Rating: 
Summary: A new American classic
Review: Like many, I was somewhat skeptical about this film upon its first release. I skipped it in the theaters in lieu of more "fall appropriate" titles like "L.A. Confidential" and "Good Will Hunting" and while both of those were very well made, they did not hold a candle to this film. Mark Wahlberg makes us forget about that whole Marky Mark fiasco of the early nineties with a sheer volcanic starring debut. As the sometimes naive pawn of the industry Dirk Diggler, he runs the gauntlet of emotions, from a particularly heart breaking confrontation with his mother at the beginning to a terrible and hilarious session at a recording studio, Wahlberg showed us that he is far from a flash in the pan. Julianne Moore and Burt Reynolds shine as the patriarch and mother of this broken yet lovable extended family. Heather Graham is effective as the lovable yet dim Rollergirl,and PTA regulars John C. Reilly and Phillip Seymour Hoffman prove yet again that they are the two most underrated actors in the business by turning in pitch perfect performances as Dirk's co-star and assistant. Hoffman is very moving in the New Year's Eve sequence. The script crackles with dialogue that can be both tragic and uproariously funny all at the same time. The only thing I had trouble believing upon my first viewing was that it was written by a 26-year old. Every detail of 70's so-called "fashion sense" is present and the direction is staggering. A brilliant movie that probably cannot be praised enough, so I'll end it like this. I loved this movie.
Rating:
Summary: PTA rocks my world!
Review: Sorry for the cheesy title...but Paul Thomas Anderson does such a great job at setting the tone of the 70's in this film that you feel like you are actually grooving in the 70's! It's mostly because of the music, clothing and dancing, but the actors do a great job at showing the "who cares?" attitude of the 70's. One stand out in my mind is Julianne Moore who played Amber Waves. She adds depth to a character that could have been really campy. She acts like a mother to everyone because she lost her little boy durring her divorce. She seems to be care free, but she has paid a big price for her lifestyle. The courtoom scenes and the scene with her and rollergirl (Heather Graham) in the bedroom are some of the best work she has done. Dirk Diggler (Mark Whalberg) is the little naive boy who follows the lead of Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) to become a major porn star. All his life Dirk wanted to be something special, and knew he could be. But after the 80's roll around, his BIG......... ego and cocaine use stop him from working. Mark Walberg did a great job here. I always thought he was just another white rapper, but he can act. The most interesting thing about the movie is that sex isn't portrayed here as and intimate thing, it is shown as a buisness. This movie is pretty much flawless. I like some of the creative angles PTA uses, like the shot of Dirk and some of his friends doing coke on a glass table, and the camera is underneath the table. Boogie Nights is a fun movie, but it is heart wrenching too. The best part is that it doesn't take itself seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Luckily I didn't buy the first edition of Boogie Nights-
Review: or I might be so pissed off at PT Anderson for releasing this version that I might stop watching his movies. But I am a PT Anderson fan, and while he may have to change his act somewhat after 'Magnolia' to maintain a sizable audience, you can still hark back to the good old days in 1997 when 'Boogie Nights' was first released with this superb New Line Platinum Series Two Disc DVD. Back when Mark Wahlberg wasn't the star of every other movie released,before Juliane Moore became Hannibal's love interest, when Burt Reynolds looked like he might have a future. 'Boogie Nights' dances from one dazzling sequence to another (the party scenes at the beginning of the movie are my favorite), we periodically check in on all the characters, and their lives in and out (no pun intended) of the underground world of pornography. Then apropriately, the eighties begin, and it all starts to get nasty- the advance of videotape threatens to cheapen the sex industry, Wahlberg and buddies begin doing too much coke to perform on camera, and ego and greed finally begin their long downward spiral. Great director/cast commentary and extras, (there are enough deleted scenes to cut another movie with) make this a must have for those who didn't already invest (money) in this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: This release is CUT! Not fair! :(
Review: I'm not going to comment on the splendid movie itself. Yes, it's great, even if it is a bit unreal in the treatment of the real events which inspired it (some even feel it's unfair), and in fact, it's one of those movies you *need* - but that's not the point here. Instead, I'm going to concentrate on this edition only. When I saw this DVD on Amazon I was *so* excited to see what I thought would be the ultimate edition of "Boogie Nights". I got it... and it isn't! It misses at least one excellent, long scene which wasn't restored on the second DVD, in the extras! :( The scene I mean is Alfred Molina's "Eddie Nash" shooting it out with the cops near the end of the movie. In the commentary present on this DVD Anderson says the scene was cut because it "interrupted the flow". Well, just what are you talking about, PTA? Maybe it's true for the US release but here that scene was and is present in all TV and video versions and I really have no idea why it's missing from this US edition. Are you planning another DVD release with that scene restored, PTA? Fortunately, I have the old European VHS edition as well, and therefore can enjoy the movie in its full version, even if it means switching between both editions to see the full picture ;) So... just a word of warning to the buyers: buying this you WON'T get a truly complete version of "Boogie Nights". Fortunately, with our older release of the movie AND this DVD now I have what I think is the full version - all that remains now is buying "Exhausted" and "Wadd" to complement the movie! :) It's simply too bad that a version advertised as THE full edition isn't really what it's purported to be. All the excellent extras practically make up for it, but still, some bad taste remains... either you give us a genuinely full, 100% complete release, or you don't advertise it as such! For this, I need to take one star off. Bundled with our older European edition containing the "Molina scene", however, the complete "Boogie Nights" get not just five but ten stars! :)
Rating:
Summary: Boogie Nights
Review: Dirk Diggler rocks! The porn industry is a very successful business, but it isn't meant for everyone, some folks who are involoved in this lifestyle lose some of their 'valuable' possesions, and it isn't that cool. Everything that glitters isn't always gold.
Rating:
Summary: This film rocks
Review: If you haven't seen this film yet, you are missing out on one of the wittiest, sharpest, funniest, and sexiest pieces of tape produced this last decade. The script is flawless, and the director's approach to portraying the 70s porn industry is masterfully controlled. Watch this film and you'll feel as jaded and cool as a ... star yourself. All actors give outstanding performances, though a special mention must go to Burt Reynolds and Philip Seymour Hoffman's cameo. Buy this film and find out what a laugh - and what a nightmare - commercial sex can be if it's done properly.
Rating:
Summary: P.T. Anderson's first big picture is amazing
Review: The first time I watched this film I didn't really like it to much. I felt that it was to long and it made me uncomfortable for some reason. I bought it anyway and almost forced myself to watch it again, and I loved it. Then I watched the commentary on this DVD and I began to speak the praises of this film and it's great filmmaker. Anderson's first film, Syndey or Hard Eight, is great but is usually overlooked. Boogie Nights had the music and the look to be noticed. Most people are wary of this film because they think that's it's just about porn, but that's not true at all. Anderson has managed to use the porn industry in the late seventies and early eighties and paint a portrait of a very disfunctional "family". We also see the main character Eddie Adams, later Dirk Diggler, take a very Jake LeMotta approach to life. This Raging Bull referance is actually mentioned by Anderson on the commentary track. This commentary is by far the best one I've ever heard and I'm glad that it accompanies a great film like Boogie Nights.
Rating:
Summary: For me, a very personal movie
Review: What can I say. When I first started watching this movie I wanted to send it back and rent another movie since its this culture, portrayed in the movie, that I always try to stay away from. The dropped-out-of-high-school, uneducated, unsophisticated culture. The type of culture where people end up because they didn't care about life in their younger years--well, except playing around, partying, having sex, etc. Believe me, this was so well written, so well directed, that my intelligence was insulted. Just listen to diggler's logic, or any other character's logic in this movie--mostly the porn director's logic. For me, it just all came together on the end when I realized a message that the director of this movie was communicating. This message can basically be communicated like this: if you don't get an education you'll end up with all of the other idiots.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, direction, and acting but somehow lacking
Review: Now don't think that i'm dissin' this fine piece of filmaking. I am definitely not. I thought that this was really a quality film in all of it's aspects. I think that a truly great film will engender the desire to see it over and over again. Although I certainly applaud the film I have no real desire to see it again. And it's not because of the subject. I've seen numerous films where the subject matter didn't exactly thrill me but yet i've enjoyed watching some of those other films over and over again. Goodfellas comes to mind to name one. And to me that's a very similar film in respect to it's taking a somewhat romanticized concept (american's love gangsters the same as guys love women and the concept of porn) and demystifies it down to it's real essence. But with Goodfellas I enjoyed the ride more while still feeling like I was seeing an accurate unromanticized portrayal of mob life. Burt Reynolds, Mark Wahlberg, William H. Macy, and Julianne Moore give great performances. Very unexpected in some cases. The film is uncompromisingly honest and effective just with something unpalatable about it. An important and extremely well done film but not one I feel like I need or want in my collection.
Rating:
Summary: Entrancing, Chaotic, Excellence
Review: Boogie Nights is one of the best films of the Nineties and a film that covers a culture that is not chronicled in any other major motion picture.Where others never dared to make a film, Anderson not only makes it but creates a style and operatic super-film style that blows the viewer away. The music, style, emotion from-top-bottom, are captured executed from the mind to out of the eye. Nothing is overlooked. Popular music plays such an important role in movies. Anderson knows this as well as Scorsese does. All of which seems to have sprouted out of SCORPIO RISING. The juxtaposition of the characters being/acting happily naive in lieu of their socially deviant lifestyle and ultimately their hitting rock bottom is a device shifts one's emotion to see these characters so strong that it could bring the viewer to tears. Julianne Moore's character is captivating. Burt Reynolds revitalizes himself in his role. John C. Reilly and Marky Mark are so poignant and pathetic, it's great. Heather Grahmm establishes herself here. Phillip Seymour Hoffman sets his pace. Don Cheadle is hillarious. William H. Macy not only portrays but convinces. What PT Anderson gives us is not just a porno opera chronicle, but a range of emotion that is rarely duplicated on screen. We get the reaction of real people to their environment, in this case a socially deviant lifestyle. PT Anderson gives us the gate way to empathize and sympathize with these REAL people whereas others would give us a pit of pornographers to merely scorn upon. All done with outstanding camerawork and musical weaving. A must see.
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