Movie Reviews

The Story: In the near future, a former race-car driver is railroaded into participating in the lethal Death Race television show -- with both his freedom and his life at stake. The Lowdown: A competently made, violent action movie that delivers what it promises and little else.

The Story: A Brit wine snob with a failing shop in Paris arranges a blind wine-tasting competition between French and California wines -- with an all-French panel of experts. The Lowdown: Based on fact and drowned in TV-movie level dramatic embellishments, this little indie offering has one thing going for it -- Alan Rickman --…

The Story: An overage rock drummer gets another chance at stardom by playing for his nephew's high-school band. Marginal mirth ensues. The Lowdown: Like the character he plays in the film, Rainn Wilson gets a shot at stardom in this blandly inoffensive comedy. Unlike the character, he doesn't make it.

The Story: When a Playboy bunny gets thrown out of the mansion, she finds a purpose in life by becoming housemother to a sorority in need of her special knowledge. The Lowdown: Derivative, predictable, indifferently made and not terribly funny, still The House Bunny has such a sweetness of spirit that it's hard to actually…

Volver, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Wind and the Lion at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31, 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…

Deadly Prey will be shown by TV Eye's Weird Wednesdays on Aug. 27 at 9:30 p.m. at Asheville Brewing Company on Coxe Ave.

The Story: A trio of young houseflies sneak onto a NASA rocket and hitch a ride to the moon with the crew of Apollo 11. The Lowdown: Presented in 3-D, this horrendously animated Belgian product is a tedious waste of time.

What Have I Done to Deserve This?, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Limelight at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 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 in…

The Story: Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker and his young trainee fight to save the son of Jabba the Hutt and stop the evil plot set forth by the nefarious Count Dooku. The Lowdown: Silly, stilted and pointless, it's Star Wars distilled and refined to its very worst -- only this time accompanied by some truly…

The Story: A suspended cop gets a job guarding a burnt-out department store, where the mirrors are not your average mirrors. The Lowdown: Supremely stylish and atmospheric horror -- with a fair gore quotient -- that doesn't always work as well as it might, but gets extra points for being genuine horror and not another…

The Story: A group of actors find themselves up against harsh -- potentially lethal -- reality when their director decides to make their movie's jungle warfare experience more authentic. The Lowdown: Explosive bad-taste comedy and Hollywood satire in a movie that sets out to offend everyone -- and may well succeed. It's also very funny…

Miller's Crossing will be shown at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library as part of the library's Coen Brothers film series. Xpress movie critic Ken Hanke will introduce the film and discuss it after the screening. Subsequent screenings will be The Big Lebowski (1998) on Aug. 30 and O…

The Story: A couple of friends spend the summer in Barcelona where they both find romance with the same Bohemian painter. The Lowdown: A sad gracefulness marks this dramatic comedy from Woody Allen that's characterized by its humanity and compassion.

The Story: A pediatrician whose wife was murdered eight years ago suddenly starts receiving e-mails from her when two bodies connected to her supposed murder are discovered. The Lowdown: An entertaining, slick, engaging thriller in something of the Hitchcock mode that benefits from strong characters and stylish direction.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Great Race at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 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…

Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

Blood Simple will be shown at 2 p.m. (following a panel discussion on the Coen Bros.) Saturday, Aug. 16, in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. Film historian and critic Peter Loewer will introduce the film and discuss it after the screening.

The Story: A stoner witnesses a murder and has to go on the run with his dope dealer when the killer comes after him. The Lowdown: There are at least three or four movies in one here, making for an intriguing, but ultimately unsatisfying mix. It's worth seeing for its sheer strangeness.

The Story: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants return, now dealing with the not-so-simple tasks of college and growing up. The Lowdown: A pleasant little movie that will satisfy fans, but ultimately meanders too much to be interesting to anyone not already converted.