AGORA

In the current movie-scene, large-scale historical dramas are rarities, so Alejandro Amenabar’s eye-popping historical epic “Agora” is an impressive surprise. It’s about a woman who lived in the 4th century, intelligent and brave, who was oppressed by her male-dominated society. It’s also about the rise of Christianity destroyed so much of ancient traditional wisdom. “Agora” is a vivid, beautiful and powerfully intelligent epic about a turbulent era

THE IMAGINARIUM OF TERRY GILLIAM

Terry Gilliam’s turns 70 this year and he remains the most successful surrealist director to work in the Hollywood mainstream. In the world of commercial film, Gilliam is like an absurdist warrior who has, for years, confronted the conformity of the commercial film industry in Hollywood. The amazing thing is how often he has won that battle in the face of unlikely odds.