Movie Reviews

The Story: Two artsy New York teens form a fast friendship, but when their parents enter into a property dispute, their bond is threatened. The Lowdown: A moving human drama with implications that far outstrip its simple premise, Little Men speaks to broader social issues through an appealingly low-key story.

The Story: In order to save the life of a woman, a retired hit man is drawn back into duty by a shifty arms dealer. The Lowdown: A flat, brain-dead action flick with a few moments of energy and creativity buried beneath too much senseless plotting.

It's good to see Asheville getting a dose of the peculiar delights of Ed Wood-style cinema. And those delights don't come any more peculiar than Plan 9 from Outer Space. It may be the most enjoyable bad film of all time. Wood had no money, no credentials and, worst of all, no talent, but he didn't…

Some have called Edgar G. Ulmer’s Detour (1945) the ultimate example of film noir. While I wouldn’t necessarily go that far, it is unquestionably a tour de force and a nigh-unassailable classic of the genre. A Poverty Row cheapie shot in six days on a practically nonexistent budget, Detour bears all the hallmarks of classic film…

In Brief: OK, I’m not a huge fan of Yasujirô Ozu. I recognize his place in world cinema, but I’ve never warmed to his work on a personal level, I don’t care for his restrained style, and I don’t accept the idea that everything he made was of great importance. (If you’re an Ozu completist,…

Kevin Reynolds' The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) is such a gloriously old-fashioned, swashbuckling adventure movie that it makes one wonder if we've been blaming the wrong Kevin for the cinematic atrocities that are Waterworld and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The combination of Reynolds and the memory of the dreary attempt at putting Dumas…

The Story: Werner Herzog investigates the influence of internet interconnectivity. The Lowdown: Unbiased and intriguing, Lo and Behold pulls back the curtain on an often-unexamined utility intrinsic to the daily lives of millions.

The Story: After the death of their estranged father, three sisters invite their young (and previously unknown) half sister to live with them. The Lowdown: A charming, quiet movie that's beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, about family history and coming to terms with the past.

The Story: 50 years after the horrific murder of his sister, a man reexamines everything he thought he knew about the tragic event.  The Lowdown: Equally as frustrating as it is compelling, The Witness is a brutal examination of loss, memory, and the social contract that inextricably binds together total strangers.

The Story: Future President Barack Obama and Future First Lady Michelle (née Robinson) go on their first date. The Lowdown: A toothless exercise in premature mythologization, Southside is likely to feel contrived to all but the most ardent Obama fans.

The Story: A Jewish prince in Roman-occupied Jerusalem seeks revenge after he is betrayed by his adoptive brother, but his heart is softened by encounters with Jesus Christ. The Lowdown: Failing to function on both cinematic and evangelistic levels, Ben Hur is a disappointing and redundant take on a story that's been told often — and better.

The Story: A young boy sets off on an epic adventure to retrieve a mystical set of armor and stop an evil force. The Lowdown: A visually accomplished animated flick that's a bit too straitlaced and lacking in fun.

The Story:  Miami Beach bros in their early 20s make millions exploiting military contracts with shady business partners during the Iraq War. The Lowdown: Miles Teller is almost ready to be a leading man. But, like much of this film, he falls short of his grown-up goal.

The Story: An investment banker tries to save her career, while her boyfriend is secretly (and illegally) trying to sabotage her. The Lowdown: A not-very-thrilling Wall Street thriller with hints of feminism that don't quite come together — and a weak cast that doesn't help things.

One of the undisputed classics of modern international film, 8 1/2 (its title literally meaning that it was Federico Fellini's eight-and-one-halfth film — seven full features and a couple short segments of omnibus films precede it) is the movie where the greatest of all Italian filmmakers moved completely away from traditional realism toward a more personal approach…

One of only three films directed by Robin Hardy, much of what makes The Wicker Man (1973) so special can likely be attributed to recently deceased writer Anthony Shaffer, who also wrote Hitchcock's Frenzy and both the stage and screen versions of Sleuth. This film is unquestionably a definitive cult classic, due largely to its low-budget location shooting…

In Brief: Michael Apted's 1979 film — his conjecture as to what might have happened during the 11-day disappearance in 1926 of mystery novelist Agatha Christie — is one of the overlooked gems of '70s filmmaking. It may not be Apted's best film, but it is almost certainly his most visually sumptuous — thanks in no small…

Based on the hit French stage play by Jean Poiret, La Cage aux Folles became a surprise hit with mainstream American audience when it debuted in 1978, and was for a time the highest grossing foreign-language film in the States. It's easy to see why, as this farcical satire (or is it a satirical farce?) about…

The Story: Two brothers rob branches of the bank that's trying to foreclose on the family farm, but two U.S. Marshals are determined to stop them. The Lowdown: A genre throwback with remarkable depth, Hell will be a strong contender for many best-of lists come year's end.

The Story: A gifted young Jewish student from Newark attends a small liberal arts college in Ohio to escape both his overbearing parents and the Korean War, until the attentions of a beautiful but troubled young woman compromise his plans. The Lowdown: An adaptation of Philip Roth's 2008 novel of the same name, Indignation marks a spotty, but ultimately…

The Story: After a car crash kills his parents, a young boy is taken in by a dragon who lives in the wilderness. The Lowdown: A gentle, sweet, family-centric movie that has some small points of interest, but one that's not very exciting as a whole.