Boogie Nights [1-Disc Special Edition]

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Paul Thomas Anderson is the latest in a long line of young filmmakers that borrows from the likes of Scorsese, Demme, Altman and Tarantino in order to define his own cinematic vision. Upon viewing his second feature, the dark comedy "Boogie Nights", the borrowing here and there adds up to a wonderful, powerful and at times exhilarating look at the adult film industry in its heyday, the late 1970s and during its downtime of the early 1980s.

The film looks at a most unusual "family" of filmmakers. Director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), who believes he is the Orson Welles of adult films, acts as a father figure. Dirk Diggler (Mark Whalberg) is his biggest star (no pun intended). Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) is Jack´s top actress who acts as a mother figure to the group. Other "family" members include sex kitten Roller Girl (Heather Graham), actor Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly) and sometime actor Buck Swope (Don Cheadle), who is trying to make a go at a legit lifestyle. The story follows these characters through the hedonistic days of the late 70´s filled with sex, drugs and tacky clothing, then through the hangover of AIDS, the boom of home video porn and the sudden realization that fun does have a price.

Anderson, who also made last year´s edgy sleeper "Hard Eight", shows that at the age of 27-years old, he is a person who has talent to burn. He keeps the camera and the story moving with dazzling speed, at times almost giving the viewer too much of a visual rush. The cast is perfect, from Reynolds and Moore´s nominated performances right up to the surprisingly assured acting from Whalberg, who buries his Marky Mark persona once and for all. I hope. The only real problem with "Boogie Nights" is that the second half of the film (the 1980´s segment) is somewhat plodding at times. Nevertheless, this is an impressive piece of work that, while not for everyone, does offer the viewer a bit of a challenge that does pay off. The final scene is a hilarious take off on "Raging Bull" guaranteed to make any male in the audience squirm in his seat.