In Brief: Frank Capra's film of Damon Runyon's story "Madame La Gimp" is one of his most all-around pleasing films. He had not yet settled into the sentimentality that would come to be called "Capra-corn," but there's more heart here than in his earlier films. Warren William stars as a gambler who undertakes the transformation…

The Story: A pair of Vegas magicians find themselves being upstaged by a nontraditional street performer. The Lowdown: Largely painless, but utterly mediocre and unnecessary.

In Brief: A middle-aged businessman falls prey to the wiles of a gold-digging flapper and throws everything away in his pursuit of this transparently duplicitous woman. Something of a surprise from the last days of D.W. Griffith's career, The Battle of the Sexes manages to be sophisticated while still adhering to the director's own sensibilities.…

The Story: The most recent in a series of documentaries following a group of people every seven years from the age of 7. The Lowdown: Engaging, lively and filled with life, Michael Apted's latest entry in this series of documentaries is definitely good company.

In Brief: The first — and in many ways still the best — of the all-star movies, Edmund Goulding's Grand Hotel (1932) -- presented here in a beautiful restoration that probably looks better than the film did in 1932 — is a richly rewarding drama of life, love and death taking place in Berlin's Grand…

In Brief: A mechanic — or hitman — ill-advisedly takes the son of one of his victims under his wing as an assistant in training. Pure 1960s-'70s action thriller of the Charles Bronson kind, The Mechanic benefits from ultra-stylish direction by Michael Winner. It may not make it exactly good, but it makes for a…

The Story: A pair of self-proclaimed psychic investigators find themselves in the position of saving the world — regardless of the possibilty that one of them might or might not be dead. The Lowdown: A wild ride of intelligent, splattery horror comedy that offers what may be an illegal amount of bizarre fun. It's not…

In Brief: Rouben Mamoulian's final film is a delightful version of the Ernst Lubitsch's 1939 classic Ninotchka — updated for the late 1950s and with a raft of Cole Porter songs added to make it a musical. Fred Astaire — in his last leading man role — stars as a movie producer fighting pretty Soviet…

The Story: An unauthorized, but very obvious prequel to the 1939 Wizard of Oz. The Lowdown: Good-looking, likable, but hardly the definitive Oz film it wants to be — and one that suffers from largely efficient, but faceless direction, and the usual longer-than-needed running time.

In Brief: Part three of Olivier Assayas' critically-acclaimed TV mini-series (that also saw a theatrical release), Carlos, will be shown by World Cinema (this is the final installment). Covering 20 years and taking place all over the world, the story of Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (aka Carlos) is an exhaustive — and occasionally exhausting…

In Brief Hal Ashby's timeless romance between a young man (Bud Cort) and a 79-year-old woman (Ruth Gordon) has lost none of its quirky, counterculture charm since it first appeared 42 years ago. The film, its performances and its Cat Stevens soundtrack are still as fresh today as they were in 1971.

In Brief: Dire doings at the local mortuary where a mysterious tall man is resurrecting the dead and doing something obviously unwholesome with them. Don Coscarelli's Phantasm is at once cheesy, creepy, atmospheric and — quite possibly — the greatest drive-in movie ever made. This is exactly what is meant by the loosely-used term "cult…

The Story: Documentary about climate change and the melting of the world's glaciers. The Lowdown: Beautiful and sometimes terrifying images abound, but the film perhaps spends too much time on the man behind the project rather than the project itself. Still worth a look for the breathtaking views.

The Story: The story of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's investigation into whether or not to try Emperor Hirohito for war crimes at the end of World War II. The Lowdown: Surprisingly gripping entertainment can be found in this historical drama, thanks to a solid script, strong direction and an array of impeccable performances. The year's first…

The Story: The further demonic possession travails of the girl from The Last Exorcism. The Lowdown: An unnecessary and pretty darn bad sequel to a pretty good horror film. Its biggest sin is that it's dismally dull.

The Story: It's "Jack and the Beanstalk," but with a romantic interest, extra characters and enough giants to qualify as a spectacle. The Lowdown: A purely pleasurable modern retelling of the old fairy tale that doesn't rely on snark and pop culture references, but instead relies on writing, performances and direction to create an engaging…

In Brief: The title pretty much says it all. This is a 1950s insect-fear film (of course) about a giant praying mantis (what else). In its favor, the effects work is pretty good and the solid — if not exactly exciting — cast manage to take it all very seriously. You may find yourself having…

In Brief: A bitingly satiric — but good-natured — look at a 1930s sex-symbol movie star (Jean Harlow), her dysfunctional household, her love-life and her trials with the studio publicist (Lee Tracy). Fast-paced, funny, risque in the pre-code manner and quite possibly Jean Harlow's best vehicle.