Author:   Ken Hanke

Showing 988-1008 of 5225 results
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Renner, Dagmara Dominczyk, Jicky Schnee

The Immigrant

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: The tale of a young immigrant woman forced into a life of prostitution as the only means to make her way in the New World and get her tubercular sister off Ellis Island. The Lowdown: Richly melodramatic and beautifully detailed fable on the myth of the American dream as experienced early in the…
Starring: (Voices) Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: New adventures and new challenges for Viking boy Hiccup and his trained dragon, Toothless. The Lowdown: Not as fresh or funny as its 2010 predecessor – and with a curious lack of focus in its first half – but with a bang-up second half, much visual beauty and a surprising emotional resonance.
Starring: Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Fritz Rasp

Metropolis

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Fritz Lang's 1927 science fiction masterpiece about social upheaval in a fantastic city of the future. Sure, it's melodramatic -- after all, its Lang, whose heart belonged to pulp fiction -- but it's also a visual spectacle like no other. One of the most influential films of all time -- and still one…
Starring: Guy Pearce, Robert Pattinson, Scoot McNairy, Gillian Jones, Susan Prior

The Rover

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: In post-apocalyptic Australia, a taciturn loner goes to great lengths – including murder and mayhem – to recover a stolen car. The Lowdown: An alternately violent and tedious road movie of the post-apocalyptic variety that remains watchable thanks to some odd touches and an interesting performance from Robert Pattinson.

Asheville Coal Ash Stories

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Four short documentaries about the perils of coal ash ponds. The Lowdown: The four short films being presented at 7 p.m. on Thu., June 19 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville (admission is free) are fairly straightforward activist documentaries that serve as a basic introduction to the important issue of coal ash…
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, Kate Reid, Michel Piccoli, Hollis McLaren, Robert Joy

Atlantic City

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: As Louis Malle movies go, Atlantic City (1980) qualifies as almost action-packed. It's also one of his most accessible and one of those late-in-the-day examples of the era when the line between art movies and the mainstream was less obvious than it would soon become. It's a remarkably congenial tale – with dashes of…
Starring: Will Hay, Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, Googie Withers, Peter Gawthorne, Basil Radford

Convict 99

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: British comedian Will Hay – little known in the U.S. – stars in Convict 99, one of his best films. As is usually the case, he plays a lazy, incompetent and not particularly honest English schoolmaster, only here he's mistaken for an Australian expert on prison reforms and given the job of warden…
Starring: Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Bill Hunter, Sarah Chadwick, Mark Holmes

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: This 1994 Australian comedy-drama was more than a surprise hit. It also introduced the world to Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce, who starred as a pair of flamboyant drag queens, along with Terence Stamp as a transsexual. This is the tale of their trek into the outback via the bus of the title.…
Starring: Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche, Valerie Tian, Bruce Davison, Navid Negahban, Amy Brenneman

Words and Pictures

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A functional alcoholic literature teacher and a physically-impaired art teacher lock horns over which is more powerful -- words or pictures -- while becoming increasingly involved with each other personally. The Lowdown: A contrived screenplay is trumped by star power, directorial skill and witty dialogue. Flawed, yes, but very enjoyable and satisfying. Check…
Starring: Charles Boyer, Madeleine Ozeray, Florelle, Alcover, Robert Arnoux

Liliom

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: After fleeing Nazi Germany, Fritz Lang stopped in France and made this 1934 version of Ferenc Molnar's Liliom for Fox's European branch. The results are uneven, but fascinating, and provide us with our introduction to Charles Boyer. Part of the problem with the whole thing stems from the inescapable fact that Molnar's play…
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, David Huddleston

The Big Lebowski

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: The ultimate cult item in the Coen Brothers' filmography, the impossibly convoluted The Big Lebowski (1998) was hardly a hit when it first appeared. Roger Ebert gave it a mildly positive review as a "genial shambling comedy," which still strikes me about right. However, time and taste have proved kind to the film,…
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Dooley Wilson, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre

Casablanca

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Possibly the most beloved of all movies, Michael Curtiz's Casablanca (1942) is a combination of happy accidents, studio professionalism and plain dumb luck that came together to create the most perfect of all Hollywood studio movies, a perfect blend of studio system efficiency that still allowed for personal creativity. It has more quotable…
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, NoahTaylor, Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way

Edge of Tomorrow

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A cowardly public relations man forced into battle against aliens finds himself repeating the day every time he gets killed. The Lowdown: Clever and fast-paced with a welcome streak of dark humor, this sci-fi actioner is undeniably entertaining, if ultimately not terribly substantial, despite an intriguing premise.
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard, Alia Shawkat, Logan Miller

Night Moves

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A trio of eco-terrorists blow up a dam. The Lowdown:  A very slow-moving thriller that doesn't deliver much in the thrill department, although it's worth considering that most critics found this much better than I did. Fans of director Kelly Reichardt will definitely be interested.
Starring: Ian Holm, Iben Hjejle, Tom McInnerny, Nigel Terry, Hugh Bonneville, Murray Melvin

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: One of those thoroughly charming little films that got lost in the shuffle, The Emperor's New Clothes showed up in Asheville with no promotion from Paramount Classics (remember them?), was shunted to the upstairs theater at the Fine Arts and lasted, unsurprisingly, one week. It was in no way a reflection of the…
Starring: Gemma Arterton, Saoirse Ronan, Sam Riley, Caleb Landry Jones, Jonny Lee Miller

Byzantium

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief:  SHOWING CANCELLED. Neil Jordan's beautiful, brilliant, lonely and weirdly moving rethinking of the vampire movie, Byzantium. never made it to Asheville. It was deemed lacking in audience for our town, which I dispute, but that's another matter. What it really lacked was a big name star and serious promotion from IFC. However, here's the…
Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Silverman, Neil Patrick Harris

A Million Ways to Die in the West

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: An inept sheep rancher becomes involved with a notorious gunslinger's wife. Predictability ensues. The Lowdown: Stupefying in its unfunniness, arrogance and outright narcissism, A Million Ways to Die in the West is a shoo-in for my Worst of the Year list come December.
Starring: Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Brian Donlevy, Joseph Calleia, Bonita Granville, William Bendix

The Glass Key

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Admirers of the Coen Brothers' Miller's Crossing will find much of its plot is drawn from both Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, The Glass Key, and from Stuart Heisler's 1942 film version. Conceived as a follow-up to cash in on the surprise popularity of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in This Gun for Hire (1942), Paramount…
Starring: Jack Kilmer, Nat Wolff, Emma Roberts, James Franco, Val Kilmer, Zoe Levin

Palo Alto

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story:  A look into the lives of a group of aimless, upscale teens. The Lowdown: A mixed-bag debut for writer-director Gia Coppola. A lot of it is typical lifestyles of the ennui-ridden overprivileged, but there are moments of near brilliance and an ending that makes up for much.