Movie Reviews

Predators

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: A group of soldiers and killers find themselves suddenly transported to a distant planet, where they're hunted by savage aliens. The Lowdown: An above-average popcorn actioner that's brought down by predictability and a penchant for an old-hat approach to jump-starting a tired franchise.

Winter’s Bone

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A 17-year-old girl must find her bail-jumping father or lose her home. The Lowdown: Unrelenting in its picture of poverty, but compelling in its storytelling and its ability to find humanity where you don't expect it, Winter's Bone is remarkable.

Bad Taste

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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By popular demand (or at least because somebody suggested it), the Thursday Horror Picture Show brings you Peter Jackson’s first feature film, the aptly named Bad Taste (1987). As you might guess, this was made before Jackson became all respectable and worked his way toward make butt-numbing “thrillers” like The Lovely Bones (2009). If you’ve […]

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A documentary that charts a year of Joan Rivers' life and career as she turns 75. The Lowdown: An unblinking, but not uncaring profile of Joan Rivers that reminds you -- if you've forgotten -- just how funny she can be. Indeed, this documentary has more laughs than most comedies I've seen this…

Despicable Me

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: An aging master criminal tries to regain his criminal cred by stealing the moon with the aid of three orphan girls. The Lowdown: Painless, but largely uninspired family fare, with a few fine moments and some good voice casting.

Le Corbeau

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Hendersonville Film Society will show Le Corbeau at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 11, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

The Fall

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Asheville Film Society will screen The Fall Tuesday, July 13, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of the Carolina Asheville. Hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Last Airbender

Reviewed by Justin Souther on
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The Story: In a mystical realm, a young superpowered boy is the only hope of stopping an evil nation's plot to rule the world. The Lowdown: Generally amateurish and consistently dull, the movie is far from good, but -- even considering the Shyamalan pedigree -- isn't quite as awful as its reputation.

Micmacs

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A man whose father was killed by a landmine and whose own life has been compromised by a bullet lodged in his brain decides to get back at the munition makers who created both. The Lowdown: The best film of the summer! A delight -- but with thoughtfulness -- from start to finish.…

The Human Centipede

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A mad scientist turns two women and one man into the title creature by surgically connecting them. The Lowdown: A gross-out premise, some bad acting, an hysterically out-of-hand bad guy and a bloody, violent and slightly disturbing finale may provide an amusing 90 minutes for hardcore horror fans -- but others beware. If…

Harry Brown

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: An elderly man decides to take the law into his own hands when his only friend is killed by gang members. The Lowdown: Though it could easily be read as just an exercise in vigilante justice, there's something much deeper going on in Harry Brown, thanks in no small part to Michael Caine…

Solitary Man

Reviewed by Ken Hanke on
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The Story: A look into the life of an ego-driven, disgraced businessman as he tries to rebuild his life, making every mistake he can in the process. The Lowdown: A wholly absorbing character study with an unlikely -- and generally unlikable -- protagonist, who becomes fascinating due to skillful writing and a powerful performance.