A young French boy yearns for home while at his forested Catholic boarding school that seems a world apart from the ongoing war and the German occupation, and befriends a similarly lonely and gifted Jewish student, one of several whom the Brothers are hiding from the authorities. Drawn from director Louis Malle's own personal experience, Au Revoir Les Enfants has that feeling of acute authenticity while being told by a seasoned maestro. Funny, poignant, and sad with great youth performances and many memorable, beautifully photographed sequences.

**** out of ****

An aged mob underling (Burt Lancaster), who makes his living waiting hand and foot on his old boss's widow, is sprung back to life when he attempts to unload some stolen cocaine and serve as protector to the recently bumped off thief's card-dealing wife (Susan Sarandon). Louis Malle's Atlantic City is a brilliantly realized, European-minded character study with Lancaster perfectly suited to play the sweet, vain loser and Sarandon is just as great as one of many of the city's itinerants trying to buy a ticket out but beset on every side.

**** out of ****

An ex-special forces operative involved with his current boss's wife hatches a perfect murder plot to eliminate the cold, ruthless entrepreneur. After performing the dirty deed, he realizes incriminating evidence has been left at the scene of the crime, and returns to find himself trapped in the company elevator overnight while unknowingly leaving his car in the hands of a callous hood. Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows, his debut as a director, is a taught, intelligent, jazzy little thrilller filmed in crisp black and while. It's well plotted, with a great ending, and coincidental without being stupid.

**** out of ****

"IT'S JUST TWO GUYS HAVING DINNER!!!" 

That's the obvious and understandable reaction upon seeing the film, or hearing about it, and it's true. My Dinner with Andre tells the story of two old friend catching up for an extended meal at a ritzy restaurant. On a cold, New York night, a cynical, depressed playwright (Wallace Shawn) meets with his director friend (Andre Gregory), where he tells him of his recent world travels while the two engage in vivid and lengthy philosophical discussions. Shawn and Gregory, who are essentially playing themselves, also wrote the screenplay and paint an evocative picture in this imaginative film, adeptly directed by Louis Malle, where there is more than meets the eye.