Movie Reviews

The Story: A career woman juggles the perils of work and her hectic home life. The Lowdown: Unfunny, unromantic, cliched, tiresome and generally not good.

The Asheville Film Society will screen The Ruling Class on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 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 Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Dr. Phibes Rises Again on Thursday, Sept. 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.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present The Last Laugh at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Story: When his pregnant wife is kidnapped, a man has no choice but to follow the instructions of mobsters. The Lowdown: Breathlessly -- but elegantly -- paced thriller of a kind we don't see very often. A witty, intelligent film with real characters, style and magnificently staged action.

The Story: A stuntman who moonlights as a criminal wheelman gets involved in a heist -- which ultimately goes wrong -- in order to keep his neighbor and her son safe. The Lowdown: An endlessly stylish action flick that’s more arthouse fare than Hollywood entertainment, yet remains an infinitely fascinating -- and singular -- piece…

The Story: A bucktoothed Iowan heads to California to become -- like his parents once were -- a porn star. The Lowdown: Painfully idiotic and infinitely unfunny.

The Story: An unorthodox Irish police sergeant with elastic ethics finds himself partnered with the straightest FBI agent imaginable to solve a drug-smuggling case. The Lowdown: Irreverent, vulgar, darkly funny comedy with thrill sequences that sets itself up as standard movie fare -- only to deliver something refreshingly deeper. A must-see.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present The Exterminating Angel at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Hendersonville Film Society will show part one of Gone with the Wind at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

The Story: A new and seemingly unstoppable airborne virus goes global and threatens to wipe out a large portion of the world. The Lowdown: Exciting, engrossing thriller with a solid all-star cast and taut direction. It's not particularly deep, but it works in its own matter-of-fact approach.

The Asheville Film Society will screen The Music Lovers Tuesday, Sept. 20, 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 Story: Two estranged brothers -- one of who is trained by their once-abusive father -- enter a mixed-martial-arts tournament. The Lowdown: A hokey and far-fetched uplifting sports melodrama that somehow works, mostly due to its central performances.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Mask of Fu Manchu on Thursday, Sept. 15, 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.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present The Mirror at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen House on Haunted Hill on Thursday, Sept. 8, 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 an overweight teenager who copes not only with his life, but with the lives of other people. The Lowdown: A charming character study -- though possibly upsetting for those with a candy-colored view of adolescence -- of a misfit and his growing extended family. Human, insightful and surprisingly well crafted.

The Story: Fictionalized account of the double used by Saddam Hussein's despotic and depraved son, Uday. The Lowdown: It may be based on fact, but The Devil's Double is mostly an entertainingly lurid melodrama of corruption and excess -- but one that is raised a notch by the furious performance of Dominic Cooper in the…

The Story: A group of co-eds head to an island on a Lousiana lake, only to find out it’s infested with killer sharks. The Lowdown: Barebones horror filmmaking at its stupidest and least involving.

The Story: A hot-headed golfer has a blow-up during a tournament and ends up in the tiny Texas town of Utopia, where an old cowboy holds the secret to becoming a better golfer. The Lowdown: Cheesy filmmaking, heavy-handed preachiness and flagrant consumerism make for one hairy film.