Magnolia (2 Discs) (US)

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Things fall down. People look up. And when it rains, it pours
Certificate: R
Running Time: 188 mins
Retail Price: $24.99
Release Date:

Synopsis:
On one random day in the San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but one story.

Through a collusion of coincidence, chance, human action, shared media, past history and divine intervention they will weave and warp through each other`s lives on a day that builds to an unforgettable climax.

Special Features:
Theatrical Trailer
Two Discs - Disc Two has Supplemental Material
Deleted Scenes
Feature length "Making Of" Documentary
TV Spots
Aimee Mann "Save Me" Music Video

Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1

Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English

Subtitle Tracks:
English
Spanish

Directed By:
Paul Thomas Anderson

Written By:

Starring:
Pat Healy
Genevieve Zweig
Mark Flannagan
Neil Flynn
Rod McLachlan
Allan Graf
Patton Oswalt
Tom Cruise
Julianne Moore

Casting By:
Cassandra Kulukundis

Soundtrack By:
Fiona Apple
Jon Brion
Aimee Mann

Director of Photography:
Robert Elswit

Editor:
Dylan Tichenor

Costume Designer:
Mark Bridges

Production Designer:
William Arnold
Mark Bridges

Producer:
Paul Thomas Anderson
Daniel Lupi
Joanne Sellar
Dylan Tichenor

Executive Producer:
Michael De Luca
Lynn Harris

Distributor:
Entertainment In Video

Your Opinions and Comments

7 / 10
To watch Magnolia you need at least 3 hours. And I emphasize - at least. It took me over 5 hours, actually, because I just had to take short breaks every once in a while.
This is a slow (very slow) drama that tells several stories, which are seemingly not related at all - or are they?
Tome Cruise, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman all give excellent performances. Still, even their performances can`t help the slow pace of the movie.
The video transfer is very good. There are no compression signs nor any defects.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is a bit flat, but still OK. The surrounds are hardly ever used, but this is acceptable for this kind of a movie.
The menus are still and silent.
The extras include over an hour of a behind the scenes featurette, some commercials from the movie and a music video. For a 2-disc set, the extras are quite disappointing.
Bottom line - magnolia is all about different stories woven together into a single movie. Does it work? Well, yeah, sort of - that is, if you can stay awake for a long (very long!) period of time.
posted by Zvi Josef on 8/10/2004 20:49