This is very hard to rate because I enjoyed every second of it, it was beautiful to look at, Hoffman and Phoenix had very good chemistry and it's pretty much endlessly analyzable...but it also feels like a hollowed out version of a great film, a skeleton missing its flesh and organs. There weren't any truly great scenes (though many good ones) and the story never really clicked. While the bond between the two leads and the supporting cast does compensate (to some degree) for the lack of the plot coming together perfectly, it still feels disappointing. I know that Anderson wasn't trying to make a 'big' film but The Master still feels like the studio hacked off 40-50 minutes of a great, 3 hour epic.Another potential issue is that Hoffman's character is more interesting than Phoenix's and the movie would have been better with a larger scope and told from Hoffman's point of view. Still, what we see is definitely a good movie but it should have been a great movie.8/10
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) - A nice nod to Chandler with its Big Sleep type of plot that I'm fully invested in but couldn't answer any questions about. This is probably my favorite Denzel movie because he doesn't star in a lot of genre movies that aren't remakes or blockbusters. His understated performance is great and it's a shame that there wasn't an Easy Rawlins film series starring Denzel -- now there's a connected film universe I would have liked to see. The flaw with this movie is the cinematography, which some praise, but it's too ordinary looking and not noir enough - if you will. This should have been shot in scope with way less medium close up shots with a starker look that really would have hammered home the mostly excellent location work. The narration should have got tossed as well, it adds nothing and serves mostly as boring exposition. The costume choices were a little uninspired as well - it felt like a very mid 90s take on the 40s. Don Cheadle is great in a supporting role that had to be viewed as a miscast on paper. Cheadle has a very friendly demeanor that's hard to shake but you believe that his character can kill in an instant. Denzel is a secure and generous enough actor that he lets Cheadle and Sizemore steal their scenes. "B"
His understated performance is great and it's a shame that there wasn't an Easy Rawlins film series starring Denzel -- now there's a connected film universe I would have liked to see.
A lot of good points about The Master. It would be a way to phrase the ambivalent way I feel about it.The Witch 8.5/10Second viewing, even better.
I'll have to check this on out then.
All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar, 1999) - 7.5/10
A masterpiece from one of the best directors who are still working.