Boogie Nights
“I am a star. I am a big, bright, shining star.” So ends Boogie Nights, PTA’s colorful, explosive second feature, with pornstar Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) hyping himself up in a mirror before a shoot. That brashness and nervous energy defines both film and director, as PTA shifts from the relatively small-scale production of Hard Eight to the much more expansive setting of the porn industry of the 1970s and 80s San Fernando Valley. Dirk’s self-affirming proclamation may as well be a statement of intent for the director in releasing his proper introduction to the world.
Along with chronicling the rise, fall, and potential redemption of the young Dirk, Boogie Nights also traces the shift from analog to digital media and cements PTA’s enduring thematic interest in found families. He draws on his love of Robert Altman’s films to assemble a cast of characters as dynamic as they are broken, and a propulsive energy drives the film with the drug-fueled chaos of their lives occasionally collapsing into moments of despair, delusion, and, in the best moments, self-awareness.
Progress Note: This film is not yet annotated.
"This is something you do for a billion years or not at all."












































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































