Philadelphia Weekly

Ambler Theater

$3.50-$8.50. 108 E. Butler Ave. 215.345.7855. www.amblertheater.org

The Neverending Story (1984) (Shown on DVD): Ironically, eight minutes were snipped for the American release of this lavish West German English-language production, which plunges viewers into a fantasy world rife with memorably Teutonic imagery, including a flying dog, laser-beam-shooting sphinxes and more than a couple dwarves. B Sat., Feb. 9, 11am.

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Bryn Mawr Film Institute

$3.50-$9.25 (unless otherwise noted). 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr. 610.527.9898. www.brynmawrfilm.org

Best of Black Lily Film and Music Festival 2007 (Shown on DVD): The female-oriented festival, set to return for another set this May, brings two of last year's best to the Bryn Mawr. Plenty of Good Women Dancers covers the history of African-American female dancers from the 1920s through the 1950s, with pitstops at Edith "Baby Edwards" Hunt, Hortense Allen Jordan and Libby Spencer. The hour-long doc will be paired with the short Women Play Klezmer. Wed., Feb. 6, 7pm.

The Secret Garden (1993) (Shown on DVD): After hits like Europa Europa and Olivier Olivier, Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland went to Britain to film the umpteenth film or TV version of the Frances Hodgson Burnett book, about an orphaned girl who breathes metaphorical life back into her miserable uncle by breathing physical life into his unkempt garden. With Maggie Smith and Ir�ne Jacob. (Not reviewed.) Sat., Feb. 9, 11am.

The Devil Came on Horseback (2007) (Shown on DVD): Rather than make the conceptually empty Darfur Now--still, ironically, languishing in distribution oblivion--Don Cheadle and crew ought to have thrown their considerable weight behind this doc, a searing indictment of the Sudanese turmoil and the widespread inactivity it's caused. At the center is Brian Steidle, a U.S. Marine who snapped gobs of photos of the worst atrocities yet has barely been able to get an eyebrow raised back home. Ahem. B Wed., Feb. 13, 7pm.

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Colonial Theatre

$4-$7. 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville. 610.917.0223. www.thecolonialtheatre.com

The Red Balloon/White Mane (1956/1953) (Shown on film): Before creating the board game Risk, Albert Lamorisse directed two of the great children's movies, though don't let that classification convince you they're treacly pap. In The Red Balloon, a lonely boy befriends a quasi-sentient ball of helium, only to watch as bullies have their way with it. In White Mane, another lonely boy befriends a wild horse on the run from vile ranchers. Both concern solidarity in a cruel and hateful world, and each has one of the most devastating endings in film history. B+/A- Sat., Feb. 9, 2pm.

Notorious (1946) (Shown on film): At the arguable height of his powers, Alfred Hitchcock popped out this perfectly calibrated spy picture, with Cary Grant sending new love Ingrid Bergman to feign love for Nazi leader Claude Rains. The big set pieces--the party, the kiss, the finale--deserve every inch of their rep, but it's the surprising richness of the love triangle that ultimately sticks. Dig the way Rains goes from menace to poor little boy to tragic figure during the film's arc. A Sun., Feb. 10, 2pm.

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County Theater

$3.50-$8.50. 20 E. State St., Doylestown. 215.345.6789. www.countytheater.com

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004) (Shown on DVD): Tom Kenny is a genius. (Not reviewed.) Sat., Feb. 9, 11am.

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