Movie Reviews

The Story: Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) teams up with a geeky computer hacker (Justin Long) to bring down an evil genius out to destroy the U.S. via computer. The Lowdown: A preposterously fun, adrenalin-rush-oriented actioner that's probably the summer's most pleasurable guilty pleasure.

The Story: A dying woman (Vanessa Redgrave) remembers the life-defining events of a wedding of a friend 50 years earlier. The Lowdown: Pretty pictures and a powerhouse cast can't overcome the lack of dramatic tension in this noble failure of a movie.

The Story: The life story of iconic French singer Edith Piaf. The Lowdown: Despite a sense of trying to cover too much ground, this biopic has moments of true greatness centered around a wholly remarkable performance by Marion Cotillard as Piaf.

The Story: A newly elected congressman is handpicked by God to build an ark in preparation for a flood. The Lowdown: This comedy has little to show for its $175-million budget other than a lot of flat gags, a simplistic message and a whole lot of overly sentimental fluff.

The Story: Based on the true story of the search for kidnapped American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan. The Lowdown: A well-intentioned film that starts off strong, but loses steam and tension quickly, and never quite recovers, which makes it strictly for those who have followed the story of Daniel Pearl or anyone with an…

The Story: An author of books that explore hauntings finds much more than he bargained for in room 1408 of an old hotel. The Lowdown: Largely unsurprising, but a finely crafted and effective horror thriller that succeeds in being creepy without being repellent.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Babe at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 1, 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 park in…

Character is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane.) Info: 273-3332.

Y Tu Mamá También is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, June 22, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane). Info: 273-3332.

Robert Rauschenberg: Man at Work will be presented for one show only at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 21, at the Fine Arts Theatre.

The Story: A collection of short films by an array of world-class directors and actors on the topic of love in the city of Paris. The Lowdown: A thoroughly delightful, beautiful film with scarcely a false note. A must-see for lovers of movies.

The Story: Teen sleuth Nancy Drew sets out to solve an old murder mystery in Hollywood. The Lowdown: Neither as bad as it looked from the trailer, nor as good as a Nancy Drew movie might be, the movie tries too many identities and has none of its own.

The Story: The Fantastic Four must defeat the Silver Surfer who has come to prepare Earth for destruction by his master. The Lowdown: Old-style comic-book cheese that might appeal to fans of the comics, but is of doubtful value to anyone else.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Copying Beethoven at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 24, 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 park…

The Story: Three American tourists are bamboozled into going to Slovakia where they're slated to be tortured to death by jaded rich guys. The Lowdown: Basically it's Hostel all over again, with all the mind-numbing torture and sadism that implies.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Arrangement at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 17, 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 park…

The Story: A young penguin pursues his dream of becoming a champion surfer in this faux documentary. The Lowdown: Clever, but only occasionally inspired, this latest penguin-centered animated film affords quiet amusement and the usual life lessons.

The Story: Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and the gang go into action to get even with an unscrupulous gambler-casino boss who crossed an old friend. The Lowdown: A clever, witty, soufflé of a movie that rights all the wrongs of its immediate predecessor and then some.

How I Won the War is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, June 15, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane.) Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A serial killer who has kept himself in check for two years is goaded back into action by his alter ego. The Lowdown: Overplotted to the point of insanity, Mr. Brooks starts out as a kind of thinking man's thriller before descending into entertaining nonsense.

The Story: A car park attendant is paid to pose as the boyfriend of a model in order to throw a wealthy businessman's wife off the track of her husband's infidelity. The Lowdown: A little gossamer confection from French filmmaker Francis Veber that more than gets by on style and wit.