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Rating of
3.5/4
PSH is The Master!
Leslie - wrote on 02/09/2014
What I felt this film captured best, was how an extremely charismatic person can construct a family oriented environment, and attract people who are looking to fill a familial void. Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is the consummate patriarch and champion of “The Cause,” seducing Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) with his philosophical teachings. Lancaster is a father, brother, and messiah to Freddie, a wandering WWII Veteran with no wife or children.
As part of the movement, Freddie can marry and have a family of his own. With the promise of a new life, Freddie is totally devoted to Lancaster. But even this is not enough to placate the angst that Freddie constantly endures over his past lover Doris Solstad (Madisen Beaty), and a restless spirit he’s inherited from …
Rating of
4/4
A MASTERful work of art.
memento_mori - wrote on 08/31/2013
A very enigmatic film, most people don't know how to feel about The Master. I am a huge PTA fan myself, and films such as Magnolia and There Will Be Blood have greatly inspired and influenced me.
The Master took me totally by surprise. This is a gorgeous, poetic and serene film, that has been completely overlooked by the Academy.
Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman were robbed of Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor this year. Two awe-inspiring performances; these two men talking in a scene felt like magic.
Paul Thomas Anderson's direction is mesmerizing. There is not a single shot or frame in this film that seems out of place, it is crafted and polished to perfection, possibly the best looking movie of 2012 (yes, surpassing The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises).
The …
Rating of
4/4
The Master is Brilliant
Looneymanthegreat - wrote on 03/06/2013
The Master is my favorite film of 2012 (Beasts of the Southern wild comes in at a close second,) so there you go. I’m personally really sad that this movie hasn’t got that much recognition. It got a lot of hype as an Oscar contender when it was first released, but was soon forgotten, why? Why did everyone forget about this brilliant film? I personally loved it.
The movie is about a disturbed man who falls in with a religious cult and his relationship with the leader of said cult. I’m a huge Paul Thomas Anderson fan, and honestly think that he’s the best filmmaker working today, and while the master isn’t his best it’s one of his better films.
The acting is wonderful, that goes without saying, but the film itself is haunting, it lingers on the mind. The way The …
Rating of
3.5/4
The Master review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 03/01/2013
A provocative, well acted/directed drama that is believable in all aspects of film-making, which isn't for everybody. "Maybe this isn't your only life?" A lines from one of the leads in the end which almost capsulizes the picture's premise. The director is just a load of talent, not only in directing but bringing out the best in his artists. Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), an alcoholic sex crazed former World War 2 soldier who becomes a photographer, meets Lancaster (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in a ship going to New York. Peggy (Amy Adams) gets married and gets to know Freddie, who manages to make a unique drink. John More is a skeptic of Lancaster and is dealt with by the loyal temperamental Freddie.
The screenplay is one of the best of the year, even for the writer/director …
Rating of
3.5/4
Review: The Master
MikePA - wrote on 02/08/2013
Enter The Master, P.T. Anderson's latest work of art that achieves great lengths at leaving you polarized and scratching your head. It's a movie that demands multiple viewings. I, myself, want to watch it again so I can pick up on stuff that were left down. There's the obvious elements put here on display that are admirable - the writing, the performances, the cinematography - but there's a core to this film that's difficult to find. Some people will find greatness in the film, while others will be bored out of their minds. I was engrossed from start to finish, and never once did the two-and-a-quarter hour runtime drag.
Every single sequence in the movie is crafted beautifully. From the performances to the writing, there's nothing that will force you to take your eyes off the …
Rating of
2.5/4
A work of art to be admired not loved
smeagol - wrote on 02/04/2013
jaquin phoenix is amazing in this film really awesome acting that you watch and think WOW. hope he gets a osca or similar as he deserves it 100%. The actual movie while very interesting to watch for the acting and to see where it will lead. but it ends up not really going anywhere then ends making you wonder what it was about.
some of the editing and direction isnt wonderful it gives you brief moments of main events then flits back to something else just when,you think things might be getting interesting , it suggests a lot but never really delivers. its a good movie just not a great one.
its not a movie for entertainment value or popcorn fun but more of a work of art to be admired not loved.for its interesting story and brilliant acting by phoenix.
Rating of
2.5/4
Master & Madness
Chris Kavan - wrote on 10/09/2012
Paul Thomas Anderson has impressed me in the past - There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Boogie Nights are all outstanding films in their own right. The Master contains many of the good qualities of those films: stunning cinematography, compelling characters and great use of music (both score and songs selected). However, the films stumbles, for me, when it comes to the story. Is this a shot against Scientology? PTSD? Insanity? All the above? All I can say is that if the story was as compelling as the acting, I would have rated it higher.
What we do have is some fascinating characters: Joaquin Phoenix is about as crazy a character I've seen put on screen. Take part Jack Nicholson from One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, mix with part Dennis Hopper from Blue Velvet and in a liberal dose of …
