Movie Reviews

The Story: A Honduran teenager and a Mexican gang member find their destinies crossing when he saves her from the leader of his gang. The Lowdown: Beautifully made and photographed, but ultimately brutally grim, Sin Nombre is a powerful -- if flawed -- drama that may be too bleak for all tastes.

The Story: The origins of the Star Trek series are reinvented in this reboot of the franchise. The Lowdown: A big, entertaining, occasionally exciting summer movie containing everything that implies -- including flaws -- and one iconic performer giving it a depth outside itself.

The Story: A peaceful group of aliens are attacked on their home planet by an army of Earthlings looking for a new place to settle. The Lowdown: An occasionally handsome-looking 3-D animated adventure with political insight on its mind, but it's simply too generic to be worthwhile.

The Story: A shallow womanizer gets the Christmas Carol treatment. The Lowdown: A far-from-pleasant attempt at romantic comedy that is neither romantic nor comedic.

Videodrome, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, May 8, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A chance encounter leads to a mild romance that doesn't conclude as it might when the woman explains why she can't accept an innocent goodnight kiss. The Lowdown: A light and charming romantic comedy that shows how such movies are still possible -- with the right folks at the helm.

The Story: The story of how -- more or less -- Wolverine came to be, with a glimpse of the beginnings of the X-Men. The Lowdown: Hampered by a script that's constrained by predestination, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is nonetheless entertaining nonsense that's nice to look at.

The Story: Three filmmakers tackle three stories set in Tokyo. The Lowdown: An absolutely wonderful compendium film that rarely makes even the slightest false step. This is must-see filmmaking.

The Story: The fact-based story of a newspaper columnist's encounters with a homeless schizophrenic. The Lowdown: Strong performances and occasionally inspired direction can't overcome a meandering screenplay.

Chimes at Midnight, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, May 1, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

Roxanne is the third of four comedies being presented by Bold Life movie reviewer Marcianne Miller in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. It will screen at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 2.

The Story: A small-time promoter turns a street hustler into an underground fighting sensation. The Lowdown: A grade-B fight movie that strains to be more than it is -- strains being the operative word.

The Story: A nature documentary that doubles as a vague environmentalism tract, told through the struggles of families of animals. The Lowdown: A greatest-hits compilation of a nature doc that will be more educational and entertaining to the younger set. Though occasionally grand and elegant, it's ultimately pretty superfluous to anyone who has ever taken…

The Story: A psychotic temp decides she and an office executive are having an affair, which comes as news to him and causes no end of trouble. The Lowdown: Tedium vies with accidental humor in this incredibly tepid thriller. Tedium wins by a landslide.

Richard III, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 24, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: An old-school reporter and a rookie blogger join forces in an investigation of interconnected murders, a political scandal and a possible conspiracy. The Lowdown: An intense and entertaining thriller that breathes new life into a workable formula.

The Story: When his wife suddenly dies, a terminally ill man (who doesn't know he's dying) tries to honor her dream of going to Japan. The Lowdown: An exquisitely detailed story about the transitory nature of life, love and beauty.

Midnight Run is the second of four comedies being presented by Bold Life movie reviewer Marcianne Miller in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. It will screen at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25.

The Story: A father on the verge of a divorce magically gets transformed into his 17-year-old self and decides to head back to high school to live his life the way he wished he had in the first place. The Lowdown: A starring vehicle for Zac Efron and nothing else, the movie is likely to…

The Story: A series of intercut stories about the vapid hedonism of the 1980s. The Lowdown: Too unrelentingly grim to function as entertainment and too full of unlikeable characters to generate any sympathy, The Informers, while interesting, is just too bleak for its own good.

The Story: The presumably dead Chev Chelios proves to be very much alive, but with an artificial heart that constantly needs recharging. He races to retrieve his real one. The Lowdown: Explosive bad taste, nonstop violence, foul language and scads of cinematic high jinks conspire to make for an outrageous moviegoing experience -- assuming you…