Quote :

"A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as "the Master" whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man."

It's based on L. Ron Hubbard and the early years of Scientology (at least to some degree), and stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman as well as Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix. It's P.T. Anderson's first film since There Will Be Blood. Opens in limited release on October 12th.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP7Q4qWa0ek

7/19/2012 9:09:05 PM

looks interesting.

7/19/2012 9:21:28 PM

they gonna get sued

7/19/2012 9:44:08 PM

So so so excited. Can't wait until PTA and PSH are declared fair game.

7/20/2012 1:08:06 AM

when does this come to Raleigh?

so pumped

9/17/2012 5:48:37 PM

Does anyone know (looking in spookyjon's direction) if any theatre in Raleigh is showing this in 65mm?

9/17/2012 5:51:03 PM

70mm? I doubt it. As far as I know, Marbles was the only place that had a 70 projector and they've gone all-digital now.

You couldn't see DKR in 70, you damn sure won't be able to see this in it.

9/17/2012 7:06:31 PM

Quote :

"when does this come to Raleigh? "

Opens Friday at Rialto and Galaxy.

9/17/2012 7:21:19 PM

Dangit. I guess I saw some 70mm footage once in The Dark Knight. I'm guessing the part with aerial footage of the city was some of it.

9/17/2012 8:39:34 PM

I watched it tonight. Excellent acting, Excellent filmography, Excellent everything... except plot. Hope you guys have a better time with it than I did.

Joaquin Phoenix is an excellent actor regardless of how weird he is IRL.

9/21/2012 11:18:13 PM

excellent filmography?

9/22/2012 11:13:36 AM

^that person probably meant cinematography

its a purty movie

9/22/2012 12:40:55 PM

excited about this, going to see it tomorrow

9/22/2012 3:31:46 PM

I really can't see how Joaquin does not sweep every acting award for this performance. Excellent!

9/22/2012 4:25:11 PM

^5x Just curious, what's your beef with the plot?


Started the movie with nine people in the audience ended up with five total...the only way to watch a P.T. Anderson movie.

9/23/2012 3:04:18 AM

the problem* lots of people will have with it is pretty obvious

most people want traditional dramatic structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)

and PT Anderson moves further away from the standard narrative with each picture, The Master being his furthest departure

*obviously someone could have other issues with the picture, too

9/23/2012 5:40:37 AM

^ this

Watching a movie or reading a book without this feels like a waste of time to me. You leave the theater feeling like it was pointless. I have noticed that this is more common with foreign films. I usually avoid them because of this.

9/23/2012 8:44:50 PM

i have one question that needs to be answered when i want to go see a movie

were you entertained for the time that you were in the theater? hell, let's say 80% of the time you were in the theater

9/23/2012 8:49:02 PM

^i suppose i was entertained, but Entertainment isn't my chief concern when it comes to movies/books

understandably, it is for most people and if it is for you, then you're not likely to get much from the experience of seeing The Master much

[Edited on September 24, 2012 at 12:17 AM. Reason : my conception of Entertainment is highlighted by escapism and embracing manipulation]

9/24/2012 12:13:55 AM

This was a pretty clearly structured movie.

Joaquin Phoenix is great. He reminded me of Daniel Day Lewis. But better. That's right.

Every time Phillip Seymour Hoffman shouts I get giddy.

Amy Adams sucks.

Now I want to read a Hubbard Biography.



[Edited on September 24, 2012 at 1:10 AM. Reason : .]

9/24/2012 1:06:42 AM

whatever man, Amy Adams was great

I loved the acting and cinematography in this movie

and it leaves you a lot to think about: what to conclude, of course, isn't set

but that doesn't bother me

Quote :

"I have noticed that this is more common with foreign films. I usually avoid them because of this."

You've been watching the wrong foreign films (for what you like, anyway). At least, there are plenty of foreign films that are far from "pointless" and even have a traditional structure.

[Edited on September 30, 2012 at 1:51 PM. Reason : .]

9/30/2012 1:49:52 PM

I'm not sure what you mean by what to conclude isn't set. I thought it had a pretty final/awesome ending.

Amy Adams just kind of plays Amy Adams.



Did the thought cross anyone else's mind that maybe PSH calling Joaquin in the movie theater was a dream? Wasn't Joaquin sleeping in the theater, woken up by the phone call, weird cut back to him sleeping in the same position as before? Maybe he wasn't sleeping, I forget. Not that that really makes sense. Just was weird editing I guess.

9/30/2012 2:03:43 PM

Saw it last night. Had no idea what it was about going in... this is how I've been seeing movies lately.

The point about traditional narrative structure I think is a big one. That's the toughest part about the movie... it feels like Joaquin Phoenix basically fucking around for a couple hours, dealing with this weird ass dude that reminds you of scientology.

That being said, when I walked out and pulled up the movie in Wikipedia I realized that this was the guy who did There Will Be Blood. That changed my perspective on it, because There Will Be Blood was a weird ass movie so it's not surprising this movie was the same way. Acting was great. I liked Amy Adams' character... you could see she was ambitious, basically pulling the strings.

9/30/2012 2:27:31 PM

Quote :

"Did the thought cross anyone else's mind that maybe PSH calling Joaquin in the movie theater was a dream? "

I thought it was pretty obvious that it was a dream

Quote :

"I'm not sure what you mean by what to conclude isn't set."

I just mean there's a lot that would just make you say 1) PSH knows he's a phony and is cashing in on it, 2) he might be gay 'cause he really wants Joaquin to stay, 3) he's passed on his BS to Joaquin who seems to be the only one who believes in it

but at the end, Joaquin is just on a beach with sandy tits: what is definite about that?

9/30/2012 4:10:10 PM

Joaquin rejecting the offer to stay was pretty final and definite to me.

so he dreams that PSH tells him he is in england and is correct? or does PSH induce the dream with magic powers

9/30/2012 4:30:46 PM

There Will Be Blood had a little bit of structure to it, at least it had a conclusion. The Master just went a bit to far for me.

9/30/2012 8:51:34 PM

How is Joaquin rejecting PSH's offer to stay with him not a conclusion?

9/30/2012 9:15:36 PM

That was just an event that happened in the last 5 mins of the movie. It didn't resolve anything, there was nothing to resolve. I could care less whether he stayed or went the movie would have been the same either way.

9/30/2012 9:36:55 PM

do you think you could be a little more reductive please

9/30/2012 9:55:14 PM

^have you considered that maybe you're being reductive, that maybe it isn't a movie about whether or not a guy decides to follow another guy?

9/30/2012 10:32:26 PM

Quote :

"Amy Adams sucks."

Don't make me cut you.

10/1/2012 12:13:10 AM

^^The decision to not "follow another guy" is a bigger part of the story than you're making it out to be. To me at least. It's absolutely more important than "just an event that happened in the last 5 mins of the movie," which is what I was responding to.

^I mean she's incredibly cute and all but I feel like she's pretty much the same in every movie. "Sucks" was a bit strong I suppose.

I like her in Talladega Nights

[Edited on October 1, 2012 at 12:20 AM. Reason : .]

[Edited on October 1, 2012 at 12:21 AM. Reason : .]

10/1/2012 12:19:39 AM

Quote :

"The decision to not "follow another guy" is a bigger part of the story than you're making it out to be. "

i haven't made that decision out to be anything. my thoughts on the movie are unclear. i meant to challenge your condescension, particularly in light of you not having offered any remotely detailed take on the movie beforehand.

Quote :

"I mean she's incredibly cute and all but I feel like she's pretty much the same in every movie."

have you seen Junebug? i think you'd like it and that's a pretty distinct role she's played.

10/1/2012 12:36:09 AM

Just saying even though on the shallow surface it's a scene about a guy deciding not to follow another guy and an event in the last five minutes of the movie there's more at play than simply that and to me it was a satisfying end to Freddie's journey. I thought it was a more straightforward ending than There Will Be Blood, to be honest.

Haven't seen Junebug.

10/1/2012 1:19:58 AM

i recently took a personality test with the Portland, OR chapter of the Church of Scientology

according to them, i'm in urgent need of attention

they said i'm unstable, depressed, nervous, critical and withdrawn

the couple of people i talked to there said they hadn't seen The Master

one woman claimed she'd known L. Ron Hubbard personally and had met Kelly Preston, but didn't know if John Travolta was gay

i asked about the past life readings Phillip Seymour Hoffman conducts a couple times in the movie; they say it works and they call it Reverie, but there's no hypnosis or trance-like stages involved in the process and i could have a free reading, if i bought a DVD

i declined

10/8/2012 6:52:03 PM

Quote :

"Every time Phillip Seymour Hoffman shouts I get giddy."

glad it's not just me

Quote :

"Amy Adams sucks."

no way.

Quote :

"but at the end, Joaquin is just on a beach with sandy tits: what is definite about that?"

i also thought this was a dream. movie theatre, definite dream. this maybe not as clear...but definitely thought it was a nod to his life before meeting Dodd solidifying his decision to leave him and The Cause. Possibly a stretch. But regardless...I really enjoyed it and very very glad I made the decision to see it today (for more reasons than just enjoying a good movie).



i also thought when John Moore was challenging Dodd in New York, "y'all postin' in a troll thread!" damn you tdub...sneaking in to my movies

[Edited on November 8, 2012 at 4:10 PM. Reason : ]]

11/8/2012 4:10:37 PM

Just saw this, finally. Holy shit, rill rill good.

Quote :

"they said i'm unstable, depressed, nervous, critical and withdrawn"

The craziness of Scientology aside, that's probably true, right?

2/24/2013 11:39:27 PM

Not going to give any opinions on the movie, but the soundtrack by Jonny Greenwood might be one of the best things I've heard in a long time.

2/25/2013 1:21:42 AM

2/26/2013 8:46:39 AM

Thought this was about

2/26/2013 10:05:16 AM

Quote :

"The craziness of Scientology aside, that's probably true, right?"

oftentimes, yeah, which is why i giggled incessantly as the lady recited them and expressed her "deep concern" for me

2/26/2013 4:55:29 PM