Movie Reviews

The Story: A young woman goes to Bangkok to avenge her father's kidnapping. The Lowdown: Simply terrible to a spectacular degree.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Lives of Others at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8, 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 young man headed toward engagement with the woman of his parents' choice falls in love with another woman. The Lowdown: A surprisingly compelling, adult love story that lingers in the mind long after the fact.

The Third Man, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, March 6, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: A blend of phony documentary and a Jonas Brothers concert. The Lowdown: The fan base will be happy, and their parents might like the forced wholesomeness of it all. Most of the rest of us will be mildly appalled.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Eagle Has Landed at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1, 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: Two high-school jocks decide to con their way into a cheerleading camp with hopes of conquering many nubile young women. Important life lessons follow. The Lowdown: A standard teenage-sex romp neutered with a PG-13 rating. The movie is never quite obnoxious, but never quite any good.

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

The Story: An Israeli documentarian sifts through his past and the pasts of his fellow Israeli Army friends to try to remember what exactly happened during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The Lowdown: A unique, striking and frequently powerful film that explores the question of guilt through inaction. Though imperfect and easier to admire than…

The Story: Tyler Perry's signature character goes to the pokey -- after an hour-plus of setup -- and says sassy things. The Lowdown: Fans looking for more Perry-esque melodrama and a fair-sized dose of Madea humor will find it. No one else need bother.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Silent Movie at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 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 and park…

The Story: Machete-wielding maniac Jason Voorhees gets a reboot and proves just as puritanical and troublesome as ever. The Lowdown: Be sure to bring an illuminated watch. You'll want to check the time frequently.

A Man of No Importance, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Asheville Art Museum will screen The Gates on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Fine Arts Theatre. Tickets will be $12 general admission and $10 for Asheville Art Museum members.

The Story: A shopaholic accidentally gets a job writing a column for a finance magazine and becomes a surprise sensation. The Lowdown: Funny, stylish and lighter-than-air, this is a blessed relief from the recent run of witless romantic comedies, thanks to inspired direction and the presence of the wonderful Isla Fisher.

The Story: An Interpol agent and a New York City assistant district attorney try to bring to justice a powerful bank that is involved in an arms deal. The Lowdown: An intelligent thriller that may skimp a bit on the action, but makes up for it with a classy cast and strong direction.

The Story: Inspector Jacques Clouseau returns to find the missing Pink Panther diamond that has been stolen by a legendary thief named The Tornado. The Lowdown: A grating, tiring exercise due completely and totally to the worn-out antics of Steve Martin.

The Story: A multicharacter look at the dating and mating habits of a group of interconnected 30-somethings with intimacy and maturity issues. The Lowdown: A large cast of recognizable -- if not quite box-office -- actors can do nothing to save this unromantic, unfunny, unreal and unlikable mess centered on a group of people it's…

The Story: A group of people with telekinetic and clairvoyant powers living in Hong Kong must track down a briefcase that will free them from the tyranny of an evil U.S. government agency. The Lowdown: A surprisingly competent sci-fi thriller that’s never as clever as it thinks it is, but is held together by the…

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

The Hendersonville Film Society will show 7th Heaven at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 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…