I think I’ve figured out that watching a Paul Thomas Anderson movie is not like watching a typical verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus-type movie. I was entranced the entire film because the acting is tremendous and yet I felt like nothing had really happened when the movie was over. Instead of watching a story, it seemed like I was on a journey with the characters.
Where watched: Laurlhurst Theater
Cost: $4.00
poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2012/master_ver6.html
When the kept referencing this movie at the Oscars, I had no idea what they were talking about. I'd never even heard of it. I still have no idea what it's about!
SCIENTOLOGY! Philliop Seymour Hoffman plays the L. Ron Hubbard guy, Amy Adams plays one of his wives, and Joaquin Phoenix plays a WWII Vet and drunkard who attaches to them early on. There's lots of crazy presumably Scientology stuff in it which alone makes it worth watching.
I lo ve this review, it is very succinct and yet powerful. I also was wondering about all of the references during the Oscars. Is it an official reference to Scientology or just a winking reference and we all know the truth?
Roger Ebert says, "it's title character is transparently inspired by L. Ron Hubbard, the fonder of Scientology." I don't know enough about Scientology, or its founder, to know if anything else about the movie was directly taken from it. However, this article in Slate says a lot was. http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/09/19/the_master_and_scientology_just_how_much_of_lancaster_dodd_comes_from_l_ron_hubbard_.html