Movie Reviews

In Brief: Though both a popular book and movie, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution -- a concept that brings Sherlock Holmes (Nicole Williasmson) together with Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin) for a mystery that's worthy of both -- has not held up well. Solidly made with an impressive cast, but tepid.

In Brief: A scintillating, but not frequently screened, classic comedy with a charming performance from Margaret Sullavan. Sullavan goes from resident in an orphan asylum to usherette in a Budapest movie theater to the "good fairy" of the title in bringing success to poor lawyer Herbert Marshall. Smart script from Preston Sturges smoothly directed by…

The Story: Best friends Julie and Jason decide to go ahead and have a baby while they're both individually looking for his or her "perfect" romantic partner. The Lowdown: A pretty refreshing romantic comedy that thrives on good writing and characterizations, even while heading to the ending you knew it would have when you bought…

The Story: A young boy ventures into the barren wilderness to find out what happened to the trees. The Lowdown: A reasonably harmless, annoyingly cheerful version of the Dr. Seuss story that is, by necessity, padded to reach feature length -- which it feels a good bit of the time.

The Story: A young woman -- convinced that her sister has been kidnapped by the same serial killer whose clutches she herself escaped two years ago -- takes the law into her own hands. The Lowdown: An absolutely appalling, low-wattage waste of time trying to palm itself off as a thriller.

The Story: Wealthy businessman Wesley Deeds finds his too-well-ordered life turned upside down when he meets a homeless single mother. The Lowdown: Both different and yet more of the same from Tyler Perry, but less preachy and better made than most of his films.

The Story: When an Iranian couple separates, it sets in motion a series of events that will have far-reaching implications. The Lowdown: This year's biggest deal in foreign-language films -- and the Oscar winner -- is a solid, fascinating, sometimes quite disturbing look at characters and a society fractured by money, religion and socialization.

The Story: A lesbian teenager is looking for a way to be herself with her parents and the world in general -- and for a way to find romantic love. The Lowdown: A different kind of coming-of-age and coming-out story told from a fresh perspective by a new filmmaker. Catch it.

The Story: A team of Navy SEALs must stop an imminent terrorist attack. The Lowdown: Shameless, shoddy and stiffly acted propaganda.

The Story: Two New Yorkers decide to join a Georgia commune in order to get away from the stresses of modern life. The Lowdown: An often tedious -- and occasionally obnoxious -- parody of hippies that doesn’t have the teeth or the wherewithal to have an actual point.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Dracula's Daughter on Thursday, March 1, 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 Hair on Tuesday, March 6, 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 Hendersonville Film Society will show Wings at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 4, 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 Blind Chance at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 2, 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 Docks of New York on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 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: Johnny Blaze -- aka Ghost Rider -- gets on his flaming motorcycle to save the Son of Satan from being used by his evil dad to become a kind of demigod demon. The Lowdown: Willfully absurd and deliberately trashy -- and with Nicolas Cage in full overacting mode -- it works OK as…

The Story: Complex tale of revenge and redemption framed around a family's involvement with Belgian mobsters. The Lowdown: Powerfully compelling drama -- built around an equally powerful lead performance -- that more than justifies its Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination.

Peace Through Education: Stealing the Light screens at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Fine Arts Theatre. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the theater's box office.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Invisible Man Returns on Thursday, Feb. 23, 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 family of tiny people -- called Borrowers -- are discovered by a young, ailing boy. The Lowdown: Sweet-natured family fare from Studio Ghibli that lacks the impact of their previous films.

The Story: Two best friends -- and CIA agents -- find out they’re dating the same woman, and decide to compete over her. The Lowdown: Yet another flat, formulaic rom-com, injected with an overdose of machismo.