Movie Reviews

Duck, You Sucker

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show Duck, You Sucker at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 20, 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…

The Band’s Visit

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The Story: An Egyptian police band find themselves stranded in a small Israeli town and have to rely on the kindness of the locals. The Lowdown: A slight story that scales the heights of human experience with rare -- and both funny and touching -- precision. A must-see.

Prom Night

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The Story: A deranged killer escapes from an asylum and proceeds to track down the object of his fixation at her high-school prom. The Lowdown: Shock effects, dumb scripting and bloodless killing abounds in this rather boring slasher picture.

Smart People

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The Story: A grimly dysfunctional family is turned upside down by a wayward adopted brother and an ER doctor. The Lowdown: Indie Comedy 101 cookie-cutter fare, with forced, unbelievable -- and largely unlikeable -- characters who get by (just barely) thanks to Thomas Haden Church.

Street Kings

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The Story: Detective Tom Ludlow finds himself at the center of an investigation into LAPD corruption that might end up with him on the business end of the stick. The Lowdown: An unbelievable, standard-issue cop movie that remains watchable until you stop to think about it for too long.

Oh! What a Lovely War

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show Oh! What a Lovely War at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 13, 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…

The Ruins

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The Story: Holidaymakers in Mexico decide to explore a Mayan pyramid and end up wishing they hadn't. The Lowdown: Lots of gore, combined with a silly plot, will make viewers wish the vacationers had left well enough alone, too.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

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Sponsored by the merchants of the Bledsoe Building in West Asheville, Walk-In Theater will present Raiders of the Lost Ark on Friday, April 11, at dusk in the parking lot behind the building. Admission is free, and as usual, patrons are asked to leave pets and coolers at home, but to bring lawn chairs.

Nim’s Island

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The Story: A young girl asks her hero, the lead character from her favorite adventure novel series, to come help her save the island she lives on, not realizing that in so doing she’s actually asking the series’ reclusive creator for aid. The Lowdown: A poorly paced, anticlimactic family film full of shoddy direction and…

Leatherheads

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The Story: An aging football player in the early days of pro football hits on a scheme to make the sport popular -- and profitable. The Lowdown: An altogether enjoyable attempt at recreating the 1930s-'40s style of romantic comedy.

21

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The Story: Mathematically inclined M.I.T. students set out to break the bank in Las Vegas by counting cards -- with help from their dubious math professor. The Lowdown: So-so drama and clichés abound in this fact-based yarn loosely adapted from a popular nonfiction book.
Starring: Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov, Alexandru Potocean

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

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The Story: Set in 1987 Romania, a college girl helps her roommate get an illegal abortion. The Lowdown: Bleak, damning social commentary about a repressive society, with compelling drama in the relationship of its two leads.

Superhero Movie

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The Story: A teen is bitten by a genetically enhanced dragonfly, contracts super powers, and decides to become a superhero. The Lowdown: Another in the long line of Movie movies. This one is slightly better -- and a lot shorter -- than its pedigree would lead you to believe, but that still doesn't mean it…

Stop-Loss

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The Story: A soldier returns home from Iraq with eyes on getting out of the military, only to find out he's being forced to return to war due to a lack of troops. The Lowdown: A film that attempts to take a more personal look at the war in Iraq, but remains too slight and…

Orlando

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The Asheville Art Museum will present Orlando as part of the smART Speak Distinguished Artist Series Tuesday, April 8, at 6 p.m. in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library. Free admission.

Don Giovanni

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The Hendersonville Film Society will show Don Giovanni at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6, 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…