Paul Thomas Anderson is not a stranger to challenging his audience. The ending of Magnolia will force you to scratch your head, There Will Be Blood is drawn-out and contemplative, and The Master just might be the least comprehensible work of his yet. The story follows a WWII veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who has a bit of a violent streak and a drinking problem after the war. Basically now a lost soul, he stumbles his way onto a ship setting to sea that happens to be under the control of Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a self-proclaimed prophet and leader of the group only known as "The Cause."
If I could describe The Master in one word it would be 'odd.' It can be pretty confusing at times figuring out what the film is trying to say, but usually the performances by the two leads are so good it ends up more intriguing than frustrating. Phoenix and Hoffman are definitely giving 110%, especially Phoenix who so convincingly plays a truly broken down man. Every second he's on screen you're not sure what he's going to do; it's an absolutely brilliant performance that deserves an Oscar nom at the very least. The movie just has this odd vibe, especially with Jonny Greenwood's score, that I'm just not sure about. I loved watching Hoffman and Phoenix go at it together on screen, but I wouldn't necessarily rush out to see this again (unlike Anderson's other films which I love). Might take a repeat viewing to fully appreciate it, but it's weird, well acted, and takes a jab at phony cult leaders.
Rating: B-
Sleepwalk with Me is a kind of autobiographical dramedy from comedian Mike Birbiglia. This movie follows his early days as a stand up comedian, balancing his life between work and his girlfriend and dealing with a sleepwalking problem at the same time. This is kind of a by-the-books indie comedy, but it still lands on its feet. Co-starring as Birbiglia's semi-fiance is Lauren Ambrose, playing the "perfect" girlfriend pretty well, and Birbiglia does a good job playing himself; though an unlikable guy on paper, he comes across as genuine. I loved the stand-up aspect of the movie, showing him seriously bombing at the beginning, and getting laughs only when he starts putting his personal problems on the stage. It has some interesting insights on relationships, has a great cameo by Marc Maron (of the WTF Podcast), and has some cringeworthy scenes of doing badly on stage. It's pretty slight on the movie spectrum, but a solid movie worth seeing.
Rating: B
This film has been recieving a lot of buzz and has gotten awards up the ying yang. The film follows a little girl named Hushpuppy and her father in an outskirt named "the bathtub." Harking back to imagery of Hurricane Katrina, the town is almost entirely washed out, and due to global warming, is only getting worse. The film, while not having a straightforward plot, is a coming-of-age story for Hushpuppy as she learns to grow up and defend herself in this dangerous, wild world.
The world-building in this film was really cool, and "the bathtub" is not a place you'll forget about. For a first-time director, Benh Zeitlin did an incredible job bringing us into this very unique setting. Also the two leads (and first-time actors) Quvenzhane Wallis and Dwight Henry are great together, portraying a father-daughter relationship that may be tough on some viewers, but I found to be beautifully realistic. He is tough on his daughter, and he drinks too much, but he is sincere and wants her to be strong. While it's not a perfect film, I think the fantastical world that is created is worth delving into, and the allegory to recent disasters and global warming make this tale all the more relevant; I guess you could say that this is the film that Where The Wild Things Are wanted to be.
Rating: B
I knew pretty much nothing about this film going in and I'm so glad about that. The less you know the better, but I'd just like to say that I have not had more of a physiological response to a film than any other this year. It's not easy to watch, but for a low-budget movie like this I found it completely engrossing all the way through. Plus it's based on a true story, which ends up being both infuriating and devastating. If you have a chance, please see Compliance!
Rating: A
By the way...if you see a typo or grammatical error feel free to tell me and I'll change it.
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