Magnolia

rewatching this now after many years, it's crazy to think you'd be forgiven for watching this in 1999 and believe this would be PTAs magnum opus and he'd never outperform himself. then, not even a decade later with just a single other movie in between (PDL, great in its own way), you get TWBB which almost immediately solidifies itself as an all-timer in the hall of fame of american cinema. and THEN you get The Master and Phantom Thread where PTA is just casually dropping heater after heater. coming back to Magnolia, it's so distinctly late 90s and boots on the ground feeling compared to the mythic/folktale style of his later masterpieces. it stands out in a refreshing way, especially as an inhabitant of Los Angeles seeing the city play an understated supporting role to the events that unfold.