Boogie Nights brings freshness to screen

Porno goes mainstream in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights. The visually intriguing film about the porn industry is set in the San Fernando Valley during the late '70s and early '80s. The remarkable cast pushes the film to limits most films fail to venture. The meticulous scenery and tight editing also drives the movie, despite the loose script that attempts to cram too many subjects into one film.

Boogie Nights focuses on the character Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) as he embarks on his stardom as Dirk Diggler, the well-endowed porno actor. With idealistic director/producer Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) guiding Dirk Diggler to a life of success and material extravagances, the unusual protagonist quickly becomes part of the porn industry family. His lack of support and love from his parents is replaced almost immediately by father figure Reynolds and his entourage, including sultry porn stars Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Roller Girl (Heather Graham) and side-kick and close friend Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly).

The close-knit family appears to live the strangely attractive and desirable life we may secretly fanticize about at times, yet we quickly see the family tear apart as a result of their vulnerabilities to drugs, alcohol, sexual promiscuity and greediness. The film also ties in the tension within the porn industry, that makes a leap from film to mass-produced video by the early '80s.

The story wanders different directions and touches upon a multitude of subplots unnecessary to the film. Although the story line lacks any new form, the cast is successful in pushing their objectives to an extent not seen in most films today. Wahlberg loses his notoriety as "Marky Mark" and reintroduces himself as a provocative and capable actor among the talented cast including Moore and William H. Macy. Graham, Reynolds and Reilly also contribute a unique and fresh presence on the screen.

The most fascinating aspect of Boogie Nights, however, centers around the film-making itself. The metadramatic scene, where Wahlberg acts in his first porn flick with Waves, presents the viewer with two contrasting images; one image, in color, of the movie characters themselves staging their sex scene, and the other image, in black and white, of the two actors in the midst of a porn scene. The cuts back and forth from the one image to the next strips away any emotion and sense of realism on the screen. The juxtapositions are effective in recognizing the artificiality of the cinema itself.

Boogie Nights is not an amazingly revolutionary film in any sense, but it is successful in reintroducing a freshness to the screen. The aesthetic qualities of the film, the costumes, dancing, music and setting, make Boogie Nights a fascinating movie to watch.

Boogie Nights shows at the Apollo.