The Master

The Master

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson 

Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson 

Photography: Mihai Malaimare Jr. 

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams. 

County: USA 

Year: 2012   

 It's been five years since Paul Thomas Anderson released his irrefutable masterpiece, There Will Be Blood, which was a surprising commercial success, although it was duly robbed at the Academy Awards by the Coen's No County For Old Men (Also a good film, but not as good.)  

 Freddie Quell is lost. An aggressive drunk who hasn't been able to hold on to a job or a woman since his departure from the navy at the end of the war. His paths cross Lancaster Dodd, know by some as The Master.  

 Lancaster Dodd is the leader of a philosophical movement, or to be more frank, a cult, known as The Cause. There are many parallels between Lancaster Dodd and his Cause with L. Ron Hubbard and his church of Scientology. This is purely subjective, but for me, The Master extended a representation of Cults but also of all organized religion. Religion not being something Paul Thomas Anderson has shyed away from in the past, it's one of the prominent themes in There Will Be Blood.    

 It's hard to know what I think of The Master. I do know that I definitely liked it, but it's such a heavy film, with all the subtext and everything, I feel like I've only seen half the film. I imagine it'll be much like my experience with David Croenberg's Videodrome; I liked it from first viewing, but it wasn't until my second or third viewing that I realized what a masterpiece it is.  

 Paul Thomas Anderson has already proved himself as a really special film-maker. I would go as far as to say he's best director working today. There are great directors like Godard and Scorsese who are stilling making films regularly, but their hayday is gone, as of right now, nobody's making better films than PTA is.  

 The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, who seemed to drop of the radar for a bit, but is back now with a career best performance with a character, reportedly, loosely based on the American author John Steinbeck. 

 You might be fooled early on into believing that Philip Seymour Hoffman is downplaying his performance is this film, but in a subtle and enigmatic way, it's possibly his most towering role. 

Question time. When did you realise how brilliant Amy Adams is? Because she's been around for a while now and it's only just clicked with me this year through The Master and The Fighter, which I caught up on this year and really enjoyed. 

 The film looks stunning, Anderson's direction is masterful as is Mihai Malaimare Jr.'s cinematography. The composition in every shot is inspired and lovingly crafted. 

 The major flaw in The Master is that it didn't so much end as stop. It seems like an recurring problem with Paul Thomas Anderson that he doesn't know how to end films; Boogie Nights had the same problem as did Magnolia and even There Will Be Blood, but that somehow got away with it. 

 The Master is a cinema at a raw level, which will make it unsavoury for many palates . But for cineasts and the likes, you'll probably find it just short of a masterpiece.           

The Muppets

The Muppets

Director: James Bobin
Written by: Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller.
Photography: Don Burgess 
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper
Year: 2011
Country: USA 

 I won't lie and say The Muppets was part of my childhood. I don't have any memories of watching The Muppets on a more than sparse occasion. It took me till fifteen to fully differentiate it from Sesame Street.

 But wherever or not I have a personal spot in my heart for the Muppets means nothing. What's important is that the people involved in making it have. And it's clear for the writing that this isn't another cash-in reboot or remake. It's made with love, which is part of makes it such a joy to watch.

 Walter and Gary are brothers and residents of Smalltown, they're extremely close and are very similar. The one big difference being that one's a puppet and the other is a man, played by Jason Segel. Walter came to terms with being a puppet by finding solidarity with his heroes on his favourite TV program, The Muppet Show. Fast Forward to present day and The Muppet Show is no more but Walter and Gary are still as obsessed. Walter accidentally uncovers a plot by the evil Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) and The Moopets to destroy the Muppet Studio. Walter Gary and his 10 year girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) set off find the Muppets and put on one final show to raise the money to keep the studio open.

 The writing for the most part is charming and funny. It keeps what made The Muppets popular back in the 70s, managing to keep both children and adults entertained with a huge spectrum of jokes while always staying clear of the PG benchmark. Though sometimes the writing feels a little lazy; An evil oil baron called Tex Richman and a small town called Smalltown, it's almost like a James Cameron screenplay.

 I find it hard to judge acting in movies that are playing down to an infant audience because the actors often are too. It's hard to adjust Jason Segel doing this when you're used to seeing him crude post Judd Apatow comedies. 

 They're are a lot of great cameos as there always are in Muppet movies. I won't say who appears because that would spoil it. But to get a grasp of the calibre of celebrities in there; Ricky Gervais, Danny Trejo and Billy Crystal all had their scenes cut out. Though none beat the Orson Welles cameo in the original Muppet movie back in 1979. 

 The musical numbers are fabulous. Written by Bret Mckenzie form Flight of the Concords, the song 'Man or Muppet' won the Oscar for best original song (the fact that only two songs were nominated doesn't take away from its brilliance). Even as a non Muppets fan, Rainbow Connection still makes my heart grow three sizes. It's like The Beatles or hot chocolate, it resonates with everyone.

 The Muppets is the most charming movie I've seen in while, my only disappointment is that it hasn't brought baby blue suits into fashion. 

Score: 4/5