Short comments...
Now Playing: Stuff I've seen before
Magnolia (1999, P.T. Anderson) The funny thing about this movie is that, while it feels wildly inconsistent on a scene-to-scene and even storyline-to-storyline basis (Quiz Kid Donnie and Linda feel like they were included mainly so PT could work with Macy and Moore again), the direction is so assured that the pitch and momentum is sustained throughout. I have too many gripes to rate this higher- or to include it in my top 10 of '99 for that matter- but it's just so intoxicating that I've watched it more than nearly everything that actually made that list (with the exceptions of After Life and maybe The Iron Giant). Still PT's best direction yet, even if it's not quite as awesome as Boogie Nights, in my opinion. Rating: *** 1/2.

Swimming Pool (2003, Francois Ozon) Wouldn't really say much about this except that I watched the deleted scenes on the DVD and reconsidered the film with them placed in there. The funny thing is that while I can see why they were cut (they aren't necessarily directly related to the sexual intrigue that was the film's main selling point) I think they re-focus the film on Sarah as a writer. We see her sitting down, thinking, making false starts, etc., and as a wannabe writer myself that hit home. Also there was a strangely compelling shot of Sarah getting into bed and just lying there for a while thinking before turning out the light- it's stuff like this that draws me into a character, showing them directing their attention inward rather than simply performing for the camera. It's still not that great a movie (Ozon's worst since Criminal Lovers, in my opinion) but I enjoy it anyway. Rating: ** 1/2.