'The Master' Secretly Debuts To Early Oscar Talk

[NelsonG]

[img]http://moviesblog.mtv.com//wp-content/uploads/movies/2012/06/Hoffman-The-Master1.jpg[/img]

We felt lucky last week when The Weinstein Company moved the release date of [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/197734/personmain.jhtml"]Paul Thomas Anderson[/url]'s latest movie to September 21, more than a month earlier than we originally expected, but one group of blessed moviegoers in L.A. got to see "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/475552/moviemain.jhtml"]The Master[/url]" before any of us.

Before the Aero Theater in Santa Monica screened Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," the staff announced that there would be a secret screening afterward for anyone who wanted to stick around. Those smart enough to see what was happening were treated to the first public screening of "The Master," Anderson's newest film, which supposedly takes the foundations of Scientology as its inspiration.

Read some reactions from the screening after the jump!



Several of the attendees took the Twitter immediately after the screening to rave about the film, specifically the performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but most of the reactions focused on the movie's Oscar potential. [url="http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/paul-thomas-anderson-secretly-premieres-the-master-in-santa-monica-first-reactions-are-wildly-positive-20120804"]The Playlist[/url] rounded up several of the Twitter reactions.

[indent]Possibly the best film watching experience I've ever had. [url="https://twitter.com/search/%23THEMASTER70MM"][s]#[/s][b]THEMASTER70MM[/b][/url]

— michael whittle (@michaelwhittle) [url="https://twitter.com/michaelwhittle/status/231665293909426176"]August 4, 2012[/url]

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[indent]Just saw "The Master". A movie has never made me feel quite like this one did. I can't describe it or even rate it. I am speechless.

— Michael Gallagher (@TotallySketch) [url="https://twitter.com/TotallySketch/status/231663399317172225"]August 4, 2012[/url]

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[indent]The Master was amazing.Oscars all over this one.

— Andrew P. Alderete (@aaldere1) [url="https://twitter.com/aaldere1/status/231663403779911680"]August 4, 2012[/url]

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[indent][url="https://twitter.com/prfessorbigsock"][s]@[/s][b]prfessorbigsock[/b][/url] Hoffman is one of the finest actors alive. The Master is (more) proof. [url="https://twitter.com/search/%23themaster"][s]#[/s][b]themaster[/b][/url]

— Logan Doe (@LoganDoe) [url="https://twitter.com/LoganDoe/status/231674407712604160"]August 4, 2012[/url]

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[indent]The Master: B+ hazy, meandering story with beautiful staging and headed by Phoenix's brilliant, year's-best performance. [url="https://twitter.com/kristapley"][s]@[/s][b]kristapley[/b][/url]

— Jesse Crall (@jessecrall) [url="https://twitter.com/jessecrall/status/231677336372781056"]August 4, 2012[/url]

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[indent]THE MASTER is...interesting...I'll be thinking about it for days [url="https://twitter.com/search/%23THEMASTER70MM"][s]#[/s][b]THEMASTER70MM[/b][/url] J Phoenix and P S Hoffman are out of this world

— Matthew Roth (@Super_Matts) [url="https://twitter.com/Super_Matts/status/231673483111845888"]August 4, 2012[/url]

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The only extended reaction came from Hollywood-Elsewhere and their source "bobfilm."

[indent][i]"I'm still digesting everything I saw, but it was pretty amazing. It was like a strange fever dream. [But] not audience friendly AT ALL. An ambiguous ending and not one likable character. And without any 'milkshake' lines, it probably won't have the breakthrough that There Will Be Blood had... There are three or four scenes between Phoenix and Hoffman that are barn burners. It also containts the best work Amy Adams has ever done... Phoenix WILL win Best Actor unless Daniel Day Lewis blows us away with [his] Lincoln performance. This is Raging Bull territory for him. Believe it or not, his performance is stranger than that fake doc he made. The only way I can describe him is 'animalistic.' (I think the Master title refers to more of a dog and his master. At least that was the vibe I got).. The style feels like Terrence Malick by way of There Will Be Blood."[/i]

[/indent][i]What do you think of the early reactions to "The Master"? Let us know in the comments below and on [url="http://www.twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



[url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/08/06/the-master-secret-screening/]View the full article[/url]