Movie Reviews

The Story: A pediatrician whose wife was murdered eight years ago suddenly starts receiving e-mails from her when two bodies connected to her supposed murder are discovered. The Lowdown: An entertaining, slick, engaging thriller in something of the Hitchcock mode that benefits from strong characters and stylish direction.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Great Race at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, 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…

Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

Blood Simple will be shown at 2 p.m. (following a panel discussion on the Coen Bros.) Saturday, Aug. 16, in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. Film historian and critic Peter Loewer will introduce the film and discuss it after the screening.

The Story: A stoner witnesses a murder and has to go on the run with his dope dealer when the killer comes after him. The Lowdown: There are at least three or four movies in one here, making for an intriguing, but ultimately unsatisfying mix. It's worth seeing for its sheer strangeness.

The Story: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants return, now dealing with the not-so-simple tasks of college and growing up. The Lowdown: A pleasant little movie that will satisfy fans, but ultimately meanders too much to be interesting to anyone not already converted.

The Story: Evelyn Waugh's complex novel about Catholicism, class distinction and sexuality finds its way to the big screen. The Lowdown: Both an intelligent and intelligently condensed version of the book that not only replicates the story, but also comments on its themes.

The Story: A look into the lives of a Parisian mother and son -- largely through the eyes of the nanny, a Chinese film student. The Lowdown: Luxuriant in its slowness, Flight of the Red Balloon will either captivate you with its striking visuals and subtle character shadings, or send you in search of the…

The Story: The Mummy franchise continues as adventurer Rick O’Connell and his family travel to China to stop an undead Chinese emperor from conquering humankind. The Lowdown: The third installment of this rebooted franchise is second-rate summer entertainment in every sense: It's cheesy, incoherent and chock full of terrible CGI.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Lucrezia Borgia at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10, 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 man thinks back on his relationship with his father who is dying of cancer. The Lowdown: A not very promising premise is turned into a remarkable -- and remarkably moving -- film through a great script, acting and direction.

Catch Us If You Can, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: Documentary on the Nazi plundering of the world's art treasures. The Lowdown: An intriguing premise that works best in broad strokes, but tends to bog down in the specifics.

The Story: When a technical glitch causes a vote to go uncounted, the supposed voter is given the chance to vote again -- with his single vote determining the outcome of a presidential election. The Lowdown: A fairly preposterous scenario that might have worked as satire, but instead falls into a tub of mush and…

The Story: Two unemployed 40-year-old slackers who live with their parents behave like improbably vulgar grade-school children for an hour and a half. The Lowdown: Within 10 minutes, the tone of this unfunny film has been established. The movie merely keeps repeating it.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show Excalibur at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, 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 in…

Marat/Sade, part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World, will be presented at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville. Info: 273-3332.

The Story: Fox Mulder is called back to work for the FBI to help them on a case involving a missing agent and a psychic priest. The Lowdown: A largely botched attempt to bring new life to the cult TV show. It features interesting ideas, but barely develops them, and moves at a glacial pace.

The Story: The sequel to Batman Begins finds Batman up against the Joker, an unpredictable, seemingly unstoppable madman with no desire for anything but mayhem and destruction. The Lowdown: Bleak, but often brilliant, and with the powerhouse performance of Heath Ledger at its center, the latest Batman movie is powerful filmmaking that simply goes on…

The Story: A young bride invites the three men who had flings with her mother to her wedding in hopes of determining which is her father. The Lowdown: Your fondness -- or lack thereof -- for ABBA songs will likely determine your tolerance for this shrill film version of the hit stage musical cobbled together…

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Wicked Lady at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 27, 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…