Magnolia
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sad but true, many too much of us suffer or are left to support many of the life problems presented in Magnolia. The movie brilliantly points out many of our shortcomings and fears. Esspecially true are the issues of sexual and emotional abuse.
>>By mags32 (Saturday, 21 Dec 2002 06:58)
someone explain this movie to me please.
Start with thow the kid's rap fits into the mix
>>By paulcantdance (Thursday, 23 Jan 2003 20:33)
HereĀ“s a comment: Exodus 8:2 "And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs"
The chance of rain is 82% right??
>>By greg (Tuesday, 28 Jan 2003 22:24)
The Rap kid fits into the movie, as all the other characters do, by simply his life intertwining with other characters. We first meet the character when John C Reily's character (the cop) checks out a disturbance, and he speaks to him. Later the rap kid saves Juliane Moore's life by calling 911 with her cell phone. The character is just a poor black kid in a bad part of L.A., who inadvertanly saves another character's life. Furthermore, this action faciliates more intertwineing of character development. It goes with the entire motiff of the movie : all our actions have consequences, and always effects other people lives. P.T. Anderson presents us with many, many characters and show that our seemingly mundane lives can touch others, for better or for worse.
>>By Brandon A.F. Sonnier (Thursday, 27 Feb 2003 16:50)
Also, to the left it says "Magnolia, by John C. Reilly", which is untrue. John is main character, Paul Thomas Anderson wrote and directed it.
If you liked Magnolia, i suggest you rent my person favorite P.T. Anderson movie "Hard Eight"
>>By Brandon A.F. Sonnier (Thursday, 27 Feb 2003 16:52)
Why Magnolia? Is it because the flower bruises when touched?
>>By liquidlight (Tuesday, 11 Mar 2003 16:40)
exactly what can we forgive? can we forgive everything? it'd be nice to think so, but i suspect some things are unforgiveable - how can we know the difference?
>>By russ (Sunday, 30 Mar 2003 01:56)
Magnolia because the street that most of the action takes place in is named "magnolia". But the bruising idea is a nice touch.
>>By confuddled too (Friday, 18 Apr 2003 12:19)
How has T.J. Macky's background contributed to what he is in the movie - a conquering, woman-hating, seducer. I would think that he would be more hateful towards women than men because of what his dad did. What is up?
>>By Fretzdawg (Tuesday, 29 Apr 2003 20:32)
Correction - he would be more hateful towards men than women.
>>By Fretzdawg (Tuesday, 29 Apr 2003 20:33)
whoever said that the reason magnolia was in the picture was cause it is a plant that bruises is wrong.....There is a lot of things in this movie that have symbolism to the numbers 8 and 2. Magnolia is an 8 letter word with 2 a's.... Exodus 8:2...Before the boy jumps off the building to kill himself there is rope curled into the numbers 8 and 2.....shall i go on...Oh one last thing that i bet no one else caught was at the Whiz Kid Show there is a man in the crowd holding a sign that says Exodus 8:2 on it........there is plenty more
>>By Cole (Monday, 12 May 2003 01:52)
the one who said about the magnolias bruising isnt entirely wrong. one reason the film was based on magnolia was that some say that eating the bark of the plant can help cure cancer, which is the illness of most in this film. the symbolism of exodus 8:2 whoever was not planned from the start of this movie but was later added, so this was not the reason for the title. if youre interested with all the hiding of 8:2 in the movie, check out http://www.ptanderson.com/featurefilms/magnolia/secrets.htm.
>>By some_guy (Friday, 23 May 2003 07:54)
Some people need to get a life...nobody's wrong, for heaven's sake, it's a freaking movie. The whole reason ANderson created it was for people to think and discuss it's content. NO ONE IS WRONG< YOU LOOSERS!
>>By boogie_boy (Tuesday, 10 Jun 2003 05:51)
One part that people missed out when disscussing the rap kid was the theme in the film of 'What do Kids Really Know?'. The scene when the kis raps is key to the film for a few reasons. One, it shows that Curring has a problem with listening...all he pays attention to is the kids 'foul language' and later all he pays attention to is Claudias foul language....not lsitening to what she really has to say. Two, kids are looked at as angels in the film. They know more than people think, which holds true to real life as well. The kid knows the killer but is ignored. Later in the film he takes Currings gun and runs off with it. After the liberation of frogs, Currings gun is returned from the sky, Curring realizes the difficulty of forgiving and tries to make ammends. The kid also saves Julianne Moore's life. A note to boogie_boy: film's true value is art. It's not supposed to be shoot 'em up this shoot 'em up that. Art has something to offer, some underlying power that can enlighten and inspire...I don't see anything wrong with disscussing the film.
>>By Gord (Sunday, 22 Jun 2003 11:05)
re: "kids are looked at as angels in the film": Did you notice the nice touch where Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman) refuses to compete in the final round of the game show, and gives his speech, and on the set behind his head is a wing? It makes him look like one of those strange Renaissance angels, where it's just a baby's head flying with two angel wings. Also, shifting topic, I would like to find out what the the rap kid raps for John C. Reilly. I suspect it's an important piece of the puzzle. And also, FYI, I think I noticed a painting of a magnolia on the wall at Jimmy & Rose Gator's, when Rose confronts him about molesting their daughter.
>>By ST888 (Sunday, 6 Jul 2003 04:23)
Magnolia is reality & reality is hard to take, hard to watch and be absorbed in & this movie was not entertainment. It has more than one message but the one I got out of it is that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness--the most sane & stable characters were the nurse for Earl (Phil) and the policeman (Jim). Good discussion but I do believe most of the discussants missed the point--"Let he who has not sinned, throw the first stone . . ." CaribKid2@bellsouth.net
>>By Joyce Ann (CaribKid2) (Monday, 7 Jul 2003 06:06)
The film is very flawed. Instead of being truly ensemble with a true sense of dynamics, most of the action takes place in isolated rooms and locations. Compare this to any Altman. Magnolia feels very shut in. Most of the dialogue and character interaction is pretty banal. There is such little nuance. And the end -- with every character having a tearful break-through -- is really shallow. The frogs is a gimmick, and a rather forced one, if you ask me. Is this about defiled man? Not all the characters are defiled? The frogs add what exactly? - besides a shock and a "boy that was different!" This is poser cinema. Hard Eight is better, but like all his films, they grow worse and worse with repeated viewings.
>>By lucas (Monday, 7 Jul 2003 19:45)
The introduction itself ties to the ending; Stories that make the "Freaky but true" collumn in the newspaper. (Although Canadair water planes CANNOT suck people in their tanks because they "suck" water in a reverse angle through very small portals) The frogs tie into the intro, and the drawing in Claudia's bedroom, and the Wiz kid saying "These things actually happen"... Truckloads of fish have been known to rain down on villages miles inland (due to some sort of funnel phenomenon over the sea) and such. To look too deeply into why they are frogs is just loosing your time. P.T.A used it as a funny shocking effect, and he then went back and placed 8:2 references as a sort of puzzle, just so that people would talk about the movie some more.
Forgiveness is definetly the key to the whole story. And most often it isnt to forgive others, but to let yourself off the hook for all the bad feelings and memories that hold you down. No wonder Tom Cruise found the story so attractive, it reads like a Scientology pamphlet.
To compare Magnolia to Altman movies is rather weird. I have seen Altman's so-called ensemble pieces, they're looong, and borrring. 2 capital offenses. Nashville is an incredibly lack luster piece, and lets not talk about Doctor T, Wedding, Pret a porter wich are COMPLETE disasters... need I go on? The Player is good, and Short Cuts is ok. Yeah they might have some interesting tidbits, but if those movies are Ensemble ones, I dont want to waste 3 Hours on boring story-telling ever again.
Magnolia might not be 8 1/2, but it's a very enjoyable and thoughtfull story told with wicked sarcasm, and hearthfelt (if mushy) sentiment. You gotta love the Aimee Mann tied-in songs.
When I heard the P.T.A was making a movie with Andam Sandler, I thought "That's it!, the studios got to him" But Punch Drunk Love is a terrific piece full of iconoclastic ideas. Hourray for P.T.A!
>>By Movie_nuT (Thursday, 10 Jul 2003 02:38)
I think the movie ties to most people's experience of love. In love there will be cheating and hurting. That is something that most people will experience. It is 3 am now , July 11th 2003. I just got off the phone with my Lover, my only girlfriend and she told me she had cheated on me manytimes all 100% in her exact words. I have found out about her cheating but not at 100% and i have forgiven her. What I feel now is emptiness and betrayed. How could something I loved so much inflict such pain. Why do people do this to each other? I guess there are no answers, You get mad a the person whos doing this to you most of all because your not mad at them, its becasue your mad at yourself for letting them do it to you. Sorry if im talking nonsense, but now I am very sad and hurt. I am lost people, my love has just ripped me apart. Forgivness is good, but how many times can a person forgive another, After all were not jesus or God. Were only human, were all sinners. Just pray, my friends, be good and have faith for a better day. I wish you all love and will never have to be in my shoes, becasue its worse then loosing all your money and belongs when you loose your heart and love.
>>By frogive and forget (Friday, 11 Jul 2003 11:43)
I just have a question for Lucas or anyone else who may know. What was the song that was sung during the tearful break-through of every character at the end of the movie. By the way, I thought it was a GREAT movie. Obviously one that has a lot of people thinking.
>>By Coolmuhfah (Friday, 11 Jul 2003 19:14)
To forgive and forget: There are people out there who don't cheat and lie. Have patience, don't settle. Also, the movie was about love and forgiveness. But some things you don't forgive...e.g. what Claudia went through. Some things are not forgiveable.
>>By Fluter (Monday, 14 Jul 2003 03:04)
I'm here to talk about the reality behind the film, rather than how well it was directed and so forth. Look at how the events interract and people connect. The whole big pattern of it all, everything linked to something else in some way. The rap kid saves Juliane Moore's life because he goes to take money from her purse, yet in an 'ideal' world crime wouldnt exist. Exactly what is right and wrong with the way we live? Should we try and change the world being the 'developing' society that we are? Who's lives would we be destroying then, and who's would we be saving? Who chooses? All I know is dat it ain't George W. Bush!
>>By Janus (Monday, 14 Jul 2003 11:28)
What is the kid saying while he is rapping i've always had a hard time understanding him?
517Little
>>By 517Little (Friday, 18 Jul 2003 22:28)
The rapping kid, Tom Cruise and the Old Man who is dying all represent frogs, i.e the rapping frog of indonesia (see Paul Mcartney and the Frog Chorus an old skool rap song), the Cruise Frog (a but tenuious) that is often known to stow away on Cruise ships and try to find famous cruise ship singer Jane Mcdonald, lastly the Old Frog who spends its whole life dying, deep stuff huh?
>>By Dean McDean (Saturday, 19 Jul 2003 16:53)
I really appreciate this movie. Magnolia is a film that i can identify with. I have some question about the rapping boy. All the other plots in the movie are closely related. The boy sings about the "worm", thw worm has to do with the dead body in the closet. The worm is mentioned again by the police "who is the worm." Somebody comes and gets the boy while he is watching tv. This might be the worm. I think there is something to this character that is relative to the movie. I like the references to forgiveness. How some things can be forgiven and some can't, as is shown in the movie. The movie also touches on the hardships that love for another brings. I think this hurt is a feeling that just comes with love and makes it such a wondeful and scary thing.
Nevermind to how the movie has been directed as far as the science of directing a movie. Most art has little to do with science.
----smallfry
>>By smallfry (Tuesday, 5 Aug 2003 01:51)
The idea of "oneness" in something worth looking at, I think it can be seen in many lights. The beggining with Aimee Mann singing One... one is the loneliest number... my interpretation of this is that obviously the film focuses on how people are intertwined -> suggesting perhaps that we are futile and all things we do are consequences of previous acts, the loneliness coming from the realization that we, the individual (one), are not in control. I love the interpretation of the magnolia and how it bruises, because it kinda ties the idea that something else triggers a change. The magnolia flower is powerless as to whether the hand (call it "fate") touches it and as a consequence bruises it. At the end of the movie the realization that we are part of something greater than just an individual gives hope... 'note: this idea of fate/a greater force still remains singular' (although in a bit of a sick way, I think this transition can be represented when Macy looks up and gets the frog right in the face).
I am sure people have other ideas on this, I wouldn't be surprised if the opposite could be argued, so please share your views, so we can have a "nice" discussion, instead of bashing each other for different ideas.
>>By thoreau (Thursday, 30 Oct 2003 08:56)
I agree with thoreau about the idea of "oneness"- all the scenes take place in complete isolation from each other and the world- the main characters are all isolated from one another- not just the separate ones but the families as well- the two wives and their dying husbands, the children and their parents- there's no real interaction between them. I think the idea of the frogs has more to do with the idea of judgement than anything else- the game show host is prevented from any doubts about killing himself, by the falling frog, the police man learns to be more accepting of other people and less self righteous of others by not arresting the old boy genius. You get the feeling that the policeman would have otherwise arrested him.
>>By Dzham (Monday, 30 Aug 2004 15:19)
I'm afraid I have not read everything everyone has posted here, and I don't really feel like an in-depth discussion about Magnolia, but I will say it's quite possibly the best film I've ever seen.
>>By Flagg (Sunday, 17 Oct 2004 00:58)
A pretty good film. Cruise's character started off as pretty interesting, but I was wondering why, if it was his father he hated so much, did he have that whole issue with hating women? Were we just supposed to assume that he had been hurt by women at some other point in his life? Was he trying to emulate his father? And why did his father say to the nurse before he died, that he was glad that he lived a life full of regret, that one should have regret? And whats the deal with the cop too, he didnt seem like he had anyone to forgive; anyone who'd wronged him?
>>By scouser_tommy (Thursday, 9 Dec 2004 21:05)
claudia (melora walters) is a babe! where can i find pics of her?
>>By scouser_tommy (Thursday, 9 Dec 2004 21:11)
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