Boogie Nights (1997)

Paul Thomas Anderson makes movies that mostly chose not to take sides and instead present realistic and time specific narratives that encompass many different characters and perspectives while maintaining a consistent theme. Boogie Nights is all about the porn industry of the late 70's. Its story focuses on a dysfunctional group of pornographers and it's pacing is similar to that of a Scorsese film. It's extremely entertaining until it makes you feel uncomfortable. But it doesn't try to do much of either, which makes it also very different than a Scorsese film where the day of reckoning is always just around the corner. Someone could perhaps argue otherwise but I don't think Boogie Night's is very concerned with morality. It's more concerned with history. The switch from film to video in the porn industry has a huge impact on the story and I think a lot of what happens symbolizes the changes in the entertainment industry. It's a dark film but to consider the porn industry through a perfectly clean lens would be simply unrealistic. The cast is incredible, Anderson's camerawork is spectacular, and its runtime really flows by in a blink. It's a must watch of the 1990's and one more reason Anderson is one of today's greatest filmmakers.

---