Todd Anderson's "Boogie Nights" is a truly interesting piece of work. Through the naïve eyes of Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg), Anderson paints a sunny, almost wholesome, image of the porn industry, one that's familial and tight-knit, bonded together to give the audience what they want. Over the course of almost three hours, Dirk rises to fame under the tutelage of a decent-hearted porn meister (Reynolds), falls into bad company, sees his "something special" turn against him due to drug addiction, before finding redemption in the family he once forsook. Along the way, Anderson offers his audience a slightly sanitised view of the porn industry and lovingly draws out every character in full detail so that by the time the film is over, you feel as if you've really gotten to know these people and understand they're lives.

This is the stuff of good filmmaking - and Anderson is good.

Mining the 70s for it fashions and sounds, he even throws in a disco scene as an homage to those movies of yore, whilst maintaining tight control over the script - nothing onscreen ever feels gratuitous and exploitative nor excessive. For a film about the porn industry that runs for so long, there's precious little here to offend anyone at all in terms of nudity and sex, and this is a testament to Anderson's integrity to his cast and vision.

Mark Wahlberg performs well in a star-making role; his Dirk is a gentle giant who is slightly slow but eager to please, and Wahlberg ably emotes the character's change over the course of the film. Of the supporting cast, the always reliable Macy delivers yet another stunning near-caricature that is at once hilarious and heart-breaking. Heather Graham made waves with her work in this film, but frankly, she was aided by a script that paints her character in shades of black and white; she was much better in "Swingers". Reynolds won an Oscar nomination for his paternalistic porn king, but he's a little too laid back and comfortable in the role to register much of a presence, really. Most of the hype around him probably arose because he was making a "comeback", and honestly, this is not the calibre of work that deserves awards. On the other hand, Julianne Moore's den mother is a true revelation from this exquisitely talented actress. Fearless and peerless in her choice of roles and performances, Moore SHOULD win the Oscar for her heart-wrenching portrayal of the most realised character in the film - as the fragile heart and soul of "Boogie Nights", she's the best thing in it.

Will "Boogie Nights" be something to remember? At that running time, it is unlikely that cult status would be bestowed on it, and it's a little too alternative for the mainstream (witness its obvious snubbing at the Oscars); however, for those patient and in search of a thoughtful drama, this is pretty good stuff.

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