Movie Reviews

The Story: A family in the business of crime -- of various kinds -- tangles with the police after one of their members is killed by corrupt cops. The Lowdown: Grim study of a family where crime and the life that goes with it is the norm. Often very effective, but with a pace that…

The Story: The rise and rise -- with lawsuit side dishes -- of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Lowdown: Extremely entertaining, slickly made and emotionally awkward, The Social Network moves along at such a rapid pace and with such precise dialogue that it's hard to tell if the movie is actually an important statement or…

The Story: A group of teens are terrorized by a muscle-bound madman who murders those who don't forward his chain letters. The Lowdown: A hackneyed, incoherent attempt at horror that takes everything awful about the last decade of horror films and squeezes it all into 90 minutes of bad movie.

The Story: A social worker takes in an abused child only to find that the child is something other than she seems. The Lowdown: A fairly effective entry in the demon-child subgenre, with better-than-average performances. Nothing special, but entertaining.

The Story: A neglected and picked-on boy makes friends with the new girl in his apartment building -- who, it turns out, is actually a vampire. The Lowdown: This supremely efficient copy of Let the Right One In suffers by comparison with the original, but will likely play well to the uninitiated.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville. Hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Trouble in Paradise at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

Classic Cinema From Around the World will present Spirited Away at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, at Courtyard Gallery, 109 Roberts St., located in the Phil Mechanic Studios building in the River Arts District. Info: 273-3332.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Horror of Dracula Thursday, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville. Hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Story: An American woman comes to Cairo to meet her husband, who is delayed by his job, and finds herself attracted to the man he sent to meet her. The Lowdown: A deliberately paced middle-age romance in a romantic setting that is made more romantic by its restraint and the precision of its lead…

The Story: The further adventures of Gordon Gekko in the new economic climate -- with complications. The Lowdown: A confusing, overplotted narrative doesn't keep Oliver Stone's latest from being entertaining, but it's really pretty silly.

The Story: A group of friends documents -- via YouTube videos -- one friend's attempts at losing his virginity. The Lowdown: An egregiously stupid attempt at a teen gross-out sex comedy that only vaguely resembles a movie.

The Story: A young heroic owl must stop a malevolent owl's evil plan to control all of owl-dom. The Lowdown: Accomplished CGI animation and some nifty 3-D isn't enough to overlook the film's derivative, lethargic plot.

The Story: When a young woman learns her brother is marrying her archenemy from high school, she sets out to stop the marriage. The Lowdown: A pair of well-matched pros (Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis) aren't enough to compensate for the flat-footed comedy on display in this slightly unpleasant movie.

Classic Cinema From Around the World will present Koyaanisqatsi at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, at Courtyard Gallery, 109 Roberts St., in the Phil Mechanic Studios building, River Arts District. Info: 273-3332.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The List of Adrian Messenger at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Love Me Tonight Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville. Hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Phenomena (Creepers) Thursday, Sept. 23, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville. Hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Story: A young Aborigine boy runs away from his training to become a priest -- in order to find his way home and back to the girl he loves. The Lowdown: A slightly peculiar, but generally likable little musical with loads of color, a lot of charm and the good sense to keep it…

The Story: A young aspiring writer -- and wannabe cross-dresser -- shares an apartment with an older male escort, who becomes a very peculiar mentor. The Lowdown: By turns sad and funny, this character comedy is not going to suit everyone, but for those willing to read between the lines, it pays amazing dividends.

The Story: Todd Solondz's self-described "quasi-sequel" to Happiness examines the lives of the original film's characters -- about 10 years later -- and their attempts to deal with the past. The Lowdown: A strange, dark, disturbing film of considerable power -- but one that's only for a pretty select audience who don't shy away from…