Movie Reviews

Starring: Liam Neeson, Dallas Roberts, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Joe Anderson

The Grey

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The Story: A group of plane-crash survivors in the frozen Alaskan wilderness battle the elements, wolves and their own failings and fears. The Lowdown: It's got some decent action, some not so decent action, and way too much low-rent philosophizing.
Starring: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguizamo, Sherri Shepherd, Debbie Reynolds

One for the Money

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The Story: A neophyte bounty hunter gets mixed up in a dangerous case. The Lowdown: Lackluster version of an apparently popular novel resulting in a film that's not quite bad enough to hate, but certainly not good enough to like.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Genesis Rodriguez, Ed Harris

Man on a Ledge

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The Story: An escaped convict appears to be attempting suicide, but it’s all part of an elaborate plot to prove his innocence. The Lowdown: A hodge-podge of ideas from other movies, wrapped inside in a far-fetched plot.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie

Shame

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The Story: A close look at a Manhattan businessman's struggle with his sex addicition. The Lowdown: The most sexually frank -- and sexually audacious -- film to come around in some time, and an admirable piece of filmmaking that rises and falls on how in tune you are with its arthouse sensibilities.
Starring: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver

Black Sunday

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show Black Sunday at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.
Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, Dame May Whitty, Angela Lansbury

Gaslight

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show Gaslight at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.
Starring: Glenn Close, Mia Wasokowska, Janet McTeer, Brendan Gleeson, Aaron Johnson, Pauline Collins

Albert Nobbs

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The Story: A woman passing for a man in 1800s Dublin decides to pursue the possibility of having a wife and a normal home. The Lowdown: An odd -- and oddly appealing -- small movie with touching performances and a generous heart. Quite remarkable in its own way.
Starring: Stephen Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Michael Ironside, Jennifer O’Neill

Scanners

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The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Scanners on Thursday, Jan. 26, 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.
Starring: Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tristan Wilds

Red Tails

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The Story: The trials and tribulations of the African-American Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. The Lowdown: Certainly well-intentioned, but too cliched and corny to be taken seriously.
Starring: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas

Haywire

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The Story: A privately contracted covert operative goes on the run -- and out for revenge -- after being double-crossed. The Lowdown: While never attempting to reinvent the revenge flick, this is a beautifully crafted film and exactly what you want from an action movie.
Starring: Maksim, Shtraukh, Grigori Aleksandrov, Mikhail Gomorov, I. Ivanov

Strike

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Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Strike at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com
Starring: Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel, Sarah Gadon

A Dangerous Method

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The Story: Historical drama about the origins of psychoanalysis, and the relationship between Freud and Jung. The Lowdown: Compelling speculative drama with strong performances that is a lot more subversive than it at first appears. It's also something different for Cronenberg -- or maybe not so different.
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy, Theo James, India Eisley, Charles Dance

Underworld: Awakening

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The Story: It's humans versus werewolves and vampires in this fourth entry in the Underworld series. The Lowdown: In its favor, it's sometimes unintentionally funny, but otherwise this is just another lame entry in an already lame horror franchise.
Starring: Roger Daltrey, Sara Kestelman, Paul Nicholas, Fiona Lewis, John Justin, Ringo Starr

Lisztomania

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The Asheville Film Society will screen Lisztomania on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 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.
Starring: Philippe Noiret, Marco Leonardi, Salvatore Cascio, Jacques Perrin, Roberta Lena

Cinema Paradiso

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show Cinema Paradiso at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.
Starring: Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine / Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Onslow Stevens

House of Frankenstein / House of Dracula

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The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula on Thursday, Jan. 19, 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.
Starring: Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, Jack Nicholson, Robert Powell

Tommy

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The Asheville Film Society will screen Tommy on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 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 for the A.F.S.
Starring: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Crowmwell, Penelope Ann Miller

The Artist

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The Story: A silent movie star finds himself left behind when talkies come on the scene, while the girl whose career he helped launch becomes a big star. The Lowdown: The very fact that a silent movie -- done in period style -- is coming out today is cause for some celebration, and while The…
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribissi, Caleb Landry Jones

Contraband

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The Story: In order to keep his family safe, a former smuggler must come out of retirement for one last run. The Lowdown: A decent cast isn’t enough to save the film from its own incredibly convoluted plot and shoddy photography.
Starring: Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan, Dexter Darden

Joyful Noise

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The Story: Two strong-willed women fight for control of a choir. The Lowdown: The film mostly wastes the talents of Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton -- who are what makes the movie watchable in the first place -- but it's not so much bad as it is corny and mediocre.