Maps To The Stars (2014)

A young burn victim (Mia Wasikowska) arrives in L.A. from Florida. An aspiring actor/writer (Robert Pattinson) drives limos. A mean spirited teen star (Evan Bird) risks his career by doing drugs. A self help guru (John Cusack) doesn't practice what he preaches. An aging actress (Julianne Moore) is desperate to remake one of her mother's old movies. And the sins of the fathers (and mothers) are visited upon their children. Julianne Moore won the best actress award for MAPS at last year's Cannes film festival and it has already played the rest of the world but is only now opening in the U.S. If you're a fan of director David Cronenberg (and I am), this is pure Cronenberg. If you're not, you're probably going to have problems with it. This is a horror movie but its monsters are of the recognizable human kind. It's not an audience friendly film, it's the kind of "life is shit, then you die" movie that I love. A film about dysfunctional homicidal incest isn't going to play well at the mall. Julianne Moore gives an awesome kick ass performance mercifully free of the "Oscar bait" that marred her work in STILL ALICE. With Carrie Fisher, Olivia Williams, Dawn Greenhaigh, Jonathan Watton and Sarah Gadon.