Maps to the Stars (2015)

The main problem with David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars isn't really in the film it all. It's just the fact that there are already so many movies about the seamy underbelly of Hollywood, and how self-centered everyone there is and how ridiculous the entire business is. If you've seen a few of these movies, you may not think you're seeing anything new or special here. But Cronenberg is one of the greatest directors alive, and the unique and fascinating way in which he sees things is reason enough to watch. read more...

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• Optimistic ▶ No thanks
• Innocence ▶ Seasoned, Savvy, Streetwise
• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time

Burning (2018)

Opening today in Bay Area theaters, the mysterious, entrancing Burning is the latest from South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong (Secret Sunshine, Poetry); it's like a weird dream you'll want to try and remember after waking up. read more...

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The Merchant of Four Seasons (1972)

In Rainer Werner Fassbinder's The Merchant of Four Seasons a former fruit peddler Hans (Hans Hirschmüller), unable to continue in his work, attempts to build a business for himself and his wife (Irm Hermann), whom he barely cares about. The soul-sucking nature of capitalism drives this brilliant film, but the rich characters and the almost constant tension keep it emotionally resonant. Filmmaker Wim Wenders provides a commentary track for this excellent new DVD. A Criterion Blu-ray followed in 2015. read more...

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The Duke of Burgundy (2015)

Writer/director Peter Strickland follows up his outstanding Berberian Sound Studio with The Duke of Burgundy; I didn't like it quite as much, but I still admired it a great deal. It concerns two women in a dom-sub relationship: the soft-spoken, tentative Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna) works as a maid for the upright, middle-aged Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen), who studies moths and butterflies. Nothing Evelyn does seems to be good enough; there's always a spare pair of panties that didn't get hand-washed with the rest of the laundry, resulting in a punishment. After observing these two for a while, it becomes apparent that they have little routines. The punishments are pre-planned. Then, it becomes apparent that Evelyn is actually the one in charge; she's not shy about manipulating Cynthia into fulfilling her submissive desires. Strickland unfolds all this in quiet, carefully polished scenes. In one, the ladies go about trying to order a bed for Evelyn's birthday; it will allow Cynthia to sleep on top while Evelyn sleeps in a compartment underneath. Unfortunately it will not be ready in time; when the sales lady mentions a human toilet, Evelyn perks up again. Like its predecessor, The Duke of Burgundy is meant to evoke a specific genre from a specific time, and it does that well. As an erotic film, I think it's a bit too clever to really titillate, but it's certainly far preferable to Fifty Shades of Grey. read more...

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• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time

Fox and His Friends (1975)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder practically sweated films. Coming from the German New Wave of the 60s and 70s (which also included Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders), Fassbinder (1945-1982) poured out something like 40 films in his brief 37 years of life before he committed suicide in 1982 with a drug overdose. read more...

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• Originality ▶ Different or novel for its time