One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another; Kinetic, thrilling action has never looked so good. Penn embodies his character with tremendous physical work, while Leo’s portrayal is a scrambled mind written all over his face. Del Toro, Taylor, Hall and Infiniti elevate it all. A rare combination of an auteur action; A

Licorice Pizza

Licorice Pizza; Stylishly captures an era that may be nostalgic for some but irrelevant to others. Very watchable but ultimately unfulfilling and meandering. To a detail, expertly executed, but as a sum of its parts, simply not for most audiences outside of 70s Valley kids; C+

Boogie Nights

Directed by:  Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring:  Mark Wahlburg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Running Time:  2h 35min

This movies takes you on a wonderful ride full of characters, images, sights and sounds that will leave you breathless and exhilarated.  The acting is superb, with many hilarious yet extremely heartbreaking performances, notably Macy and Hoffman.  This is the best film direction I've seen in awhile from a sophomore director.  He borrows heavily from classic 70s directors but in a loving and unique combination, ushering in the new crew of directors that grew up on such great 70s fare.  From the opening shot that lasts about three minutes to several eye-pleasing tracking and dolly shots, the film's length is never felt.  Your involvement in the characters is deep as you feel everything that they feel. The most heartwarming is the portrait at the end.

Grade: A