A secret sneak screening of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” the director’s is-it-or-isn’t-it take on Scientology, has drawn very strong reviews and comments from various sources. Below is a round-up.

Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as World War II veteran Lancaster Dodd who forms his own religion.  Joaquin Phoenix plays a drifter who becomes Dodd’s disciple.

The screening at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica was projected in 70mm. PTA and wife Maya Rudolph were reportedly in attendance for the 2 hour and 10 minute film.

Comments on Twitter range from “Possibly the best film watching experience I’ve ever had” to “I am speechless.”

Hollywood-Elsewhere has the following comment (in part) as relayed to Jeff Wells: “I’m still digesting everything I saw, but it was pretty amazing. It was like a strange fever dream… There are three or four scenes between Phoenix and Hoffman that are barn burners. It also contains the best work Amy Adams has ever done… Phoenix WILL win Best Actor unless Daniel Day Lewis blows us away with [his] ‘Lincoln’ performance. This is ‘Raging Bull’ territory for him.”

A source told HitFix in part: “I’ll get the (semi) negatives out of the way first. Because everyone will do this, and because it is merited, I will knock out the ‘There Will Be Blood’ comparisons. Stylistically and tonally they are of a piece. And that, in my eyes, is both a positive and a negative… It is never less than visually stunning… The performances are AMAZING. And I don’t use the word ‘amazing’ unless I mean it… There are moments that are heartbreaking and funny and melancholic all in the same beat, and that is an fantastic feat… A side note: Much of the material from the first couple teaser trailers is not in the film. And when it is, there are different takes used. Just thought that was interesting.”

The Thompson on Hollywood blog has this report (in part): “Formally, ‘The Master’ is gorgeous… Though much attention will be rightly paid to Phoenix and Hoffman, Amy Adams as Master’s wife may have the most revelatory character. Without giving too much away, Anderson cleverly includes a few scenes that cause the viewer to re-think the power structures in Master’s universe. It is the 1950s, after all, and wives must stand dutifully beside their husbands, even if something rather different is going on behind the scenes. In this regard, Adams’ quiet strength as an actress works beautifully.”

The film is released Sept 14 and will premiere before that in Venice.