In Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, all of his characters seem to be in a haze, but the drug-addled kind they’re supposed to be.

On paper, HER sounds like an insufferably twee, if not fully creepy film. But writer/director Spike Jonze injects enough authentic emotion and deeply human moments to make it one of the most affecting love stories of the year.

“The Master” has been known as a project about Scientology, but it’s not simply about any specific movement. The film is critical of cults, but is at the same time more ambivalent about the power they wield.

The moment I’ve told anyone this week that I watched I’m Still Here — Casey Affleck’s erstwhile documentary on Joaquin Phoenix’s retirement from acting to pursue a career as a rapper — the first question is always the same: is it for real, or is it a massive Andy Kaufman-esque put-on?