Movie Reviews

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Lodger at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 26, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville. (From Asheville, take I-26 to U.S. 64 West, turn right at the third light onto Thompson Street. Follow to the Lake Point Landing entrance and park…

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Iron Horse at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 19, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville. (From Asheville, take I-26 to U.S. 64 West, turn right at the third light onto Thompson Street. Follow to the Lake Point Landing entrance and…

A Fish Called Wanda is the first 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 18.

The Story: A law-school dropout takes a job as road manager for a minor celebrity on the touring circuit. The Lowdown: A thoroughly enjoyable comedy/drama based on the filmmaker's own experiences. John Malkovich is terrific in the title role and the rest of the cast doesn't let him down.

The Story: Pop-star Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart is taken back home for a two-week stint to keep her from "going Hollywood." The Lowdown: Overly cheerful pap about the values of rural life wrapped around a pop-star fantasy aimed at young, impressionable girls.

The Story: A young man and his friends must find seven dragonballs before a monster bent on destroying the world does. The Lowdown: Tepid and frequently incomprehensible nonsense that manages to be inoffensive and only mildly tedious.

The Pillow Book, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 17, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: An obnoxious mall cop attempts to capture a flasher before the police department can, all the while attempting to woo a girl who works behind a cosmetic counter. The Lowdown: An unfunny, pointless comedy with nary a redeeming or likable quality, and definitely nothing to recommend.

The Story: A pair of sisters go into business for themselves cleaning up crime scenes. The Lowdown: Though marketed as a quirky black comedy, Sunshine Cleaning is actually much more: a warm, human and pretty wonderful character piece, with two brilliant actresses and a strong supporting cast.

The Story: A young dancer suffering from leukemia finds she has the power to bring people to Jesus, thereby incurring the displeasure of the Devil. The Lowdown: If there is any redeeming value to this movie -- apart from unintended laughs -- it eluded me.

The Story: A recent college grad is forced to take on a menial summer job at a cheesy amusement park in order to help afford grad school. The Lowdown: A deftly funny, surprisingly astute, often heartfelt look at the complicated lives of those coming-of-age.

The Story: Fugitive Dominic Toretto teams up with FBI agent Brian O'Conner to stop a Mexican drug-smuggling operation. The Lowdown: Cars drive fast and things blow up. That's about it.

The 400 Blows, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 10, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A year with the class of a teacher at an impoverished school with a rough crop of multicultural students. The Lowdown: A surprisingly entertaining variation on the well-worn "teacher with unwilling students" drama, set apart and made fresh by an almost complete lack of sentimentality and comfortable bromides.

The Story: A criminal mastermind busts out of prison and decides to exact revenge on the New Orleans cop who inadvertently caused the death of his girlfriend. The Lowdown: A far-fetched, pointless, unoriginal mess of an action movie that seemingly exists to blow stuff up.

Trainspotting, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 3, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A cancer sufferer and his family move into a Connecticut house only to find out it is haunted. The Lowdown: A completely derivative attempt at a horror flick that’s completely undermined by unintentional hilarity and a complete inability to be even the slightest bit horrific, creepy or scary.

The Story: The story of organized crime in Italy as told through five -- occasionally interrelated -- stories. The Lowdown: A gritty, nuanced, challenging piece of filmmaking that doesn’t quite have the emotional punch it warrants due to its often languorous pacing and complex story line.

The Story: A woman heading to a new life in Alaska with her dog runs into trouble along the way. The Lowdown: A rather dreary, depressing look at a woman’s search for a new life. Well made for what it is, but whether or not that makes it artistically or dramatically viable is another matter.

The Story: A group of retro monsters from an earlier era are called upon to save the Earth from an alien invasion. The Lowdown: A consistently -- if mildly -- amusing, creative animated take on '50s sci-fi that works well enough without being particularly distinctive.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Carmen at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 5, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville. (From Asheville, take I-26 to U.S. 64 West, turn right at the third light onto Thompson Street. Follow to the Lake Point Landing entrance and park in…