films with a touch of despair

City Lights: Chaplin's 1931 masterpiece. The Little Tramp demonstrates the humor and pathos of urban life and love without uttering a word.

The Human Factor: Directed by Otto Preminger with a script by Tom Stoppard, this tale of espionage is held in check by doses of British reserve. The finale will appeal to anyone weary of sappy romantic endings.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: This colorful childhood fantasy, reconsidered through adult eyes, transforms Gene Wilder's Wonka into a sinister headcase. Do the curious kids deserve the treatment they get from the candymeister? The Oompa Loompas remain delightful.

The Planet of the Apes: Don't bet your bananas that Oliver Stone's forthcoming tribute to this Charlton Heston classic will be nearly as campy, badly acted or foreboding.

Jackson County Jail: Tommy Lee Jones is on the lam after busting out of jail with rape victim Yvette Mimieux. The chase scene through a Bicentennial parade shows future filmmakers how it should be done, and who can forget Jones' classic line, "I'll play what I'm dealt"?

Dark Star: John Carpenter's 1974 dark comedy about astronauts on a mission to destroy unstable planets pays tribute to Dr. Strangelove when the crew discovers a computerized bomb that wants to argue instead of deploy.