Movie Reviews

The Story: A giant, evil serpent attacks L.A. in order to eat the woman who is the holder of the "Yuh Yi Joo," which would allow the snake to evolve into an all-powerful dragon. The Lowdown: Ridiculous and silly, Dragon Wars is not a good movie by any means, but it is an entertainingly preposterous…

The Story: An Asheville reporter sets out to uncover the truth about sex trafficking in the area, focusing on one girl she meets. The Lowdown: Solid, glossy production values, good cinematography and some affecting performances raise the appeal of this well-intentioned but awkward tale.

The Story: A talk-show host turns vigilante when her fiancé is murdered by a gang of thugs. The Lowdown: A complex, disturbing, beautifully crafted film that examines the cancer of vengeance-seeking on a personal level.

Blowup, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: Documentary about global warming. The Lowdown: Leonardo DiCaprio cowrote, coproduced and narrates this well-intended, but largely redundant film that scores some points for suggesting solutions anyone can employ.

The Story: Loner Clive Owen tries to rescue a woman (she doesn't make it), delivers her baby, and finds himself saddled with a newborn and a lot of gunmen out to kill them. The Lowdown: Incredibly violent, bloody, kinky, fast-paced and wickedly funny, Shoot 'Em Up is more fun than a firkin of perverted simians…

The Story: Disaster strikes -- thanks to family tensions, a blackmailer and a bottle of drugs -- at an upper-class British memorial service. The Lowdown: Rewarding, dark (but not too dark) farce that meanders a bit before hitting its stride, at which point it becomes one of the year's brightest comedies.

Serial Mom will be shown Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. at UNCA's Humanities Lecture Hall.

Polyester will be shown Wednesday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. at UNCA's Humanities Lecture Hall.

Hairspray will be shown Thursday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m. at UNCA's Humanities Lecture Hall.

Cry-Baby will be shown Monday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. at UNCA's Humanities Lecture Hall.

Walk-in Theatre presents One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at dusk on Friday, Sept. 14, in the parking lot behind the Bledsoe Building in West Asheville. Sponsored by the merchants of the Bledsoe Building. Admission is free -- and once again, please leave pets and alcohol at home.

L'Avventura, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: Two socially inept brothers attempt to become fathers in order to try and pull their father out of a coma. The Lowdown: A dire attempt at being quirky and irreverent, The Brothers Solomon ends up being a pointless, unfunny practice in comedy.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Amadeus at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, 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…

Anyone who missed seeing this terrific documentary has another chance. The film will be shown at the Fine Arts Theatre Wednesday, Sept. 12, and Thursday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m., with filmmakers in attendance, and Saturday, Sept. 15, at 1 p.m. It will also be shown at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts Friday,…

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Music Teacher at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, 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…

The Story: A team of scientists is on its way to attempt to reignite our dying sun with a nuclear bomb. The Lowdown: Visually stunning, dramatically exciting and philosophically intriguing, Danny Boyle's Sunshine is a must-see.

The Passion of Anna is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 7, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A remake of the 1978 John Carpenter film about homicidal maniac Michael Myers. The Lowdown: A largely wrongheaded attempt to at least in part rethink the old movie. The new film has a few moments, but not enough to amount to much.

The Story: A father seeks revenge against the gang responsible for his son's murder. The Lowdown: Preposterous clichés, an unbelievable script and a complete lack of focus sink this tale of vigilante justice.