's and early 80's porn industry. The theme of the film is not porn, but the family values that are created when a group of people in the industry meet and start living and working together. Another great element to the film is the soundtrack. Again, PT Anderson uses music to evoke just the right moods all throughout the picture. This film is filled with really great camera shots and editing. PT Anderson has captured the world's eye with this gem of a movie and we can only wonder what's next to come from the next great american autuer.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVE JOHN C. REILLY
Review: PT Anderson is a brilliant director too. But need I say more about this amazing film? I think not.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Films Of All Time!
Review: Boogie Nights just literally comes charging at you with a powerful force that knocks you down! Paul Thomas Anderson has really written/directed a masterpeice that is simply unforgetable. Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, and the whole cast are just terrific! Yes, it's that good! If you're looking for a film that's gonna have you begging for more then don't miss out on this powerhouse epic.
Rating:
Summary: A landmark film
Review: Three great films have dared to expose the darkest hidden desires of the human heart. The first of these was A Clockwork Orange, in which Mr. Burgess and Mr. Kubrick dared to suggest that the most horrific behavior could be quite natural, and even healthy and enjoyable, depending upon how a person's mind is built. Next came The Godfather... yes, let's face it, we all want to be Don Corleone, a king in his own domain, master of everything he sees, a powerful mixture of darkness and light. It is certainly no accident that the film opens with the Don dispensing justice, rather than drugs or bullets. The third film in this genre is Boogie Nights. There is no judgement of pornography here. As a lifestyle and a career, the various characters find it to be paradise, or a gilded cage, or a nightmare. The film's one tragic moment involves one character who is not even in the porn business (played effectively and ironically by real-life porn star Nina Hartley), whose pursuit of a sexual fantasy life leads to catastrophe. Apart from that, you are free to make your own decisions. Is it sinful, is it heaven, or in the end is it just a livin' thing? Director Anderson does not waste a single molecule of celluloid, so be sure to see the film in its widescreen format. And listen carefully to the background music, a cleverly hidden narration.
Rating:
Summary: boogie nights rules the world
Review: Boogie nights is the greatest movie ever to be made, and Magnolia is the second. P.t anderson has made his mark as the best movie director of all time! I hope he just keeps 'rockn' and rollin'.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a great picture, but a really cool DVD
Review: "Boogie Nights" was just a really great picture that announed the arrival of Paul Thomas Anderson to the world as a great filmmaker. The options on this DVD are really cool, because you can hear PT Anderson talking all throughout the movie, explaining things and giving great insights into the movie. I suggest that anybody who liked the movie, get this DVD just for the great features that it contains. There are 9 deleted scenes with the PT Anderson commentary track along with them, and the Michael Penn (composer of the score of the film) video which is really fun to watch.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Unique Film
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson is possibly one of the best young directors to come along in some time (Where is that Quentin fellow?). His second feature film Boogie Nights says everything about his style, camera work and story telling with in-depth characters and dry subtle humor. The film about a group of out castes who are in the porno business all looking for a family, where they find comfort with "their own kind." If I had any comments on the film, it would be that its a little lengthy where I did not feel it needed to be as long as it did. Some slow moments, however it does not take away from the picture as a whole. Wahlberg, Reynolds, Moore and so many others that played such a tremendous role - some of the best acting in a film. The DVD sounds and looks excellent. This is one of the first DVD's I bought, and with so many extras, one cannot go wrong in buying this. The commentary is monotnous. I would have expected to hear more interesting commentary from P. T. Anderson, but he catches a word and rambles off in another direction with a dry boring voice. Not a good speaker, but a great director. Highly reccomended!
Rating: 
Summary: Review of DVD features
Review: I won't comment on the movie other than to say I thought it was funny. The way the actors made every ridiculous thing they say sound so serious was hilarious. Mostly I wanted to comment on the DVD features in particular the commentary by the director. For the most part, the director/writer explains why he chose certain actors, props, dialogue, and scenes by comparing it to his own life experiences. The most often used explanation was "I saw it/him/her somewhere once and I liked it so I put it in the movie." This didn't explain a lot though. To his credit, he does get better as the movie progresses, as you find out in the credits, he was probably drinking and has a little drunk by the end. The deleting scenes also with commentary were excellent and I though a few of them should have remained. The music video is surprisingly good and it has you saying, "How did he do that?" Again he also has commentary for it.
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