Okay, I did what I thought I would never get to do at TIFF. I waited in line for four hours with my friends in the rush line, and didn't even know if we would get tickets. But they had more than I thought we did, and thankfully we turned back to the Lightbox and we got there when we did. Mission accomplished!
Here's my review:
The Master - 9/10
I need to see this again, but it's pretty much the same reaction to when I saw There Will Be Blood for the first time. This could be better, but I gotta see it again to finally decide.
This is how I look at it: PTA took what he did in There Will Be Blood and pushed it even further. All the bizarre moments in that film is pretty much most of this film cranked up to ten. And at the heart of this bizarre film is Joaquin Phoenix who gives without a doubt, the greatest performance of his career. You're watching him, but he completely dissolves into this character. To call him strange would be an understatement. This man is neurotic and messed up beyond belief. I don't think I have ever followed a protagonist before that has made me more uncomfortable to watch. And it is difficult to imagine this man changing through what he goes through in this film. There is one scene in particular, which is the best and my favorite, where Phoenix doesn't let you breathe. And once it's over, you could feel the whole audience start breathing again. It's the best acting I've ever see from him. Which leads me to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who also gives an incredible performance. One of his best. Like Phoenix, you know you're watching him, but he just is that person. Not character, but person. These two deserve Oscars already. I really hope Phoenix wins, because this is the role of his career. You have seen him act and be great, but trust me when I say, you have never seen Phoenix like this before. He is on a whole new level.
The movie's story also gives a great look on Scientology. It's not a criticism, it just an examination on how when a new religion emerges, it's met with hostility because of how new it is, so it is seen as insane. It's about being accepted from a society that has already accepted other religions. Adding Phoenix to the mix and at the center really brings about all those ideas into a new light. Even though you may not agree with them, there is at least a reasoning to it all. Most importantly, I understood why they were doing this.
Now this film may not be as warmly received as TWBB, but I do think it also deserves Directing, Writing, Art Direction, and Cinematography.
Now it kind of is drawn out a bit towards the middle, but I thought the same way about TWBB when I first saw it. This is not a movie you can only see once. Watching a PTA film is like watching something you've never seen before, so it requires a bit of digestion before you can really make a final opinion.