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

good on you

I love this movie so much I'm afraid a second viewing may expose flaws

The Master, Inherent Vice, Phantom Thread -- a helluva stretch!

for real. I think I'm gonna rewatch Phantom Thread next

my second viewing--just my take--made it seem even better

didn't like Inherent Vice or Phantom Thread, my "helluva stretch" is Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, and The Master

You're picking up the tab tonight, honey.

love the master and phantom thread ive watched inherent vice a few times now or at least tried to and it has a lot going for it, yelling about pancakes etc, but it just never comes together for me like in a basic way it doesnt hold my attention, i know its supposed to be a loosey goosey scene but its just too vibes reliant, afterwards im like what happened there who knows, i question the wisdom of adapting pynchon not really a writer that makes you think "this should be a movie", tho if you had to maybe an animated film would be better

well put. it's the least of the three Alfred mentioned, and it really is all about the marshmellow pizza vibes. and yes Pynchon writes some lovely sentences but at the end of the day his characters are way too cartoonish to have an impact on the reader

my "helluva stretch" is Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, and The Master

― from a prominent family of bassoon players (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, March 6, 2024 11:41 AM (thirty-seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

gotta say this is a pretty fucked up opinion not the least of which because those werent released consecutively

i question the wisdom of adapting pynchon not really a writer that makes you think "this should be a movie"

― lag∞n, Wednesday, March 6, 2024 11:52 AM (twenty-nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

btw lol his next film 2025 VINELAND

I haven't killed babies since enduring PDL all those years ago but if I watch it again no one will stop me, not even me.

while i recognize pdl isnt his best film i do think its funny, the one i actively dislike is magnolia, grandiose and stupid with a ton of begging ass 90s bs, trying to get that tarantino dough

phantom thread > the master > TWBB > the rest

you gotta put boogie nights in there baby

Phantom Thread gets more mischievous with each viewing (I can see this happening with Haynes' May December). It tops my list.

idk which i like best of "the big four" theyre all good in their own ways

punch drunk love is awesome, I'm allowed to have my own "Dirty Work is the Rolling Stones' Best Album" opinion, alf.

John C Reilly losing his gun makes Magnolia top tier for me

https://i.imgur.com/zXaRQkZ.png

Lloyd George looks like the most chill of the Big Four imo

I'm allowed to have my own "Dirty Work is the Rolling Stones' Best Album" opinion, alf.

lol fair

though Dirty Work is certainly not the Stones' best.

no way gotta go clemenceau he looks like a walrus dressed up in a suit, who doesnt love that xp

inherent vice and licorice pizza are my top two, you guys are all squares imo
jk

i love master & phantom thread too and boogie nights etc etc

omg forgot about licorice pizza, another winner

he's on quite a roll

As much as I like The Master, I rate it lower than his more recent efforts mainly because I felt he didn't want to lean on the Scientology (and delve into what it is to be a leader or subject of a cult) aspect too much and the film becomes this battle of wills between the two actors with a lot of scenery chewing big acting. Which is fine, it's a good movie just doesn't hit me as hard as his other ones.

think i've watched this movie twice, in theaters, in 70mm, and barely remember anything about it. other than the guy would make this awesome cocktail. looked really good. put a kick in your day. i dream about being able to drink something like that.

Do you have access to torpedo fuel?

that got me doing a little googlin' and so i came across this delightful sentence:

Well that's an excellent question because we see people accidentally swallowing gasoline all the time, I mean it's a daily occurrence here in Utah and the important thing to know is that if you swallow gasoline and it goes down to your stomach, it's really not that big of a deal, other than you're going to be burping gasoline for about 24 hours, that's not real tasty, but it will keep going, it's not absorbed very well in your gut.

what are people doing in utah? siphoning gasoline, it turns out

just utah stuff

Loved this movie, I see it sometimes described as a buddy movie and I guess it sorta is

Utah has restrictive alcohol laws so if you find yourself with a hangover on Sunday morning, unleaded 87 might be the only buzz in town

Utah State Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUA9FUTieKA

at its heart it's the "me and my bro goofing around" movie

― mh, Wednesday, April 1, 2020 10:00 AM (three years ago) bookmarkflaglink

I liked their relationship, just two guys who want to have adventures surrounded by a band of joyless pedants.

― lag∞n, Monday, October 1, 2012 6:23 AM (eleven years ago)

Laura Dern does some of the best acting that has ever been done in the one little scene where she quizzes PSH about the nonsense and he yells "what do you want from me, Helen!?" at her, and she turns away shattered

I saw this in the theatre with my mom. She’s really into salacious Scientology scandals and isn’t super into “high brow” film. Her paraphrased review: “I didn’t know it was just going to be about.. two guys being guys”

she gets it

I think it worked better as a metaphor for Scientology.. that way they can't complain about little errors in the details

And PSH's character was sympathetic at times, whereas Hubbard was a deluded pervert monster

Reading a really interesting book on the Sullivanians, a cult-like commune out of New York from the '60s right through to the '90s.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374600396/thesullivanians

They're not mentioned in this thread. Anyone who knows the origins of PTA's film better than I do, is there any connection there?