Movie Reviews

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen From Hell Thursday, June 16, 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: A mother's strange will sends her children -- against their own desires -- on journeys to find people they thought were dead or never even knew existed. The Lowdown: A compelling, riveting drama that's built around a shewd mystery structure. Easily one of the year's best.

The Story: A hobo rolls into town on a train with an eye toward settling down, but finds nothing but despair and depravity. After reaching his limit, he buys a shotgun and proceeds to clean the place up. The Lowdown: Outrageous, over-the-top and extremely gory film that seeks to reinvent the old drive-in exploitation movies…

The Hendersonville Film Society will show That Championship Season at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 12, 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 Talk to Her at 8 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Phil Mechanic Studios (109 Roberts St., River Arts District, upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

The Asheville Film Society will screen Stardust Memories Tuesday, June 14, 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: The first meeting of Professor X and Magneto -- and the origins of the X-Men -- are detailed. The Lowdown: Solid, enjoyable superhero movie with better-than-average performances. Not up to the best in the series, but much better than the lower-tier offerings.

The Story: A look at the life and work of long-time fashion photographer and New York Times columnist Bill Cunningham. The Lowdown: A wonderful little documentary that won’t wow you as filmmaking, but may be one of the most purely enjoyable things you’re likely to see all year.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Hiroshima Mon Amour at 8 p.m. Friday, June 3, 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 The Kremlin Letter at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 5, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

The Asheville Film Society will screen The Magic Christian Tuesday, June 7, 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: An 1845 wagon train becomes perilously lost when its guide suggests taking a cutoff he claims is a shortcut. The Lowdown: Deliberately paced Western drama that immerses the viewer in the wagon-train experience, with all the quiet terror and paranoia produced by such a journey.

The Story: When the future of China is threatened by the rise of the evil Shen, it falls to Dragon Warrior Po and the "Furious Five" to set things to rights. The Lowdown: A visually beautiful sequel that in most ways more than lives up to the original.

The Story: The guys of the original Hangover are back, with another botched bachelor party, but this time in Thailand. The Lowdown: A mostly painless rehash of its predecessor that’s basically the original all over again, meaning there’s little reason to really care or remember that this film even exists.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Desire Under the Elms at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas), 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

The Asheville Film Society will screen 7th Heaven Tuesday, May 31, 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 AFS.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Inferno Thursday, May 26, 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: A lonely security guard and an equally lonely immigrant woman meet at a speed-dating event and seem to click, but things are not exactly what they seem. The Lowdown: Delightful in its various twists and turns where the viewer is increasingly unsure of how real what's being shown is, but ultimately a little…

The Story: A small band of samurai set out to assassinate an evil lord before he plunges the entire country into violence and warfare. The Lowdown: Top notch action -- with an absolutely amazing showdown -- combined with an intelligent story that has something to say make this one of the best films of the…