I agree about the inconsistancy of Ridley Scott.
But I really loved all of Andersons films. Punch Drunk Love included.
And in no way is Altman's Short Cuts better than Magnolia. I love Altman, but Short Cuts, while a good and highly original film, was a bit of an excessive exercise for Altman. Magnolia had a similar structure, but it was less self indulgent, it's theme was much more clear and it was much more entertaining, making it's length less noticable. Magnolia is a really good drama that just happens to be 3 hours long. While Short Cuts is basically a collage of Altman-isms with no real point, and with it's length it's a film you can only appreciate if you truly understand Altman's style, otherwise you're gonna find it completely unbearable.
I'd say Short Cuts is a 6 and Magnolia is a 9.
|