Movie Reviews

The Story: The rise of the mythological Greek hero, Hercules. The Lowdown: A bargain-basement attempt at a grand fantasy epic that flounders thanks to a dull plot, bad effects and a listless star.

In Brief: As soon as there were James Bond movies, there was a response with more seriously intended spy films. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) is one such film, and though it's one of the more obscure ones, it is also one of the better ones. Oh, there are some problems, and Michael Anderson's direction is…

In Brief: World Cinema returns this week with Orson Welles' F for Fake (1973), the great filmmaker's last properly completed work. Welles' look at two famous fakes is a playful film — as much a feat of cinematic sleight-of-hand, laced with autobiography as anything else. At the time, Welles thought he'd found a brand new…

The Story: An astonishingly dysfunctional family gathers for the funeral of its patriarch. Personalities clash, tempers flare, secrets are revealed. The Lowdown: Essentially, this is an overheated melodrama, but it's enjoyably performed as dark comedy by a high-profile cast. It's not a great movie, but it's a lot of twisted fun, great dialogue and scenery…

The Story: Mildly futuristic story of a man who falls in love with his sentient computer operating system. The Lowdown: It doesn't all work, and Her is more simplistic than its ambitions to be a profound statement on modern technology would like. But it's more workable than its premise might sound — and there's an…

In Brief: It's impossible to deny that Secondhand Lions (2003) is sugary to the point of of needing a diabetic warning. This contrived and manipulative tale of a neglected boy being foisted on a pair of grumpy old uncles who were ignorant of the kid's existence is meant to warm the viewer's heart and invoke…

The Story: Four Navy Seals in the Afghani wilderness are ambushed by Taliban forces. The Lowdown: Its inherent nastiness and fits of being little more than an '80s action movie throwback keep the film from reaching its lofty intentions.

The Story: A pair of inner-city teens find themselves embroiled in a demonic haunting. The Lowdown: More of the same boring nonsense from the Paranormal Activity franchise.

In Brief: The second film in the Asheville Film Society's two-part tribute to Peter O'Toole finds the actor in what is probably both his best role and film. Peter Medak's 1972 film version of Peter Barnes' play The Ruling Class — an almost unclassifiable movie in terms of genre — is one of his truly…

The Story: A week of hard luck in the life of a moderately talented folk singer in the winter of 1961. The Lowdown: The Coen brothers' latest is one of 2013's best films, but while it's bitterly funny, it's also a darkly disturbing film that's likely to alienate some people. It's a remarkable movie with…

In Brief: Make-up showing of the canceled December screening. The first and in some ways the best (certainly it made the most money) of the famous series of nine movies made by producer Val Lewton at RKO in the 1940s, Cat People (1942) offered audiences something a little different in that it suggested more than…