Movie Reviews

In Brief: A double dose of Bela Lugosi in two films that can only be called "personality vehicles" for the actor — Night of Terror (1933) and The Corpse Vanishes (1942). Night of Terror is the better made of the two, and is, in fact, the first true Lugosi vehicle. It trades on his name…

The Story: The story of the life of Jesus Christ, from his birth, to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Lowdown: An overly sincere, bombastic, dramatically inert and melodramatic film that adds nothing to the story of Jesus’ life.

In Brief: Just before David Lean set out on the path of the epic blockbuster, he gave us one final small black-and-white film, Hobson's Choice (1954), and it serves as a reminder of how great a filmmaker Lean was without the benefit of widescreen Technicolor spectacles. From its opening shot to its final fade-out, there's…

In Brief: The second film of the monthlong tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt (2008) finds the actor far removed from the supporting role of Almost Famous (2000) and co-starring with Meryl Streep. The film is an adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's play and was made by Shanley. Hoffman plays a priest at a Catholic…

The Story: A CIA agent’s dying wish to reconnect with his estranged family is derailed when he’s offered a miracle cure for his disease — but only if he kills an especially nefarious target. The Lowdown: A disjointed, aimless and occasionally ugly action picture with zero spark.

In Brief: Universal's big, splashy Technicolor 1943 remake (made on the same set) of its 1925 hit Phantom of the Opera is often dimissed as "too much opera" and "too little Phantom." There's some truth in that, but it's still a good — and certainly good-looking — thriller with its fair share of jolts. In…

The Story: Fantasticated biopic of the man who designed the Japanese fighter plane, the Zero. The Lowdown: For his (supposed) final film Hayao Miyazaki has created a long, very romanticized, biographical work. It is a thing of great beauty and delicacy, but the central story may prove troubling to some viewers.

In Brief: The Asheville Film Society launches its monthlong tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman with Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000), a movie in which Hoffman had a supporting role as the cynical rock critic, Lester Bangs. It wasn't a big part — he has a handful of scenes throughout the film — but it was…

In Brief: The last of Fellini's true neorealist works, Nights of Cabiria (1957) is also one of his most emotional and emotionally devastating. At the same time, the film is strangely life-affirming, thanks to its indomitable main character, Cabiria. Cabiria (played by Fellini's wife, Giulietta Masina) is a low-end prostitue who is one part waif…

The Story: Three young Palestinian men who fancy themselves as "freedom fighters" manage to kill an Israeli soldier — with disastrous results. The Lowdown: Compelling and riveting entertainment that's as good as any action thriller out there (and better than most) but with dark and deeply disturbing undercurrents.

The Story: More or less the story of the young Allen Ginsberg, his first love and the origin of the Beats. The Lowdown: It will be too candid for some, and it isn't flawless, but Kill Your Darlings is exciting, emotionally powerful filmmaking that should be seen.

In Brief: The Thief (1952) is your basic McCarthy-era, Red Scare stuff, with traitor-scientist (Ray Milland) selling our atomic secrets to the enemy. There is, however, a gimmick: It has no dialogue. No, it's not a silent movie, but nobody ever says anything. Yes, that's as forced, fake and finally tedious as it sounds, but…

The Story: Cheesy melodrama plays out against the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The Lowdown: It's a dumb disaster picture — with OK CGI disaster effects — made that much worse by lackluster leads and a bad script.

The Story: James Franco and Travis Matthews document their attempts to reimagine the cut footage from William Friedkin's Cruising. The Lowdown: Straddling the fence between documentary and narrative film, Interior. Leather Bar can't find a consistent tone but is occasionally of interest to a fairly narrow market.

The Story: Émile Zola's novel, Thérèse Raquin — a tale of repression, lust, murder, guilt and consequences — is brought to the screen. The Lowdown: Splendidly acted, scrupulously faithful and beautifully made, but lacking in deep emotional involvement.

The Story: After nearly being killed, Detroit cop Alex Murphy is resurrected in a mechanical body to fight crime as RoboCop. The Lowdown: A dull, uninspired remake traipsing around as high-minded social commentary, but really saying very little.

In Brief: World Cinema is bringing back Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) to give viewers a chance to compare it to its modern counterpart, The Great Beauty (currently playing at the Fine Arts). The Fellini film — which gave the world the term, "paparazzi" — marks the director's shift (but not complete break) from…

In Brief: George Arliss stars with Bette Davis in this extremely pleasant comedy about a shoe manufacturer who secretly takes on his late competitor's children and ends up working against his own company. It's purely an enjoyable comedy star vehicle for Arliss and his "discovery" Bette Davis, but it's still fine entertainment in its own…

In Brief: Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro star in Alan Parker's ultra-stylish blend of film noir and satanism, Angel Heart — an intense and intensely creepy horror film that remains one of the best films of the 1980s. Everything about the film — well, let's overlook two cheesy demon-eye effects — works to create…

In Brief: This is the second part of the Hendersonville Film Society's presentation of Joseph L. Mankiewicz's Cleopatra. The first part is actually better, but this is the Richard Burton section. For those wanting to see if they can spot the offscreen heat between him and Liz Taylor in the film (I can't), this is…

The Story: The ups and downs of two disparate couples over the course of a year. The Lowdown: A none-too-original romantic comedy that is nevertheless likable, often amusing and refreshingly adult.