Author:   Ken Hanke

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Morning Glory

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A young woman takes the seemingly impossible job of revitalizing a failing morning TV program. The Lowdown: A solid comedy that's seriously impeded by the apparent need to make it into a romantic comedy. It's certainly watchable, and it's three stars are fine, but it could have been great.

Conviction

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A fact-based story of a woman who put herself through law school in order to attempt to get her brother out of prison on a wrongful murder conviction. The Lowdown: A very serious-minded, extremely earnest and probably well-intended film that is somehow less compelling than it should be.

Fair Game

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: The story of Joseph Wilson, who blew the whistle on the Bush administration for ignoring evidence that Iraq had no nuclear weapons program -- and the fallout that occurred when it was leaked that his wife, Valerie Plame, was a CIA agent. The Lowdown: An incendiary film about the duplicity of the Bush…

Tamara Drewe

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Tamara Drewe -- and her sexy new look -- returns to her hometown where she proceeds to wreak havoc on the locals. The Lowdown: A funny, insightful, stylish and charming look at modern -- often gentrified -- life in rural England. A must-see picture.

Cranky Hanke’s Weekly Reeler Nov. 17-23: Anything else coming out this week?

Posted on by Ken Hanke

This Friday, we have Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Actually, if you’re morbid about the whole thing, you can see it at midnight on Thursday. I know The Carolina has it then, and I assume that means some other local theaters will, too. That may be as much as you need to know this week. Even so, two excellent films that are not Harry Potter are also opening: Fair Game and Tamara Drewe. It would be a shame if these got overlooked in all the Pottermania. Oh, yeah, and some Paul Haggis picture opens, as well.

Cranky Hanke’s Screening Room: Random observatio­ns and thoughts

Posted on by Ken Hanke

Every so often—and sometimes oftener—I have ideas for these columns that prove insufficient for an entire column. Or if they aren’t insufficient, they’re too much to be tackled here in the detail they deserve. Let’s call those “subjects for further investigation,” but there’s no real guarantee I’m going to find time for those further investigations. With this in mind, I’ve decided to pull a few of these things out of the drawer—perhaps two at a time—and at least give them a little airing out. They’re doing no one any good where they are.

Nowhere Boy

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Biopic focusing on the middle teenage years of John Lennon and the forces and people that shaped him. The Lowdown: A lovely little movie that rings true and is surprisingly emotionally effective. If you're keen on Lennon, it's a must-see.

Due Date

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Two ill-paired men end up driving across the country together. The Lowdown: A badly conceived comedy that tries to cash in on the talents of Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis without giving them anything to do.

Inside Job

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A documentary examining how the recession came to be through corrupt banking practices and the control of the government. The Lowdown: An angry, dispiriting film about the state of the economy and the need for serious economic reform in this country -- reform that goes beyond lip-service. You won't have a good time,…

Four Lions

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: The film concerns itself with the efforts of a spectacularly inept group of terrorists out to make their mark on Britain. The Lowdown: A genuine take-no-prisoners satire that's one of of the most bitterly funny -- and disturbing -- comedies to come along in a while. It's in the must-see realm for those…

Shadow of the Vampire

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Asheville Film Society will screen Shadow of the Vampire Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville. Hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther. Hanke is the artistic director of the Asheville Film Society.

For Colored Girls

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: The prize-winning play fitted with a melodramatic narrative that attempts to set the stage for the play's poetic monologues. The Lowdown: Easily the best film Tyler Perry has made, which may not be saying much. It's a mixed bag that's apt to polarize viewers, but it's definitely a brave attempt.

Cranky Hanke’s Weekly Reeler Nov. 10-16: Lions and aliens and runaway trains, oh my

Posted on by Ken Hanke

From a serious moviegoing standpoint, the big titles opening this week are ones I’ve already seen: Four Lions and Inside Job. You’ll find reviews of both in this week’s Xpress (they were among the films I reviewed over the weekend from hell—10 movies in three days). Conviction, Morning Glory, Skyline and Unstoppable are also coming to town. That means six films will be vying for your moviegoing attention—not to mention your hard-earned spondulicks.