This is your last chance to see Japanese auteur Kenji Mizoguchi‘s most complex and beautiful film—a morality tale about how coveting fame and being susceptible to flattery can totally wreck your life. Mizoguchi doesn’t settle for ordinary routes to ruin: The main character, a potter named Genjuro, is seduced by a sexy lady ghost. The stunning cinematography and exquisitely shivery score will knock you out, too. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 329-2629. 7 and 9 pm, $5—$8.50. Mizoguchi series continues through Feb 27.)

Annie Wagner is The Stranger's former film editor. She was born and raised in Capitol Hill, but has since lived in such far-flung locales as Phoenix, AZ, Charlottesville, VA, and Wedgwood. After graduating...