The Master - Spoiler-Free Thread

Started by MacGuffin, December 02, 2009, 10:12:15 PM

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Tictacbk

Quote from: P Heat on September 18, 2012, 01:47:01 PM
that french poster is AWESOME!!!. why didn't P.T pick that one instead for the U.S. It gives that suggestion P.T made for Freddie and Dodd's need for each other, they're doppelgangers.

I'm pretty sure thats a pussy.

picolas

this article contains spoilers about a third of the way in but that first third is fantastic and this looks to be another genius analysis by niles schwartz:

http://www.letoilemagazine.com/2012/09/18/the-niles-files-unchartered-waters-and-souls/

someone should probably repost in the spoiler thread.

MacGuffin

Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master Becomes Hot Industry Ticket − But Will Katie Holmes See It?
Source: Movieline

Glowing reviews and powerhouse performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams have made Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master a hot ticket among actors and industry operatives — with the exception of Tom Cruise's ex-wife Katie Holmes.

Celebrity spotters tell us that  Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, Steve Martin, Sam Rockwell, and  filmmakers Spike Jonze and Quentin Tarantino are among the famous faces who've caught the movie during its limited release in New York and Los Angeles.  Susan Sarandon was also in the crowd at the film's 70-millimeter screening at the Ziegfeld Theater on Sept. 11. On Sept. 16, One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush tweeted: "If you don't go see The Master, there is officially no chance we'll ever [be] friends. What. A. Movie! Brilliant performances."

That same day, Hello I Must Be Going cast member Melanie Lynskey tweeted  "Joaquin Phoenix's performance in The Master makes me want to quit acting, keep acting, destroy things, kiss his face, cry for a day."  (I've never wanted to act, Melanie, but that's kind of how I felt, too — especially the part about destroying things.)

An industry source also tells Movieline that the movie is also a hot ticket among executives at the major studios, Paramount, Fox, Warner, Disney and Universal. "The requests for DCPs are off the hook," says the source, a reference to Digital Cinema Packages, in which the digital equivalent of a 35-millimeter screening of the film is delivered online to a bigwig's DCP set-up with a code that gives the recipient a limited time to view the feature.

One interesting footnote to the high celebrity demand to see The Master: A source close to the Sept. 11 Ziegfeld screening says Katie Holmes was invited to screening but sent her regrets.  Her spokeswoman Leslie Sloane did not respond to Movieline's request for comment on speculation that Holmes did not attend  because her appearance would have created a media feeding frenzy that could have riled her ex-husband, Scientologist  actor Tom Cruise.

Although The Master focuses on the relationship between Phoenix's troubled seaman Freddie Quell and Hoffman's cult founder Lancaster Dodd,  Anderson has said the latter's character is based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and the movie does portray Hofman's movement, The Cause, in a derisive light. At one point, Dodd's son tells Quell:  "He's just making it up as he goes along."  Dodd's wife Peggy, played by Adams, also delivers the line: "The only way to defend ourselves is to attack," a version of which has been attributed to Hubbard.  And a skeptic who tells Lancaster, "Good science allows for more than one opinion. Otherwise you really have the will of one man, which is the basis for a cult,"  gets his ass kicked by Quell and Dodd's son-in-law.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

BB

Quote from: picolas on September 18, 2012, 08:18:57 PM
niles schwartz

I was wondering what happened to this guy. His blog hasn't been updated for months. Thanks for the link!

jenkins

Quote from: HeywoodRFloyd on September 18, 2012, 12:30:13 PMAcademy screening

I was there. You want some gossip? The 70mm print had been at the DGA and came back with a scratch! I heard it was on all the odd reels or maybe one odd real. But of course for an Academy screening you don't want the fucking print to have a scratch, so they had to run another over from the lab and it came in dripping wet that old gag for real. The screening started without the first music beat and cut in with a hitch during the second shot. Too bad because that first music beat is perfect. They clapped at the end but didn't go nuts. PT was applauded of course and the three main actors got applause and Malaimare and Greenwood both got esoteric sized applauses. The movie had screened the previous day without PT. You can usually tell a lot from the Academy theater reaction, but this was a presentation screening not a nomination screening. I hope the Weinstein machine goes full gear.

©brad

Quote from: picolas on September 18, 2012, 08:18:57 PM
this article contains spoilers about a third of the way in but that first third is fantastic and this looks to be another genius analysis by niles schwartz:

http://www.letoilemagazine.com/2012/09/18/the-niles-files-unchartered-waters-and-souls/

someone should probably repost in the spoiler thread.

This is the best article I've read on the movie. Thanks for the post.

Cloudy

I agree with Brad, that was very, very, very enlightening. It put into words a lot of the things I was intuitively feeling. A fucking great analysis.

jenkins

Quote from: S.R. on September 17, 2012, 04:31:30 PM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on September 17, 2012, 04:01:06 PM
Alright so I guess the source is whoever first circulated and titled the script, right? As romantic as it would be, shouldn't we be reluctant to give too much credit to "the internet" and PTA fans? It's not as if crowd-sourced creativity was at work; readers of the script probably assumed that was PTA's title.

Doesn't matter. The Playlist already took credit for it and they will surely remind everyone of it for years to come.
So. It doesn't matter in an ultimate sense, we agree. But what I think is weird about the claim is it's completely lacking in journalistic integrity. I know The Playlist knows how to do a custom Google search. It's easy to see they clearly didn't invent the title. It's easy and clear to see this.

The article that claims to originate the title is dated 2/17/10
http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-depth-look-at-paul-thomas-andersons.html
while on 2/1/10 they referred to the script as untitled
http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2010/02/paul-thomas-andersons-untitled.html

December 2 2009 Variety has a Master headline
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012101?refCatId=13

whether they meant to title it The Master or not, in the following days there's a stream of sources calling the project The Master

December 3 2009 Empire online says "The new movie, which has the rough working title of The Master"
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=26410

December 3 2009 "According to Variety, Anderson is working on his latest script titled MASTER."
http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2009/12/pt-anderson-becoming-the-master/

December 4 2009
"According to Variety, his latest project, called Master"
http://www.beyondhollywood.com/philip-seymour-hoffman-is-finally-the-master-of-pt-andersons-film/

The Guardian, December 4 2009
"High five ... Paul Thomas Anderson and Philip Seymour Hoffman to collaborate for fifth time on Master."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/dec/04/master-pt-anderson-philip-seymour-hoffman

Here's some completely random non-mainstream blog calling the movie The Master on January 3, 2010. The article is even tagged The Master.
http://babydylan.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/paul-thomas-anderson-new-film-to-be-the-master/

I'm sorry, but it's wrong of them to make the claim. They're just wrong, period.


Jeremy Blackman

Wow. That's what I wanted to do, but I was too lazy. Bravo. :yabbse-thumbup:

So I guess the Variety article is patient zero. Judging by that article, it looks like PSH's character was originally called "Master" or "the Master"... is that true?

Anyway, we should probably clarify the controversy here. I don't think The Playlist actually made that claim. I mean, correct me if I missed it, but I don't think they did. I don't think modage was speaking for them or making that claim on their behalf... I'm sure he was just going from memory in answer to that question. But now we have seemingly the definitive answer, so that's good.

polkablues

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on September 19, 2012, 04:45:00 PM
Anyway, we should probably clarify the controversy here. I don't think The Playlist actually made that claim. I mean, correct me if I missed it, but I don't think they did.

Playlist headline: Paul Thomas Anderson Says The Playlist Named 'The Master'

No mention of Variety.  They even referenced C&RV as corroborators without pointing out the conflict of interest of mod writing for both sites.  Shenanigans! I call.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Jeremy Blackman

Wow. There are no words for that. I imagine this article will get taken down, since it's entirely debunked even in its own comments section. This goes beyond proofreading. Mod, straighten them out!

P Heat

"The Master" website should  have a list of places that will play the movie in 70mm at least once. I'm thinking of going to an empty 50 year old theater nearby that is going to show it throughout the weekend but I know its not gonna be 70mm. Ooo well.  They should like play the movie in a bootleg 70mm and show it in iMax screens ahaha.
Quote from: Pubrick on September 11, 2012, 06:33:41 PM
anyway it was after i posted my first serious fanalysis. after the long post all he could say was that the main reason he wanted to see the master was cos of all the red heads.
:P

jenkins

Quote from: polkablues on September 19, 2012, 04:53:58 PM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on September 19, 2012, 04:45:00 PM
Anyway, we should probably clarify the controversy here. I don't think The Playlist actually made that claim. I mean, correct me if I missed it, but I don't think they did.

Playlist headline: Paul Thomas Anderson Says The Playlist Named 'The Master'

No mention of Variety.  They even referenced C&RV as corroborators without pointing out the conflict of interest of mod writing for both sites.  Shenanigans! I call.

The headline makes me want to punch a basket of kittens. It's completely unfounded and they ran it as a headline.

QuoteYellow journalism, or the yellow press, is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion.

polkablues

I'd also like to file a journalistic malpractice claim on the use of the phrase "Who woulda thunk?"  That to me is the most offensive part of this whole situation.
My house, my rules, my coffee

jenkins

I ain't even gonna address the growing prevalence of southern colloquialisms ya'll. Saving my vitriol for justice!