Movie Reviews

The Story: A widower buys a rundown zoo for himself and his two children. Life lessons, possible romance and animal business ensues. The Lowdown: Harmless, likable, utterly inoffensive and probably forgettable.

The Story: Secret Agent Ethan Hunt returns to save the world through high-flying espionage. The Lowdown: Working as pure matinee fodder, this is the most purely fun entry in the M:I franchise — just don’t go looking for anything deep.

The Story: A disgraced journalist takes a job for a wealthy industrialist to solve a 40-year-old mystery. The Lowdown: Physically darker than the 2010 Swedish film adaptation of the book, but not darker in content. Still very effective — and certainly easier on subtitle resistant audiences.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Shining on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Isadora and Song of Summer on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther. Hanke is the artistic director of the A.F.S.

The Story: Fact-based look at the brief relationship between Marilyn Monroe and a young man working for Laurence Olivier Productions on The Prince and the Showgirl. The Lowdown: A charming, sweet memoir about not just one man's experiences with the legendary actress, but an examination of the woman and her appeal, anchored to a wonderful…

The Story: Alvin and his rodent pals get stranded on a tropical island with a lone inhabitant, while Dave and the mercenary Ian search for them. The Lowdown: Stupifying in its stupidity, this sloppy mess is perhaps the worst film of the year.

The Story: Boy reporter Tintin and the frequently intoxicated Captain Haddock go on a search for the lost treasure of Haddock's ancestor, Sir Francis Haddock. The Lowdown: It's beautifully crafted -- if you don't mind motion-capture animation -- and blessed with technical wizardry and visual invention, but dramatically, there's not much here.

The Story: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson square off against the "Napoleon of Crime," Professor Moriarty. The Lowdown: An even stronger-than-hoped-for follow-up to the 2009 Sherlock Holmes. Fast, funny, entertaining and more in tune with the stories and legacy of Holmes than may appear on the surface.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Devil-Doll on Thursday, Dec. 22, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Million Dollar Legs and Tillie and Gus on Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther. Hanke is the artistic director of the A.F.S.

The Story: A writer of teen fiction goes to her hometown to rekindle her high-school romance -- regardless of the fact that the object of her affection is married and has just had a child. The Lowdown: A hardcore comedy-drama about a woman sliding more and more out of control and into self-delusion and alcohol.…

The Story: A romantic ensemble piece centering around the denizens of New York City on New Year’s Eve. The Lowdown: A laborious exercise in middle-of-the-road romantic comedy.

The Story: A lazy babysitter and the kids he’s watching get entangled in a series of misadventures when a crazed drug dealer decides he wants them dead. The Lowdown: An agreeable cast and a plot that’s more amusing than outright funny makes for a harmless homage to '80s teen flicks.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Babes in Toyland Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther. Hanke is the artistic director of the A.F.S.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Short Films by Maya Deren and Arthur Lipsett at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16 at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Funhouse Thursday, Dec. 15, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Story: A man's life starts to fall apart when he begins having troubling visions that are either actual warnings or the onset of mental illness. The Lowdown: A disturbing -- and rather depressing -- film that works more than it doesn't, and which can be read in several different ways.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Breakfast on Pluto on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther. Hanke is the artistic director of the A.F.S.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Closely Watched Trains at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.