Review of Magnolia (2 Discs)

Introduction

Magnolia is another of those films that is difficult to review. Largely because it`s one of those films that you don`t come across too often in these days of high-octane Hollywood blockbusters. It`s not about action, it`s about characters, and how those characters relate to and interact with each other.

During the course of three hours you`ll see how these characters are involved with each other and how their paths cross to make for an interesting film. I`m not going to say any more than that as I feel that you should watch the film knowing very little about it.

Video

A visually stunning 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is on offer here, as would be expected for such a young film. This high quality was probably helped by the decision to stick all of the extras on a separate disc, thus freeing up plenty of space for the best possible transfer. And at 3 hours long it needs a fair bit of space!

Audio

Despite not being an all guns blazing action blockbuster, there`s still a very good DD5.1 soundtrack here. Even though the film is character driven, there`s still some work for your surrounds to do, notably during the "stormy" scenes (watch the film and you`ll understand what I mean by that).

There`s also some good music on offer here, most of which is supplied by Aimee Mann. For most of you, this is probably the first time that you have come across her, but I can tell you that she`s been recording music for about the last 8 years or so. It`s good to see that she is still doing so, and even better to hear it featured in such a big name film as Magnolia.

Music is used to interesting effect during the film - sometimes drowning out the characters, sometimes involving the characters singing the same song.

Features

This bit is where we get to the reasons for buying the 2-disc edition of Magnolia, as all of the extras are included on the second disc.

Despite having a whole disc all to themselves, there`s not a massive amount of extras. So no prizes for quantity, what about the quality?

Without a doubt the dullest extra is the colour bars - bars of colour to help you calibrate your TV. But if you leave these bars on for a couple of minutes you are rewarded with some out-takes from the film which are very amusing in places.

There are also TV spots and trailers, which are the usual fare, and the Aimee Mann video "Save Me" - directed by the film`s director, Paul Thomas Anderson. You also get the full length "infomercial" which is featured in the film, plus the full version of the "Seduce and Destroy" seminar.

The biggest extra is last. No, not a director`s commentary, but the "Magnolia Diary", which runs for over an hour. This is a variation on the "making of" documentary, and follows the director from the inception of the film through pre-production, rehearsals and beyond. Some very interesting moments, and quite a few amusing ones along the way.

Conclusion

A very good DVD of a very good and very different film. The video and sound are excellent, and there`s a whole disc devoted to the extras.

It`s nice to know that Tom Cruise actually can act, but he is probably still upstaged by one or two of the other thespians involved.

For those who are already interested in the film, this 2-disc set is the one to get, as it has the added interest of extras. There`s no director`s commentary, but it could be argued that it just wouldn`t fit in on a flim like this. I certainly didn`t miss it. One complaint might be the measly number of chapters for such a long film, but it`s nothing to lose sleep over.

If you`re tired of empty Hollywood blockbusters then this might be the film for you. Recommended.