Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" opened Friday at the Angelika and the Village East on Second Avenue where it played in 70mm.
The buzzy drama — the Times called it an "imposing, confounding and altogether amazing new film" — stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams. And it made $729,745 in five theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a record-setting per-screen average of $145,949, according to the Associated Press. (This was a record previously held by Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom.")
Anyway, a reader who tried to get tickets this past weekend for the Village East said that every screening was sold out. I saw the lines on Second Avenue stretch around the corner on East 12th Street. Just curious if anyone saw the movie ... and if it was worth the wait...
That's the line to see The Bachelorette.
ReplyDeleteIt was an interesting movie, but not one I'd see twice which is how I felt about Tree of Life.
ReplyDeleteBought tickets in advance...no line. However, B-O-R-I-N-G... It was a beautiful evening Saturday. Wish I'd spent it outside eating dinner rather than inside a crowded theatre. Great acting. Wasted effort on a dull subject matter. Then again, you might like it.
ReplyDeleteEveryone wants a piece of Xenu. Back in early 90’s, knowing nothing of Scientology, I bought a copy of Battlefield Earth at a garage sale for around 50 cents. Since I dig alien invasion books/movies, I gave it a whirl. Overall, about a B minus at best and that’s rather generous.
ReplyDeleteI was in that line. Not a terrible wait and I loved the movie. That it is loosely based on Scientology is incidental. It's visually a beautiful movie and Joaquim Phoenix was terrific. There are several close up shots of him that almost took my breath away. Philip Seymore Hoffman is overrated and just grosses me out!
ReplyDeleteYou know what film that was worth standing in line for (but you didn't have to since practically no one saw it) that was playing there? -- Les Petit Mouchoirs
ReplyDelete(NYT review here).
[was also playing at Angelika, but still playing at Lincoln Cinemas]
de rien
Got tickets ahead of time to see it at the Angelika on Fri, still waited in line for a bit to get first crack at seats. I never go to the movies, but I want to this, cause I am a fan of PTA, and this lived up to my expectations. A bit long, but some beautiful scenes, beautiful score, amazing performances by JP and PSH. It was really a character study. There will be blood is still my favorite of his movies, but this is probably second.
ReplyDeleteso, Hey19 gives it 2 thumbs up, but I think it will be even better on some High Res DVD than a crappy movie screen, so no need to rush out and wait on line.
Wow, surprised by the negative reviews! I think this may be PTA's masterpiece. Scientology is a backdrop more than anything else, and all of the leads give excellent performance. There are two sequences that are among the most beautifully shot of any film I've ever seen. I definitely did not find the film boring, although it is also not particularly viewer-friendly.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely don't wait for it to come out on DVD; the film was shot on 65/70mm, which, for me at least, gives the film a visual texture and depth that is truly remarkable. Supposedly Bluray transfers can capture the detail of 65/70mm, but there's something remarkable about watching a film like this on the big screen that is an integral part of the experience. The one thing I will say is that the the audio quality in the main theater of the Village East is not the best, and as a result, the viewing experience at the Angelika may be slightly better.
For me, this movie was a case of the critics serving the cool-aide and us moronic masses following their leaders (cult)! While I'll admit that the individual performances were good, the collective was an uninteresting mess. Dreadfully long, dreadfully boring. Our entire group simply hated it.
ReplyDeletesaw it saturday night, lincoln square, 70mm, agree with it being "dreadfully long, dreadfully boring." and i wanted to throw my unfinished popcorn at the people who pretentiously clapped at the end.
ReplyDeletePaul Thomas Anderson movies are The Emperor's New Clothes. Some guy at the NYT decided he was a genius and everyone else falls in line. Boogie Nights was a shit movie, the only decent one was There Will be Blood but the piss poor overacting of Paul Dano singlehandedly ruined that film.
ReplyDelete