Author:   Ken Hanke

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Speed Racer

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Speed Racer goes after the corporate villains behind the supposed death of his brother. The Lowdown: A wild, often incoherent bout of extreme sensory overload that's fascinating without ever being quite good in the normal sense.

Redbelt

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A struggling martial-arts teacher comes up against double-dealing denizens of duplicity and is forced to compete in a professional fight to survive. The Lowdown: In spite of its myriad absurdities, a strong central performance from Chiwetel Ejiofor and the usual David Mamet word-spinning distinguishes this underdog sports story.

The Black Room

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Black Room at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 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 and…

The Gang’s All Here

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Gang’s All Here is the final installment of a three-movie Busby Berkeley retrospective, and will be presented in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library Monday, May 19, at 6 p.m. The film will be introduced and discussed by Xpress film critic Ken Hanke.

Iron Man

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: When arms manufacturer Tony Stark is captured by terrorists, he transforms himself into an unstoppable juggernaut of vengeance known as Iron Man. The Lowdown: Enjoyable big-budget fun that's aware of its own preposterousness and benefits from probably the best performance ever seen in a comic-book movie, thanks to Robert Downey Jr.

A Man Named Pearl

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Documentary film on self-taught South Carolina topiary artist Pearl Fryar and his garden. The Lowdown: A very entertaining, beguiling look at a unique garden and an equally unique human being that's well worth your while.

Flawless

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A janitor and a soon-to-be-fired manager at a large diamond corporation team up to relieve the company of a portion of their inventory. The Lowdown: Dynamite performances, stylish direction and an incredible script combine to make clever entertainment.

Gold Diggers of 1933

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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Gold Diggers of 1933 is the second of a three-movie Busby Berkeley retrospective, and will be presented at Pack Library in Lord Auditorium Monday, May 12, at 6 p.m. The film will be introduced and discussed by Xpress film critic Ken Hanke.

The Gods Must Be Crazy

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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Walk-In Theater -- sponsored by the merchants of the Bledsoe Building in West Asheville -- will present The Gods Must Be Crazy Friday, May 9, at dusk in the parking lot behind the Bledsoe building. Admission is free, and as usual, patrons are asked to leave pets and coolers at home, but to bring lawn…

Deception

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: An uptight accountant becomes involved in a high-class sex club and gets more than he bargained for. The Lowdown: A terminally silly story that constantly thinks it's being surprising when it isn't and largely sinks whatever value you're likely to get from the film's A-list performers.

The Counterfeiters

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A fact-based story of a Nazi scheme to destroy the British and U.S. economies with counterfeit money produced by prisoners in a concentration camp. The Lowdown: An intelligent, entertaining and morally complex film that wisely leaves much up to the viewer.

Under the Same Moon

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: When his grandmother dies, a young Mexican boy crosses the border into the U.S. in search of his illegal immigrant mother who lives in Los Angeles. The Lowdown: Melodrama and politics make an uneasy combination in this well-intentioned film that succeeds more than it doesn't thanks to the performances.

Whoopee!

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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Whoopee! is the first of a three-movie Busby Berkeley retrospective being presented at Pack Library in Lord Auditorium. The film will be shown at 6 p.m. Monday, May 5, and will be introduced and discussed by Xpress film critic Ken Hanke.

Fix

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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Twin Rivers Media Festival presents Fix at 8 p.m. Friday, May 2, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Other festival events and films take place over the weekend. Info: 273-3331.

End of the Game

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Hendersonville Film Society will show End of the Game at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, 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…