The Vault: "Magnolia" [Blu-Ray]

This was my FIRST time seeing "Magnolia," let's get that cleared up right away. I remember when it came out, I had mixed feelings about whether or not I'd see it. Obviously, I chose not to.

The Good:

- John C. Reilly's performance was surprisingly amusing, and not in the Dewey Cox kind of way. He can act, for real.

- The soundtrack, thanks in large part to Aimee Mann, was near perfect. It's no surprise that Jon Brion also contributed, whom I adore.

- Phillip Seymour Hoffman. (I don't think I need to say more)

- Excellent screenplay.

- "Respect the cock, tame the cunt" seminar.

- William H. Macy's obsession with braces.

The Not So Good:

- The Frogs. I mean, really? So, all of a sudden, the Frogs solve everyone's problems and save lives? I took this to be a bit pretentious. As soon as those blobs started to fall from the sky, Anderson lost me.

- The little rapper. I found it completely pointless.

- Julianne Moore.

- Jimmy Gator's suicide attempt being botched by falling Frogs. It would've made more sense to let him blow his brains out.

The Bottom Line:

This felt like a B-version of "American Beauty." The writing was beautiful, most of the actors did a phenomenal job, and the art direction was much appreciated. But I can't get over the fact that the movie never really came full circle for me. I blame it on the damned Frogs. I get that the movie was supposed to be about forgiving others and being forgiven, but it just felt so trite and over-worked.