Brawny blond longhair Richard Hill is the rogue barbarian hero Deathstalker in this hilariously slapdash sword-and-sorcery adventure. Armed with a sword that makes him invincible (provided by an otherwise completely useless sidekick), he heads off for a tournament of warriors sponsored by an evil wizard with a nasty plot to kill all his rivals. but don't worry about the plot because it makes no sense. This shot-in-Argentina, Roger Corman production features badly staged swordfights, loads of gratuitous nudity, female mud wrestling, trolls in bad rubber masks, and a funky eyeball-eating demon sock puppet. Former Hugh Hefner girlfriend Barbi Benton seems rather embarrassed in her role as a whiny harem girl. John Terlesky took over the title role in the sequel (Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans) while topless warrior woman costar Lana Clarkson graduated to her own series, Barbarian Queen. -Sean Axmaker.

Technically ambitious but artistically underwhelming, this 1961 epic by Anthony Mann (Man of the West) stars Charlton Heston as an 11th-century hero who drives the Moors from Spain. The film has been described as "glum," and that is indeed apt for a story that focuses so much on its central character's losses in the face of his simultaneous, mythic approbation. Then again, Mann has always been interested in the hidden weaknesses in prevailing myths, so that's not unusual. What is unusual in El Cid is the degree to which technology takes over his filmmaking, as it does here with so many grandiose and bravura moments with a roving camera that don't add up to anything beyond spectacle. As an achievement of Hollywood's technical advancements in the postwar years, and also as part of the filmographies of Mann and Heston, the film is well worth a look. But it is not the artistic equal of other epics of its day, such as Lawrence of Arabia. -Tom Keogh.

Fans of Jet Li should check out The Master, an early movie by the Hong Kong action star. Li is the anti-Stallone, all sinew and smile. His boyish grace makes him seem almost weightless as he whips through his fight scenes in peak physical form. Though the story isn't as strong as the Once upon a Time in China series or Fist of Legend-the plot, about a student of kung fu (Li) from China who comes to Los Angeles to help his former master, is serviceable but generic-the action scenes are dynamic and give ample room for Li's sprightly charisma. Everything about The Master is a little cliché, but at the same time it's all much more enjoyable than you'd expect. The editing is brisk, the actors are enjoying themselves, and the direction (by dependable Hong Kong auteur Tsui Hark) keeps things hopping. -Bret Fetzer.

So many stars…so little sympathy! Leave it to legendary Hollywood "weasel" Pauly Shore to fake his own death and chronicle the hilarious reactions from dozens of A-list celebrities in this outrageous dark comedy that raises the eternal show business question: Is it better to be a dead genius or a living idiot? Pauly Shore, one-time MTV personality and faded comic star of Bio-Dome and Jury Duty, wrote and directed this satire about his own career decline and (fictional) attempt to revive Hollywood's interest by faking his suicide. The fun of this movie is in never being quite sure how much of the story is based on Shore's real-life status as a has-been, and how much is inspired by public assumptions about his near-disappearance from the entertainment scene. In any case, watching Shore's dubious run as a stand-up comedian and actor wind down has, in Shore's own telling, some very funny moments, including a scene in which cash-rich, prop comic Carrot Top buys the former Wiezel's house and another in which Shore tries to secure the services of a Heidi Fleiss escort for $84. Lots of celebrity cameos here (Shore obviously still has show-business friends), including Ben Stiller, Britney Spears, Bill Maher, Charlie Sheen, Tom Sizemore, and Ellen DeGeneres. -Tom Keogh.

A stirring example of courage and the indomitable human spirit, for many John Sturges's The Great Escape is both the definitive World War II drama and the nonpareil prison escape movie. Featuring an unequalled ensemble cast in a rivetingly authentic true-life scenario set to Elmer Bernstein's admirable music, this picture is both a template for subsequent action-adventure movies and one of the last glories of Golden Age Hollywood. Reunited with the director who made him a star in The Magnificent Seven, Steve McQueen gives a career-defining performance as the laconic Hilts, the baseball-loving, motorbike-riding "Cooler King. " The rest of the all-male Anglo-American cast-Dickie Attenborough, Donald Pleasance, James Garner, Charles Bronson, David McCallum, James Coburn, and Gordon Jackson-make the most of their meaty roles (though you have to forgive Coburn his Australian accent). Closely based on Paul Brickhill's book, the various escape attempts, scrounging, forging, and ferreting activities are authentically realized thanks also to technical advisor Wally Flood, one of the original tunnel-digging POWs. Sturges orchestrates the climax with total conviction, giving us both high action and very poignant human drama. Without trivializing the grim reality, The Great Escape thrillingly celebrates the heroism of men who never gave up the fight. -Mark Walker.