Magnolia - God Damn Regret
In high school I was obsessed with Paul Thomas Anderson. If you had asked me who my favorite filmmaker was — I would, without hesitation, respond, “PTA… have you heard of him?” Punch-Drunk Love is my favorite film of all-time, I once watched it eleven times in one week.
Since then has come There Will Be Blood. PTA has become the new American film aueter. I still think the man’s movies are brilliant, but it’s been a while since I sat down and watched any of them (I almost popped PDL on, it’s in the Netflix Watch Instantly right now).
His longest flick might be his best, Magnolia. It’s an ensemble story with tons of great actors (Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore and an Oscar-nominated performance from Tom Cruise) that weaves the characters together effortless as they all search for some form of happiness in the San Fernando Valley.
The above video is a particularly effective beat in which Jason Robards’ Earl rants on his death bed about the regrets he lives with. I love the monologue and how it’s performed, but pay attention to how effortlessly PTA moves his camera.
