Underrated/Overrated: ‘The Master’ in command

UNDERRATED

‘The Master’: It’s a gorgeously filmed meditation on the mentor and protege dynamic and the rise of a cult, and features an acting tour-de-force from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix, whose posture alone is twisted in such a puzzle of demented humanity he’s practically the embodiment of the border between beast and manhood. And at the helm is Paul Thomas Anderson, one of the few filmmakers unafraid to allow you to leave the theater with more questions than answers.

Dave Douglas’ ‘Be Still’: After a 2011 that found him releasing three eclectic albums, trumpeter Douglas looked inward with his latest, a recording dedicated to his late mother. A lush collection of hymnals and elegies reworked into widescreen jazz, “Be Still” is highlighted by the crystalline, Alison Krauss-like vocals of bluegrass singer Aoife O’Donovan, but it’s Douglas and a nimble band that shines through with a record crafted for the autumnal golden hour.

OVERRATED

‘The Master’: An overblown story of a man who begins the film as a violent drunk and — more than two hours later — stays that way. The latest from Paul Thomas Anderson is long on auteur ambition and Oscar-baiting performances but ultimately short on story or characters that inspire any sympathy. (But as much as Anderson’s well-shot ride feels hellbent on not working for everyone, finding out whether it does is worthwhile after a lazy Hollywood summer.)

The curious endurance of KISS: Days before the release of the band’s 20th album, “Monster,” a few questions hang in the air. First, how odd must it be to slap on white face paint and platform boots at the age when many have shifted into golf and grandparenting? Second, how does a band that seemed like a lab invention tailor-made for ‘70s teenagers still resonate in 2012? Does the demand for big, dumb rock songs about the act of rocking never run dry?

— Chris Barton