Author:   Ken Hanke

Showing 3256-3276 of 5225 results

My Bloody Valentine 3-D

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Ten years after a presumably dead homicidal maniac went on a killing spree in a mining town, the murders start again. The Lowdown: A pretty dumb, down-and-dirty slasher picture -- complete with wholesale violence, a dose of skin and lots of gore -- that offers unintentional laughs, along with some pretty remarkable 3-D.

Revolutionary Road

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A couple fight each other -- and the repressiveness of their suburban environment -- in 1950s Connecticut. The Lowdown: Restrained to the point of being soporific and full of its own importance, most of the film's two hours depicts an overprivileged, upper-middle-class couple complaining about their lot in life and fighting.

So Ends Our Night

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Hendersonville Film Society will show So Ends Our Night at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, 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…

Bride Wars

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Two best friends, who have a falling out over a mistake in booking a wedding venue, proceed to sabotage each other's wedding. The Lowdown: Unfunny, unromantic, unlikable and seemingly interminable even at a scant 91 minutes.

Last Chance Harvey

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A composer for advertisements goes to London for his daughter's wedding where he finds a shot at a new life thanks to a perpetually disappointed woman he meets. The Lowdown: A low-key romantic charmer that knows the wisdom of brevity and the power of charismatic stars.

The Unborn

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A girl finds herself plagued by strange visions and learns that an evil entity is determined to take over her body. The Lowdown: An interesting concept falls prey to stock exorcism shenanigans, unintended humor and laughably enjoyable shock effects.

Defiance

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A fact-based story centered around the Bielski brothers and their attempts to save Jews from the Nazis in the Belarussian woods during WWII. The Lowdown: At once too earnest and too prone to being an action/adventure movie, Defiance works in bits and pieces, which may be enough for many viewers.

Gran Torino

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: An aging racist Korean War vet becomes attached to the troubled Asian family that moves in next door. The Lowdown: More myth-busting drama from Clint Eastwood. A strong concept, but it's mired in clichéd scripting, bad dialogue, indifferent filmmaking and some unpersuasive performances.

The Elephant Man

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Elephant Man at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, 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…

Valkyrie

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Fact-based story of the 1944 attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The Lowdown: Reasonably effective, but not a terribly compelling WWII drama that benefits from a strong supporting cast, despite a miscast lead.

The Reader

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A complex story of the impact that a youthful affair with an enigmatic older woman has on a man's entire life -- not so much because of the affair itself, but because of what he later learns about the past of the woman and his reaction to that discovery. The Lowdown: Brilliant and…

The Spirit

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Seemingly indestructible crime fighter The Spirit battles with archcriminal The Octopus in an attempt to learn the secret of his origins and bring The Octopus to justice. The Lowdown: Stylized, screwy, silly and deliberately preposterous, The Spirit is a lot of loopy fun -- if you're on its wavelength.