"Boogie Nights" and Its Unique 1970s Nostalgia Trip

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    • "Boogie Nights" and Its Unique 1970s Nostalgia Trip

      Just a handful of films under his belt, Paul Thomas Anderson has proven himself as a well-respected and critically acclaimed writer/director with smart scripts that feature outstanding acting ensembles. In 1997, “Boogie Nights” was his breakthrough on the scene that featured a terrific cast that painted a spotlight on the behind-the-scenes of “the golden age of porn” in the 1970s. Like any epic story, “Boogie Nights” recounts the rise and fall of a group of actors and filmmakers in a taboo industry that also pays tribute to the culture of the iconic time period.Mark Wahlberg plays the young naive Eddie Adams, who commutes from film his parents house in Torrance, California to the San Fernando Valley in hopes of making it big. He believes “everyone has one special gift”... his happens to be his large appendage and his love making ability. His bedroom is littered with 70s pop culture nostalgia (posters of “Serpico,” Bruce Lee, and the infamous Farrah Fawcett portrait). Upon breaking into the business, he creates his stage name, Dirk Diggler, a name that “could cut glass.”
      Both Joaquin Phoenix and Leonardo DiCaprio were considered for the role of Diggler before Wahlberg was cast. In fact, DiCaprio would have turned down his star-making performance in “Titanic” if he took this role. Wahlberg, who originally made his name as a white rapper in the early 1990s, may or may not have been the perfect choice for this role. With all due respect, Wahlberg isn’t the greatest actor. Aside from the entertaining role in his Oscar-nominated performance in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed,” Wahlberg’s acting tends to be one-dimensional. However, it should be noted that his character Eddie Adams / Dirk Diggler is suppose to be a nobody who happens to have a body part that proves well in the adult entertainment industry. His character’s ability to act doesn’t fit with mainstream Hollywood roles but finds its place in pornography / B-movie roles. He’s also a young, naive kid who gets in over his head and later gets involved with excess while trying to attach himself to a family that loves him. So perhaps this proved to be the right role for Wahlberg’s acting ability. Early in the film, Adams meets up with director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds in his comeback role) at a Reseda nightclub. Adams is introduced to actresses Rollergirl (Heather Graham) and Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), who serves as a mother figure to Horner’s acting ensemble. Jack has his own vision of creating pornographic films that are more than just people getting it on on-screen. He wants to create stories that will leave the audience in the seats long after they pleasure themselves. Aside from the adult erotica, Jack sees himself as the next Cecile B. DeMille but in reality is your run-of-the-mill B-movie director.