The movie being reviewed is "The Master" written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The worldwide release date was September 21, 2012.
I'd like to start this out by saying this film is without-a- doubt filled with the best acting performances I have seen so far this year. The character Freddy Quell is portrayed by actor Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix has been on a hiatus from acting for about 4 years and now and has returned with one of, if not his best, performance. Freddy Quell is a United States Navy veteran who has returned home after winning World War II and trying to adapt back into society and ends up getting sucked into a religious cult. Early on in the film we notice that Freddy is not particularly "normal" and there is definitely something wrong with him. Phoenix is able to capture the audience and make them full aware of this by the way he moves, speaks, his facial expressions, and his overall personality. Phoenix truly becomes a 1950s war veteran in The Master and with his astonishing acting you are able to understand the character Freddy and come up with some conclusions about the type of person he is. Another great acting performance is that of Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, an intelligent, egotistical, and semi-psychotic leader. We as the audience know and believe Lancaster has all of these traits not just because of the script, but because of how Hoffman presents himself as Lancaster. He takes on this role and shows to the audience the type of man Lancaster was set to be and we believe it. Lastly, Lancaster's wife, Peggy, is Amy Adams. Peggy is a clear and obvious example of Lancaster's work of bringing people into his teachings. Amy Adams shows us how dear Peggy finds the teachings and how much she respects and believes them.
I am a huge fan of Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA) and was extremely excited to finally see a movie of his in theaters. I consider PTA to have a very unique and interesting way of directing and writing which is very consistent and enticing in all of his works. He likes the use of music, and what is great is the music is always very different from what you normally hear in movies, it has no lyrics, it gets very loud at parts, and it puts a somewhat of a weird feel over the scene. I say weird because at times the music seems like it doesn't fit with what is going on, but it still feels like it does somehow fit. I was considerably happy and joyed with the way PTA worked with The Master and it was superb. After There Will Be Blood and now The Master, I cannot wait to see what is next in store with Paul Thomas Anderson.
Before I had seen the film, I had a basic understanding of what the film's story was going to be about. Even going in with this information, you still feel as if you don't know what is going to happen. I see this storyline as very original and very intriguing. You have two men, both with obvious and apparent borderline psychotic conditions, and when clashed together make an even more psychotic atmosphere. The Master, who is Lancaster Dodd, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is a religious cult-like leader who has been drawn to this weak and troubled man, Freddy Quell, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and has put his hooks into him. We learn how this group has been building from quite sometime now and has a somewhat large following. We learn how this group functions and what it's beliefs are. The greatest part is the irony in this film. The people of "The Cause" as it is called, see everyone in the world who don't follow them or operate as they do, as the insane ones. I can safely say that every character's sanity could be called into question after watching this film.
There are movies that entertain you, and there are movies that amaze you with its artistic magic. Movies that entertain you can pull you in with excitement but at sometimes when it dies down, you lose the feeling of being "lost" in the film, forgetting the fact you are watching a movie. Movies that amaze you with artistic magic, keep you watching and you can't turn your head away, you feel as if you are witnessing reality and are in the room with the actors. With The Master, both of these traits are brought to the audience with perfect execution. A combination of cinematography, directing, acting, and storyline all play a part in what I call the "Lost-In-Movie" factor, and The Master hits the nail on the head.
To end, I just want to say I went into this film thinking it was going to be great, but didn't expect to be entertained as much as I was. The Master surely superseded my expectations. Acting - 20/20 Directing - 20/20 Cinematography - 20/20 Storlyine- 20/20 Limited Mistakes - 5/5 Lost Factor - 5/5 Oscar Potential - 8/10 (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Movie)
I'd like to start this out by saying this film is without-a- doubt filled with the best acting performances I have seen so far this year. The character Freddy Quell is portrayed by actor Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix has been on a hiatus from acting for about 4 years and now and has returned with one of, if not his best, performance. Freddy Quell is a United States Navy veteran who has returned home after winning World War II and trying to adapt back into society and ends up getting sucked into a religious cult. Early on in the film we notice that Freddy is not particularly "normal" and there is definitely something wrong with him. Phoenix is able to capture the audience and make them full aware of this by the way he moves, speaks, his facial expressions, and his overall personality. Phoenix truly becomes a 1950s war veteran in The Master and with his astonishing acting you are able to understand the character Freddy and come up with some conclusions about the type of person he is. Another great acting performance is that of Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, an intelligent, egotistical, and semi-psychotic leader. We as the audience know and believe Lancaster has all of these traits not just because of the script, but because of how Hoffman presents himself as Lancaster. He takes on this role and shows to the audience the type of man Lancaster was set to be and we believe it. Lastly, Lancaster's wife, Peggy, is Amy Adams. Peggy is a clear and obvious example of Lancaster's work of bringing people into his teachings. Amy Adams shows us how dear Peggy finds the teachings and how much she respects and believes them.
I am a huge fan of Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA) and was extremely excited to finally see a movie of his in theaters. I consider PTA to have a very unique and interesting way of directing and writing which is very consistent and enticing in all of his works. He likes the use of music, and what is great is the music is always very different from what you normally hear in movies, it has no lyrics, it gets very loud at parts, and it puts a somewhat of a weird feel over the scene. I say weird because at times the music seems like it doesn't fit with what is going on, but it still feels like it does somehow fit. I was considerably happy and joyed with the way PTA worked with The Master and it was superb. After There Will Be Blood and now The Master, I cannot wait to see what is next in store with Paul Thomas Anderson.
Before I had seen the film, I had a basic understanding of what the film's story was going to be about. Even going in with this information, you still feel as if you don't know what is going to happen. I see this storyline as very original and very intriguing. You have two men, both with obvious and apparent borderline psychotic conditions, and when clashed together make an even more psychotic atmosphere. The Master, who is Lancaster Dodd, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is a religious cult-like leader who has been drawn to this weak and troubled man, Freddy Quell, played by Joaquin Phoenix, and has put his hooks into him. We learn how this group has been building from quite sometime now and has a somewhat large following. We learn how this group functions and what it's beliefs are. The greatest part is the irony in this film. The people of "The Cause" as it is called, see everyone in the world who don't follow them or operate as they do, as the insane ones. I can safely say that every character's sanity could be called into question after watching this film.
There are movies that entertain you, and there are movies that amaze you with its artistic magic. Movies that entertain you can pull you in with excitement but at sometimes when it dies down, you lose the feeling of being "lost" in the film, forgetting the fact you are watching a movie. Movies that amaze you with artistic magic, keep you watching and you can't turn your head away, you feel as if you are witnessing reality and are in the room with the actors. With The Master, both of these traits are brought to the audience with perfect execution. A combination of cinematography, directing, acting, and storyline all play a part in what I call the "Lost-In-Movie" factor, and The Master hits the nail on the head.
To end, I just want to say I went into this film thinking it was going to be great, but didn't expect to be entertained as much as I was. The Master surely superseded my expectations. Acting - 20/20 Directing - 20/20 Cinematography - 20/20 Storlyine- 20/20 Limited Mistakes - 5/5 Lost Factor - 5/5 Oscar Potential - 8/10 (Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Movie)
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