The Master is Paul Thomas Anderson's upcoming movie, and one that's been pretty much kept under wraps. It's long believed to be his take on Scientology, which also helps explain why it's been "under wraps."
It's got Philip Seymour Hoffman as a guy who creates a religious system in post-WW2 America. Amy Adams is in. And so is Joaquin. In fact, you can watch a clip of Joaquin here.
Wow. I can't think of the last time I saw a trailer that good.
The NYT had an interesting article about the production. I can't imagine that the Scientology folks will let it go unopposed, but perhaps that will just add to the publicity effort.
Hate him if you must, but damn if Joaquin can't act. I get no Scientology flavor from the trailer but I'm all for anything that sticks it to the fucks.
Why the fuck would people hate him, he's an incredible actor. Okay, I know the whole rap thing spoof was enough to piss people off, but other than that? Can't wait to see this movie, I wonder if it will really reveal anything about Scientology and the hold it supposedly has on Hollywood.Originally Posted by Houngan
There's something about this trailer I'm not sure about. I think it will be great though. But something is just...a bit off somehow.
Phoenix looks a bit odd in this trailer; strangely aged where you know he shouldn't look that way.
Not sure what Scientology can do about it, because apparently it's not mentioned by name (nor are any of the names). And I suppose the religion is faith-based (according to IMDB), which Scientology kinda... isn't. The timeframe is roughly the same (LRH came up with the idea in the 40s, in the Navy, while serving in the rear echelon and becoming hospitalized, probably also where his hatred for psychology developed), however.
--- Alan
Don't you swear at me.
Looks very compelling. I love how ambiguous and expressive it is. The pairing of Phoenix with Hoffman really is intriguing, let's hope it doesn't end up a dud like Daniel Day Lewis with Paul Dano in his last movie.
What.
I just don't think Paul Dano could compete and that dragged the whole film down for me. Watch his older work and see how well he handled larger than life ensemble casts.
Just for the historical record... you called There Will be Blood a dud?
Was he drinking the oil coming out of the torpedo? Ah, he was.
I suspected the torps must be using some kind of alcohol for fuel, but man, that's naaaaaasty.
According to that wiki he'd be getting violent shits or blindness drinking that without distilling first.
Probably explains why he doesn't remember what happened on the way back.
*sometimes*
Heh. Maybe he was one of the "lucky" few.
I actually quite liked the movie, to an extent.
I just found the interaction between Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano disappointingly uneven. Scenes that required any chemistry between them ended up feeling forced and uninteresting. In other words, their relationship had about as much spark as the proverbial 'dud' (despite Day Lewis' fine performance.)
Paul Dano, I felt, was just way out of his depth. And seeing that an important aspect of the movie was this epic clash of personalities, I found that that unevenness greatly undermined the impact of the movie.
But then again, who am I to judge? The film's still head and shoulders above a great deal many other films, it's just that this is a Paul Thomas Anderson joint and I kind of 'judged' it on that level.
'I know fucking karate' - Dirk Diggler
That's interesting, I saw their relationship more about the weakness of Dano's character, the flimsy, slimy falseness. I don't want to say Lewis was stronger morally, because that's certainly not the point the film is making, but I found Dano electric in his almost pathological sycophancy.
Sure that's perfectly fine, you take whatever you want away from the film. I thought Dano's performance was fine and I'd normally leave it at that, but my little peeve stems more from the fact that in the end it just couldn't match up to Lewis' performance.
The Assassination of Jesse James however really nails this.
I agree that Casey Affleck's performance feels stronger, though I think a large part of that is the fact that Assass of JJ is primarily about Affleck's character, TWBB isn't about Dano's.
Point taken, but Brad Pitt's performance is no throwaway either, something I wouldn't necessarily say about Paul Dano's performance... (Man I can't believe how mean I'm being to Paul Dano!)
I dunno, he's pretty bad in Little Miss Sunshine!
I am sold on the second trailer. Looks fantastic.
Both those trailers are amazing.
Based on the title and the subject matter, I was initially hoping that this movie was based on Charles Portis's incredible novel, Masters of Atlantis. Masters of Atlantis is also the story of a returning vet who attempts to found a religion/secret society based on the lost writings of Atlantis. His first adherent is an Englishman who ambitions for the society put the two of them at odds. I would love to see an Anderson version of this book starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman but the more details that dribble out the more it sounds like Hubbard and Scientology were the inspiration.
Either way, this looks great and I can't wait to see it.
Similarities here are not too subtle, really.
I... can't get over how good Joaquin Phoenix is. I've never seen him in anything before. He's.. stunning. It's amazing. I might have a new favourite actor.
I couldn't resist since these trailers are heavy on mood/performance and light on story/spoilers, but now I'm done watching previews for this movie. Looks amazing. I wish he could make four films a year.
He's a fantastic actor and this looks very, very interesting - even if I'm no big fan of PTA (or TWBB).
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