Movie Reviews

In Brief: Stephen Frears has a movie up for a Best Picture Oscar — Philomena — this year, so it's apt (though coincindental) that his first big hit, My Beautiful Laundrette, should be getting another look. This multicultural, multisexuality comedy-drama-romance kicked off Daniel Day-Lewis' career and made the first mark for a production company called…

In Brief: The Lion in Winter may not be a great movie, but as an historical romp that affords the chance of seeing two champion scene-stealers — Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn — go at each other, it's undeniably entertaining. This tale of three sons and their strong-willed mother attempting to force Henry II into…

In Brief: Often overlooked because it was quickly eclipsed by King Kong (which was made on the same sets at the same time), The Most Dangerous Game (1932) is one of the most striking, grisly, sexualized and exciting horror thrillers of the Golden Age. Owing to the jungle sets, the presence of Fay Wray, Robert…

In Brief: Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer's last film is pretty much of a piece with his earlier work, which is to say it's glacially-paced, stripped down to what Dreyer felt were the essentials and will appeal to those with very specialized tastes. Nina Pens Rode stars as the title character — a middle-aged woman…

The Story: A loudmouthed security guard goes on a ride along with his girlfriend’s hard-as-nails police officer brother. The Lowdown: A poorly written, poorly executed buddy cop film with all the cliches that come along with it.

The Story: Biographical film about the relationship between Charles Dickens and his younger mistress. The Lowdown: Complex, heavily layered and textured biographical drama that also serves as a critique of the role of women in Victorian society. The only problem is that its deliberate pace will be off-putting to some.

The Story: CIA agent Jack Ryan must travel to Russia in order to foil a plot to ruin the American economy. The Lowdown: A solid, entertaining movie that does nothing great — making for a nice, if forgettable, spy thriller.

The Story: Shaky-cam, bargain basement take on the Rosemary's Baby Son o' Satan shtick. The Lowdown: Bottom-of-the-barrel horror shenanigans of the sort only January brings. Spare yourself.

In Brief: Ken Russell's 1988 horror comedy, The Lair of the White Worm, makes a return appearance at the Thursday Horror Picture Show. While it is one of the filmmaker's lighter works, it's also the Ken Russell picture that turned a lot of younger viewers onto his great films from the 1960s and 70s. It's…

In Brief: The great Lee Tracy stars in one of his best roles in The Nuisance — a fast-paced, cynical comedy (with doses of drama) about a shrewd (and none-too-honest) ambulance-chasing lawyer who has refined the business of obtaining large settlements for accident claims into a science. The fast-talking Tracy is, of course, the lawyer…

In Brief: Milos Forman's The Firemen's Ball (1967) created a good bit of stir when it was released in the U.S. late in 1968. It even earned an Oscar nomination (as had his 1966 film The Loves of a Blonde). While it's possible to understand the fuss in an historical context, it may be a…

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…