The Most Dangerous Game is a classic, one of the first talkies to get pictures moving after five very static years following the birth of sound. The plot finds resourceful hero Joel McCrea and heroine Fay Wray being hunted on the island of the insane Zaroff (Leslie Banks). One of the grandfathers of the summer blockbuster, the film's setup has been reworked many times since, notably in John Woo's Hard Target (1993). By modern standards it's technically primitive, though still gripping stuff, complete with the jungle set built as a test run for King Kong (1933) and graced by Max Steiner's prototype of all Hollywood action scores. -Gary S. Dalkin.

Kids may enjoy the slapstick of this modern reworking of the old Our Gang comedies, but parents who grew up watching them on TV (or grandparents who saw them at theaters) will wonder why anyone would want to be involved in this pathetic remake. Directed by Penelope Spheeris, the film takes look-alike kids and casts them as Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, and the rest, minus any sense of what made the old Hal Roach comedies funny. Instead of kids being kids, these are kids doing shtick while recycling such old bits as the He-Man Woman Haters Club, the kids' go-cart race, and Spanky and Alfalfa dressing as girls. Devoid of charm or wit. -Marshall Fine.

As those who are old enough to have lived through the Great Depression disappear, the era seems more and more remote; it's nearly impossible for later generations to understand just how desperate things were in the United States in the 1930s. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? captures not only the history but also the culture of the time in a rather unusual documentary format. Totally without the benefit of narration, the movie mixes newsreel footage with clips from Hollywood films to tell the story, from the stock market crash through Pearl Harbor. Movie-minded viewers will easily recognize footage from They Made Me a Criminal, Public Enemy, Golddiggers of 1933, Employee's Entrance, Little Caesar, Lady Killer, I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, and countless other Hollywood films from the time-some classics, some more obscure. The scope of the film covers not only historical landmarks such as the Dust Bowl, FDR's election, and the New Deal, but dance marathons and the Louis-Schmeling heavyweight fight for a comprehensive look at the country's social climate. The formula works well, for the most part; especially before the imposition of the Hays Code chilled Hollywood's tone, the '30s saw the birth of the "social consciousness" picture that dealt with topical issues in straightforward ways. Brother only falls down when it attempts to wrap up the film by bringing it up to the present time (1975, anyway); its ending seems superfluous, tacked-on. Still, for history buffs and movie fans alike, this is an interesting account of a pivotal decade in American history. -Jerry Renshaw.

Andy Griffith burst to stardom with this surprisingly funny film adaptation of the Broadway comedy (by, of all people, Ira Levin of Rosemary's Baby fame). Griffith plays a hillbilly who is drafted into the army where, among other things, he has to wear shoes regularly for the first time. Griffith brings an engaging glee to the role of this likable bumpkin, whose happy-go-lucky demeanor is impervious to insult. Ask him to clean the latrines and he rigs the toilet seats to stand up and salute. The film follows him through basic training and into the paratroops, where he becomes an unlikely hero. A solid supporting cast includes Griffith's future sidekick, Don Knotts; Nick Adams; and, most notably, the hilariously sullen Myron McCormick. -Marshall Fine.