Magnolia

Anderson channels Altman to perfect his Boogie Nights structure. Complex non-story with who’s who of actors delivering performances of their careers. Cruise plays his most obnoxious and sympathetic character yet and Hoffman proves how great he is. Even spontaneous musicality and amphibious precipitation can’t detract from this mind-bogglingly beautiful masterpiece.

Heist (2001)

Mamet’s highbrow dialogue slapped on an overly complex, perpetually twisty story. Compelling to the half-way point then loses steam. Decent performances of unsympathetic characters don’t particularly help the film. Great source of one-liner quotes and clever heist scenes. Otherwise a generally uninteresting crime caper. Totally inane plotting of female lead.