Author:   Ken Hanke

Showing 1870-1890 of 5225 results
Starring: Woody Allen, Michael Caine, Barbara Hershey, Mia Farrow, Diane Weist, Max von Sydow

Hannah and Her Sisters

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Over the years, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) has come to be regarded in many quarters as Woody Allen's best movie. Is it? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing is certain, it's one of his most finely tuned ensemble pieces, with every character having a feeling of reality to them. It's rich, warm in…
Starring: Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Julianne Moore, Olivia Thrilby, Eddie Rouse, Lili Taylor

Being Flynn

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Memoir-based film about the relationship between a son and his troubled father. The Lowdown: A remarkably well-made film with splendid performances from both Robert De Niro and Paul Dano. Moving without being sentimental, gritty without being grungy, and with no end of filmmaking style.
Starring: Cécile De France, Thomas Doret, Jérémie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione, Egon Di Mateo, Olivier Gourmet

The Kid with a Bike

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A young boy, abandoned by his father, is taken in -- at least on weekends -- by a beauty shop owner who tries to break through his reserve. The Lowdown: Immaculately crafted and beautiful small-scale drama that manages to scale emotional heights without undue manipulations. See this film!
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Sidney Fox, Leon Waycoff, Bert Roach / Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Irene Ware

Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Raven

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: A double dose of Bela Lugosi from his classic years at Universal. First in Robert Florey's Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), and then in Louis Friedlander's The Raven (1935) -- the latter also boasts Boris Karloff in its cast, but it's really Lugosi's show. They may not be Lugosi's absolute best films,…
Starring: George Segal, Jacqueline Bisset, Robert Morley, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort

Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Enjoyable, if unexceptional, star-studded comedy thriller of a type we don't see anymore. Essentially, it's a slightly silly romantic comedy with George Segal and Jacqueline Bisset as a divorced couple -- both working in very different capacities in the world of food -- who become involved in the self-descriptive mystery of the title.…
Starring: Joachim Calmeyer, Tomas Norström, Bjørn Floberg, Reine Brynolfsson

Kitchen Stories

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: A very peculiar -- and fact-based -- comedy-drama about Swedish researchers conducting experiements on how to design the most efficient kitchen for Norwegian bachelors (they've already done this for Swedish housewives) by observing, but (theoretically) not interacting with their subjects. Yes, it's as screwy as it sounds. It's also pretty engaging.
Starring: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, David Thewlis, Jamie Campbell Bower, Joely Richardson

Anonymous

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Campy, ludicrous tosh that purports to tell the "true story" of the origin of Shakespeare's plays. It doesn't even come close, but it presents a terrific cast declaiming hysterical dialogue in rich settings and is a lot of fun -- if you don't take it seriously, which the director amusingly seems to.
Starring: David Alpay, Charles Aznavour, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver, Christopher Plummer

Ararat

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Atom Egoyan's much misunderstood Ararat, which deals with the Turkish government's 1915 genocide of its Armenian population, is heady stuff. It's also heavily layered and told in an unusual manner, presenting the story from the perspective of an Armenian filmmaker, and linking past and present so that the characters cross storylines. It is,…
Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins

The Cabin in the Woods

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A group of 20-somethings -- obviously under the watchful eye of a roomful of technicians -- go on one of those invariably ill-fated weekends in the woods. The Lowdown: It's reasonably entertaining and kind of clever, but The Cabin in the Woods far from the amazingly brilliant take on the horror film it's…
Starring: Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Fürmann, Agnieszka Grochowska, Maria Schrader, Herbert Knaup, Marcin Bosak

In Darkness

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Fact-based story of the Polish plumber/sewer worker who helped a group of Jews hide in the sewers of Lvov, Poland, during the Nazi occupation of WWII. The Lowdown: A grim, often powerful Holocaust drama that perhaps works best as the story of the spiritual growth of the man who saved a group of…
Starring: Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Rita Marley, Cedella Marley, Chris Blackwell

Marley

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A documentary about the life story of Jamaican music icon Bob Marley. The Lowdown: Surprisingly involving documentary on Marley's life, presenting his story through archival footage, the memories of his friends, family and associates -- and, of course, through his music.
Starring: Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jane Lynch, Sofía Vergara, Jennifer Hudson

The Three Stooges

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Three imposter Stooges go out into the world in an attempt to save their orphanage from foreclosure. The Lowdown: It may have the mechanics of the Three Stooges down, but this attempt to bring the Stooges back to the movies is utterly devoid of the charm and feel of the real thing.
Starring: Marshall Allman, Claire Holt, Tania Raymonde, Jason Marsden, Eric Lange, Justin Welborn

Blue Like Jazz

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: Faith-based movie about a young man's trip into the broader "real world" when events cause him to lose his faith in his church. The Lowdown: Flawed, but generally likable little movie that's several notches above the usual faith-based fare.
Starring: George Arliss, Mary Astor, Evelyn Knapp, Grant Mitchell, Hardie Albright, William Janney, David Torrence, Randolph Scott

A Successful Calamity

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: The once highly acclaimed, now sadly forgotten actor George Arliss stars as a multimillionaire financial wizard who returns home after a year straightening out U.S. interests in Europe to find his family so involved in their own pursuits that they scarcely have time for him. Taking a tip from his butler, he decides…
Starring: Joe Dallesandro, Monique van Vooren, Udo Kier, Arno Juerging, Srdjan Zelenovic

Flesh for Frankenstein

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Paul Morrissey's famous X-rated take on the Frankenstein story (better known as Andy Warhol's Frankenstein) is of the bathful-of-blood-and-a-bucket-of-entrails school of deliberately schlock horror -- with occasional time-outs for sex. The aim is more laughs than chills, though it may be too gruesome for the timid. It's all about a misguided mad scientist…

ActionFest Sneak Peek

Posted on by Ken Hanke

ActionFest is the little film festival that could — except it’s not so little anymore. Interest and attendance has grown since it made its debut three years ago. It’s attracted national — and even international — attention, becoming the film event linked to Asheville. Perhaps this is because, like Asheville, ActionFest is unique. This year the festival has made its way into downtown, with the opening night film being shown at the Diana Wortham Theater and the closing night one at the Fine Arts Theatre. Last year it was the local premiere of one film — 13 Assassins — that ended up on both Justin Souther’s and my Ten Best list. This year — based on the titles I’ve already seen — it may have even more.

Cranky Hanke’s Weekly Reeler April 11-17: ActionFest Lockout Stooges Raid in the Woods

Posted on by Ken Hanke

OK, look: It’s ActionFest weekend— what more do you really need to know prior to Monday? There are more movies than you can shake a stick at (if you care for that sort of thing) without having to even consider the rather grim prospect of such things as The Three Stooges. And I’ll be taking a sneak peak at that tomorrow. But for now, let’s go ahead and consider the week on the whole.

Starring: Mae West, Paul Cavanagh, Gilbert Emery, Fred Kohler, Marjorie Gateson, Tito Coral, Ivan Lebedeff

Goin’ to Town

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Mae West's fifth movie suffers a bit from censorship woes thanks to the ever more powerful Breen Office, but a surprising amount of cheeky irreverence gets through in this tale of a suddenly wealthy dance-hall girl who decides to become a lady in order to snag a "proper" Englishman.
Starring: Francisco Rabal, Marga López, Rita Macedo, Jesús Fernández, Noé Murayama

Nazarin

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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In Brief: Possibly Luis Buñuel's most accomplished Mexican film, Nazarin is a complex work about the impracticality -- even impossibility -- of living a life by the strict example of Jesus Christ, as depicted in the efforts of one priest who tries to do just that, but finds himself constantly at odds with the Church…