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Trailer Tracking: ‘Skyfall,’ ‘Gangster Squad,’ ‘The Campaign,’ ’The Master’

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Movie: “The Master”

Best Parts of the Teaser: Being reminded that Joaquin Phoenix is a fantastic actor; the gorgeous 65mm photography; two words – “sand nipple”

Worst Parts of the Teaser: It’s so very, very vague on what’s happening…

OUR TAKE: When I heard that Paul Thomas Anderson had released the first footage from his upcoming movie “The Master” – there’s a debate whether this clip should be called a trailer, a teaser, or just “footage” – this wasn’t what I was expecting. The early word on the project was that “The Master” was a thinly-veiled fictionalization of the origins of Scientology. In fact, here’s the studio-released official plot summary of “The Master”: “Set in America in the years following World War II, a charismatic intellectual (Philip Seymour Hoffman) launches a faith-based organization and taps a young drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) as his right-hand man. But as the faith begins to gain a fervent following, the onetime vagabond finds himself questioning the belief system he has embraced, and his mentor.” So, I’ll admit, when I heard that a teaser trailer for “The Master” had been released, I was probably expecting to see Philip Seymour Hoffman doing his best L. Ron Hubbard impression. But leave it to P.T. Anderson to defy expectations.

Instead, we got a minute and a half of really striking footage - shot in big, beautiful 65mm – that, more than anything else, made me realize that Joaquin Phoenix is, indeed, one of the best actors of his generation. And, truth be told, I’d forgotten that. The few films that he’s starred in since his Oscar-nominated turn in “Walk the Line” have been totally forgettable (“We Own the Night,” “Two Lovers”, etc.) and his whole stupid “I’m Not Here” period a few years ago was annoying enough that I’d really written Joaquin off as an actor. It definitely seemed, as if, his best days were behind him. But then this trailer for “The Master” comes along and he’s once again on my radar.

Why? Because, even though the trailer gives away almost NOTHING about the movie itself, it completely makes me invested in Joaquin’s character. Anderson cuts between a shirtless Phoenix, a Navy man, bumming around on a beach by himself, and Phoenix being questioned by an officer about past incidents in his service record. We hear the officer ask about his mental state, ask about the time he held a knife to another officer’s neck, and ask about “this last episode on the way home.” We then get close-ups of Joaquin’s face, cut around footage of the sailor drinking in the bowels of a Navy ship, and we witness the charismatic actor smile, deflect, and rationalize the “episode” that he swears he can’t remember. Joaquin’s character is just so obviously damaged yet engaging that I was instantly drawn in, wanting to know more. And Anderson, perhaps realizing this, closes the trailer with the officer saying “let’s just see if we can help you remember what happened.” Like the “Skyfall” trailer, it piques our interest and, without actually giving away much information, it inspires the viewer to ask a lot of questions. What exactly is going on with Joaquin’s character? What was that “episode”?

While “The Master” trailer wasn’t what I expected, as I think about it more and more, I’m pretty impressed by the impact it had on me. I’d expected a riff on Scientology and maybe Anderson – again anticipating that expectation from his audience – decided instead to use this trailer to very firmly declare, “My movie is about CHARACTERS. It is NOT a parody or expose of a widely parodied and exposed modern religion.” And I think that’s kind of a genius way to deal with the pre-release buzz for a movie like this. After watching the trailer for “The Master,” I was left with two major impressions - Joaquin Phoenix is a great actor and I want to know more about what happens to his character. And, given all of my preconceived notions about the movie - Joaquin is washed up, it’s a Scientology attack, etc. - what more can you ask from a first trailer? Color me impressed.

TRAILER OUTLOOK: Impressive and intriguing. I want more.

By TOM BURNS
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
[email protected]

Anonymous6's picture

Trailer Tracking: ‘Skyfall,’ ‘Gangster Squad,’ ‘The

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