Magnolia (1999)

 

Paul Thomas Anderson was a superstar back then. Seems like half of Hollywood stars in this film. The fast pacing and shifting storylines keep the audience engaged from beginning to end. 

However, watching it now, I’m reminded how sad and tragic everyone is. It’s a pretty depressing 3 hours. Heavy stuff. Tom Cruise’s Academy Award nomination was well deserved. It was a standout performance in a sea of great performances.  

Rating: B

Wedding Crashers (2005)

What I saw advertised at the time was a juvenile, trite film about a bunch of womanizers. But after hearing such good word of mouth, I decided to check it out. Sure, it's juvenile and about womanizers, but there's a story too! Plus crazy characters and hilarious writing.

Rating: C+