Weissman, who come to San Francisco in 1976, witnessed first-hand the effects of the epidemic as it slowly, inexorably began ravaging the gay community. The film focuses on five individuals whose lives were forever changed by the disease, and their stories are both heartbreaking and heroic.

This award-winning, inspirational 1956 biographical drama tells the story of Douglas Bader, a real-life pilot who lost both his legs in a flying accident, then triumphed over adversity by learning not only to walk again, but to fly again — and with great distinction during World War II.

Two young women have been brutally slain in New York City, and a massive manhunt yields but one suspect: Lewis Humes (Gene Woodbury), a black teenager whose “confession� was clearly the result of police coercion. An open and shut case? Kojak knows better, and puts his career in jeopardy to both prove Lewis’ innocence and track down the actual killer.

A rich and robust example of historical fiction, this 1976 BBC miniseries adaptation of Robert Graves’ best-seller dramatizes the internal intrigue of ancient Rome in highly theatrical fashion, with wit, style and dollops of black comedy and sly camp.

It wasn’t the first. It wasn’t the biggest. But this award-winning 1958 docudrama may well be the best depiction of the story of the ill-fated maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic, which struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank on April 15, 1912 with more than 1,500 lives lost.

Lean and Coward co-directed the 1942 World War II drama In Which We Serve, which Coward also produced, scripted and starred.

Corman’s place in Hollywood history would be assured as much for his classic films (including Masque of the Red Death, Pit and the Pendulum, The Intruder and the original Little Shop of Horrors, to name a few) as for the legion of talent he fostered...

The great Burt Lancaster, in an autumnal performance that prefigures Atlantic City (1981), plays a retired antiquarian, known as “The Professor,� who sublets an upstairs apartment to a wealthy harridan (Silvana Mangano), her spoiled children...

Having recently fled from a cult, Martha (Olsen) calls her estranged sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson), pleading to stay with her. Lucy and her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy) are surprised by Martha’s unexpected reappearance, and even more surprised by the irrational behavior she exhibits.

Topping the list is James Stewart as attorney Paul Biegler. The actor’s familiar, easygoing persona is certainly on display, but Biegler’s no pushover; he’s relentless, manipulative and ruthless — and he needs to be, if he’s to successfully defend young Lt.

The teaming of writer Dennis Potter and director Nicolas Roeg promised something far beyond the mainstream, and this lively and loony grab-bag of psychological thriller, surreal satire and black comedy certainly delivered. That it baffled audiences and many critics back in 1988 is no surprise.

Columbia Pictures decided at the last minute to bypass a general release (even after screenings had been held in many cities — including Greensboro) and unveil the film on a limited basis. Bad move, as the film flopped. It’s no masterpiece — and it’s not Shakespeare in Love (1998) either, but Anonymous deserved better.

Directed by David Frankel and inspired by Mark Obmascik’s book, the film follows three men as they embark on a “Big Year� — an ornithological excursion in which each must spot as many different birds over a yearlong span, each one motivated by different reasons.

War-torn Africa is the setting for this grim, ghoulish outing in which the living dead have overrun the continent.

Everything goes right in producer Alan J. Pakula and director Robert Mulligan’s esteemed 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee’s beloved (only) novel, newly released in a 50th anniversary edition, available as a DVD/Blu-ray combo ($26.98 retail) or a Blu-ray book/ DVD combo ($39.

Director Ishiro Honda’s original 1954 version is a somber, tragic treatise on the consequences of atomic power — a subject painfully familiar to Japan, it being less than 10 years since the end of World War II — with the title terror aroused from prehistoric slumber by atomic testing in the Pacific.

History’s most notorious grave robbers are the subject of this ghoulish black comedy that marks director John Landis’ first feature in more than a decade. An opening title card sets the tone for the story: “This is a true story. Except the parts that are not.

Laurence Fishburne recreates his Tony-nominated role — scoring an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie — as Thurgood Marshall (1908-’93) in this filmed version of his one-man show, filmed at the Eisenhower Theatre at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

The star-studded lineup of contestants and interested onlookers includes ever-reliable Ray Winstone, Jason Statham, Alexander Skarsgard, Ben Gazzara, Curtis “50 Cent� Jackson, Emmanuelle Chriqui (in a tiny role) and Mickey Rourke, who did the movie no favors by bad-mouthing it in print.

Dirk Bogarde stars as Nicholas Whistler, a jobless writer who is hired on as a courier, unaware that his new employer is British Intelligence, which promptly sends him on a job behind the Iron Curtain. Whistler’s a decoy, but he doesn’t know it… yet..