THE MASTER (2012) P.T. Anderson's film on the origions of Scientology (sort of), Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, and Laura Dern

Long profile:

I point out, Kubrick managed to direct eight features in his first 16 years as a director, whereas he has managed only six. To which a visibly unamused Anderson responds: "Oh, fuck off. It's been no fault of my own!"

http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-09-05/film/paul-thomas-anderson-the-master-s-master/

six is only two less than eight

Worst alternate Chicago song title.

I didn't recognize the cinematographer's name, Mihai Malaimare Jr. He's done all the shiny recent Francis Coppola movies, tho I've still only caught Tetro.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e8/Versions_of_the_Master.png/250px-Versions_of_the_Master.png

In which Anthony Lane throws up his hands.

This is probably the most excited I have ever been for a film.* Haven't watched any of the footage releases since the trailer.

* I recall being pretty stoked for Pokémon: The First Movie

I wouldn't expect to like this, even tho There Will Be Milkshake was the first PTA film I SORTA dug since Hard Eight.

Crtitical roundup (Edelstein's description of Phoenix's performance is a howl):

http://www.fandor.com/blog/daily-venice-toronto-2012-ptas-the-master

Nick Pinkerton not real impressed, but sees George Stevens in its DNA:

http://blog.sundancenow.com/uncategorized/bombast-58

LOL, yeah, I can't put my finger on it, but I've been thinking Kubrick is definitely not the first precedent for whatever phase PTA's in now.

Did Anthony Lane pull his 'I question anyone who claims they could make head or tails of this' thing?

a lot of people have been saying that in fairness

well, A Place in the Sun is a pretty good movie, at least the one time I checked. xpStevens

I also neglected to think of the themes in connection w/ the pederast cult the Phoenix kids were raised in.

pretty big rave in the NYT today

http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/09/14/movies/review-the-master-from-paul-thomas-anderson.html

i rarely have felt more out of touch with the critical consensus.

re PTA i mean

tell us more!

it's been discussed extensively elsewhere on ILX

I won't skim more than the first couple of paragraphs of any of these reviews till I've seen the film, but another negative one from David Thomson:

http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/magazine/107217/there-will-be-dud

it's been discussed extensively elsewhere on ILX

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Friday, September 14, 2012 12:46 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

:*( feel like you're withholding

i'm with am, 'boogie nights' is easily among the most irritating movies i've ever seen.

i don't love boogie nights but i loved twbb and the master.

i guess i just don't want to bug people by re-posting the same stuff. i think it's in this thread or more likely the TWBB one.

i don't like any of his films btw.

Maybe you'll like this one, Mr. Cranky.

how can someone not like boogie nights, its the best film

otm

I think my PTA ranking would go twbb > BN >>> hard eight >>> PDL >>>> magnolia

BN's derivativeness used to annoy me more but it's just entertaining as fuck. Magnolia's derivativeness bugged me a little more and I didn't feel its tone or the emotions it was going for at all.

i mean despite it being kind of a goodfellas rip but that's so forgivable

lol xp

i guess i can better enjoy the films he made before he really started putting on visionary airs. and i admire stuff in all of his films. but i strongly dislike magnolia and TWBB.

Soooooo this film has a gay character doing the I'm-hitting-on-a-straight-dude-then-crying thing again? For the third time? Confirm Y/N

Stupid

Stupid stupid

:-\

Soooooo this film has a gay character doing the I'm-hitting-on-a-straight-dude-then-crying thing again? For the third time? Confirm Y/N

let's push a theory that this scene in every PTA film has been the key to his cultural cache, that he's articulating something about straight dudes that they all know and feel relieved to see onscreen

Dude's doin' something right when a bunch of people think his stuff is stupendous and a bunch of other people think his stuff is stupendously awful. Positive critical consensus is the mark of straight garbage, 8 times out of 10.

Stupid

― omar little, Friday, September 14, 2012 10:08 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Stupid stupid

― omar little, Friday, September 14, 2012 10:09 PM (21 minutes ago) Bookmark

psh is so perfect in that scene

Dude's doin' something right when a bunch of people think his stuff is stupendous and a bunch of other people think his stuff is stupendously awful. Positive critical consensus is the mark of straight garbage, 8 times out of 10.

― Old Lunch, Friday, September 14, 2012 9:29 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

nonsense. consensus, division, none of those critical trends have anything to do with the quality of a film. there are controversial films that are horrid, consensus masterpieces that are indeed masterpieces, and generally despised films that are excellent. just as there are polarizing films that are magnificent, consensus masterpieces that are surprisingly unimpressive, and much-hated films that are best left alone. i could name examples in all six categories, but we'd just get bogged down in person opinions--i'm sure you could name six, too, if you tried, even if they would not be the same six (which is the point!).

frankly to argue that critical trends are a real predictor of a film's quality is just abdicating your own taste and judgment. it's insipid.

It don't bug me a bit-- it bugs a couple friends for sure-- but it is funny, I mean, I know a lot a lot a lot of gay people and usually the scene is straight people hitting on a gay dude and then crying when it's over

how clever of pta to invert the norm

i love this guy btw i'm just talking

I need to avoid this thread for 10 days or so…

anybody know what the release platform is gonna be for this? i'm near philly and don't see it playing around there at least for the next week or so.

you either do it for a billion years or you don't do it at all

not here till the 21st either

guess i'm off this thread for a week too

are his movies really considered "stupendously awful" by more than a few high-brow critics/writers (this is at 90 @ metacritic btw)

A'ight, I was being a little overly-provocative upthread. All I really meant is that he's not a people-pleasing director following an obvious template, so it's unsurprising when his films are divisive (and that directors who follow a "surefire critical acclaim" template often churn out trash that doesn't stand the test of time). TBRR, though, ILX is the only place that I've ever encountered people who actively dislike his work.

ILX is the only place that i've encountered people who actively dislike x

Hard Eight > Boogie Nights >>>>>>>>>>>>> TWBB

The other two reek.