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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Nov 18, 2021 19:55:31 GMT
Michael Shannon. He was good as Kim Fowley in The Runaways
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2021 22:35:39 GMT
Five? one, two, three...GO! Roma the Shape of Water I am not your Negro Parasite The Master I thought of those first so maybe that means I like them the best. lists are hard. Thought The Master was really disappointing, but each to their own!
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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Nov 18, 2021 22:47:13 GMT
Disappointing? It was IMPOSSIBLE!
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Sneelock
god
you're gonna break another heart
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Post by Sneelock on Nov 18, 2021 22:50:29 GMT
guess I wasn't really expecting anything. maybe it's an American thing. I think it's one of PTA's more substantial films. not that I don't think it's sort of obtuse. Maybe I like that about it. I think the performers handle some pretty tricky stuff.
why do people "lead"? because some people need to follow. something like that.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2021 22:59:26 GMT
Disappointing? It was IMPOSSIBLE! Impossible? Odd adjective to use, what do you mean?
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Sneelock
god
you're gonna break another heart
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Post by Sneelock on Nov 18, 2021 23:09:05 GMT
well, the main performances are pretty mannered. maybe he means that he found it unrealistic? it's pretty stylized. all that guy's movies ARE one way or the other.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Nov 18, 2021 23:12:23 GMT
He’s enigmatic and has the knack, that great directors have to communicate ideas and themes in a subtle almost subconscious way so they creep up on you. I mean it’s obviously about a cult but for me it’s about the psychology of people who are drawn into following “leaders”, dogmatic beliefs and joining groups with agendas. In that way it’s universal. I think making the guy a war veteran he is linking the decline in religious belief to a rise in pseudo religious beliefs in post war America and how these are driven by cynical individuals for greed and power. It’s a kind of warped symbiotic relationship.
For obvious reasons I think it’s timeless in that regard.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2021 23:36:20 GMT
But that damaged people might find comfort and direction from a charismatic leader or guru isn't in itself a particular profound idea. That should be the start of the movie to then go somewhere more interesting. The film was very watchable ( with some reservations, I did find Phoenix's performance distracting) for the first 40/50 minutes or so, but it really started to lose its way. PTA seemed to lose sight of what he was trying to say, the last third of the film was really unfocused.
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Sneelock
god
you're gonna break another heart
Posts: 8,537
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Post by Sneelock on Nov 18, 2021 23:51:48 GMT
maybe that's intentional? it's a possibility! "boy meets girl" isn't a particularly profound Idea - it's what you do with it. some "boy meets girl" films please me & some don't.
I thought "the master" was a very rich film with a lot on it's mind. no easy answers. life is like that sometimes.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2021 0:06:21 GMT
I wrote a more detailed review on the film on BCB where I outline some of my problems with it.
I was so looking forward to this - Hoffman, PT Anderson, interesting subject matter..what could possibly go wrong? Well superficially very little. The performances are great ( Phoenix's idiosyncratic performance takes some getting used to, but makes sense once you understand more about the character), it looks fantastic with beautiful, epic photography. The artistry and intelligence are evident throughout. Unfortunately the narrative is lifeless, with little drama or momentum. Things should happen in the second half of the movie and they just don't. Instead Phoenix's character hangs around on the periphery of scenes like some prop before leaving for reasons the film never bothers to explore. One scene typifies the problems I had with this movie. Phoenix's character is put through a punishing mental exercise where has to repeatedly touch a wall and describe it. Much screen time is devoted to it so we assume it's important (especially as it comes near towards the end of the film). After he completes the exercise, after some real mental strain, we expect to see the consequences of what he's done. Has he achieved some illumination? Does passing the test mean he advances deeper into the cult? Does it drive him towards mental breakdown? Who knows because it then switches to something completely different. I was left with a real vagueness of purpose, as if Anderson didn't know what he wanted to say. Shame, but certainly worth watching for Hoffman's performance.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Nov 19, 2021 10:35:49 GMT
But that damaged people might find comfort and direction from a charismatic leader or guru isn't in itself a particular profound idea. That should be the start of the movie to then go somewhere more interesting. The film was very watchable ( with some reservations, I did find Phoenix's performance distracting) for the first 40/50 minutes or so, but it really started to lose its way. PTA seemed to lose sight of what he was trying to say, the last third of the film was really unfocused. It's deeper than that though. It's the lack of meaning and purpose in peoples lives as well as the issues that drive this kind of behaviour and it's not just leaders it's beliefs and ideas that people fall prey too regardless of how wacky they are. It's interesting that it's set during the 1950s against the backdrop of the post-war economic boom and increased materialism and consumption as they are signs of this cultural shift too. I think it's indicative of a kind of spiritual malaise that has emerged and the journey of Phoenix's character is emblematic of something more endemic in our society that we see everywhere today. In this sense I think it taps into something larger and grander that gives it a certain weight. There is an element of Phoenix's character in many people. I haven't rewatched the film in years though so I can't remember enough to reply to your criticisms but I think part of the point of the film is that Phoenix's spiritual journey was always meant to be unfulfilled and directionless, that a certain emptiness was always going to be present itself because he is seeking it in the wrong places, however, at some point he realises this and emerges from this fog with an understanding of this. What he does after this who knows? But at least he is further along that road in spite of this detour/dead end.
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Sneelock
god
you're gonna break another heart
Posts: 8,537
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Post by Sneelock on Nov 19, 2021 16:13:14 GMT
If I remember right - the very first shot of JP's character is him in his combat helmet. He is already a major alcoholic from when we first meet him. His initial "audits" (or whatever they called them) seem to provide him with a great sense of relief. He admits to things we doubt he's told anyone.
Asking a man to kill for you is a lot to ask. more perhaps than they knew at the time. Fighting for a cause and blotting out his nerves seem to be the skills he's found for himself that he can rely upon.
that movie cast a spell on me. Maybe it's because I grew up in the Southland at a time when not only Scientology was conspicuous. we also had NSA and EST. you'd meet kids who's parents were into these things and their faces sometimes shined with purpose even as what they said sounded half baked or wildly overstated. I like seeing this in a film. we see why JP's character appeals to the Master when the actor from 'Silicon Valley' challenges some of his assertions. He and JP have much in common besides taking pleasure in poisoning themselves.
I like movies that show me something I haven't really seen before in quite the same way. that one stuck with me. I've been a PTA booster from "hard 8" though I like some more than others I think he's a major talent. I heard almost nothing about this one even from people who said they liked it. Maybe I'd had others which I thought were good oversold to me a bit. when you hear something is brilliant then it can flavor how you look at it. By hearing almost nothing about it save the Hubbard type character I found it surprising in how big a fish I felt like they were trying to reel in here. post war America, faith in institutions, patronage, sex, self respect, all matter of concerns are dealt with. it might be an odd fish but it's a biggun & it's beautifully mounted IMO.
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