Movie Reviews

The Story: The life story of much-maligned boxer Mike Tyson as told through archival footage and the man’s own perception of himself. The Lowdown: A cinematically uneventful documentary that becomes strangely interesting in its attempts to humanize Tyson through his own words.

The Story: Harry and company move one step further toward adulthood and the inevitable confrontation that must one day take place. The Lowdown: A surprisingly adult and even somber entry in the popular franchise that neatly builds to the two-part climax to come, while offering solid entertainment and artistry of its own.

The Story: A high-school nerd blurts out his love for the hottest girl in school in his graduation speech and, thanks to carefully scripted contrivances, finds himself sharing a PG-13-rated wild night with her and her friends. The Lowdown: An unfunny, disjointed teen comedy that is made just that much worse by unappealing leads.

Thunder Road will be shown as part of the Wedge Brewing Company's Outdoor Cinema series on Saturday, July 18, at 9 p.m. 125-B Roberts St. in Asheville's River Arts District.

Day for Night, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, July 17, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: An examination of how food is produced and how government control -- in terms of safety and truth -- has fallen by the wayside. The Lowdown: An often grim, but neither hopeless nor off-putting documentary that's worth watching by anyone who eats.

The Story: Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Brüno, a disgraced, outrageously gay Austrian fashion expert, who comes to the U.S. in search of fame. The Lowdown: An in-your-face attempt at outraging the viewer with a barrage of bad taste and deliberately provocative scenarios that explore homophobia and the mania for celebrity status. Often funny, always…

Bagdad Cafe will be shown as part of the Wedge Brewing Company's Outdoor Cinema series on Saturday, July 11, at 9 p.m. at 125-B Roberts St. in Asheville's River Arts District.

Last Year at Marienbad, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, July 10, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Killers at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 12, in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville. (From Asheville, take I-26 to U.S. 64 West, turn right at the third light onto Thompson Street. Follow to the Lake Point Landing entrance and park…

The Story: A courtesan "of a certain age" and a young man more than 20 years her junior fall in love during the last days of the belle epoque. The Lowdown: A sumptuous, assured and emotionally astute variation on the romantic comedy, with tragic developments and a keen sense of loss and the passing of…

The Story: Strange things start happening during the last days of a three-year contractee's stint on a lunar mining base. The Lowdown: Thoughtful, sober, wholly compelling science fiction of the kind not generally seen in modern film, with a standout performance from Sam Rockwell.

The Story: The various prehistoric creatures of the Ice Age franchise return, this time only to stumble upon a world inhabited by dinosaurs. The Lowdown: The worst kind of sequel, one with zero originality and zero effort, making this whole mess nothing more than one really expensive Saturday-morning cartoon.

The Story: A documentary tracing the creation of the Broadway musical A Chorus Line, juxtaposed against modern-day auditions for a revival of the show. The Lowdown: An occasionally engaging film that’s too often unfocused; it's likely to achieve must-see status only for fans of the show.

The Story: An aging curmudgeon finds his comfortable misery turned upside down when he takes in a young Southern beauty queen who has run away from her repressive parents. The Lowdown: Prime Woody Allen -- even vintage Woody Allen -- with nonstop laughs and more than a little something on its mind.

The Story: The story of "folk hero" bank robber John Dillinger and G-Man Melvin Purvis' pursuit of the notorious criminal. The Lowdown: The machine guns blaze, guys ride around on the running boards of cars, plus everything else you'd expect, but the film is just not as compelling as it ought to be in the…

The Story: A girl who has been genetically designed to be the ideal donor for her ailing sister sues her parents for the right to make her own decisions about her body. The Lowdown: A provocative idea is swallowed whole in a sea of soapy melodrama and contrived writing.

Last Holiday, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, July 3, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: Bad robots versus good robots out to destroy and save the world, respectively, while interrupting Shia LaBeouf's college education. The Lowdown: Long, tedious, offensive and just plain awful.

The Story: A Palestinian woman fights to save her lemon grove that is soon to be torn down by her neighbor, the new Israeli defense minister. The Lowdown: A restrained look at the Israel/Palestine conflict, but on a wholly personal, human level.

The Story: A couple with a child on the way decides to travel across the U.S. and Canada looking for the perfect place to start their family. The Lowdown: An often charming, occasionally touching and astute film that’s never afraid to simply be pleasant or sweet-tempered.