Movie Reviews

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present I Am Cuba at 8 p.m. Friday, Mar. 4, 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 Rembrandt at 2 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 6, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community (behind Epic Cinemas, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville).

The Story: A couple of guys are given a week off of marriage by their wives, to sleep with whomever they please. The Lowdown: A superfluous attempt at the old gross-out comedy that's moderately painless -- though never, ever good, since it's such a dud.

The Story: Nicolas Cage breaks out of hell to save his infant grandchild from being sacrificed by a cult of Satanists. The Lowdown: Preposterous, trashy, tasteless -- full of sex, skin, gore and violence -- and the most fun I've had in a theater this year.

The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen The Old Dark House Thursday, Mar. 2, 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 Casino Royale Tuesday, Mar. 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. Hanke is the artistic director of the Asheville Film Society.

The Asheville Film Society will screen Shanghai Express Tuesday, Mar. 1, 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 Asheville Film Society.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present The Return at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, 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 Danger: Diabolik at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, 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 Carrie Thursday, Feb. 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: Teen aliens are on the run from intergalactic killers, who, it seems, have designs on our planet as well. The Lowdown: Reasonably efficient knock-off intended to generate tween and teen heart-throbbery, but with no real identity of its own.

The Story: An FBI agent and his step-son go undercover in drag at an all-girls school to help nail a murderous gangster. The Lowdown: Just painfully awful. And seemingly interminable.

The Story: A botanist traveling in Germany falls into a coma after a car accident, only to awaken and find that someone has assumed his identity. The Lowdown: An occasionally entertaining thriller with a plot that falls apart under the simplest examination and a dull performance from Liam Neeson.

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

Departures will be shown Friday, Feb. 18, as part of the Foreign Film Festival sponsored by Hendersonville Sister Cities, Inc. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. in Patton Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College and is open to the public at no charge.

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Werckmeister Harmonies at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, 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 The Hours Tuesday, Feb. 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 Asheville Film Society.

The Story The story of a down-on-his-luck, aging French music-hall magician attempting to ply his art in a world that has moved on. The Lowdown: Perhaps the saddest film I've seen in a while, but its sadness is essential to the story and the film itself is brilliant in every respect.

The Story The not-entirely-reliable story of a man who is appealing even when he has no right to be. The Lowdown: An extremely good character study of a man and his life, turned into must-see material by the performance of Paul Giamatti.

The Story The story of three corporate suits who suddenly find themselves downsized and out of work. The Lowdown: A peculiar bit of failed Oscar-bait that tries to be an important statement about our time, but is too myopic to pull it off.