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MOVIE INFO

Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons, Ambyr Childers, Rami Malek, Martin Dew, Frank Bettag
Writing Credits:
Paul Thomas Anderson

Synopsis:
A striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post-World War II America, Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master unfolds the journey of a naval veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future–until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

Box Office:
Budget
$32 million.
Opening Weekend
$736.311 thousand on 5 screens.
Domestic Gross
$16.247 million.

MPAA:
Rated R

DVD DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 138 min.
Price: $39.99
Release Date: 2/26/2013

Bonus:
• “Back Beyond” Collection of Outtakes/Additional Scenes
• “Unguided Message” Featurette
Let There Be Light Vintage Documentary
• Previews and Trailers
• DVD Copy


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
Panasonic 50" TH-50PZ77U 1080p Plasma Monitor; Sony STR-DG1200 7.1 Channel Receiver; Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu-Ray Player using HDMI outputs; Michael Green Revolution Cinema 6i Speakers (all five); Kenwood 1050SW 150-watt Subwoofer.

RELATED REVIEWS

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The Master [Blu-Ray] (2012)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (February 21, 2013)

Five years after the critical success of There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson returns to the director’s chair with 2012’s The Master. Set after the finish of World War II, Navy veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) drifts aimlessly and finds himself beset by PTSD-caused breakdowns.

Eventually Freddie encounters Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the leader of a new spiritual movement named “The Cause”. Dodd calls himself “The Master” and runs the organization along with wife Peggy (Amy Adams). Freddie becomes Dodd’s assistant and we follow their relationship as well as the rise of “The Cause”.

Some films set themselves up for easy interpretation and discussion, while others prove much more difficult to dissect. Into the latter camp falls Master, an unusual experience that proves to be fascinating, though not always for the most obvious reasons.

Despite the synopsis above, Master lacks anything that really resembles a standard narrative. Of all Anderson’s films, this one seems the most abstract and the most like something we might get from Terence Malick. Indeed, the movie’s early scenes during the Pacific War gave me flashbacks to Malick’s Thin Red Line, though without all the dreamy monologues.

That creates the biggest difference between Anderson and Malick. While the former might indulge in vaguely formless storytelling, he doesn’t give us movies that go as far off the narrative rails as most of Malick’s do. Try as he might to deliver a movie without a strong plot or spine, Anderson can’t help but latch onto something.

In this case, it’s the relationship between Dodd and Freddie. Whatever other tangents it might pursue, the movie revolves around that pair, and their connection helps sustain it despite the absence of a formal “plot”.

The portrayal of the characters also ensures the movie defies simplistic pigeonholing. Given that the flick bases Dodd and “The Cause” on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, it easily could’ve degenerated into a simplistic “exposé” on the insidious nature of cults. Some of that does emerge – we’re certainly given reason to view Dodd as an opportunistic charlatan – but Master refuses to stick with such a one-dimensional attitude.

Again, the meat comes from the interactions between Dodd and Freddie. As much as we might see Dodd as a huckster, he seems devoted to Freddie and wants very much to help the mentally wounded war veteran. Much of the film follows those attempts and their success or lack thereof.

Even in that vein, though, Master throws curveballs at us. At times it can be tough to discern how much of Dodd’s work qualifies as altruistic assistance and how much acts as artful brainwashing – or maybe both. Since the film won’t pin down any of the characters or situations in a concrete manner, it remains open to interpretation.

I admit that some of this vagueness can be a little maddening at times. On occasion, I wished the movie would give us a little more plot on which to hang our hats; while it never meanders, it walks a fine line and threatens to amble toward oblivion on occasion.

But this never occurs, as Anderson and an excellent cast ensure Master remains pretty gripping despite the narrative looseness. The film received three Oscar nominations, all for its actors: Hoffman, Phoenix and Adams got nods. Of the three, Hoffman seems the most deserving. Adams is fine, but she gets a minimal role without much real depth; Peggy is a marginal character throughout much of the film, so Adams doesn’t have much to do in the part.

I like the fact that Phoenix refuses to dull Freddie’s rough edges; he creates a supposed protagonist with many facets that seem likely to alienate the audience. However, I think Phoenix can be too mannered at times, and I’m not sure he always gets to the character’s heart; there’s something a bit superficial and showy about his turn as Freddie.

Hoffman hits the sweet spot as Dodd. I think he takes on the most challenging character, as Dodd feels like the one most likely to turn into a caricature – and also the personality with the highest level of potential unlikeability. After all, audiences don’t often identify with and care for the leaders of personality cults.

Despite those challenges, Hoffman delivers a powerhouse performance. He gives us all the appropriate facets required for the character and ensures that we can’t quite pin down Dodd. Given the various pros and cons attached to the role, it’d be easy for an actor to lean one way or another, but Hoffman doesn’t. He creates a full-fledged human here and adds crucial life to the film.

At no point does The Master threaten to become my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson film – I have a feeling he’ll never quite top the vivacious roller coaster that was Boogie Nights - but it might be his best realized. The Master provides a quality drama that won’t wow you but it’ll draw you in with its character studies.


The Blu-ray Grades: Picture A-/ Audio B-/ Bonus B-

The Master appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Shot mostly on 65mm film, this was a terrific visual presentation.

From start to finish, sharpness looked virtually immaculate. The only hints of softness came from some tiny issues with focus. Leaving aside those minimal intrusions, the film looked concise and well-defined. No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and edge enhancement was absent. I saw one or two tiny specks, but otherwise this was a clean image.

Most period pieces opt for subdued colors, and that was true of Master. It delivered a light amber tint typical for this sort of affair; though some richer tones popped up, the shows remained fairly low-key in terms of their hues. The Blu-ray made these look lush within the visual range selected. Blacks were dark and deep, while shadows appeared clear and smooth. I thought the movie consistently looked great.

I felt that the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Master seemed fine but it didn’t excel because of a lack of ambition. Like most character pieces, the movie featured a limited soundfield that strongly favored the forward channels. It showed nice stereo spread to the music as well as some general ambience from the sides. Panning was decent, and the surrounds usually kicked in basic reinforcement. I’d be hard-pressed to point out anything memorable, though, even during the scenes set in war time.

Audio quality appeared good. Speech was natural and distinct, with no issues related to edginess or intelligibility. Effects sounded clean and accurate, with good fidelity and no signs of distortion. Music was perfectly fine, as the score showed positive dimensionality. This track was good enough for a “B-“ but didn’t particularly impress.

When we shift to extras, we launch with Back Beyond, a collection of outtakes and additional scenes. It goes for 19 minutes, 59 seconds and mostly focuses on a bunch of short extensions to existing sequences. The most significant addition comes from a theme related to a “deadly book” written by Dodd. Otherwise, I don’t see anything substantial here, but the clips become interesting to view. (A few bloopers pop up at the end, by the way.)

A featurette called Unguided Message runs seven minutes, 59 seconds as it presents behind the scenes material. It consists of rough video from set that lets us observe… not much. The camera usually stays in motion, so we tend to get a loose feel for events and don’t feel like we learn anything about the production.

Directed by John Huston, a 1946 documentary entitled Let There Be Light fills 58 minutes, six seconds. It focuses on soldiers who emerged from WWII with significant psychological injuries and shows us their experiences at a hospital. An inspiration for the Freddie character, Light provides an emotional and compelling glimpse at the aftermath of the war.

We also locate nine teasers and trailers for The Master.

A second disc delivers a DVD Copy of The Master. This includes all the same extras as the Blu-ray with the exception of Let There Be Light.

Given its slow movement and lack of a formal plot, it can be tough to get into The Master. However, I think the film merits the investment, as it develops its personalities in a rich, involving manner. The Blu-ray provides excellent visuals as well as pretty good audio and bonus materials. With the recognition that the film won’t be for everyone, The Master nonetheless earns my recommendation as a contemplative character piece.

Viewer Film Ratings: 4.9285 Stars Number of Votes: 42
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