Focus, simplicity and control. As I look back over the films of 2014, the ones that most stay with me are not the sprawling epics or the movies that tried to cram a surplus of ideas or technique into one story. (Sorry, Birdman and Interstellar.) They're the movies, not even necessarily the "small" ones, that…
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As I've worked on a "Top Ten Films of 2014" list I've gone back and forth on whether or not to include movies I saw at festivals, but which aren't yet in general release. If I decide to go the festival route, The Duke of Burgundy will be in my top three for this year.…
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Berberian Sound Studio director Peter Strickland returns with The Duke of Burgundy, but this film offers a fairly different sort of experience. There's still a hazy, less-than-real aesthetic and sense of place, but this movie has a more focused and recognizable story at its core. The short synopsis of this movie is very simple: "Peter Strickland's…
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