That Moment: Magnolia Diary (2000)

A very in-depth documentary that follows the very over-worked director Paul Thomas Anderson through a gruelling 80+ days of shooting for the film Magnolia (1999). Very funny behind the ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Rance

Stars:

Paul Thomas Anderson, Fiona Apple, William Arnold

Cast

Credited cast:
Paul Thomas Anderson	...	Himself
Fiona Apple	...	Herself
William Arnold	...	Himself (as Bill Arnold)
Bobby Brewer	...	Himself
Mark Bridges	...	Himself
Jon Brion	...	Himself
Lou Carlucci	...	Himself
Melinda Dillon	...	Herself
Adam Druxman	...	Himself
Robert Elswit	...	Himself (as Robert Elswitt)
Neil Flynn	...	Himself
Philip Baker Hall	...	Himself
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Himself
Ricky Jay	...	Himself
Emmanuel Johnson	...	Himself

Storyline

A very in-depth documentary that follows the very over-worked director Paul Thomas Anderson through a gruelling 80+ days of shooting for the film Magnolia (1999). Very funny behind the scenes material and interviews, press junket video and various screenings and meetings are presented to us, just to let us know how hard it really is to make a 188-minute film.

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Genres:

Documentary | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

That Moment: Magnolia Diary October 1998 - March 2000

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Home Video, Three Legged Cat Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Those who represent Tom Cruise did not want him to be included in the documentary.

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Quotes

[after Paul Thomas Anderson said he edited the trailer and designed the poster for the film Magnolia]
Himself: You know he develloped the film too. He sent it to a lab but he just didn't like the work they were doing, so he set up a lab in his bathroom and he develloped the film.
Himself: It's got that homemade look to it.
Himself: He ground the lenses that we used in this film.

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Connections

References The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)

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Soundtracks

Red Vines
by Aimee Mann

User Reviews

Very Watchable, But Not Very Good

Paul Thomas Anderson makes a pretty engaging lead in this documentary about the making of "Magnolia," but the director, Mark Rance wastes a lot of running time. For example, we are treated to hearing an orchestra record the score, but why are there no scenes of Anderson and Jon Brion discussing the score? There are also scenes showing pre-production meetings, but apart from discussions about difficulties in scheduling the actors, the rest could be cut in favor of more Anderson/Robert Elswit footage. I would like to see a doc about Paul Thomas Anderson in the tradition of "Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky." I can't help but feel there is a better doc in the footage not used.