Movie Reviews

Playing for one show only at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 8, at Fine Arts Theatre.

The Story: A honey bee discovers the fact that humans have been stealing honey and selling it, and decides to sue in order to get it back. The Lowdown: Just another computer-animated comedy, but one completely devoid of laughs and ultimately one of the more tedious films to come out this year.

The Story: The tale of drug crime lord Frank Lucas and the detective whose efforts brought him down. The Lowdown: An enjoyable, entertaining film that moves well, but lacks the weightiness of content it needs to make it great.

The Story: The notorious "Jigsaw" reaches out from beyond the grave (maybe) as his fiendish punishments continue. The Lowdown: More of the same as the previous Saw films -- with even less novelty and point.

A King in New York, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

Movie critic and historian Peter Loewer will present a series of films exploring the movies' love affair with trains in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. Each film plays at 6 p.m. The Narrow Margin, Monday, Nov. 5; Silver Streak, Tuesday, Nov. 6; The Fugitive, Wednesday, Nov. 7; Polar Express, Thursday, Nov. 8. Admission is…

Movie critic and historian Peter Loewer will present a series of films exploring the movies' love affair with trains in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. Each film plays at 6 p.m. The Narrow Margin, Monday, Nov. 5; Silver Streak, Tuesday, Nov. 6; The Fugitive, Wednesday, Nov. 7; Polar Express, Thursday, Nov. 8. Admission is…

Movie critic and historian Peter Loewer will present a series of films exploring the movies' love affair with trains in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. Each film plays at 6 p.m. The Narrow Margin, Monday, Nov. 5; Silver Streak, Tuesday, Nov. 6; The Fugitive, Wednesday, Nov. 7; Polar Express, Thursday, Nov. 8. Admission is…

Movie critic and historian Peter Loewer will present a series of films exploring the movies' love affair with trains in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. Each film plays at 6 p.m. The Narrow Margin, Monday, Nov. 5; Silver Streak, Tuesday, Nov. 6; The Fugitive, Wednesday, Nov. 7; Polar Express, Thursday, Nov. 8. Admission is…

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Searchers at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 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 and park…

The Story: A withdrawn young man finds love -- and much more -- with a sex doll he buys online. The Lowdown: A surprisingly sweet little comedy that uses its provocative premise to explore human nature.

The Story: Three brothers go on a journey through India to reconnect with each other. The Lowdown: A perfect film from Wes Anderson for Anderson fans. It's as rich and funny and moving as anything I've seen this year, but some will find it too mannered and stylized.

The Story: A widower meets the woman of his dreams in a bookstore. Unfortunately, she turns out to be his brother's girlfriend. The Lowdown: A mixed bag of largely insubstantial drama and too-broad comedy that has so little relation to "real life" that its title seems like false advertising.

The Story: A high-powered story about an Egyptian-born man who is "detained" and "questioned" at the behest of the U.S. government for possible ties to a terrorist group. The Lowdown: Well intentioned, but sometimes improbable, Rendition ultimately overcomes its problems to become a strong political statement.

Love at First Bite is being shown continuously from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Pack Memorial Library Wednesday, Oct. 31, as part of their annual blood drive.

The Story: A political journalist has a disastrous interview with an actress -- one that turns into a series of head games. The Lowdown: Good performances from Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller elevate this conversational movie to something worth a look if you're in the mood for a small-scale drama.

The Story: Revisionist telling of the story of the death of Jesse James centering as much on his killer as himself. The Lowdown: Overlong, but ambitious, well-acted and sufficiently complex in its psychology to be more than worthwhile.

The Story: A young widow invites her late husband's heroin-addict friend to live with her and her two children. The Lowdown: Ponderous melodrama and an annoying visual style swamp several good performances in this soapy tale of redemption.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, 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…

Left Turn Yield, winner of the Twin Rivers Media Festival, will be presented by Classic Cinema From Around the World at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A teenage girl gets stuck helping her bipolar father in his attempts to find a cache of Spanish doubloons he believes are buried underneath a Costco. The Lowdown: A sweet, honest, occasionally funny little movie that does nothing special, but avoids falling into the trap of being just another quirky indie flick, due…