Paul Thomas Anderson is emerging as one of the best filmmakers of our time. He certainly strives to create art. And like any artist not every work will be a success. Roger Ebert once said of Werner Herzog, “even his failures are spectacular.” The same can be said of Anderson; as both writer and director his latest film, The Master, is certainly a spectacular failure.

Anywhere the Wind Blows

This is not to say it isn’t worth watching. The problem with the film is that Freddie Quell, played by a perfectly hollowed Joaquin Phoenix, is the central character.

All you need to know about Freddie Quell is that he drinks paint thinner.… Read the rest