(Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012)
Hmmm. This film is well acted and well filmed. Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman do very fine work in this story about a psychologically disturbed WWII veteran who meets an L. Ron Hubbard/ Werner Erhard/ James Edward Baker- type guru and becomes intimately involved in the development of his "movement." I honestly didn't care at all about any of the characters. The period feel is fantastic and a few of the photographic tableau in the film are amazingly evocative of the war era but this film lacked a heart. Maybe I am in the minority but this meditative saunter through a disturbed man's mind never really grabbed me. I was more fascinated by the psychology of Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) but the audience only gets glimpses into his mind as the story unfolds. Looks great and has really good performances but the story isn't one I really cared about at all. (6/7)
Here is a good book about the nutty LRH
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