Movie Reviews

The Story: A man must deal with his obnoxious twin sister over the holidays. The Lowdown: If you find Adam Sandler in drag accompanied by a bevy of fart jokes and celebrity cameos to be comedy gold, then here’s a movie for you.

The Story: A peasant living in a fantastic version of ancient Greece must stop an evil king from destroying the world and the gods who rule over it. The Lowdown: A hyper-stylized take on Greek mythology that’s simply too overbearing, and -- too often -- simply unfun.

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

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Bat Whispers on Thursday, Nov. 17, 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 Road to Utopia on Tuesday, Nov. 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 A.F.S.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Desire Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

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

The Story Biographical film on Serge Gainsborough. The Lowdown: Strikingly different musical biography with a strong lead performance. It doesn't all work, but when it does, it's pretty incredible.

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

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Stuff on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Story: After being swindled out of their pensions by a shifty broker, a group of regular Joes decide to rob him of his nest-egg. The Lowdown: Perfectly entertaining while having little regard for believable, or consistent, plotting — what we end up with is the definition of middling.

The Story Harold and Kumar find themselves spending Christmas Eve enmeshed in outrageous adventures in their quest for a perfect Christmas tree. The Lowdown: Determined to have something to offend everyone, this is really a good-natured comedy. It just happens to insult just about every ethnic group and religion in the bargain.

The Story A visitor from another planet becomes a global tycoon and, in the process, addicted to Earth's lifestyle. The Lowdown: A classic from the very end of the era of the superstar filmmaker — and the most daring and unusual. This is a film that is even better now than it was 35 years…

The Story: In a future, when aging has been conquered and life expectancy is replaced with allotments of time that separate the rich from the poor, a young man from the ghetto tries to correct the system. The Lowdown: An attempt at heady science-fiction that almost works, but clunky storytelling and a too-obvious message hurts…

The Story: Fugitive Puss in Boots is lured into a new scheme by old friend Humpty Dumpty, who got him in trouble in the first place. The Lowdown: A solid enough spin-off from the Shrek movies for Antonio Banderas' Puss in Boots character. Not Earth-shattering, but pleasant enough.

The Story: A film version of Hunter S. Thompson's early novel about what he imagined his life as a reporter in San Juan, Puerto Rico, would have been like. The Lowdown: An odd and not entirely successful film, but when it works it's capable of flights of brilliance.

The Story: The fictionalized (barely) story of how Wall Street was brought down by speculation in the mortgage market. The Lowdown: Material which should be anything but compelling turns out to be captivating -- if disturbing -- entertainment that does right by every member of its high-powered cast.

The Story: Documentary made from news footage shot in America by Swedish TV crews. The Lowdown: A little overlong and wandering toward the end, but a fascinating look at the Black Power movement and the people who shaped it.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen the double feature of The Man They Could Not Hang and The Boogie Man Will Get You on Thursday, Nov. 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.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Make Way for Tomorrow Tuesday, Nov. 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.

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