Two new indie titles open today, along with two classic films. (Title links lead to official sites for more information, where available.)

• ‘12 Years A Slave.’ Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in mid-19th century America. A powerful drama. Reviewed here. Recommended. (Angelika Dallas, Angelika Plano)
• ‘Birth of the Living Dead.’ Documentary on George A. Romero and the making of ‘The NIght of the Living Dead.’ (The Texas Theatre)
• ‘Oldboy.’ Park Chan-wook’s harsh revenge tale is an ugly, magnificently disturbing drama. See it before Spike Lee’s new version opens in late November. (The Texas Theatre) Screens 10/25-27 only.
• ‘The Wicker Man: The Final Cut.’ Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland star in a classic tale of pagan practices vs. Christian teachings in an isolated community. Directed by Robin Hady; this version is said to restore footage cut from the original edition and thought to have been lost. (Angelika Dallas)

Opening in wide release across the Metroplex:

• ‘The Counselor.’ Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz in a high-toned legal thriller. Directed by Ridley Scott, based on the first original screenplay written by novelist Cormac McCarthy. Reviewed here. Recommended.
• ‘Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.’ Johnny Knoxville disguises himself as an old man and travels around the country with his “grandson” as the ‘Jackass’ crew engages in more physical hijinks. Not previewed.

Opening next week in wide release:

• ‘All Is Lost.’ Robert Redford struggles to survive, alone and adrift on an unforgiving sea. Reviewed at Twitch. (Also see my feature article at Movies.com on how it compares with ‘Gravity’ and ‘Captain   Phillips’.) (Note that the release has been pushed back to Friday, November 1. Grrr.) Recommended.