Reviews (51)

A nice Find
Hard Eight is one of those sharp character driven dramas that film fans will appreciate if they Like Paul Thomas Anderson in general. Anderson is the kind of writer that brings new things to life each time out. This time he finds a lonely gambler in his later days who befriends misfits. A great cast led my Phillip Baker Hall and John C. Reilly make the movie a treat and Sam Jackson and Gweneth Paltrow also show up for supporting roles.

The Special Features offer three scenes from the movie shot on video as part of a Sundance workshop. It also has two commentary tracks. The first one with Anderson and Hall is interesting, because Anderson is really funny and well spoken and has a lot of interesting things to say. Hall, on the other hand, drones on and on about character motivation and dynamics and sounds like a junior level college course on acting. Not to take away from Hall's performance which is top notch, but listening to actors talk about what goes on in an actor's mind is numbing.

Hard Eight is as interesting if not as ambitious as Anderson's later projects. If you like his other films, you'll do yourself a favor seeing this one.

compelling and heartfelt
My personal favorite of Paul Thomas Anderson's films, Hard Eight quenches my thirst with a good twist and ending. Boogie Nights and Magnolia seemed to me to be primarily centered around the characters (which is great in it's own respect), but both movies left me wanting a bit more. Philip Baker Hall stars this time as elderly lonesome gambler Sydney, who, for reasons unknown, helps two young confused kids find love and peace in the world.
This film deals with issues of regret, guilt and self-redemption as Sydney's generosity and charity is not as selfless as it may seem. And so we follow the daily lives of Sydney and these young adults, as their neuroses guide them into very unique situations which brilliantly outline the chaos they feel in their lives. The characters are sad, realistic, and evoke empathy from the viewer simply on maintaining their everyday lives.
The question that is raised is whether or not personal guilt of the past can ever be abolished by performing acts of kindness in the present. Can a man redeem his character even when he is in his 70's, or have his bad choices set the tone for his existence? Is covering up the past while refusing to deal with it head-on a detrimental decision? These questions are left unanswered in this compelling story of a lonely old man's attempt to clear his conscience.

SLICK
Move over Tarantino and Mamet we got a new writer director in town.Paul Thomas Anderson.Boogie Nights and this one Hard Eight
make him an easy competitor in the world of indie film-making
this movie is great.Philip Baker Hall finally scores a lead role
and does an outstanding job as Sydney,the kind,nice,and all to
calm and slick pro gambler who helps John(John C. Reilly)a down
on his luck chum.Then they become good freinds and we skip a head
2 years and we meet Clementine Johns new love played good as usual by Gweneth Paltrow and slick casino pro Jimmy played by
Samuel L.Jackson who is the standout.This movie crackles with
dialogue and your never bored because you never know whats gonna
happen next and we find out secrets about our nice freind Sydney
and from their it gets interesting.SEE IT NOWWWW

Too ambiguous and understated
Maybe I was born into a generation of short attention spans, but I just felt this movie moved too slowly. I understand that it's a character-driven drama and not an action flick, but I do now believe there's such a thing as too much subtlety. Ninety percent of the film consists of extremely drawn-out, quiet conversations between two characters, with lines no more than a couple of words long: "Cigarette?" "No thanks," etc. It seems too artsy and contrived. A lot of filmakers - I can't help but mention Tarantino here - use mundane, understated dialogue to act as comic bathos, or to develop character, but it doesn't work so well in Hard Eight.

That said, it still deserves at least 3.5 stars (rounded to four). Hall's unrelentingly phlegmatic Sydney plays so well off of Jackson's 'enobled thug' Jimmy; the scenes where they confront each other, Sydney doggedly trying to assert his principles, Jimmy exposing Sydney's hypocrisy and condescension, are well played-out. You have trouble deciding where your sympathies lie, which always good, and I was strangely satisfied with the ending as well. Also, it's such a short, simple and (in some ways) unpretentious movie that it's hard to judge it very harshly; it would be like condemning a nice little schoolhouse in relation to the Taj Mahal.

Hard To Stay Awake...
Don't get me wrong here. I am a fan of Anderson's work in general, especially Boogie Nights and Punch-Drunk Love. But I just could handle Hard Eight. Usually Anderson's slower pace is a welcome change for me as I really enjoy character driven dramas. The acting was pretty good, but I just thought the script lacked anything of interest. Maybe next time, but I can't recommend actually buying this one unless you want a complete Anderson collection. ... Read more

Reviews (653)

Brilliant!
Magnolia is a hard film for many people to watch. The reason for this is that Magnolia is a film about what we watch movies to escape from... real life. That's what its about; forget the sprawling plot, Magnolia is about the trials and tribulations of modern life. It's about coping with regrets and fixing our mistakes. This makes for a very depressing film. It also makes for a very real film.

Filled with many different characters, its easy to find someone to identify with. Whether it be Frank TJ Mackey, a womanizing motivational speaker who refuses to come to terms with his father, or Jim Curring, a cop who's trying to find love while doing the right thing, you're sure to find someone who you love.

Stellar performances are turned in across the board, but that's no surprise looking at the cast. You stop seeing William H. Macy, you start seeing Quiz Kid Donnie Smith. The only weak link is Julianne Moore as Linda Partridge. She's way over the top, but its forgiveable if not dismissable.

Magnolia is one very smart film. It is filled with themes of redemption, courage, freak accidents, and God. Director Paul Thomas Anderson does not dumb these down for us; he does not insult his audience. He knows we are smart, capable people and leaves it all up for our own interpretation. It may be a little overwhelming, but that's why this is a great DVD to purchase. You can watch it repeatedly and pick up on all the little things you may have missed that make a big difference. On the suplemental disk is an interesting documentary about the making of Magnolia that offers much insight into PT Anderson and the way he works. The only thing that's missing is a commentary track by Anderson; he thinks the film speaks for itself. He may be a little off base there, but Magnolia is nonetheless a very satisfying purchase.

Best of the Year
I know "Magnolia" technically came out in 1999, but it's wide release was in 2000, and with this year not even half-over, I can honestly say that this movie is one of the best I've ever seen. With few and relatively minor flaws (such as trying to tackle 10 different storylines; some of them not resolved well enough by the 3-hour period)P.T.Anderson beautifully uses the camera to convey moods parallel to the characters that he writes. There are some surreal moments that are just flat-out cool, ie. the whole singing thing (that's being labeled as stupid, but aren't you supposed to leave reality at the door?) A great soundtrack that makes this movie as amazing as it is and a brilliant ensemble performance with stand-outs by Julianne Moore and John Reily (who plays the most damn convincing cop I ever seen). But I agree with the last review: Anderson should have focused on 3 or 4 storylines and explored them more. Even so, one has to admire it's gutsiness to take on themes like desperation and lonliness and do so with such conviction-

(There are also symbols in this film, which at times can be confusing-but after you see this, read Exodus:8 from the bible and some of your questions will be answered.)

Just for the record. . .
It really does rain frogs, though it is a rare occurance. I always get a bit peeved when people complain about that aspect of this wonderful film.

Do a little research. It shouldn't take you long to find a dozen or so newspaper articles documenting frog storms.

". . .but it did happen."

Original Artistic Masterpiece
This movie is a must see for anyone who appreciates artistic well thought out movies. If you are dumb then I don't recommend it as you will be unable to comprehend it's brilliance, most of the time these people will dimiss it with negative reviews just because they don't get it.
.... And I quote Bob Dylan ' Don't criticize what you can't understand'
A unique film run with fantastic acting and an undercurrent of genius. The music, Starring Aimee Man's Beautiful voice captures the atmosphere of the movie with insane accuracy as does the superb camera work. Well Done!

Powerful, impacting movie
This is not a perfect movie but I think it comes across powerfully. The acting is superb. Tom Cruise's character suits him well and Julianne Moore plays her part so daringly that I ended up hating her and then pitying her. The other actors/actresses all do a great job. The film is fast-paced, a good thing considering it lasts about 3 hours. There is a coming together of several seemingly unrelated stories. A common thread that I picked up is the severe pains caused by personal, self-serving decisions that hurt loved ones. The message of the movie is powerful and compensates for some of what I consider the movie's shortcomings--such as the seemingly constant yelling and cursing--much usage of the f-word (just like in real life) and several scenes drowned out by loud music and an odd even of the sky raining bullfrogs, an event that plays an integral part in the climactic ends to the several stories. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

SNL RULES!
This edition of the best of snl was better than I had expected. It shows the debut of Chris Farley, Rob Schneider, and Chris Rock. Wayne and Garth visit the beautiful Madonna. I don't want to give anything away so all I can really say is there aren't that many sketches on this tape but it's about quality not quantity for the best of snl 1990. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Old politics still funny today
The SNL Presidential Bash is the funniest collection of skits based on a theme (e.g. Halloween, Christmas, specific cast members). Even though all of the Clinton skits are missing(the anthology was produced during the 1992 election), the video contains skits that are funny even if you have superficial knowlege of politics. The video spans from the early years to the golden years (Carvey, Hartman, Farlye, et al.). In the early years, Chevy Chase interprets the bungly President Ford and Dan Akroyd plays a President Carter who knows exact details of every insignificant thing.

Dana Carvey is omnipresent. He is in the 1988 presidential debates between George Bush and Michael Dukakis. Jon Lovitz played Dukakis, an emotionless and short candidate who had (in the skit) a mechanical lift to elevate him to the height of the podium. Carvey's Ross Perot charicature has chronic cameos as the host of the special. Perot also had a hillarious infomercial where he explained that his salary would be based upon the growth of the country ("1% growth, I don't see a dime; I'll be ok, I've got $3 billion back home...4% growth, I get $1 billion. That still leaves you up $119 billion.)

You can watch this video over and over again. This will always be the best compilation of Saturday Night Live. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

crystal and short
the show was in a bad spot when crystal and short were recruited to save it and that's exactly what they did and that is the higlight of these videos and that is why this is essential if you are a fan of either of these comedians or a fan of the show. The swimming sketch when short can't swim gets me every time. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

87 was a good year
ahhh 1987, the show was finally comming in to it's own again,the cast was great the show was recovering from the bad period after crystal and short left and these are some quality sketches and some very funny moments even if it is just a random year. The true highlight here is hartman but all of the cast shines. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

1991
the show was still rolling after it's late 80's high and welcomming new greats such as farley and spade while still enjoying old greats like myers and hartman. this is one of the best times for snl. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

HOW GOOD IS SNL
Saterday night live is the best funniest show. And 1990 was a very good year for comedy. To all of you who are thinking bye it. ... Read more