Movie Reviews

The Story: A filmic recreation of the controversial 1971 psychological experiment of the same name. The Lowdown: Powerful, but decidedly unpleasant, look at the effects of power and the loss of power as evidenced by college students acting out the roles of inmates and prison guards. Strong stuff, but rather flatly made. It succeeds mostly…

The Story: Documentary about — well, Legos. The Lowdown: How you feel about this documentary is almost certainly going to be determined by your fondness for Legos and the various creative uses to which they can be put. Well made, but definitely specialized.

In Brief: Calling Ingmar Bergman’s Persona (1966) the filmmaker’s most disturbing film is a pretty bold assertion, but I think it may well be true. It is certainly one of his most difficult films — possibly the most impenetrable film in his entire oeuvre and the most seemingly bizarre. From the moment the film begins — with…

The Story: A champion boxer finds his life unraveling after the sudden death of his wife. The Lowdown: A cheesy, cliché-riddled boxing drama built around a gimmicky performance by Jake Gyllenhaal.

In Brief: Alex de la Iglesia's Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi was saddled with the moronic English language title Witching & Bitching — the translation of its Spanish title is The Witches of Zugarramurdi — but don't let that put you off this magnificent mash-up of the kind only Alex de la Iglesia could provide. On the surface, it may…

The Story: Aliens intercept footage of a 1980s video game tournament, implausibly interpret said footage as a declaration of war, and inexplicably employ 8-bit game sprites on steroids as the arbiters of Earth’s annihilation. The Lowdown: A contrived confluence of '80s and '90s nostalgia that never rises to the promise of its concept.

The Story: Origin story for the Ant-Man character. The Lowdown: Cheeky, good-natured, clever and even a little on the subversive side, Ant-Man is that rarest of comic-book movies — one that manages to be personal and doesn't take itself too seriously. Its only real drawback is the insistence of tying it in with the Avengers…

In Brief: F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) has occasionally been called the greatest movie of all time — and while I’m not foolish enough to make such an absolute claim for any film, I will say I can’t think of a better one. I also do believe it to be the greatest silent film ever…

The Story: A serial dater finds herself reluctantly falling for a charming surgeon. The Lowdown: An overlong, drawn-out movie that’s not as raunchy or frank as it thinks it is, and never diverges from its romcom formula.

In Brief: Since July 22 is James Whale's birthday, and since James Whale is a key figure in the history of the horror film, the Thursday Horror Picture Show always tries to mark the day. But Whale only made four horror movies. Granted those four — Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man —…

The Story: Biographical film on British pacifist Vera Brittain. The Lowdown: Frequently powerful — sometimes overwhelming — anti-war film that resonates with a certain timeliness even though the war it depicts dates back 100 years. The only problem is it's a little too genteel for its own good.

In Brief: Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) (1946) is quite simply one of the great films. It is also hands down the most completely successful transference of a fairy tale to the motion picture screen. It is a film that has touched and influenced innumerable filmmakers. There are traces of it…

The Story: The title pretty much says it all, but hardly covers the incidents contained.  The Lowdown: A very funny, very inventive, cheerfully amoral (but warm-hearted) comedy with an unlikely main character — and a collection of only slightly more probable supporting characters. Fast-paced, darkly humorous, endlessly playful and a must-see.

In Brief: There's no denying that Ridley Scott is a stylish director. The question has always been just what that style was. There's no overriding visual or thematic quality to his work in a filmography that has encompassed just about every genre there is — with varying degrees of success. Of no help whatever in…

In Brief: Lewis Milestone's Oscar-winning All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) was by no means the first anti-war film, but it may well still be the most powerful. It is certainly the first such film — at least from Hollywood — to show WWI (still just The Great War at the time) from the…

In Brief: Dracula -- or Horror of Dracula as we know it in the U.S. -- is the second of the Hammer horrors—it follows Fisher’s Curse of Frankenstein (1957)—and it may be said to be the movie that cemented Hammer’s status as the “house of horror.” It certainly sealed Christopher Lee’s fate as the iconic Count Dracula…

The Story: A group of teens get trapped in their high school and hunted by a mysterious supernatural force. The Lowdown: A wasteful, pointless and incredibly dull found-footage horror movie.

In Brief: In honor of James Whale's birthday, the Asheville film society is running Show Boat. Long suppressed by MGM — to avoid it being compared to their tacky 1951 version — Whale's 1936 film of the classic Broadway show, Show Boat, is far and away the best version ever made. Much more faithful to the show…

In Brief: Minor and lesser Godard that isn't going to be to everyone's taste. (Much the same could be said of Godard in general.) This is actually one of the frequently impenetrable filmmaker's works. Ostensibly, it was made in order to get the money to make another film and might be viewed as a work…

The Story: Dying billionaire gets a second chance at life through a secret and very costly process that puts his brain in a new body. The Lowdown: Pretty basic mind-swapping premise that turns into a convoluted action thriller. Entertaining enough, but insubtantial and I'm willing to bet unmemorable.

The Story: A tale of the great Sherlock Holmes at the end of his life as he battles the loss of his faculties and tries to piece together the case that caused him to retire. The Lowdown: An absolutely beautiful film on every level. This is small work that feels anything but as it moves…