Ingmar Bergman – the swedish master of the existential crisis. career spanned 6 decades and spawned countless great films. High Point: my personal favorite is Persona

Luis Bunuel – a cornerstone of surrealism and a spanish icon. High Point: The Exterminating Angel

Robert Bresson – uncompromising and oft imitated. French film simply wouldn’t be French film without him. High Point: L’Argent

Stan Brakhage – a true innovator in art and the avant garde. High Point: Dog Star Man

Jiri Barta – extraordinary and underseen Czech animator. Probably my favorite animator of all time. High Point: The Last Theft

Noah Baumbach – for my money, one of the bright shining stars of modern cinema, and a torch bearer for the Woody Allen brand of film. High Point: The Squid and the Whale

Other B’s You Should Watch: Bernardo Bertolucci, Mario Bava, Peter Bogdanovich, Andrew Bujalski, Danny Boyle, Tim Burton, Matthew Barney, Charles Burnett, Walerian Borowczyk

Woody Allen – one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, a comedic genius who was also very skilled with drama, though he made very few dramatic films in his career. forgive the latter day sins. High Point – four year stint of Annie Hall, Interiors, Manhattan and Stardust Memories.

Robert Altman – perhaps the ultimate ensemble director. High Point – the 70s. Altman was money in the 70s, most notably for me with Nashville, Images, McCabe and Mrs. Miller.

Hal Ashby – an underappreciated master of satirical comedy. High Point – again, the 70s, where Ashby could do no wrong. Best Film: Harold and Maude

Pedro Almodovar – Spanish vet of 25 plus years in the film biz and doing his best work ever recently. High Point – for me, Volver and Bad Education were the most skilled films Almodovar has made.

Paul Thomas Anderson – a career that is coming into full bloom. High Point – the masterful There Will Be Blood

Wes Anderson – will be known in future generations for his attention to detail and mastery of comedic melancholy. High Pont – Rushmore

other great A’s: Michelangelo Antonioni, Lindsey Anderson, Theo Angelopolous, Chantal Akerman, Dario Argento, Darren Aronfsky, Judd Apatow

here’s the 2009 albums that are in heavy rotation with the billy right now:::

1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

2. Kompakt Records – Pop Ambient 2009

3. Tim Hecker – An Imaginary Country

4. Alela Diane – To Be Still

5. Group Bombino – Guitars From Agadez, Vol. 2

Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell

a touching portrait of one of the most innovative musicians in modern music. includes some great footage of Russell in the developmental stages of his music from the early folk sounds to disco to ultimately the avant garde cello and voice work that he produced near his untimely death. the interviews provide insight into the life and struggles of one of the most underheard and underappreciated musicians of the past several decades, and provides a great entry point for any that want to familiarize themselves with his work.

Police Beat is a 2005 Sundance sleeper that flew way under the radar. beautifully shot, including a series of vignettes of increasingly bizarre crimes being investigated by a West African Seattle bike cop, all apparently, wildly taken from Seattle police logs, within a framework of Z (the bike cop’s) jealousy and wonderment over his doubts about his girlfriend. it’s a film wholly original both in concept and in execution. low-key, humorous, sweet and hinging on the bizarre.