Podcast: The Playlist Talks 'The Master' & 'Looper'

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by Erik McClanahan
October 1, 2012 10:59 AM
8 Comments

The podcast returns this week after a long absence. We apologize for the lack of shows, but obviously we've been hella busy. This week, host Erik McClanahan is joined by regular guests Kevin Jagernauth and Rodrigo Perez for reviews of two films from American writer/directors garnering a ton of attention at the moment: "The Master" from Paul Thomas Anderson, and the latest from Rian Johnson, "Looper."

While we mostly avoid spoiler-ish talk about the films, you may want to wait until after you've seen the films to listen to our takes. And don't forget to chime in with your thoughts on either film. Are they overrated? What do you think of each filmmaker?

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More: Podcast, Paul Thomas Anderson, Rian Johnson, The Master, Looper

8 Comments

| Reply
caleb | October 4, 2012 4:58 PMReply

no download option on the soundcloud files? what am i to listen to as i mow my lawn?!
coke | October 4, 2012 3:47 PMReply

Great podcast guys!!!
Well done really.
coke | October 4, 2012 8:33 PM

I also didn't like Looper that much... Not that is bad but I went to the movie with such high expectations (because of the reviews).
Curious thing though is that I really liked the first half of the film and hated the second. It felt odd and kinda ruined the movie in my opinion.
DG | October 4, 2012 2:42 PMReply

There Will Be Blood is superior to The Master in more ways than one. The key thing for me happens at the end of the film, with what takes place symbolically between DDL and Paul Dano. You guys talk abut epilogues and you're right on the money. When Daniel Plainview kills Paul Sunday he not only finishes him mortally but completes a sort of symbolic transference that has been happening the entire movie, specifically that these two characters, each acting as icon/surrogate for the origins of their reactive fields (oil/industry, religion/culture) inherents the characteristics of the other (Plainview becomes both Prophet and alchemist in his tactics for oil extraction and business, a relative visionary who is ultimately rewarded for his sins while Sunday crumples beneath bothPlainview's power and the greed and folly of trying to expand his church into something,anger, in a sense trying to adopt a more business like model for his religion). The Master could be argued to be setting up something similar but never quite delivers on it, and I think it's the frustration that this causes that leads to what you guys call the coldness of the film. Also I like what you said about the aesthetics of the movie and the first scenes of Freddy and the montage of him working as a photographer, these were my favorites parts as well.
bohmer | October 3, 2012 11:33 PMReply

if you upload your podcast on itunes, I will subscribe. Thanks.
Schizopolis | October 3, 2012 10:56 AMReply

yes..upload on iTunes please
JAMIE | October 2, 2012 4:37 PMReply

Great Podcast! Looking forward to the next one.
xavi | October 1, 2012 3:05 PMReply

Please upload the podcast to iTunes