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The Master (2012)

THE MASTER (USA, 2012)

[Spoiler in the last paragraph]

His chin angled slightly upward, mouth contorted at random into a sneery smile, eyes washed out, and entire face frequently slipping in and out of focus, Freddie Quell may well come across as permanently drunk and hypnotized. When his inebriated face almost fills the screen, it’s often followed by a closeup of a stern-faced person opposite Quell giving him orders and/or asking questions, thereby making him one of their subjects or dupes. There’s a sort of dialectical process at work that leads up to a furtive shift in the power dynamic. Most scenes exemplifying this process open with a two-shot of Quell and the person sitting next to or across from him, both given equal screen space. Once an interrogation or a “thought-processing” session begins, however, it cuts to alternating closeups, in which Quell ends up revealing his propensity towards sex addiction or his insecurities, whereas the other person—whether a doctor, a V. A. officer, his mentor, or the mentor’s wife—remains distant and poised. Such transitional process doles out glimpses into Quell’s backstory and psychological states, but it above all epitomizes his way of relating to the world outside himself, including his master Lancaster Dodd.

Unfortunately, though, one seldom gets to know much about Quell, despite a generous portion of the movie being devoted to probing the Navy vet’s past. Morsels of information about him are sprinkled here and there most of the time, yet the majority of it is concentrated in the first few sequences in the form of discrete chunks of his post-WWII vagabond stints: as a sailor, a portrait photographer, and a cabbage farm worker. Meandering between jobs, places, and the situations of his own making, Quell carries with him a whiff of disorientation and total isolation. His postwar years unfold episodically, without allowing much context with regard to his whereabouts, except in very generic locations such as a ship, store, and farm. If there’s anything constant about Quell, it’s that he’s helplessly intoxicated all the time. Indeed, only so much can viewers learn about him.

Then what part of the story, which centers deceptively on the origin of a belief system devised in 1950s America to cure the war-traumatized, makes it a compelling character study of Freddie Quell, when the events of his past seem unlikely to form a coherent whole? The answer might be a sense of discontinuity or disconnect that prevails throughout, indicative of not just Quell’s apparent mental disorder but his relationships with others, notably Lancaster Dodd, and with society at large, as well as P. T. Anderson’s stylistic approach to presenting them. The first half hour or so is all about Quell’s ephemeral attempts to readapt to civilian life. These episodes of his postwar striving to survive are strung together in roughly chronological order, but spatially almost unrelated. Even after Quell enlists in Dodd’s burgeoning spiritual crusade called The Cause, the narrative sometimes gets disrupted by the prewar flashback fixated on his first love Doris or cutaways of the open seas. This overarching ellipsis mirrors Quell’s crushed, amorphous psyche, his wandering tendencies and inability to relate to other people. He isn’t in the least interested in adjusting himself to blend into society; he stoops to primitive instincts and impulses often at others’ expense.

Such facet of him at once brings out the contrast between him and Dodd. In fact, a straightforward illustration—or rather, schematization—of their antithetical relationship can be found in a symmetrically designed jail cell shot in the second half, where on the left side Quell unleashes his fury and tries to destroy everything around him while on the right Dodd takes it all in his stride and pisses unperturbed. It seems as if not only the toilet gets shattered into shards, but so does Quell’s (forced) faith in The Cause. A bit of context would help here: Before their imprisonment, Dodd’s son tells Quell with nonchalance, but not without condescension, “He’s making it up as he goes along. You don’t see that?” Quell instantly pounces on the son; his overreaction seems rather a failed disguise of his harbored yet barely repressed suspicion that the way of life Dodd preaches is plain sham. Why doesn’t he just turn around and run away, as he’s always done, instead of defending the con artist so vehemently? Now turn back the clock to Dodd and his protégé’s first encounter.

Quell meets Dodd, a self-professed writer, nuclear physicist, theoretical philosopher, and “hopelessly inquisitive” man, after he sneaks aboard a yacht Dodd commands. Sitting in a noir-ishly low-lit room and looking contemplative and self-assured, Dodd regards a lost, worn-out Quell lingering on the threshold with fatherly sympathy. During this sequence, Anderson conveys the two’s instant camaraderie by narrowing the physical distance between them in just a few alternating shots. Thereafter the varied distance between them ostensibly delineates something close to a common push-pull courtship pattern. At the wedding reception for Dodd’s daughter, Quell examines the Master from the back row, who warms up the guests by spinning a tale about dragons with a confident display of glibness and geniality. Then, their second rendezvous advances the relationship to the next defining phase. At first, the pair is seen in one frame facing each other in preparation for a therapy session. But once Dodd starts churning out repetitive, increasingly demanding questions leading to the two's exchange of tight facial closeups, the session quickly establishes their relative positions in this relationship. That way, Dodd soon succeeds in breaking through Quell’s boozed-up armor and simultaneously anointing the subject a precious guinea pig of his.

And thus Dodd is the ultimate master and their one-sided liaison continues unhindered… But of course, there’s more to it than that. True, they manage to find their own places where they feel most secure, the kind of stability that helps them regain their bearings in the chaotic postwar reality and assures them that order can still be restored and things returned to normal, exactly the way they were before, even in the aftermath of total man-made world annihilation. To foster such delusional hope, they are compelled to rely on each other—as much as Quell needs some guiding figure like Dodd, who proclaims during their fight in the jail cell, “I’m the only one who likes you!” Dodd also depends on the fidelity of his followers like Quell to sustain his cult and to survive. And needless to say, this symbiosis developed out of necessity extends to other believers in The Cause as well. Their desire for a decent, normal life without feeling alienated reaches a point where the degree of faith doesn’t even matter. Dodd’s son, for instance, who lives off his father, plays along although he considers him a charlatan. Quell secretly nurses his own doubts about the Master, but he willingly curbs his animal instincts and obeys. The whole enterprise is founded upon lies and deceit, in which all the related parties, the master and his patrons/acolytes alike, are complicit to the extent that the cult subsists. And that seems one of the few viable ways people acclimatized to postwar America.

In the end, Quell frees himself from Dodd’s hands, but his recovered independence is not the same as the unfettered freedom he enjoyed before The Cause. He’s still afloat—wandering in search of the affection, comfort, and security that Doris, and possibly Dodd, offered him, yet the imprint Dodd left on him appears indelible when Quell casually reenacts that “thought-processing” on a woman with whom he crosses paths in a pub during sex. The sex scene’s also reminiscent of the beach sequence bookending the movie, where Quell humps a female body sculptured of sand, only to find it frustrating altogether since it’s not a real woman. He finally gets to have intercourse with a real woman, but Anderson’s powerhouse performance-backed elusive character study ends with Quell wistfully eyeing the sandy woman. (9/10)

Rust and Bone (2012)

RUST AND BONE (France, 2012)

The movie begins with a shot of an asphalt pavement aglow in the sun, pounded by a boy's sturdy, hurrying feet. That's Sam, Ali's son, Ali, fresh from Belgium, and the two are on the way to Ali's sister’s in Antibes, France. The needy state the pair’s in is hard to go unnoticed: Ali scavenges train cars for food scraps and steals from an electronics store to feed himself and his son. When Ali finally reunites with his sister, Anna, her own hardship manifests itself quite explicitly as a fridge stocked with drinks neatly organized but past their expiry dates. Soon, Ali gets a bouncing job at a nightclub, where he meets whale trainer Stephanie as he saves her from a bloody brawl.

That physicality and deficiency are the predominant motifs is repeatedly suggested in the lingering shots of Stephanie’s legs, whether they be still part of her body or permanently lost, and the scenes where Ali engages in gambling fights. As Ali and Stephanie’s bond gets tighter, Jacques Audiard’s lens lets in a generous amount of sunlight to imply a rather hopeful future for the couple unabashedly, but not mawkishly. In Rust and Bone, all in all, the incomplete meet and find a way to more than complete each other, although their emotional journey encounters a few bumps along the way, both story-wise and in terms of narrative development. As ever, Marion Cotillard wrings the heart, with a mere outstretch of her arms motioning to a whale, and Matthias Schoenaerts, who seems emotionally inert most of the time, surprises you in a climactic scene and successfully produces the most memorable moment in the movie. (6/10)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Further Thoughts

Tinker, Tailor, Duplicity, End of Empire

Read my further thoughts on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy here.


“That was a good time, George.”

“It was the war, Connie.”

“A real war: Englishmen could be proud then.”

BAFTA 2012 Winners

My last-minute BAFTA predictions!
I got 14/20 right.
Great, but this means the results were too predictable...
I think at this point Artist, Michel Hazanavicius, Christopher Plummer, Octavia Spencer, and again, Michel Hazanavicius (for Original Screenplay), and even Jean Dujardin all have it in the bag.

Here are the winners:

Supporting Actress
Carey Mulligan, Drive
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Judi Dench, My Week with Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Will win: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Prefer: None
Winner: Octavia Spencer

Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Jim Broadbent, The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March

Will win and Prefer: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Winner: Christopher Plummer

Leading Actor
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame

Will win: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Prefer: Michael Fassbender, Shame
Winner: Jean Dujardin

Leading Actress
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Viola Davis, The Help

Will win: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Prefer: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Winner: Meryl Streep

Original Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
John Michael McDonagh, The Guard
Abi Morgan, The Iron Lady
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Will win: The Artist
Prefer: Midnight in Paris
Winner: The Artist

Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Will win: Moneyball
Prefer: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Winner: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Animated Film
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Arthur Christmas
Rango

Will win: Rango
Prefer: None
Winner: Rango

Film Not in the English Language
Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Will win: A Separation
Winner: The Skin I Live In

Original Music
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo - Howard Shore
Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
John Williams, War Horse

Will win: Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Winner: Ludovic Bource, The Artist


Cinematography
Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist
Jeff Cronenweth, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Hoyte van Hoytema, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Janusz Kaminski, War Horse

Will win: The Artist
Prefer: Tinker Tailor
Winner: The Artist

Editing
Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Mat Newman, Drive
Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo
Gregers Sall, Chris King, Senna
Dino Jonsater, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Will win: Mat Newman, Drive
Prefer: Dino Jonsater
Winner: Gregers Sall & Chris King, Senna

Production Design
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Will win and Prefer: Hugo
Winner: Hugo


Costume Design
Mark Bridges, The Artist
Sandy Powell, Hugo
Michael O'Connor, Jane Eyre
Jill Taylor, My Week with Marilyn
Jacqueline Durran, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Will win: Michael O'Connor, Jane Eyre
Prefer: Jacqueline Durran
Winner: Mark Bridges, The Artist

Sound
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Will win: War Horse
Winner: Hugo


Makeup & Hair
Julie Hewett & Cydney Cornell, The Artist
Amanda Knight & Lisa Tomblin, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Morag Ross & Jan Achibald, Hugo
Maresse Langan, The Iron Lady
Jenny Shircorse, My Week with Marilyn

Will win: The Iron Lady
Winner: The Iron Lady

Visual Effect
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
War Horse

Will win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Winner: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Tomas Alfredson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Lynne Ramsay, We Need To Talk About Kevin

Will win: Michel Hazanavicius
Prefer: Tomas Alfredon
Winner: Michel Hazanavicius 

Outstanding Debut
Joe Cornish, Attack the Block
Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley, Sarah Brocklehurst, Black Pond
Ralph Fiennes, Coriolanus
Richard Ayoade, Submarine
Paddy Considine, Diarmid Scrimshaw, Tyrannosaur

Will win: Tyrannosaur
Prefer: Joe Cornish, Attack the Block
Winner: Paddy Considine & Diarmid Scrimshaw, Tyrannosaur


Outstanding British Film
My Week with Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need To Talk About Kevin

Will win and Prefer: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Winner: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
My review of TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY here.

Best Film
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Will win: The Artist
Prefer: Tinker Tailor
Winner: The Artist

84th Academy Awards Nominees Announced!

I admit I liked Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close slightly better than War Horse. But a BP nomination? I didn't see that coming! Stephen Daldry did it again. Wowzers. The Academy can't live without him, can they? By the way I am digging Gary Oldman and Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor nominations. Team Tinker Tailor Solider Spy! 
Anyhoo, let's see how many I got right. I got all Film Editing and Foreign Language Film nominees right! So proud. 

Best Picture

I predicted:
The Artist

The Descendants

Hugo

The Help

Midnight in Paris

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Moneyball

War Horse

This year we have 9 BP nominees! The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse
No love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Best Director

I predicted:

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Nominees are: Michel Hazanavicius, Martin Scorsese, Alexander Payne, Woody Allen, Terrence Malick. sorry Fincher. we got your hopes up. from DGA.

Best Actress

I predicted:
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Viola Davis, The Help

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Nominees are: Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Rooney Mara, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams. oh so sorry Tilda, we got your hopes up. from critics. 

Best Actor

I predicted:

George Clooney, The Descendants

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Michael Fassbender, Shame


Nominees are: Demian Bichir, George Clooney, Jean Dujardin, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt. Gary fucking Oldman! I can die now. Wait. No Michaels (Shannon & Fassbender)?? damn.

Best Supporting Actress

I predicted:

Octavia Spencer, The Help

Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Shalene Woodley, The Descendants

Nominees are: Berenice Bejo, Jessica Chastain, Melissa McCarthy, Janet McTeer, Octavia Spencer. 

Best Supporting Actor

I predicted:

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Albert Brooks, Drive

Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Nick Nolte, Warrior

Nominees are: Kenneth Branagh, Jonah Hill, Nick Nolte, Christopher Plummer, Max von Sydow. Yes! for von Sydow. Where's Albert Brooks? I'm waiting for his tweet on this.

Best Writing - Original Screenplay

I predicted:

Midnight in Paris

The Artist

50/50

Bridesmaids

A Separation

Nominees are: The Artist, Bridesmaids, Margin Call, Midnight in Paris, A Separation. Margin Call was my alternative anyway. Very solid writing from a debut filmmaker. 

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay

I predicted:

The Descendants

Moneyball

Hugo

The Help

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Nominees are: The Descendants, Hugo, The Ides of March, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Tinker fucking Tailor fucking Soldier fucking Spy! (sorry, I'm not sorry for the profanity.)  The Ides of March's writing is way better than The Help's, so I'm glad. 

Best Film Editing

I predicted:

The Artist

Hugo

Moneyball

The Descendants

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Nominees are: The Artist, The Descendants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Moneyball. I got all of them right. Proud.

Best Cinematography

I predicted
The Tree of Life

War Horse

Hugo

The Artist

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Nominees are: The Artist, The Tree of Life, Hugo, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, War Horse. Oh well. 

Best Art Direction

I predicted:
Hugo

The Artist

War Horse

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Nominees are: The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, War Horse. Ugh, no TTSS. Sad. 

Best Costume Design

I predicted:

The Artist

My Week with Marilyn

Hugo

Jane Eyre

The Help

Nominees are: Anonymous, The Artist, Hugo, Jane Eyre, W.E.. No nom for Marilyn? Hm. 

Best Makeup

I predicted:

The Iron Lady

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The Artist

Albert Nobbs

Nominees are: Albert Nobbs, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Iron Lady. Shit, shoud've left The Artist out. So close, though.

Best Original Score

I predicted:

Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Howard Shore, Hugo

John Williams, War Horse

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Nominees are: The Artist, The Adventures of Tintin, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse. I predicted no love for Desplat, but it still hurts. Two noms for Williams. So glad Iglesias got recognized for his wonderfully moody and jazzy work for TTSS. 

Best Visual Effects

I predicted:

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Hugo

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Nominees are: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Real Steel, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Gah. The Academy hates Tom Cruise. LOL. Kidding.

Best Original Song

I predicted:

The Living Proof, The Help

Lay Your Head Down, Albert Nobbs

Man or Muppet, The Muppets

Hello Hello, Gnomeo & Juliet

The Keeper, Machine Gun Preacher

Nominees are: "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets, "Real in Rio" from Rio. Only two songs?! What the hell?

Best Animated Feature

I predicted:

Rango

Puss in Boots

Kung Fu Panda 2

Car 2

The Adventures of Tintin

Nominees are: A Cat in Paris, Chico & Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rango. I wasn't really confident about my animated feature choices. No Tintin. Hmm.

Best Documentary - Feature

I predicted:

Project Nim

Bill Cunningham New York

Pina

Hell and Back Again

We Were Here

Nominees are: Hell and Back Again, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, Pina, Undefeated. I really sucked here. Yikes.

Best Foreign Language Film

I predicted:

Iran, A Separation

Canada, Monsieur Lazhar

Poland, In Darkness

Israel, Footnote

Belgium, Bullhead

Nominees are: A Separation, Monsieur Lazhar, In Darkness, Footnote, Bullhead. I got all of them right. Proud.

Best Sound Mixing

I predicted:

Hugo

The Artist

War Horse

Transformers: Dar of the Moon

Super 8

Nominees are: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Moneyball, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse. Oh, glad to see Moneyball. 

Best Sound Editing

I predicted:

War Horse

The Adventures of Tintin

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Super 8

Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Nominees are: Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse. Drive! Glad to see you here. I'm predicting Mixing and Editing sweeps by either Dragon Tattoo or War Horse. I really suck at sound categories. Gotta work on that.

And here are the rest of the categories I didn't/couldn't predict:

Short Film (Animated)


Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life



Short Film (Live Action)


Pentacost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic


Documentary (Short Subject)


The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Nomination Count (only films with 2 noms +)

I predicted:

The Artist  - 12 nominations
Hugo - 10
The Help - 7
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 6
The Descendants - 6
War Horse - 6
Moneyball - 5
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 4
Midnight in Paris - 3
My Week with Marilyn - 3
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - 3
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 3
A Separation - 2
Bridesmaids - 2
The Iron Lady - 2
Super 8 - 2
The Adventures of Tintin - 2

Actually..:

Hugo - 11 nominations
The Artist  - 9  
Moneyball - 6
War Horse - 6
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 5
The Descendants - 5
Midnight in Paris - 4
The Help - 4
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 3
My Week with Marilyn - 3
The Tree of Life - 3
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - 3
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 3
A Separation - 2
Bridesmaids - 2
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - 2
The Iron Lady - 2