Alithea Binnie, a scholar of mythology, believes in credibility. Then she encounters The Djinn, who spins fanciful and unreliable tales of lost love and palace intrigue. Her independence and his freedom become the themes of the fantasy-romance, Three Thousand Years of Longing.

When evaluating a documentary, you might ask several questions. Does the film have a clear protagonist, or several? Does it have a compelling story and message? Does it have substance and depth? Has the director organized the material in a coherent way? In the case of Alex Pritz’s new movie, The Territory, the answers are a resounding “Yes.”

In a year dominated by cinematic tentpoles, sequels, blockbusters and superheroes, along comes a sweet, unabashedly romantic fairy tale. It’s not loud or brash or cynical. It’s just charming.

Eight twenty-somethings gather at a mansion for a “hurricane party.” After some awkward introductions, they begin indulging in drugs and alcohol. With inhibitions fading and the storm now raging, they decide to play “Body Body,” the murder-in-the-dark game. Only in this case, an actual body count ensues. There you have the premise for the new horror-comedy film from Dutch actor-turned-director Halina Reijn (Black Book, Instinct).

Baz Luhrmann has always had a flair for the operatic, sometimes literally so. The Australian writer-director-designer loves to tell stories on a grand scale. The bigger the emotions, the flashier the production values. Romeo and Juliet, Toulouse-Lautrec and the Great Gatsby have all made appearances in his films. Now his spotlight turns to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley. Well, partially, anyway.