#Magnolia {B+} Once again, I am completely subjugated by PTA's terrifying control over imagery: even more "possessed" tracking shots than in *Boogie Nights*; a fuller and more sustained use of a single melodic theme; multiple instances of exquisitely executed six-way parallel editing; and his masterful ability to direct actors (especially Tom Cruise, delivering perhaps the best performance of his career). Even though I know PTA is still self-indulgent, I can’t help but go mad with him. Multiple lives, interwoven and fragmented; overflowing with craftsmanship, yet preaching morbidly; character alienation, emotional breakdown; the rain of frogs, a modern miracle; unbelievable, yet mundane as ever. After watching this film, I...