Feelings:
I disliked Boogie Nights the first couple times I saw the film. I thought The Master, There Will Be Blood and Magnolia were superior films. I have only finished Magnolia once and have come close to finishing it multiple times. I just think that film is ridiculously long. It works well and I think it is PTA’s most ambitious movie, but I think it misses the target. I think Boogie Nights is the best movie of all time from a film making perspective and a worthy predecessor of Citizen Kane. However, Phantom Thread is PTA’s most restrained and well paced film in my eyes. It is weird he is all over the place (in a good way), but he continues to grow after all these years of telling stories and making films. (He is also my favorite director)
I came to love Boogie Nights when I had the chance to watch it on the big screen. (Thank you Alamo Drafthouse!) I thought it was an amazing Cautionary Tale. It came together well and the music throughout the film takes it to the next level. Recently during an interview I mentioned Boogie Nights as the best movie of all time. It is! It is not my number one, but it hits every point so well. It even has a character I hate William H. Macy’s character is the fucking worst.
My Favorite Scene:
It is has to be the scene with all the guy’s at Alfred Molina’s home it is such clumsy and dirty scene. These guys suck at stick up they have no idea what they are doing. You can feel the desperation in the air.
My Favorite Character:
I don’t think I have a favorite character in this film. I definitely dislike a lot of the characters, but I think that is fine when creating characters. I don’t agree that you have to garner sympathy with a protagonist. A great sign of a character is that they can make you feel some type of way about them whether it is positive or negative. This film has William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, and Mark Wahlberg who I think are all scummy and fucked. I think Thomas Jane’s character is pretty cool.
