Movie Reviews

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The King of Masks at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville).

Departures will be shown Friday, Feb. 18, as part of the Foreign Film Festival sponsored by Hendersonville Sister Cities, Inc. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. in Patton Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College and is open to the public at no charge.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Werckmeister Harmonies at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, at Phil Mechanic Studios (109 Roberts St., River Arts District, upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Asheville Film Society will screen The Hours Tuesday, Feb. 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. Hanke is the artistic director of the Asheville Film Society.

The Story The story of a down-on-his-luck, aging French music-hall magician attempting to ply his art in a world that has moved on. The Lowdown: Perhaps the saddest film I've seen in a while, but its sadness is essential to the story and the film itself is brilliant in every respect.

The Story The not-entirely-reliable story of a man who is appealing even when he has no right to be. The Lowdown: An extremely good character study of a man and his life, turned into must-see material by the performance of Paul Giamatti.

The Story The story of three corporate suits who suddenly find themselves downsized and out of work. The Lowdown: A peculiar bit of failed Oscar-bait that tries to be an important statement about our time, but is too myopic to pull it off.

The Story: In Britain, an ancient Roman attempts to win back the honor of his family by recovering -- with his British slave -- a golden eagle that was lost in battle years earlier by his father. The Lowdown: A well-crafted historical epic that's too devoid of charisma from its leads and also on the…

The Story: A documentary and concert film about teen pop star Justin Bieber. The Lowdown: A mostly harmless movie that's completely dependent on your appreciation of Beiber and modern pop music.

The Story A philandering plastic surgeon uses a wedding ring as part of his pick-up routine -- until he falls in love and has to invent a soon-to-be-ex-wife for his girlfriend's benefit or be branded a pig. The Lowdown: Unfunny, unromantic and flat in the extreme. All the tired Sandler schtick is there, but the…

The Story It's Romeo and Juliet with garden gnomes. The Lowdown: Really, what more do you need to know? Well, it's pretty lame, too.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Lola at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, at Phil Mechanic Studios (109 Roberts St., River Arts District, upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Asheville Film Society will screen City Lights Tuesday, Feb. 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. Hanke is the artistic director of the Asheville Film Society.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Night Visitor at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb.13, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville).

The Story A collection of the short films -- live action and animated -- that are up for Oscars this year. The Lowdown: An entertaining -- though occasionally uneven -- set of movies that are well-worth seeing overall.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen From Dusk Till Dawn Thursday, Feb. 10, 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 college freshman finds out her new roommate is a bit unhinged. The Lowdown: Hokey, predictable nonsense of the "crazy roommate" genre.

The Story Some people you won't give a hang about try to find their way out of a murky cave system before it floods completely. The Lowdown: Alternately tedious and unintentionally funny, with better than average 3D. If ever a subterranean adventure needed some lost-world dinosaurs, this is it.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Four Sons at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Vivre Sa Vie at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, at Phil Mechanic Studios (109 Roberts St., River Arts District, upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com