Movie Reviews

Last Holiday, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, July 3, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: Bad robots versus good robots out to destroy and save the world, respectively, while interrupting Shia LaBeouf's college education. The Lowdown: Long, tedious, offensive and just plain awful.

The Story: A Palestinian woman fights to save her lemon grove that is soon to be torn down by her neighbor, the new Israeli defense minister. The Lowdown: A restrained look at the Israel/Palestine conflict, but on a wholly personal, human level.

The Story: A couple with a child on the way decides to travel across the U.S. and Canada looking for the perfect place to start their family. The Lowdown: An often charming, occasionally touching and astute film that’s never afraid to simply be pleasant or sweet-tempered.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Private Life of Don Juan at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 5, 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…

Tout Va Bien is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, June 26 at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane. For more information call 273-3332).

The Hendersonville Film Society will show S.O.B at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 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 park in…

The Mouse That Roared is being shown as part of the Wedge Brewing Company's Outdoor Cinema at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 27 at 125 B Roberts Street.

The Story: Two cavemen venture from their small village out into the world of the Old Testament. The Lowdown: Messy and dull at its best, obnoxious and cheesy at its worst, the movie loses whatever hopes it had of hilarity by purely trading on the worst aspects of its two leads’ screen personas.

The Story: In order to stay in the U.S., an unpleasant, powerful book editor blackmails her assistant into marrying her. The Lowdown: Flat, dragged-out predictable romantic comedy, saved to some extent by the two stars -- once the film gives them a fighting chance.

The Story: An intimate portrait of a 1980s metal band that never made the big time, but refused -- and refuses -- to go away. The Lowdown: You don't have to like metal to become swept up in this remarkable story of friendship and dedication to a dream.

The Story: A young man throws his proper British family into turmoil when he arrives home with an American racecar driver as his wife. The Lowdown: Witty, stylish, funny and perfectly acted, Easy Virtue is one of the most delightful films you're likely to find this year.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Man Who Would Be King at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 21, 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…

Withnail & I, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, June 19, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A hotshot financial advisor -- and neglectful father -- realizes his daughter can predict market trends through the use of her invisible friends. The Lowdown: Too predictable for adults, too dull for children, Imagine That struggles to find the right tone and flounders under the weight of its own schmaltz.

The Story: A criminal mastermind holds a subway car of passengers hostage in order to extort money from New York City. The Lowdown: A by-the-numbers action thriller that offers more plodding and clichés than thrills.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Strangers on a Train at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 14, 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…

The Story: A look at two dysfunctional middle-class families on Long Island in the late 1970s. The Lowdown: An occasionally penetrating character study of suburbia that benefits from strong performances, but suffers from being too much a "more of the same" affair.

Women of Black Mountain College Film Screenings: Three documentary films will be presented by Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center and the Fine Arts Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at the Fine Arts Theatre.

The Tenant, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, June 12, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: An odd friendship grows between a cab driver from Senegal and an elderly man, centering on the older man's offer of $1,000 to be driven to Blowing Rock, N.C., on a certain date. The Lowdown: A warm and extremely human character study that never becomes clichéd or trite, and which will linger in…