The Playlist

Paul Thomas Anderson Secretly Premieres 'The Master' In Santa Monica; First Reactions Are Largely Wildly Positive

By Oliver Lyttelton
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August 4, 2012 8:39 AM
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39 Comments

News

You have to hand it to Paul Thomas Anderson. Five years ago, the director unveiled his last film, "There Will Be Blood," as a surprise at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, skipping the established festival circuit entirely for a film that turned out to be the best received of 2007. It seemed, briefly, that his follow-up, "The Master," might have a more conventional release strategy for an awards-type film, with news leaking out that the film was set to premiere at Venice before going on to TIFF, perhaps suggesting a more conventional type of marketing push from distributors The Weinstein Company.

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Is Paul Thomas Anderson Having Difficulties Getting 'The Master' Exhibited In 70mm Format?

By Oliver Lyttelton
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August 3, 2012 6:39 PM
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30 Comments

News

Much to everyone's surprise, Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" is almost upon us. One of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year, many months of silence went by until a few brief teaser clips were revealed to whet appetites. And out of nowhere, a spectacular full trailer for the film arrived, swiftly followed by reports that "The Master" would play at both the Venice and Toronto film festivals this fall. And suddenly, a big bump up in release dates occurred that meant the film was only six weeks away, set to start rolling out in limited release in the middle of September, soon after the end of TIFF.

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Over-Analyze This: A Deep Dive Into Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master' Trailer

By Cory Everett
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July 21, 2012 9:37 AM
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21 Comments

News

We’re not sure about you, but “The Master” is hovering near the top of our must-see list for the remainder of 2012. Though he has only made six features thus far (including his latest), Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most gifted filmmakers of his generation. Known for creating deeply personal, sprawling, ambitious films -- from his breakthrough with 1997’s “Boogie Nights” (which he made before turning 27) to 2007’s pièce de résistance “There Will Be Blood” -- he is the rare auteur whose uncompromising visions have always managed to find a place within the studio system. As his films have taken longer to coalesce (five years apart for the previous two pictures) the anticipation grows into a cinematic event among his feverous fans. It’s been a long road in driving his latest to the screen (an older iteration at Universal with a different cast for one), but from the looks of the trailer, it will have been worth the wait.

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Watch: Astonishing First Full Trailer For Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 19, 2012 7:53 PM
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38 Comments

News

Does the overt happiness from the first two teaser trailers make you feel shame? Do the films of Paul Thomas Anderson make you unduly excited? Do you enjoy the performances of Joaquin Phoenix beyond all reasonable health? Does Philip Seymour Hoffman make your pupils dilate? Do you get occasional twitches of your muscles from the music of Jonny Greenwood? Does the knowledge that this film was shot in 65mm make you impulsive to buy a ticket?

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Take A Drink From The New Poster For Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 18, 2012 9:52 PM
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6 Comments

News

And so the slow build campaign for Paul Thomas Anderson's highly anticipated "The Master" continues. After some footage screened for press in Cannes, and two teaser trailers, a poster has now arrived. And it adds a bit of mystery to the film.

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Watch: Second Trailer For Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master' Provides First Looks At Philip Seymour Hoffman & Amy Adams

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 19, 2012 4:28 AM
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22 Comments

News

In an age with announcements for teasers of trailers for trailers, we have to say we're big fans of how Paul Thomas Anderson and The Weinstein Company are going about the campaign for their new film, "The Master." A brief clip/teaser arrived during Cannes, on the same day that footage from the film was screened on the Croisette, and now, unannounced in the middle of the night, a second teaser trailer has cropped up on YouTube, as noticed by Badass Digest, and it's pretty swell.

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"What The Fuck Is Going On?" Paul Thomas Anderson & Robert Downey Sr. Talk The Criterion Box Set 'Up All Night With...'

By Edward Davis
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June 4, 2012 3:43 PM
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3 Comments

News

It really doesn't get more irreverent and outlandish than the cult films of Robert Downey Sr. and let's face it, every cinephile worth his salt loves an excuse to talk about the underground filmmaker's outré classic "Putney Swope."

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Tom Cruise Has Seen Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master,' Has "Issues" With It

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 22, 2012 7:21 PM
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29 Comments

News

Since rumors started to fly about Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film, "The Master," which was said, and has now pretty much been confirmed, to be about the much-mocked religion of Scientology, there's been one question on the back of many our minds: what does Tom Cruise think about the whole thing? The megastar is, after all, both an Oscar nominee for his supporting turn in Anderson's 1999 film "Magnolia," and a leading light in, and often public spokesman for, the Church of Scientology, the very subject which his former director was tackling with his latest film.

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Cannes Report: First Footage From 'The Master' Impresses & Yes It's About Scientology

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 21, 2012 4:03 PM
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6 Comments

News

The Weinstein Company are feeling confident this year at the Cannes Film Festival, and why not? With three films in the lineup eaching earning a fair share of buzz -- "Lawless," "Killing Them Softly" and "The Sapphires" -- tonight they decided to up the ante, and show off some previews for three films that will make up the rest of their impressive 2012 slate.

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Watch: First Teaser Clip Of Joaquin Phoenix In Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 21, 2012 11:44 AM
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40 Comments

News

Woah. We knew that the Weinstein Company were about to unveil some footage from Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" in Cannes tonight (and we'll have our reactions from that for you later), but we just got a nice surprise, courtesy of the Twitter account of Megan Ellison, with the first footage from the film, the director's first in five years.

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