The Master - Spoiler-Free Thread

[Pozer]

i left my over-the-top hype reaction in the "above all" thread. spoiler-free save for some lines from the trailers, just playin it safe. now to read everything and watch the press conferences during my master hangover.

[MacGuffin]

Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master broke records for an art house release at the Friday box office, grossing $242,127 for a massive per location average of $48,425.
 
From The Weinstein Co., the movie -- starring Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams -- could enjoy a record weekend as well if traffic holds for a three-day theater average of $135,000 to $140,000.

Earlier this year, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom scored the highest theater average of all time for an art house title, posting a weekend gross of $522,996 from four theaters for a location average of $130,749. Moonrise's Friday average was $43,082, less than The Master's.
Anderson has said that his movie was in part inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, but continues to insist it's not a Scientology film per se. The Master, which played at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, is already considered an awards contender.

[modage]

I know it shouldn't matter but I really, really hope it beats "Moonrise Kingdom."

[Kellen]

Jason Bailey wrote an article on the evolution of Paul:

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/to-get-to-the-master-paul-thomas-anderson-needed-adam-sandler/262361/

[ElPandaRoyal]

I know it shouldn't matter but I really, really hope it beats "Moonrise Kingdom."

And so it did. $730,000 from 5 theatres, average $146,000 per screen, according to Box Office Mojo.

[Jeremy Blackman]

'The Master' smashes box-office records

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/09/16/fifth-film-in-resident-evil-franchise-rules-box-office-with-211-million/

Paul Thomas Anderson's cult drama "The Master" commanded a huge following in its opening weekend, smashing records on just a handful of screens. The Weinstein Co. release made $729,745 in five theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a record-setting per-screen average of $145,949, according to Sunday studio estimates.

[Drenk]

About Tarantino, I read that on Tumblr:

"I saw this movie tonight. Here's is a conversation that happened: Guy: That was such a horrible movie.

*man in front of us starts clapping... turns out to be Quentin Tarantino*

Guy: Of course Tarantino would love it."

Here: http://duanevalentino.tumblr.com/

[Cloudy]

Two of the more insightful/personal interviews that have come out so far(thanks to Mod for tweeting):

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Paul+Thomas+Anderson+picks+Master/7236136/story.html

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2012/09/the-master-writerdirector-paul-thomas-anderson/

[matt35mm]

Those were great. Thank you!

[Cloudy]

I wonder how veiled his Charlie Rose interview will be this time...just patiently waiting for that one.

[HeywoodRFloyd]

Wow

It's at this point that the title of the film bubbles to the forefront of conversation.
"You know, you're the first journalist to ask me about the title. Really, it was just a process of elimination.
In fact, the Internet actually gave it its title first. A version of my script got out online years ago and they referred to it as The Master, even though it didn't have a title on it or anything.
So we just ended up calling it The Master. We never did find another title for the film."

I remember reading Mod's indiewire article briefly mentioning that this might be the case, but wow, there it is.

Edit:
Also there is this fantastic interview with PTA:
http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Paul-Thomas-Anderson-on-The-Master-3863871.php
And a fantastic interview with Joaquin
http://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/13/the-masters-joaquin-phoenix-on-animal-inspirations-curb-your-enthusiasm-and-the-pleasures-of-discomfort/#ixzz26T3M1F00

[Pozer]

that's awesome.

wonder who coined it originally? The first post of this thread has the variety article that refers to psh as "The Master" as it does in the script, whoever nicknamed the project first titled pta's movie. someone should research this.

not it.

[modage]

Rodrigo of The Playlist (a.k.a. The Playlist)

[Jeremy Blackman]

Rodrigo of The Playlist (a.k.a. The Playlist)

Wow, I remember that article. When did PTA decide to write Truman Capote out of the script?

Rodrigo says it was "affectionately being dubbed 'The Master' by many"... who were those people?

[Pubrick]

Rodrigo says it was "affectionately being dubbed 'The Master' by many"... who were those people?

us, obv.

also i think the fact the origin is partly serendipitous doesn't take away from the meaning he subsequently gave to it, not that anyone is saying otherwise. it's sort of like kubrick's methods of improvisation with his actors that would sometimes lead to a Critical Rehearsal Moment (CRM), for example Malcolm McDowell choosing Singing in the Rain. in our case the leaked script served as a rehearsal for the die-hard audience who for some reason responded strongly to this one title and gave it a legitimacy that was hard to shake off.

i think it's almost too perfect that fans/disciples/believers would end up assigning the name of their next subject of worship in its infancy. especially for a film that is apparently so hard to define, this kind of subconscious/superconscious determination of what the film is offers hope for further mutual unravelling yet to take place in repeat viewings.