Author:   Scott Douglas

The Story: A struggling screenwriter confronts his demons after meeting a young musician while promoting his script at a film festival. The Lowdown: A locally produced independent drama that makes the most of its budget — and its picturesque Asheville setting — while telling an emotionally resonant story.

In Brief: Cecil B. DeMille's historical epics are an acquired taste in my book, but even those with accepting palates may find Samson and Delilah (1949) hard to swallow. Despite its (mostly) remarkable cast and suitably grandiose scale, it's perhaps the most forgettable of DeMille's biblical films. Sure, Hedy Lamar looks gorgeous and George Sanders gets to be sleazy,…

The Story: A reverend with a depressing back story and an even more depressing congregation contemplates extreme measures as his church, funded by a malignantly narcissistic oligarch, prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The Lowdown: A spiritual sequel to Taxi Driver that places the emphasis on the spiritual, as writer/director Paul Schrader returns to form.

The Story: A family confronts a seemingly accidental tragedy, only to discover that its roots are buried in a far deeper occult history. The Lowdown: A staggeringly accomplished feature debut for writer/director Ari Aster that mixes metaphor with metaphysics to genuinely ghoulish ends.

The Story: In a future Los Angeles beset by riots over water, a tough-as-nails nurse operates a boutique hospital for the city's most powerful criminals. The Lowdown: As sleazily stylish as it is stupefyingly slipshod, this not-quite neo-noir is likely to engender little more than a resounding "So what?"

In Brief: What would happen if Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be had some unholy love child with Schindler's List? I don't know, and I don't want to know — but it couldn't possibly be more depressing than Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos' 1965 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, The Shop on Main Street (Obch o Na Korze).…

The Story: In a near-future society built around technological dependency, a Luddite turns to tech in order to avenge the murder of his wife. The Lowdown: A poor-man's-Tom-Hardy and bargain-basement-Jared-Leto meet homicidal Siri.

The Story: A ne'er-do-well divorced man must redeem his relationship with his daughter and save his liability landmine of an amusement park from corporate interests through a variety of ill-advised hijinks. The Lowdown: Light on action, even lighter on point.

In Brief: Sensuality and spirituality collide in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's hyperstylized melodrama Black Narcissus (1947) in a way that few other filmmakers could have balanced so deftly. While it may arguably fall short of other Powell/Pressburger pictures, such as The Red Shoes (1948) or I Know Where I'm Going (1947), Black Narcissus represents the duo at the height of their powers and…

The Story: The life and career of Stanley Kubrick's longtime personal assistant Leon Vitali is explored, exposing a depth of obsession rivaled only by the great auteur himself. The Lowdown: A revelatory documentary that sheds light on the unsung hero behind Kubrick's final three films, painting a portrait of unparalleled devotion and self-sacrifice.

The Story: Recalcitrant rogue Han Solo falls in with a bad crowd when his plan to work his way back to a lost girlfriend runs afoul of both the Empire and a band of outlaws. The Lowdown:  Han shoots first, but you'll ask plenty of questions later.

The Story: Deadpool returns, this time going up against a time-traveling commando to protect an obnoxious teenage mutant. The Lowdown: Somehow sillier and yet more socially conscious than its predecessor, this cynically minded sequel earns its R rating by delivering more of the raunchy metahumor that made the original such a surprise hit.

The Story: An injured rodeo rider must decide whether or not he'll risk his life by getting back in the ring. The Lowdown: A deconstructionist docudrama staring nonprofessional actors effectively playing themselves that takes aim at the mythos of machismo established in classic cowboy cinema.

The Story: A look at the illustrious career and indelible legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The Lowdown: A fawning and occasionally superficial documentary, the shortcomings of which are largely overcome by the significance and appeal of its subject.

The Story: A middle-age Parisian painter looks for love in all the wrong places. The Lowdown: An unconventionally structured deconstructionist rom-com that packs an emotional punch but no catharsis.

In Brief: Potentially Billy Wilder's most cynical comedy (if far from his most cynical film), The Apartment (1960) dealt with material that was particularly daring in its era. That the film still packs ample dramatic weight and resonance nearly six decades later is a testament not only to Wilder's directorial prowess, but also to the emotional honesty of…

The Story: The estranged daughter of an Orthodox rabbi returns home for her father's funeral, only to be confronted with the harsh judgment of her community over an illicit love affair from the past that may not be as defunct as she thinks. The Lowdown: A methodically paced and carefully constructed character study of two women in love but separated…

The Story: A small Hungarian hamlet is gripped by paranoia in the immediate aftermath of World War II when a pair of Jews return to the village, possibly to reclaim their property from the people who exploited it in their absence. The Lowdown: A moving morality play on a shoestring budget with an unfortunately timely message.

The Story: An intimate look at the life and legacy of legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman. The Lowdown: A concise and adroitly directed documentary delving more into the personality of Perlman than the details of his career.

In Brief: "Important" films from Martin Scorsese tend to be divisive, not only because audiences would rather see him reiterate the same gangster tropes in perpetuity  (remember when nobody showed up for his excellent Silence last year?), but also because the director himself seems to get a little lost when he starts dealing with more serious subject matter. While The Last Temptation…