A top-flight detective thriller from Robert Altman, and one of last year's most respected prestige pictures are Savant's picks tonight ... as so many prepare to go back to school in one form or another.

The Long Goodbye is one of those pictures that gets better with age, especially when it can be enjoyed in such a fine-looking DVD presentation. No more grainy pan'scan for us, Ma. Elliott Gould, Nina Van Pallandt and Sterling Hayden do A+ work in this once-dismissed classic.

Miramax's prestige offering last year was Iris, an intelligent and un-hyped account of the last times of Iris Murdoch, a celebrated author who succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. There's a lot to think about here, and not just the tragic theft of a vital woman's intellect and identity. Judi Dench plays the elderly Iris, and Kate Winslet the ambitious & sensual writer of her youth.

More reviews coming, including the new first-season collection of the original Outer Limits teleseries! Glenn Erickson