Movie Reviews

The Story: An American tour guide working in Greece reclaims her life on what she thinks will be her final tour. The Lowdown: Sappy, soppy, unbelievably predictable and mechanical, but not quite unwatchable.

The Story: A young Dominican comes to America to play professional baseball. The Lowdown: The rarest of sports movies: one that exchanges trite uplift in favor of a humane, sweet-tempered examination of its characters.

The Story: After a night of bachelor partying in Las Vegas, a group of friends must track down their missing friend, the bachelor, the day before his wedding. The Lowdown: A R-rated raunch fest that’s never as funny or offensive as it thinks it is, but also never as obnoxious as it could be, due…

The Story: The laughingstock of the scientific world travels to an alternate world in order to prove himself and his theories. The Lowdown: An appallingly unfunny and surprisingly lewd comedy based on a kiddie TV show.

The Fearless Vampire Killers, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, June 5, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show A Star Is Born at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 7, 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 high-school loner investigates a drug ring and the murder of his ex-girlfriend. The Lowdown: A clever -- and not inapt -- transposition of a hard-boiled detective story to a modern-day high-school setting. Rewarding and entertaining -- not to mention strikingly unusual.

The Story: Two con men take on a wealthy eccentric woman for their "one last swindle." The Lowdown: Brilliantly quirky comedy and surprisingly deep characters and themes blend together in one of the year's most nearly perfect entertainments.

The Story: A group of performers attempts to save their beloved music hall in 1936 Paris. The Lowdown: A breezy, likable French film that’s solid entertainment, though ultimately a bit insubstantial.

The Story: A look at an early 20th-century working-class Swedish family and the mother who finds her artistic calling in photography. The Lowdown: Stunning to look at and with surprising cumulative power, this is a film that will reward those who can go with its deliberate pacing.

The Story: When a loan officer refuses an old gypsy an extension on her mortgage, the bank employee finds herself on the business end of a most unpleasant curse. The Lowdown: A wild, goofy ride of cheesy horror that's undeniably clever and fun, but not convincingly scary.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Prestige at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 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 entrance and park…

The Story: Faced with being sent to a retirement home, the 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen -- a former balloon vendor at a zoo -- ties an unbelievable number of balloons to his house and floats away in search of an obscure part of South America that he and his wife always planned to see. The Lowdown:…

The Story: The Wayans Brothers parody dance movies. The Lowdown: The Wayans Brothers parody dance movies.

The Story: John Connor fights robots in what remains of the world after nuclear devastation. The Lowdown: It's dreary. It takes itself way too seriously. It's kind of like Children of Men (2006) with the brain removed.

The Story: More fantasy high jinks with historical figures coming to life in a museum -- only on a larger scale. The Lowdown: An annoying comedy that constantly mistakes frenzy and caricature for humor -- and one that will undoubtedly make a fortune in the bargain.

The Magic Flute, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, May 22, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: Character piece about an aging magician and a young boy who meet when the older man is placed in a nursing home run by the boy's parents. The Lowdown: A predictable story and so-so filmmaking are overcome by the chemistry of the stars and the greatness of Michael Caine's talent.

The Story: A look at the life and career of fashion legend Valentino Garavani. The Lowdown: A playful, entertaining and occasionally moving documentary with more appeal than its subject might suggest.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Pollock at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 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: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon has but hours to prevent Vatican City from being blown up by some stolen antimatter. The Lowdown: An utterly ridiculous story decked out in the ripest of melodrama that makes for a good time at the movies -- if you don't take it too seriously.