Movie Reviews

The Story: The end of the world -- and the effects of its approach on a small group of the fabulously wealthy. The Lowdown: Dark, strange and somehow terrible, but also compelling and a masterful, powerful film.

The Story: When a child is missed at Christmas, Santa's younger son, Arthur, teams up with Grandsanta to get her present to her. The Lowdown: A wholly pleasant and pleasing outburst of family-friendly seasonal fare that's both winning and funny.

The Story: The wedding of the century between Edward and Bella quickly turns into a nightmare when Bella gets pregnant with a baby that threatens her life. Drama ensues. The Lowdown: Much more stylish than the previous Twilight films, making it more interesting as filmmaking. As drama, however, it's more of the same -- only…

The Asheville Film Society will screen The General Died at Dawn Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Giant Claw on Thursday, Nov. 24, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Story: The story of a young woman who attempts to get away from a cult and reclaim her life for herself. The Lowdown: Highly acclaimed quasi-thriller that didn't work for this reviewer, but has impressed an awful lot of folks.

The Story: Anatomy of a romance separated by a continent, an ocean and perhaps a mindset. The Lowdown: A lot of this movie either doesn't work or is too mired in a filmmaking style, but there's an agreeable and altogether human aspect that very much comes through.

The Story: A runaway iceberg traps a city of emperor penguins. The Lowdown: Gorgeous-looking computer animation can’t make up for a plot severely lacking in cohesion.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Fantasia 2000 at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Marketa Lazarova at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18 at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District, upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

Love, Above All plays for one show only -- on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. -- as a benefit for the Western North Carolina AIDS project.

The Story: The private and public story of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. The Lowdown: A close-to-great film blessed with terrific central performances -- and one that manages to tackle potentially lurid material with tact and understanding.

The Story: An obsessed plastic surgeon works in secret on a captive patient to perfect a synthetic skin. The Lowdown: Pure Almodóvar, but very dark Almodóvar. It's as rich or richer in the delights of cinema for its own sake as anything you'll see this year, but it's apt to disturb some viewers in its…

The Story: A man must deal with his obnoxious twin sister over the holidays. The Lowdown: If you find Adam Sandler in drag accompanied by a bevy of fart jokes and celebrity cameos to be comedy gold, then here’s a movie for you.

The Story: A peasant living in a fantastic version of ancient Greece must stop an evil king from destroying the world and the gods who rule over it. The Lowdown: A hyper-stylized take on Greek mythology that’s simply too overbearing, and -- too often -- simply unfun.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Red Violin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Bat Whispers on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Road to Utopia on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther. Hanke is the artistic director of the A.F.S.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Desire Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Cinema Lounge of The Carolina Asheville and be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District, upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Story Biographical film on Serge Gainsborough. The Lowdown: Strikingly different musical biography with a strong lead performance. It doesn't all work, but when it does, it's pretty incredible.