Movie Reviews

Fracture

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The Story: An assistant district attorney has to prove that a seemingly perfect murder attempt isn't perfect. The Lowdown: It all comes down to stars Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling in this thriller, and they do carry the film, but it's not a stretch for either actor.

The Moderns

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Moderns at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29, 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 Devils

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The Devils is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 27, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane).

They Might Be Giants

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show They Might Be Giants at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22, 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…

Slow Burn

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The Story: An assistant district attorney claims to have shot a rapist in self-defense, but an ex-cop claims it was murder. The Lowdown: An incredibly convoluted and thoroughly unpersuasive crime thriller that wastes a good cast.

Redline

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The Story: A mechanic, who has vowed never to race due to the death of her father, gets involved in an underground racing ring organized by a group of eccentric millionaires. The Lowdown: A boring, incompetent movie made by a bunch of people you've never heard of, starring a bunch of people you've never heard…

Perfect Stranger

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The Story: A journalist goes undercover at an ad agency to investigate the company's CEO, who she believes murdered her old friend. The Lowdown: The best that can be said about this film is that it's competent, but it suffers from a lack of sympathetic characters and a convoluted twist ending.

Pathfinder

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The Story: When a group of Norsemen invade North America, it is up to a former Viking, who was left behind as a youngster by a previous group of raiders, to defend the Native American tribe that has taken him in. The Lowdown: A tepid attempt at "epic" filmmaking, Pathfinder is a silly, boring, ugly…

The Hoax

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The Story: The more or less true story of writer Clifford Irving's scam to sell the world -- and a major publisher -- on the idea that he was collaborating with Howard Hughes on the billionaire's authorized autobiography. The Lowdown: Witty and perceptive, blessed with great performances and slick direction.

Cronos

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Cronos is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 20, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane).

Teorema (Theorem)

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

Miss Potter

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The Story: A lightweight biographical film about children's author Beatrix Potter. The Lowdown: Ultimately neither substantial as biography, nor quite whimsical enough to qualify as fantasy, Miss Potter presents a safe sketch of the writer that's blessed with skillful casting and charming performers.

Are We Done Yet?

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The Story: In this sequel to Are We There Yet?, Ice Cube buys a house in the country for his new family only to find the structure redefines "fixer-upper." The Lowdown: A lamebrained unfunny sequel to an equally unfunny original.

Grindhouse

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Planet Terror: The Story: When a mysterious bio-chemical is released into the populace which turns people into cannibalistic "sickos," a ragtag group must fight their way to safety. The Lowdown: Probably the most over-the-top, ridiculous movie you'll ever see -- and also one of the most purely entertaining. Death Proof: The Story: A former possible…

The Reaping

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The Story: A professional debunker of religious phenomenon is called to a town where the river has turned to blood. The Lowdown: A silly and stupefyingly derivative religioso shocker that is more funny than thrilling.

The Night of the Following Day

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Night of the Following Day at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 15, 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…

The Namesake

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The Story: A multi-generational culture-conflict story following the lives of an immigrant Bengali family in America. The Lowdown: Maybe a bit too ambitious, but a worthy and moving attempt to examine the lives of a transplanted family balancing between two cultures.