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It's hard to believe it's been four years already since "The Matrix" was released. Much has happened in the world since then- the election debacle of 2000, the dot-com collapse and of course, 9/11. Given recent world events, it's tough to greet the release of "The Matrix Reloaded" without feeling a sense of nostalgia for the bygone era that produced it's predecessor. The first film, a mixture of the cyberpunk literary genre, superhero fantasy, kung-fu and John Woo-style gunplay, with a touch of Zen philosophy thrown in for good measure, arrived on the scene with little hype or fanfare. The movie was quickly embraced as a modern classic, a superb synthesis of popular cinematic styles that staked out new territory with its visual effects, especially the now-famous "bullet-time" concept that has subsequently been parodied or imitated in too many films to count. "The Matrix" won four Academy awards, including a well-deserved victory in the visual effects category.

"The Matrix Reloaded" is, in many ways, a far more ambitious picture. There is much to enjoy here, from the introduction of numerous new characters, to a more complex plot, to the last screen performance of actress Gloria Foster (The Oracle), and of course, fabulous visuals and action scenes. There is a scene involving a slice of chocolate cake that I found to be brilliant and very rich. The end result is a movie that is as thought-provoking as the original. A philosophical action movie for those who want a roundhouse kick to go with their koans.

"American Dream" is a sobering and fascinating documentary depicting the social, economic and emotional ramifications of a labor strike initiated by employees at a Hormel meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota. Although the film depicts events that take place in 1986, the content is every bit as relevant today on the subject of the perennial gap that exists between rank-and-file workers and top executives at major U.S. corporations, and the general greed and mercenary attitude that drives said corporations at the expense of hard-working employees. Like "Roger & Me," the acclaimed documentary by Michael Moore that savaged General Motors and the 80's corporate ethos of "profits above everything else," "American Dream" is a priceless portrait of blue-collar work and life in small-town America, the kind of place that people who live in New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles or any other major metro area will probably never see.

Austin is a town where one company is the largest employer (in this case, the Hormel meat company), on whom generations of workers depend for their livelihood. The film puts a human face on the repercussions that result when Hormel, despite record profits, cuts the salaries of its workers. If the balding, grey-suited, humorless Hormel executives depicted here (wearing huge eyeglasses in the style of Lee Iaccoca) are not the epitome of 80's greed, I don't know what is. They are Gordon Gekko come to life, caring only about their bottom line and how to maximize profit, completely indifferent to the plight of their workers. The Enron debacle shows that, for all their economic might and wealth creation, there is a dark side to corporate America. "American Dream," its ironic title aside, is a journey to that dark side that should be seen by every worker, blue-collar or white-collar. Try to catch it on the Sundance or Independent Film Channel.

"The Seventh Sign" is an intelligent and atmospheric horror film, although "religious thriller" would probably be a more apt description. It is has many creepy moments, and what's interesting is that the fear caused by the film is God-inspired, unlike so many films in the genre. This is a movie that has a thoroughly disturbing tone, the same level of pervading dread that made "The Exorcist," "The Omen," and the underrated Roman Polanski film, "The Ninth Gate" so successful. The acting and writing are solid; there are good performances from Demi Moore and Michael Biehn. Peter Friedman is excellent as a tortured priest. If you're in the mood for a thought-provoking thriller, check out "The Seventh Sign."