8. Magnolia
Paul Thomas Anderson's epic Magnolia is one of those incredible polarising films that managed to simultaneously earn both critical adoration and backlash upon release. Some admired its ambition; others claimed it overreached. Some loved its plethora of colourful characters; others found it overstuffed. But the key issue that divided critics was an astonishing event that comes from absolutely nowhere towards the end of the film. Some claimed to be enchanted by it; others felt cheated. Everyone agreed it was bewildering. Featuring a juicy selection of star-studded stories in Los Angeles, Magnolia actually goes nuts twice. Before the much-discussed scene where objects tumble from the clear night sky, the film takes a separate bizarre detour by abruptly breaking into song. Each of Paul Thomas Anderson's characters find themselves in desperate positions, and suddenly the film drifts past every one of them singing Aimee Mann's "Wise Up". It' s not a scene you'll forget in a hurry, but it's merely a digressive warm-up for the film's enormously wacky conclusion.