The Master

[baumer]

Discuss

[Travod]

Hm...

The first 20 minutes is all about Joaquin Phoenix and it's very hard to sit through. Imagine if all of Sean Penn's scenes in The Tree of Life were in the beginning of the movie. You certainly come to hate him, and I believe it was fishnets who said he's unlike "bad" characters like the Joker and the guy from TWBB who both had a certain charisma - I agree. You really hate him and honestly in the future if there's a movie with Phoenix in it on in the future, I'm probably going to skip it.

He gets very annoying. He laughs for no reason and then he'll curse the heavens and he has this Stallone like lip thing and he puts his hands at his hips (on the way out I saw people making fun of it, rightfully so). The scene with the wall and the window just, ugh.

PSH is good, though only in a select few scenes, like one where he has an argument with a non "Cause" person. And Amy Adams has one nice scene. No one else is worth mentioning.

About the 70mm - maybe I'm not as keen on these kind of things as I thought I was, but it brings almost nothing. The only scenes I thought looked better than regular movies were whenever they showed water and some - some - closeups of people's faces, which show up as often as random scenes looking up at the sky do in TOL.

The music wasn't special except for one song that is in the same sound as the one that plays when the oil thing explodes and he's running to his kid with all the weird drums and stuff.

I feel like the theme or message of the movie is applicable to all religions - people seem to be brainwashed into believing these things. There's a great little scene near the end that shows this, when you see the movie, you'll probably spot it.

Yea. It was very crowded and some people clapped at the end, but it sounded more like the clap you do when you feel you're obligated to clap. And then it was weird because during the credits, in which nothing happens, no one got up to leave so my friend and I were just stuck sitting there as everyone stared forward like robots.

IDK. I had no expectations going in. I'm probably going to give it a 6 on IMDb.

Edited September 16, 2012 by Travod Unchained

[RichWS]

Absolutely brilliant. The 70mm just popped and the acting was extraordinary. Going again next week.

[Webslinger]

With The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson has crafted something that fits in perfectly with the rest of his extremely impressive filmography: brilliantly acted, gorgeously shot, and so deeply thematic and artistically inclined that it's bound to fall under the designation of "not for everyone." But for viewers who are already on board with Anderson's style, it's another must-see, as it is as fiercely compelling and stimulating as his previous work. When the subject matter was first announced, I worried that Anderson might fall into the trap of covering the same ground as the religiously-focused sections in There Will Be Blood. However, while the film is interested in the dark potential hidden within religious cults (and the parallels with Scientology aren't subtle), it seems to use the cult as a lens through which it can examine the even broader theme of the strong manipulating the weak; while the former do it under the guise of helping the latter, their good intentions ultimately cannot stop the weak from becoming weaker, and find themselves weakened in the process. Given the inherent challenge in playing a passive, empty protagonist, Joaquin Phoenix does a marvelous job. Moments where the audience can latch onto Phoenix's character are few and come mostly - if not entirely - in flashbacks, yet he approaches the role with such conviction that it's tough to look away when he's onscreen. Phoenix appears to believe in this character all the way, and does not shy away from any of the myriad unsympathetic qualities he possesses. He's broken, he's angry, he has channeled his lack of satisfaction with his life into alcohol and casual sex, and he is so deprived of positive interpersonal contact that it becomes easy to see where he could be the target of a master manipulator. Filling the role of that master manipulator, Philip Seymour Hoffman turns in another terrific performance. Hoffman is commanding when interacting with large groups of his character's followers, but human and seemingly compassionate enough around Phoenix to sell the idea that he could hold sway over him. And while Amy Adams gets less screen time than I expected, she makes the most of her limited time with a performance that successfully defies audience expectations and serves as a further reminder of her range. There's so much to unpack within The Master that a paragraph - or even quite a few paragraphs - isn't enough to do justice to how much it leaves the audience to ponder. Like Anderson's other work, it's a difficult film that demands the attention and careful thought of its audience; and like those other films, it's one that can greatly reward the viewers who engage themselves with it. One of the best movies of the year to date.

A

[riczhang]

Hm...

The first 20 minutes is all about Joaquin Phoenix and it's very hard to sit through. Imagine if all of Sean Penn's scenes in The Tree of Life were in the beginning of the movie. You certainly come to hate him, and I believe it was fishnets who said he's unlike "bad" characters like the Joker and the guy from TWBB who both had a certain charisma - I agree. You really hate him and honestly in the future if there's a movie with Phoenix in it on in the future, I'm probably going to skip it.

He gets very annoying. He laughs for no reason and then he'll curse the heavens and he has this Stallone like lip thing and he puts his hands at his hips (on the way out I saw people making fun of it, rightfully so). The scene with the wall and the window just, ugh.

And that's why his performance, and the movie is so brilliant. He makes you want to hate him, it's practically genius.

[acsc1312]

What can I say that Webslinger didn't already? The thing I love about PTA's films is that it's easy to just get sucked in and EXPERIENCE them. That's the best word I can use. Every film of his demands your attention. I'll start with the technical points. Cinematography is absolutely beautiful. From the opening shot, your eyes just feast on what's on the screen. The colors just pop out at you during most of the film. Direction is perfect, score is like a character itself, and acting is, of course, phenomenal. Now to delve into the story a bit.From the opening scene, we get a glimpse of Freddie Quell, a seemingly mentally battered individual as a product of WWII. He doesn't quite fit in with others in his company. He's a bit different. We jump to his life after the war, which is filled with meaningless jobs which mostly just provide him a way to pick up girls and drink while he's working. His inability to lead a normal life is shown here through his battles with customers for no apparent reason. This all leads up to the ultimate meeting of the Master, and his organization, if you will. "Master" Dodd is played so subtly and perfectly by Hoffman. We're used to seeing his strong, even perhaps over the top performances, but here it's the subtlety which commands the screen. He's an individual who must constantly defend his point of view, which is not an easy job. This ultimately comes to focus during a meeting where an individual questions him about his views. This is the moment where we really see just how much this means to Dodd. It's one of the few moments where he'll raise his voice to defend himself.The relationship between Dodd and Quell is interesting, to say the least. We don't quite know why exactly Dodd allows Quell to stay with the organization. There is a very important scene where Dodd first 'interviews' Freddie to get a glimpse of his life. Here we see Freddie's struggles come to light. There's a reason why he's like this, but what is it exactly? This scene is a masterclass in acting. Phoenix and Hoffman play off each other so well that there's almost no way you can't be captivated. There wasn't a sound in my theater (until the comic moment about half way through). A brief comment about Adams' performance. She's definitely a supporting character, but you are almost anticipating her views during the film. She serves as Dodd's support, but at the same time we see that she has a bit of her on views, as we see in a certain bathroom scene. Needless to say, this is another home run from PTA. I don't necessarily agree with reviewers saying you need a second viewing to understand it. It's pretty self explanatory. You might just want to see it again because of how beautiful it all came together.A/A+ Probably equal to TWBB with about a 9.5-9.7/10P.s. Am I the only one who thought there was a PTA cameo in the first few minutes. That one guy really looked like him.

[fishstick]

Can you elabore on Phoenix chances of winning? I know he`s locked for a nom but many feel that despite brillance AMPAS may be turned off by his unlikable and weird character. I`m in the Anyone But DDL - Die Lincoln Die! Club.

[acsc1312]

IMO, there should be no way he doesn't win. Unlikable or not, his performance is just so great. This is the performance of his career. It also helps that he's overdue from Gladiator and Walk the Line. I'd say his performance is the best I've seen since probably DDL in TWBB, oddly enough. AMPAS would be stupid not to give it to him.

[fishstick]

Thank you so much! First reactions to Lincoln are that it`s boring talkfest. Just as I expected. So maybe the movie doesn`t get enough love for DDL to win his third. Also, maybe people get put off by Lincoln voice. So go Joaquin! he`s just so great he cna afford a stunt like I`m Still Here and remain relevant. One of the ebst actors of his generation.

[Ezen Baklattan]

I...don't know what to say. The movie was incredibly well made. The performances were brilliant. The themes were compelling. For some reason, I was just....dissapointed in this.

[FTF]

I...don't know what to say. The movie was incredibly well made. The performances were brilliant. The themes were compelling. For some reason, I was just....dissapointed in this.

I think this will be a very common feeling among many (especially everyday moviegoers who catch it based on wom/buzz about the performances by jp and psh), as I saw it last night and it's definitely PTA's least accessible and most polarizing film. I plan on catching it again very soon (perhaps tonight or tomorrow) and will then post my many thoughts and review.

[Ezen Baklattan]

My insanely high expectations may have had something to do with this. I'll probably need time to let it sit before I can actually give it a grade.

[Gopher]

I had insanely high expectations too. This exceeded them.

I feel like the theme or message of the movie is applicable to all religions - people seem to be brainwashed into believing these things.

Dig deeper. The Master is about scientology as much as The Social Network is about Facebook, in that there are much more interesting things going on here than religion.

[AniNate]

Terrific cinematography and production design -- made me think this was a film made during its time period that was banned for being too scandalous -- but that's about where my praise of this movie ends. I was given no reason to take interest in Quill's plight and it disappointed me that the much more interesting character (Seymour Hoffman) was only brought in to advance Quill's story.

C+

[Gopher]

I was given no reason to take interest in Quill's plight

Must've been a rough two and a half hours, then.

[acsc1312]

I was surprised at how involved in the story I was. I had really high expectations. Didn't expect it to reach TWBB levels (which is second on my PTA list), but it really did meet it. I was so into it that I didn't feel like I was watching it. It was like I was living it. If you had told me before I saw it exactly what the film was about I'd probably say I'd like it, but not love it. PTA has such a skill that he could film a spider weaving a web for 2.5 hours and I'd love it. He's a genius writer and director. This may not be his most accessible film for general audiences, but it felt just right for me.

[Gopher]

http://cigsandredvines.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-master-deleted-scenes.htmlA LOT of stuff from the clips and trailers released isn't in the movie, including the picture in my sig. Some of it is just alternate takes of stuff, like the jail scene and the inkblot test. Apparently PTA does this all the time. Hard to say if these scenes would have made the movie better or not- there's some equally weird and dazzling material in the actual film- but it's incredible how much PTA shot for this project.

[riczhang]

I was surprised at how involved in the story I was. I had really high expectations. Didn't expect it to reach TWBB levels (which is second on my PTA list), but it really did meet it. I was so into it that I didn't feel like I was watching it. It was like I was living it. If you had told me before I saw it exactly what the film was about I'd probably say I'd like it, but not love it. PTA has such a skill that he could film a spider weaving a web for 2.5 hours and I'd love it. He's a genius writer and director. This may not be his most accessible film for general audiences, but it felt just right for me.

I honestly think it fell far short of TWBB. TWBB is a high, high, high 10, that's bordering on an 11, and The Master is a low 10. In fact The Master isn't even the best film of the year.

[Webslinger]

When it comes to PTA's filmography, I'd rank Boogie Nights and Magnolia slightly ahead of There Will Be Blood and The Master simply because they make for easier watching (even though Magnolia stretches that quality near its breaking point during its last hour with two of the most sublimely bizarre storytelling decisions you'll ever see). But Blood and Master are still rich, incredibly compelling films that take intriguing risks and succeed marvelously.One of the many aspects of The Master I found impressive was how Anderson was able to keep my attention with a passive and almost entirely unsympathetic character as the lead. At least with There Will Be Blood, he spent a great deal of time humanizing Daniel Plainview before he became repulsively antisocial. We don't get that with Freddie Quell (or at least not much of it; the scene where he goes back to see his young girlfriend only to get his heart broken is the only significant example I can think of off the top of my head), and I think that made him all the more interesting to watch. Here's a man who has hit what for many others would be rock bottom, and yet it still doesn't seem like he's quite discovered his personal bottom yet. And rather than becoming inspired by a supposed savior figure in Dodd, he arguably only gets worse by the end; he's still an aimless alcoholic who will sleep with anything in a skirt to alleviate his pain, but now he has a new brand of crazy to unleash upon them (as he does in the final scene when he's asking the processing questions).

[mattmav45]

I'll post my initial thoughts for now, as I will definitely need more time before I can give it a grade.It's impeccably well-made, everything looks fantastic and you have two powerhouse performances front and center. And yet, there is the problem. Two great performances, but no real reason to care about them. The fact that Freddie Quell is unlikeable is not an issue. In fact, some of the more fascinating film characters have been unlikeable people in general. The problem is that not only is Freddie Quell an unlikeable character, but the film doesn't give you much reason to really care about him. Being an unlikeable character and having no reason to care about a character are two distinct things. My opinion, of course. Another problem I had with his character is that there's no real growth or character arc. He's basically the same man he was at the beginning of the movie. It seemed like a movie of some pretty interesting ideas and meditations that would have been infinitely more interesting if it had given me the opportunity to get invested and care about the main characters. I can see how others may differ from my viewpoint, but at the moment I'll say it's a good movie, but nonetheless, a definite disappointment. I'll have to give it more time.