Doc Watch: Women in Peril

THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR (B+) - This quiet, methodical documentary brings a modern-day sensibility to the harrowing story of the gang-rape of a young mother and wife in Alabama in 1944. Nancy Buirski ("The Loving Story," "Afternoon of a Faun") by now has developed a style that is more dry than flashy. Here, she marches through the narrative, mixing the news reports of the day in black publications with present-day recollections, including by Taylor's brother. We also hear Taylor's voice on an audio recording. (Buirski uses video of Taylor herself sparingly and to powerful effect.)

Buirski also takes the opportunity to celebrate Rosa Parks, who was the NAACP investigator assigned to Taylor's case. That storyline adds depth to the tale and helps bridge the generations from World War II to the civil-rights achievements of the '60s through to the present-day plight of the African American struggle.

DE PALMA (B) - It isn't easy to defend Brian De Palma's film oeuvre. He was baptized in schlock, he made his name stealing Hitchcock's moves to create stylized violence, and his legacy has not aged well, especially '80s noir-porn like "Dressed to Kill" and "Body Double." But he is a really good storyteller, and he was present at the dawn of the American New Wave, so he's an engaging subject for a documentary.

Next-gen directors Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow pay homage by curating loads of movie clips and simply plunking down De Palma in front of a camera (Errol Morris-style) and having him spin stories about his movies and famous pals. The takeaway here is that, say what you will about a director who liked the idea of impaling an actress with a three-foot-long drill bit or dumping a bucket of pig's blood on poor Carrie, he worked hard at his craft and he had an old-fashioned appreciation for things like mise en cine and narrative structure. And he entertained a lot of people with "Carrie," "Scarface," the very first Tom Cruise "Mission Impossible," "Blow Out," "The Untouchables" and Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" video. Hanging out with the old guy, you'll learn a few things and have some fun along the way.