Mary Gaitskill's infamous short story comes to the screen as a film of startling humor and feeling. For that, director Steven Shainberg, who co-wrote the script with Erin Cressida Wilson, owes much to two remarkable performances. Maggie Gyllenhaal boldly steps into the role of Lee Holloway, fresh out of an institution (she cuts and burns herself) and eager to begin her job as secretary to bossy attorney E. Edward Gray (James Spader, twisted and terrific). Lee hasn't been helped much by an alcoholic father (Stephen McHattie), a ding-a-ling mother (Lesley Anne Warren) and a wimp boyfriend (Jeremy Davies), but Mr. Gray gets right to her need to be spanked, handcuffed and forced to deliver letters on all fours. Remarkably, the film is less an S&M wallow than a love story between two consenting adults with complimentary sexual psychoses. Spader and Gyllenhaal are electric, bringing Secretary all the power and compassion it needs.

“1999”

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.