The Story: A holdup man leaves Boston for greener pastures and a shot at revenge in prohibition-era Florida, but things don't go according to plan. The Lowdown: Ben Affleck's latest efforts as writer-director-producer-star yield interesting results that don't quite live up to their potential but also don't justify the critical derision they've thus far received.

The Story: When improvised explosives were detonated at the 2013 Boston Marathon, the people of the city banded together in a valiant effort to apprehend those responsible and reclaim their city from the shadow of terrorism. The Lowdown: An exploitative exercise in emotional manipulation that occludes an important and uplifting story with unnecessary genre cliches.

The Story: A cop entangled in departmental corruption must rescue his teenage son from gangsters after a drug theft goes south. The Lowdown: A mindless diversion that packs every mob-movie cliche possible into 90 minutes, Sleepless isn't great — but I doubt it was ever meant to be.

In Brief: Have you ever wondered what would happen if the husband-and-wife screenwriting team that penned the scripts for American Graffiti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Howard the Duck decided to co-write, produce and direct a movie about cannibalistic ghoul vampires inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and George Romero? Well they did, and the THPS…

In Brief: Those who enjoyed the AFS' Surrealist triple-feature are in for a real treat this week when we show two of the greatest experimental films ever made. First up, we have René Clair's 1924 classic celebration of Dada and dance, Entr'acte — featuring the dancers of the Ballets Suédois, music composed by Erik Satie and cameos from Satie, Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp.…

In Brief: For more information about Conquest of Canaan read this week's cover story. The Grail Moviehouse will screen Conquest of Canaan on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available now for $15 at the Grail's website.

The Story: A young boy learns to confront the fear and anger inspired by his mother's illness with the help of a magical tree monster. The Lowdown: A deeply meaningful film that will struggle to find an audience due to its weighty subject matter, its bold aesthetic and narrative conceits warrant consideration in spite of its difficult themes.

The Story: Three African-American women working at NASA in the sixties make an indelible contribution to the space race in spite of overwhelming institutional opposition. The Lowdown: Uncomplicated and uplifting while avoiding divisive social commentary, Hidden Figures plays things safe to generally favorable results.

The Story: A long-running war between vampires and werewolves continues, as a high-ranking vampiric hit-woman finds her estranged daughter at the heart of the conflict. The Lowdown: The Underworld saga continues — despite being a bit long in the tooth — with this tepid and uninspired fifth installment.

In Brief: While it's not exactly to my taste (pun intended), I can certainly appreciate why Danish writer-director Gabriel Axel's Babette's Feast took home the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1988. Axel's adaptation of, Isak Dinesen's story (Dinesen being a pseudonym for Karen Blixen) of a French refugee confronted with the Puritanical strictures of her involuntarily adopted Danish community is replete with…

The Story: A young Indian man raised in Australia uses the internet to track down the family he lost early in his youth. The Lowdown: A proficient — if occasionally underwhelming — story of one man's triumph over adversity, with an uplifting ending that narrowly avoids cloying sentimentality.

In Brief: Danish director Benjamin Christensen's silent masterpiece Häxan (1922) is a strange beast — Satanic pun largely intended. A bizarre blend of documentary, narrative fiction and animation, the film showcases Christensen in more ways than one; in addition to demonstrating his remarkable acumen as an early visual stylist, the film also features the director himself in the role…

In Brief: One of Yasujiro Ozu's earliest successes, and still one of his most popular films, I Was Born, But... (1932) is a true gem of early Japanese cinema from one of its greatest masters. Very little was added to Ozu's 1959 loose re-working of the premise, Good Morning, that isn't accomplished as effectively here — and for my money, Born is…

In Brief: A remake of Jean Renoir's La Chienne (1931) —  itself based on a play of the same name by Georges de la Fouchardiere, which was based on the book by André Mouezy-Eon — is easily the darkest and most psychologically bleak of Fritz Lang's American output, which places it high on the list of the…

The Story: A bitter man tortured by thwarted ambitions and crushing responsibilities slowly alienates everyone he loves against a backdrop of the African-American experience in 1950s Pittsburgh. The Lowdown: A distinctly theatrical adaptation of the classic August Wilson play showcases Denzel Washington and Viola Davis' remarkable talents as thespians while adhering just a little too closely to its…

The Story: A man with a failing printing company is appalled to learn his daughter has begun dating an oafish internet mogul while at college in California. The Lowdown: Better than it has any right to be due to the strong comedic performances from a talented cast that elevates the material it was given.

The Story: A death row convict becomes ensnared in an ancient conflict between two warring factions when he is revealed to be the genetic heir to a long line of assassins whose actions over the centuries have preserved humanity's capacity for free will. The Lowdown: Not a great film by any stretch, but far better than most video…

The Story: A space vessel bound for a colony planet malfunctions, waking one of its passengers from suspended animation too early. He then proceeds to make decisions that are both heroic and reprehensible. The Lowdown: Even the appeal of two generally charismatic lead actors can't redeem the tedious snoozefest and highly questionable moral compass.

In Brief: François Truffaut stepped significantly outside his comfort zone when he undertook this adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic dystopian novel in 1966. It was Truffaut's first film shot in color and in a studio, first English language film and first shot outside of his native France. It was also the first of the Nouvelle Vague…