If American TV was this good, would we ever go to the movies? In a series of eight loosely connected stories, Polish master Krzysztof Zanussi (Life As a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease, The Year of the Quiet Sun) explores life in modern Poland. Like Krzysztof Kieslowski's brilliant Decalogue, which Zanussi produced, Weekend Stories comprises small, self-contained films connected by themes that weave through the series: the connections between urban and rural life, the legacy of communism echoing through contemporary life, the lovely opening image repeated in variation in each film. Zanussi's style is modest and effortless, and he directs with a subtlety and a sense of grace often missing from contemporary movies. Some of the modest moral tales are powerful and profound ("A Woman's Business" and "Little Faith"), others light and humble ("Deceptive Charm" and "The Soul Sings"), but all are sincere and affecting stories rooted in the delicacies of human nature: kindness, love, faith, sin, and forgiveness. The rich portrait they paint of contemporary Poland is warmed by Zanussi's love for his fumbling characters and hope for the future. -Sean Axmaker.

As with Star Wars, the George Lucas-produced Indiana Jones trilogy was not just a plaything for kids but an act of nostalgic affection toward a lost phenomenon: the cliffhanging movie serials of the past. Episodic in structure and with fate hanging in the balance about every 10 minutes, the Jones features tapped into Lucas's extremely profitable Star Wars formula of modernizing the look and feel of an old, but popular, story model. Steven Spielberg directed all three films, which are set in the late 1930s and early '40s: the comic book-like Raiders of the Lost Ark, the spooky, Gunga Din-inspired Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and the cautious but entertaining Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Fans and critics disagree over the order of preference, some even finding the middle movie nearly repugnant in its violence. (Pro-Temple of Doom people, on the other hand, believe that film to be the most disarmingly creative and emotionally effective of the trio. ) One thing's for sure: Harrison Ford's swaggering, two-fisted, self-effacing performance worked like a charm, and the art of cracking bullwhips was probably never quite the iconic activity it soon became after Raiders. Supporting players and costars were very much a part of the series, too-Karen Allen, Sean Connery (as Indy's dad), Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Denholm Elliot, River Phoenix, and John Rhys-Davies among them. Years have passed since the last film (another is supposedly in the works), but emerging film buffs can have the same fun their predecessors did picking out numerous references to Hollywood classics and B-movies of the past. -Tom Keogh.

If there is one must-see documentary on Pope John Paul II's life and ministry, this is it. In a way, the first tape, Do Not Be Afraid, is a summary of the Pope's pursuit of God, of love, and of light for all people. Interspersed with an English-language interview with him are footage and quotes from some of his 20-plus years of tenderness for people of all nations, ages, races, and faiths. Aside from the Pope's personal journey, however, this documentary offers a profound and ironically new manner of looking at our times. Amid surprisingly graphic footage of the events of the 20th century, clips of the Pope's visits to the war torn, the oppressed, and the needy accumulate to a moral critical mass where all the pain of the century cries out for an answer. We see Pope John Paul II present that answer as a kind of balm to every crisis he seeks out: peace to the oppressed, peace to the oppressors, peace to the dying, and peace to the young. Facing all the terrors of our time with an answer so simple is a task of faith and courage. Yet the presentation is so riveting and so powerful, it indeed commands, "do not be afraid," and indeed we believe. The second tape, The Christmas and Easter Liturgies of Pope John Paul II, is perhaps of less relevance to non-Catholics, but no less interesting. Snatches of church architecture and history serve to embellish the beauty of the celebrations, and the sacramental nature of each aspect of the events brings scripture to life. [+]