“Tusk” – Fleetwood Mac … as depicted in a deleted scene from P.T. Anderson’s “Boogie Nights” (1997)

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Dave's Strange World

There’s a brilliant and crucial, nearly 6-minute scene from “Boogie Nights” that was deleted before its theatrical release set to Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” that should be seen by any fan of the film. In it, Becky Barnett (played by Nicole Ari Parker), the porn actress that got married to a Pep Boys manager, finds her new life outside the industry to be a nightmare of domestic violence, a scene all-too-common when a porn star marries a “civilian.” The civilian, in question, is turned on by the notion of being with a porn star, but paradoxically, can’t handle that person’s past. It’s the Madonna-whore complex at its ugliest. Becky calls on Dirk Diggler (played by Mark Wahlberg) to rescue her, but he’s so far gone on cocaine to be an effective savior for Becky, wrecking his car on the way to saving her.

It’s likely Anderson deleted the scene from the final film because of the film’s overall length (already at over 2.5 hours), but he also mentioned (in the DVD commentary) he thought this was too depressing a scene for a film that has enough dark moments in its last third and that by deleting it, he wanted to give at least one of his characters a happy ending (Becky’s wedding earlier in the film). While I don’t think the scene’s deletion detracts from the film, its inclusion would have made the final third more powerful, albeit more depressing. Still, at the end of the scene, there’s no clue what happens to Becky after she confronts her husband. So … as much as I admire this scene … Anderson probably made the best choice in deleting it. Given that, it’s still worth seeing. Please note that this is a very unpleasant scene to watch and is not safe for work or delicate sensibilities.

“The Dirk Diggler Story” (1988) dir. PT Anderson

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OK, you PT Anderson and “Boogie Nights” fans out there … this is where it all started. This is the 31+ minute early version of “Boogie Nights” Anderson directed in 1988 when he was 18 years old called… what else … “The Dirk Diggler Story.” Not the greatest or smoothest film you’ll ever see, but still pretty interesting as this is how the modern Stanley Kubrick started out. To paraphrase George Carlin’s character at the end of “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”: “(Anderson) does get better.” Not safe for work.

“One” – Aimee Mann

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Another terrific Aimee Mann cover … this time of Harry Nilsson’s “One” which Three Dog Night turned into a big hit during the early 1970s. Mann’s version was brilliantly used over the opening of P.T. Anderson’s 1999 masterpiece “Magnolia.” I like this version WAAAAY better than Three Dog Night’s cover, which is the best known version.

“Livin’ Thing” – Electric Light Orchestra

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My all-time favorite ELO song. Brilliantly used over the end credits of P.T. Anderson’s 1997 film “Boogie Nights.” The attached video is extremely primitive … kaleidoscope visuals plus a lead singer who barely tries to match his vocals to the original studio track … but extremely cool in my opinion.

First Date “Magnolia” (1999) dir. P.T. Anderson

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This is one of the many moving scenes from P.T. Anderson’s magnificent 1999 film “Magnolia.” This is the first date between John C. Reilly’s decent police officer character Jim and Melora Walters’ troubled Claudia character. This event occurs about 2/3 of the way into the film. Jim is a very good, compassionate man who feels tremendous guilt over losing his gun on the job. Claudia is a promiscuous drug addict trying to blot out an abusive childhood. On the grand scale of things, Jim’s troubles are far less severe than Claudia’s … but somehow, they seem to be meeting at the right time in the right place in their lives. Nobody in their right mind would EVER have a first date like this … but as we all know … if we’re lucky … we know that life is strange. And sometimes fate compels you to act in ways that you otherwise wouldn’t … because you have a strange hunch that the person you happened to just meet and sitting across from could potentially change your life for the better. Granted, a lot of people choose this path and wind up with someone who is a complete disaster. But sometimes it goes the other way, too.

This scene always brings a lump to my throat and is one of the best scenes in a film that I consider one of the best of the 1990s.

“Putney Swope” (1969) dir. Robert Downey

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Robert Downey Jr.’s father Robert Downey Sr. is one of the best and most subversive filmmakers of the last 50 years. “Putney Swope” is considered his masterpiece and it’s an extremely funny (albeit very odd) satire on race relations, the media, and the world of advertising.

When a CEO for a large advertising firm dies from a heart attack, the sole African-American member of the board, Putney Swope (played by Arnold Johnson) gets accidentally elected CEO unanimously by the other board members. This is due to the white board members voting for Swope as a tactic to prevent one of their rivals from getting elected, not realizing that everyone else is doing the same thing. As soon as Swope gets elected, he fires everyone and changes the name of the company to Truth and Soul. The commercials Swope’s new company produces are a huge success, mainly due to their frequent profanity and nudity. However, despite the new changes and Swope’s promises to do things with more honesty and integrity, he turns out to be just as corrupt as his predecessors.

The tone of the film is very bizarre and when you first watch it, it will take a while to get used to it. However, once you do, you’re in for quite a ride. No matter what you hold sacred, this is a film WILL offend you, even though you’ll probably find yourself in hysterics. It’s a film that never fails to make me nearly piss my pants laughing. A subversive comedy masterpiece

P.T. Anderson is a huge Downey Sr. fan, not only hiring Downey for a small, but pivotal role in “Boogie Nights” (the recording studio owner who says “YP” and “MP”), but also naming Don Cheadle’s character “Swope” and having a character randomly throwing firecrackers in the air for no reason.

In this clip, the man in the Arabian headdress is none other than Antonio (Huggy Bear) Fargas.

This clip shows two of Swope’s commercials. The first one is not safe for work due to some brief nudity. The second one features actress Martha Plimpton’s mom (Shelley Plimpton) in a politically incorrect singing duet with her African-American boyfriend, played by 70s pop star Ronnie Dyson (“Why Can’t I Touch You?”).

“He Needs Me” – Shelley Duvall / Harry Nilsson / Jon Brion (from the 1980 film “Popeye” dir. Robert Altman and the 2002 film “Punch-Drunk Love” dir. PT Anderson)

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“He Needs Me” was originally composed for Robert Altman’s 1980 musical version of “Popeye.” The film is hit or miss, but the scene where Duvall’s Olive Oyl sings this lovely song to Robin Williams’s Popeye is definitely the highlight of the film.

Cut to 2002. Altman acolyte and heir P.T. Anderson is putting together “Punch Drunk Love,” his follow-up to the brilliant “Magnolia.” “Punch Drunk Love” is a wonderfully bizarre, disturbing, and moving love story that plays like Sam Peckinpah directing “When Harry Met Sally.” Anderson appropriated “He Needs Me” (with the assistance of his frequent music composer Jon Brion) for a pivotal scene where Adam Sandler (in a rare, but terrific dramatic role) flies to Hawaii to woo Emily Watson’s character. It was a great choice.By the way, if you haven’t seen “Punch Drunk Love,” please do yourself a favor and see it. It’s not your typical love story, but it’s funny, disturbing, and life-affirming all at the same time. The scene where Sandler’s character forcefully confronts the criminal who’s been ruining his one chance at happiness with the line: “I have a love in my life. It makes me stronger than anything you can imagine” always brings a lump to my throat. A great scene from a great film.

3. “Boogie Nights” (1997) dir. P.T. Anderson

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Dave's Strange World

Number 3 on Dave’s Strange World’s all-time favorite films is P.T. Anderson’s magnificent epic film the L.A. porn industry between 1977 and 1984. It still amazes me to think that Anderson was only 27 when he made this film, because it exudes an artistic confidence that is rare in most films, let alone by young filmmakers making their 2nd feature.

“Boogie Nights” combines the delirious rock-n-roll rhythms of Scorsese’s “Goodfellas,” the successful juggling of multiple quirky, memorable characters / storylines (ala Robert Altman), and “Wouldn’t it be really f–kin’ cool if I tried this?” sense of danger / bravado of Tarantino. Like “Goodfellas,” it’s a 2.5 hour film that feels like its half its length. Anderson has gone on to make other brilliant films (“Magnolia,” “Punch Drunk Love,” “There Will be Blood”), but none of them are quite as breathtaking as “Boogie Nights.”

The scene here is the bravura sequence near the end of the film where Mark Wahlberg’s Dirk Diggler character (his success as a porn actor squandered on cocaine addiction), along with his pals (played by John C. Reilly and Thomas Jane) makes a desperate attempt to rip off a drug dealer. The scene is based on the infamous Wonderland murders from 1981 that involved John Holmes. Anderson’s use of 80s pop music in this scene is extraordinary … especially the use of Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian,” which takes on a deeper meaning, because the song is about the loss of innocence and it’s an ironic and sad counterpoint to the characters in this scene, who are long past that stage. The character with the firecrackers was a steal (with permission) from Robert Downey Sr.’s abrasively funny 1969 satire “Putney Swope.”

Because this scene involves substance abuse, graphic violence, and bad language, not safe for work or little ones.

“Wise Up” – From “Magnolia” dir. PT Anderson (1999)

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From PT Anderson’s 1999 film “Magnolia,” the audacious scene where all of the lead characters (who are experiencing incredible emotional trauma) sing along to Aimee Mann’s tremendously emotional song “Wise Up.” A brilliant and artistically ballsy scene and one of the reasons PT Anderson is our generation’s greatest filmmaker.