Rating: 
Summary: A remarkable, mesmerizing film
Review: A film that is epic in its ambition and story, Boogie Nights chronicles-through the eyes of a young pornography phenomenon-the events of the adult film industry from its success in the late 1970s to its gradual decay in the early 1980s when pornography began to be recorded on video cassette instead of film. The story is gripping, riveting, powerful, dark, and filled with much pathos and humor. Told realistically and in great visual flair by talented writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (who before making this film wrote and directed Hard Eight) with a pitch-perfect cast and brilliant writing, this film is a demanding viewing.The movie revolves around a cacophony of characters (most of whom are introduced in an amazing opening scene that is one long, kinetic tracking shot) who are, in one way or another, involved in the adult film industry. The top director of porn films, Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), meets a young busboy named Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) at a San Fernando Valley nightclub called "Hot Traxx". Jack learns that Eddie has an unusually large sex organ and recruits Eddie into his films, making him a porn-movie phenomenon with the new name of "Dirk Diggler". Dirk's rise to fame and success is a bit sudden, however, and he gets in way over his head in excessive sex, drugs, money and violence as a result. The large cast of colorful characters (who are all played magnificently by many great, versatile actors of today) are delineated both realistically and as caricatures (much like the characters of Robert Altman's 1975 masterpiece Nashville about country-western singers). Luis Guzman plays Maurice T. Rodriguez who manages "Hot Traxx" and aspires to be in Jack's films. John C. Reilly portrays the uninhibited and goofy Reed Rothchild who plays in Jack's films and becomes Dirk's best friend. Heather Graham plays Rollergirl, a young star of many of Jack's movie's who never takes off her roller-skates. Ricky Jay performs as Jack's cinematographer, Kurt Longjohn, and Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Scotty J., a homosexual who works the sound of Jack's films and who believes that Dirk is in love with him (even though Dirk is straight). Floyd Gondolli (Philip Baker Hall) is the president of the adult film industry who informs Jack that pornography's future lies in videotape. Little Bill (William H. Macy) is the frustrated assistant director for Jack whose wife (Nina Hartley) is constantly having affairs with other men. Buck Swope (Don Cheadle) is an aspiring hi-fi salesman and an actor for Jack's movies who is always trying to discover the right "look" for himself. There is a throng of other characters, but there is only so much that one can write in these reviews. The more important characters of Boogie Nights are the complex Dirk Diggler, Jack Horner, and Amber Waves (Julianne Moore). Wahlberg is first-rate as Dirk, the young stud who reaches fame as a porn-star sensation who then faces a major downfall. Moore plays with immense aptitude the challenging role of Amber Waves, the drug-addicted veteran of Jack's movies who acts as Dirk's surrogate mother because she cannot have custody of her son. And Reynolds, as the cooler-than-ice director who acts as a father figure for Dirk and who wants to make pornography movies that are of artistic substance, plays the role of Horner with vigor, sincerity, clarity and precision, delivering one of his best performances. Reynolds does as much as he can with his seasoned abilities. The acting is all-around, in a word, astonishing. The writer and director of the film, young Paul Thomas Anderson, richly textures Boogie Nights with characters that are extraordinarily real, strikingly realistic dialogue, and hugely flamboyant visuals that all compliment the successfully depicted 70s and 80s look of this film. Every scene is made with masterful camerawork and editing (the cinematography was by Robert Elswit and the film editing was by Dylan Tichenor), and a significant number of scenes are inspired by many old movies (including Goodfellas, Raging Bull, I Am Cuba, A Star is Born, La Haine, some of Jonathan Demme's films, and many others). Another aspect of the film that is worthy of acclaim is Michael Penn's score, which has a sad carnival and funereal sound (Penn's score is not the only music in the film, for the soundtrack to Boogie Nights also contains hip 1970s and 1980s songs galore). Overall, Anderson makes as much as he can of every scene. Boogie Nights, which is one of the most vastly underrated films of 1997, is a remarkable and mesmerizing achievement in every respect. Hopefully Anderson will be able to keep up with his inspired filmmaking and continue to make films as well crafted, well acted, and well written as this one. Some will not care for the more shocking and unpleasant scenes of the film, however that certainly does not mean that this film isn't worthwhile. Hands down, Boogie Nights is a hit.
Rating:
Summary: Love/Hate
Review: Without a doubt, one of my top ten favourite movies of the 90's, and a big part of that is the casting. What Burt Reynolds had in mind with his boycotting of the film prior to the premiere, I have no idea, but he should get down on his hands and knees and thank P.T. Anderson for choosing him to anchor this character-driven masterpiece. Burt, along with Julianne Moore (always great), Mark Wahlberg, Luis Guzman (my fave character actor these days), Don Cheadle, and William H. Macy make up the nucleus of one of the best ensemble casts of recent memory, and propel the already brilliant material into cinematic history. The subject matter turned a lot of people off, but you have to look past your peripheral vision, and admire the superb soundtrack, editing, production, and direction--a phenomenal movie on all counts, even without the bonus material. Anderson may be borrowing heavily from other influences such as Robert Altman and Martin Scorcese, but somehow he's come out with a unique voice of his own. Much better than the subsequent bore, "Magnolia".
Rating:
Summary: First Platinum Series release is better! Or so, I think so.
Review: I bought this DVD when it first came out, and I have to say it still is a great movie. However, there are two DVD versions of this film. The other day, I went to the video store to rent the 2 disc edition. Only because I was curious to listen to the actor's commentary and see the new deleted scene. Boy, I was really annoyed. I don't understand why people would go out, and spend [item price] just to get these additional goodies. First, I thought the actor's commentary track was too
pointless, and symbolic in a way. It also wasn't funny as people made it turn out to be. Second, the Becky scene didn't faze me one bit. I understand why they took that out. However, I don't understand why they had to push the Supplements on a second disc. The first Boogie Nights DVD had everything on one disc. The menu artwork was better too. Also, Paul Thomas Anderson's Solo Commentary is alot more interesting and entertaining than the actor's commentary on the 2 disc edition.He gives alot of insights and interesting facts on the making of the film. As for the actor's commentary, it's all about them.
Who cares?! Stick to the original Platinum Series. The picture and sound on the 2 disc, which claims to be remastered also looks the same as the original to me. If people don't own the original, then pick up the 2 disc edition. If you already own the original, stick to the original. There's really nothing worth watching here. This is still a good collection to your DVD library.
P.S., Look at the character biographies on the cast and crew bios, they're pretty amusing.
Rating: 
Summary: Notes on the "definitive" edition
Review: This is a great film that captures the sense of the time spot on. The cast couldn't be better. A few notes about the extras- the commentaries are excellent. The transfer and sound rate five stars. The second disc is a little weak. The deleted scenes with commentary are generally good, and commentary with them informative if a bit too reverential (PTA loves his actors). The John C. Reilly Files are not "all that." They consist of extended versions of three scenes where he is inventing the dialog as he goes along- a remarkable show of talent but you can see why they were cut short. Plus they are shown in a "keyhole" letterbox for some odd reason, and the quality is poor. As if they were shot with a small video cam? The cast and crew information is weak, consisting only of filmographies. The music video wraps it up (yawn). Not really enough to fill out a 2nd disc.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: This is the first movie of Mr. Anderson's that I became acquainted with. The second was "Magnolia" Ovious parallels can be drawn between the two in terms of style and presentation. "Boogie Nights" is an awesome achievement and is the first movie you come to realize just how good an actor Mark Wahlberg really is. This movie elevated him from more than just another pretty face to a true actor courtesy of a magnificent performance. It was actually heartbreaking to watch at times. Of course, the fact that he was surrounded by a stellar cast certainly contributed to such an impressive performance. This is a biting look at the porn industry of the 70s and is supposedly loosely based on the life of real-life porn king, John Holmes. Nonetheless, the performances are positively phenomenal. With a cast including Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Burt Reynolds, John C. Reily, the often overlooked Luis Guzman, Heather Graham; need I say more? It is an unflinching look at the industry and a rather distrubing one to be sure. There is also no real or structured "plot" per say, but the focus is on the impact this particular lifestyle had on the personal lives of the participants and those closest to them. This is an excellent exercise in character study and is most worthy of any movie collection. Do yourself a favor and pick it up. You will NOT be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: P.T. Anderson's Best
Review: What a movie! For my money, it's P.T. Anderson's best. There's so much to love -- Burt Reynolds used to even better effect than John Travolta was in PULP FICTION, a script that performs the exceedingly difficult balancing act of making a poignant, resonant story with characters who are completely ridiculous and laughable, a Polaroid-perfect rendering of the 70s and early 80s, and of course the cast. But of course this is a review of the DVD specifically -- and it's really, really worth buyting. P.T. Anderson's commentary is among the best DVD commentaries I've ever heard, the deleted scenes include wonderful performances by Luis Guzman and Don Cheadle, and overall the special features are really satisfying. The packaging for this DVD is in a great faux-70s style and includes an essay on BOOGIE NIGHTS from Film Comment magazine. Totally awesome.
Rating:
Summary: You know, I'm gonna be a great big bright, shining star.
Review: this is definately my favorite film of all time. everything about it is flawless. i know i have seen this movie over 10 times and i never get tired of it. in fact i admire it more each time. the cinematography, acting, and directing is a dream. i love the way it goes so "high" and falls so low and then evens out. buy it and don't ask questions. this is one of the greatest movies i have ever seen. don't be scared of mark wahlberg, he can act!
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT cultural history
Review: Aside from the fabulous cast, strong script, and flawless direction, I love this film for its willingness to portray such a controversial subject/industry so vividly, yet refrain from putting its own moral spin on it. Anderson's film shows porn, the people who make it and the people who consume it, with disarming equanimity. We see that they are silly, horrifically superficial, not terribly bright (except for the director and producers), completely amoral, shameless, sentimental, having INCREDIBLY bad taste in just about EVEYRTHING, greedy, corrupt, kind of dead inside. Yet we can't help liking all of his characters, no matter what we see them do---because Thomas makes them HUMAN. Just like us, whether we want to admit it or not. One scene that especially resonates: when they randomly pick up the suburban frat boy for a spontaneous videotaped sex scene, who immediately and madly wants to screw the porn actress yet feels himself to be morally superior to her at the same time. THAT, alas, is America and its relationship to pornography, flawlessly distilled.
Rating:
Summary: SHOCKINGLY REAL
Review: Wake up call to those who think that the world of pornography is an innocent one. This shows the true side of the dark business in a raw, no-holds-barred kind of way. Is this movie explicit? Definitely. It holds nothing back. You'll empathize with the characters, and hate them at the same time. At some parts in the movie, you may be seriously disturbed. Some characters are not who you think they are. Pay close attention to talented actor Don Cheadle (plays the part of Buck Swope), his character is most possibly one of the most unique. This movie is somewhat like "The Pornographer," but is much more subtle about morality issues. I praise the Pornographer for how little it uses nudity and sex in the movie and is still brilliant (ie, doesn't need all that to make it a good movie. Makes it show that it is one hell of a film). I thought that maybe Boogie Nights would of gone better in that direction, but at the same time, good old, straight up reality made it unique on it's own. At the end of the movie you might possibly be wondering, "Does this movie portray pornography as dark and immoral, or glorify it?" A good question to ponder.
Rating:
Summary: Funnier than hell . . .
Review: also very dark, emotional and outrageously good. It's a fable, but incredibly real and humanistic in ways that few Hollywood films are. Fantastic ensemble acting, and like Pulp Fiction, an invigorating shock. They should give Burt Reynolds and Julianne Moore medals of honor for taking an incredible risk on such controversial material. At times it's hard to believe they're saying what their saying, but that's the virtue of Boogie Nights, that such a vulgar subject can be addressed with clarity, honesty and compassion. But I don't pass judgement on the porn industry--they're as human as anyone, perhaps more so. The true slime of the universe are politicians and criminal defense lawyers.
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