There's a new Gyllenhaal in town

Every once in an extremely rare while, a film is made that actually changes the course of movie-making forever in the way that it tells its story. One of these films is Secretary, an astoundingly brave and profoundly brilliant motion picture that deals with an excruciatingly tricky, controversial subject in a nothing-short-of-miraculous way. The script is perfect and so is the casting of James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal, who assumes the position alright - the position of a full-fledged bonafide MOVIESTAR.

Gyllenhaal's performance as the deeply-troubled-but-desperate-to-love Lee is breathtaking, plain and simple. And contrary to some opinion, this is not a movie about b&d or s&m. It is a film about the overwhelming need we have as humans to connect with another human, on a level that feels real and pure and holy to us. Lee and Edward find that connection in Secretary, and it is as real and as pure and as holy as any relationship can possibly be. Believe it or not, director Steven Shainberg and his co writers got this one right.