Gotta be the standard for interconnected storyline, character ensemble pieces. I mean not only how sprawling and legendary the cast is,but how they are used, everyone has some kind of purpose that rounds out this rich piece. That cliche of small parts but no small actors has never rung more true than in this one. (Even Jack Lemon who’s in it for 2 seconds kills it as this pervy dead beat Dad)The montra of Jazz is absolutely fitting for this film. The rhythms, the improvisation, the chaos, the little delicate moments that bring you back to reality. “Short Cuts” you can have a prepared quick and easy plan for what ever bind you find yourself in, but at the end of the day, life is too chaotic and unpredictable that trying to cover something up or let something fester. It can create a ripple effect of a million things going left. 

Where films like “Magnolia” and “Tree of Life” don’t come together for me with this idea of using everyday idiosyncrasies to demonstrate this sense of some higher power, is that they seem have a lack of curiosity and care with the little moments, so when they swing for these big grandiose moments, it feels tacked on. Every moment means everything in this, they congeal in this way that brings every second of the 3 hours you’re soaking in back to perspective. These characters are so in flux that they’re eyes light up when they think “it’s the big one!” Can’t see that the big one is right in front of their face the whole time. 

This film gives me this delicate knots in my stomach feel with the interactions that happen in a similar vain to a film like “To Sleep With Anger” and it turns out this film used the same cinematographer, Walt Lloyd. Altman and Charles Burnett both capture human nature with a truthful hand that feelS simultaneously grounded and heightened. The moments that are often viewed as these big crazy things seem to come and go with a whimper, but the “eh not that big of a deal” moments escalate in a way that’s wayyy to close to reality for comfort, and often these happen in the same sequence. So many specificities that hit and I feel will reveal itself to me as I get older.