Magnolia

An intricate mosaic of emotional stories intertwined by coincidence, Magnolia is an elegant exposé of human frailty from Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights), who once again demonstrates his gift for burrowing under his characters' skins in this meditation on family and the facades people put up to mask their insecurities, grudges, greed, regrets and other symptoms of the human condition. The magnificent cast includes Philip Baker Hall as a miserable quiz show host, William H. Macy and Jeremy Blackman as madly insecure former and current champs of the show, John C. Reilly as a kindly, nervous cop in love with a manic coke addict (Melora Walters), Jason Robards as a dying rich man full of regret, Julianne Moore as his once greedy, now penitent, wife, and Tom Cruise in an astoundingly powerful performance as his son, a vulgar, misogynistic, wildly egotistical motivational speaker who teaches emasculated men how to dominate and manipulate women. Highly recommended. (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Jan. 19, 2010—New Line, 188 min., R, $28.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1999's Magnolia boasts an excellent transfer and a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include a “Video Diary” behind-the-scenes documentary (73 min.), the “Frank T.J. Mackey Seminar” clip (4 min.), the “Seduce and Destory” infomercial (2 min.), the “Save Me” music video by Aimee Mann, and trailers. Bottom line: a welcome Blu-ray debut for this contemporary classic.]