Cervezas with The Master

Andy: My first memory of becoming a straight male Oscar enthusiast probably goes back to the 1990 ceremony where Dances with Wolves won the top two Oscars for Picture/Director. From there I was hooked! I had always been a huge fan of film, randomly owning and studying Roger Ebert books on film in elementary school and memorizing my favorite lines of movies to the point where my mother insisted I take the same interest in school as I did with film.

So, needless to say we are entering my favorite time of year…OSCAR SEASON!

To start what’s sure to be on the 5 (maybe 10 depending on votes) best picture nominee list of 2012 I decided to drag my fiance, er wife, sorry we are newlyweds : ),  to see The Master directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA). I have been such a fan of PT Anderson since first seeing Boogie Nights all the way through There Will Be Blood (TWBB) that I even own his obscure film Hard Eight or Sydney depending on who you ask.  I loved the multiple story lines of Boogie Nights, the” these things happen every day” weirdness of Magnolia, the quiet/psycho Barry Egan of Punch Drunk Love (PDL) and of course “I’VE ABANDONED MY BOY!!!” – need I say more about TWBB?  So I went into The Master like it was Christmas morning. (On a side note I am from Cleveland where PT Anderson’s dad Ernie was the original "Ghoulardi". I grew up with the ‘Son of Ghoulardi" so just knowing that connection makes me root for him more.)

From the start of the film it felt very different from any of the other PTA movie. I was shocked and impressed to hear my wife after the movie say the exact thought I was thinking at the beginning of the movie.  It reminded us at times of a Terrence Malick picture! The war scenes and flashbacks were very similar to Malick’s The Thin Red Line. Not sure where he was going with the R&R time on the beach with the drinking and making sweet, sweet love to the sand lady? But it was clear that war had been hell on Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix) and he would clearly never be the same.

Phoenix does such an Oscar worthy performance during the movie with just the mere fact that he is so uncomfortable to watch. From his boozy speech pattern, to the old man stance of his hands on his hips and his bent frame its cringe worthy. Not to mention his hair trigger temper that makes it pretty hard for him to hold down a job.

Enter Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) whose ship Freddie escapes onto after maybe killing an old man at a job with too much of his booze concoction – which is so disturbing to watch him make…what is he mixing together??? Dodd, mainly due to his love of Freddie’s booze, picks up an instant friendship with Freddie and takes him on as his protégé much to the dismay of his wife Peggy played down Amish-ly by a usually perky Amy Adams. (Doubt not included.)

It’s clear that Dodd is a bit of a mixture of L. Ron Hubbard and any cult fixture of the twentieth century. He could be a way to save self destructive Freddie from himself if he can convince the doubt that is always in the back of Freddie’s mind despite the fact that he physically defends Dodd on several occasions. No one, especially Peggy, is ever sure that Freddie isn’t simply a psychopath.

Despite the fact that this movie has Oscar worthy performances by all three principal cast members it does have a few rarely seen flaws in a PT Anderson film. Flaw number one – way too long! This movie will never be a box office draw such as a Dark Knight Rises or The Avengers but it definitely won’t help the somewhat indie film with a more than two hour run time where a lot of the time you are confused as to what exactly is happening and why? (ie. walking back in forth in a room for 10 minutes…you know the scene). Finally, flaw number two seems to be going around in films these days – a character with no redeemable features. I guess PTA gave us a bit of that in TWBB but sometimes it helps to have a character that was worth two hours of movie not just for the acting alone.

I still give this movie an 8 on acting alone and will always see a PTA film! Just maybe go for a lighter/wrapping things up ending PDL or Magnolia style next time and oh yeah MAKE IT UNDER TWO HOURS, JEEESH!

Julia:  Not only should I better vet the movie selections, but also our dinner choices.  After the movie, we headed to a Mexican place near the theater and enjoyed street tacos, street hot dogs and of course, cervezas.  The food wasn't too bad but I think the best part was that we were there during happy hour so it was cheap :)  As for the movie, I think SNL's Aunt Linda would agree it was one "Whaat?" and a "Not This Time PTA".