Movie Reviews

The Story: The story of organized crime in Italy as told through five -- occasionally interrelated -- stories. The Lowdown: A gritty, nuanced, challenging piece of filmmaking that doesn’t quite have the emotional punch it warrants due to its often languorous pacing and complex story line.

The Story: A woman heading to a new life in Alaska with her dog runs into trouble along the way. The Lowdown: A rather dreary, depressing look at a woman’s search for a new life. Well made for what it is, but whether or not that makes it artistically or dramatically viable is another matter.

The Story: A group of retro monsters from an earlier era are called upon to save the Earth from an alien invasion. The Lowdown: A consistently -- if mildly -- amusing, creative animated take on '50s sci-fi that works well enough without being particularly distinctive.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Carmen at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 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 Landing entrance and park in…

Shallow Grave, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, March 27, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A recently engaged real-estate agent realizes he has no close friends he can ask to be the best man at his wedding, so he goes in search of a best friend. The Lowdown: A likable cast isn't enough to save this mediocre movie from its own predictable, unfocused plotting and stale jokes.

The Story: A pair of former secret agents join forces and apply their particular fortes to the corporate world in order to make a big haul. The Lowdown: Witty and stylish, Duplicity scores more than it misses, and benefits from the chemistry of its stars.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Perfume: The Story of a Murderer at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 29, 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…

The Story: A series of random numbers from 1959 turn out to catalog all the disasters of the ensuing 50 years, and may just hold the key to the future. The Lowdown: A beautifully made apocalyptic thriller that's undone by a screenplay that becomes increasingly ridiculous.

The Story: An account of Che Guevara's attempts to start a revolution in Bolivia. The Lowdown: A huge comedown from Part One of Steven Soderbergh's epic Che biopic. Interesting for Benicio Del Toro's performance, but ultimately rather tedious.

The Story: A Vegas cabbie picks up a couple of kids, who turn out to be space aliens in search of their crashed flying saucer. Family-friendly, PG-rated, high-flying adventure follows. The Lowdown: A perfectly adequate -- if unnecessary -- adventure flick that barely functions as a sci-fi yarn and will most likely only appeal to…

The Story: Historical drama covering the 1950's invasion of Cuba by rebel forces led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. The Lowdown: A satisfying, sometimes extraordinary film that's well worth watching, even if it skirts the downside of its subject.

The Story: When a family discovers the stranded travelers they've given shelter are responsible for the rape and attempted murder of their daughter, they take their revenge. The Lowdown: An ugly, rather dull rehash of a film that was no great shakes to begin with. It's slicker, but not an improvement.

The Unforeseen will be screened at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, in Lord Auditorium in Pack Memorial Library. Film historian Peter Loewer will host the screening.

The Story: After four years in a coma, a young man and his pea-brained friend set out to find the former's old girlfriend, who is now a Playboy centerfold model. The Lowdown: If anything worse comes out this year, I say we march on Hollywood with pitchforks and torches.

Citizen Kane, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, March 20, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Night of the Hunter at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 22, 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 group of Star Wars fanatics drive cross-country in order to steal a copy of The Phantom Menace before it’s released into theaters. The Lowdown: A generally unfunny, unoriginal comedy that at the very least is oddly likable due to the makers’ affection for the subject matter.

Zardoz, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, March 13, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A deconstruction of the superhero myth grounded in a mystery format and set in an alternate version of 1985. The Lowdown: Long, lumbering, bloody violent and unsatisfying, with flashes of cleverness that are too often just smart-alecky. Watchable, but forgettable.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Millions at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 15, 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…