Movie Reviews

The Story: A Russian boy set to be adopted by an Italian couple sets out to find his real mother. The Lowdown: Small-scale drama with comedic touches that's enlivened by sharp characterizations and terrific performances.

The Story: A young man nursing a broken heart goes to take care of his grandmother and becomes involved with the family across the street. The Lowdown: A predictable, sometimes awkward film, but not without its pleasures, thanks to likable characters and a good cast.

The Story: Hotshot police officer Nicholas Angel is transferred to a peaceful English village where he discovers a lot of murder most foul being passed off as a rash of accidents. The Lowdown: Hysterical, splattery fun that spoofs action movies -- and then some.

The Story: An assistant district attorney has to prove that a seemingly perfect murder attempt isn't perfect. The Lowdown: It all comes down to stars Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling in this thriller, and they do carry the film, but it's not a stretch for either actor.

The Olive Harvest is being presented by the Prama Institute at the Fine Arts Theatre for two shows: Thursday, April 26, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 29, at 1 p.m. Filmmaker Hanna Elias will appear for a Q&A.

The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Moderns at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29, 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 Devils is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 27, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane).

The Hendersonville Film Society will show They Might Be Giants at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22, 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…

The Story: An assistant district attorney claims to have shot a rapist in self-defense, but an ex-cop claims it was murder. The Lowdown: An incredibly convoluted and thoroughly unpersuasive crime thriller that wastes a good cast.

The Story: A mechanic, who has vowed never to race due to the death of her father, gets involved in an underground racing ring organized by a group of eccentric millionaires. The Lowdown: A boring, incompetent movie made by a bunch of people you've never heard of, starring a bunch of people you've never heard…

The Story: A journalist goes undercover at an ad agency to investigate the company's CEO, who she believes murdered her old friend. The Lowdown: The best that can be said about this film is that it's competent, but it suffers from a lack of sympathetic characters and a convoluted twist ending.

The Story: When a group of Norsemen invade North America, it is up to a former Viking, who was left behind as a youngster by a previous group of raiders, to defend the Native American tribe that has taken him in. The Lowdown: A tepid attempt at "epic" filmmaking, Pathfinder is a silly, boring, ugly…

Interkosmos will be shown by the Media Arts Project at the Fine Arts Theatre at 7 p.m. Monday, April 23.

The Story: The more or less true story of writer Clifford Irving's scam to sell the world -- and a major publisher -- on the idea that he was collaborating with Howard Hughes on the billionaire's authorized autobiography. The Lowdown: Witty and perceptive, blessed with great performances and slick direction.

The Story: While on house arrest, a high-school kid discovers his neighbor is a serial killer. The Lowdown: A fairly effective little thriller that passes the time, but is wholly unremarkable.

Cronos is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 20, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane).

The Story: A floating container of French fries, an ambulatory milkshake and a lump of slightly hairy ground meat have to save the world from an evil exercise machine from the future. The Lowdown: Strictly for the followers of the TV show that spawned this very occasionally funny, mostly tedious exercise in randomness.

Teorema is part of a series of Classic Cinema From Around the World being presented at 8 p.m. Friday, April 13, at Courtyard Gallery, 9 Walnut St. in downtown Asheville (enter at Walnut next to Scully's or at 13 Carolina Lane).

The Story: A lightweight biographical film about children's author Beatrix Potter. The Lowdown: Ultimately neither substantial as biography, nor quite whimsical enough to qualify as fantasy, Miss Potter presents a safe sketch of the writer that's blessed with skillful casting and charming performers.

The Story: In this sequel to Are We There Yet?, Ice Cube buys a house in the country for his new family only to find the structure redefines "fixer-upper." The Lowdown: A lamebrained unfunny sequel to an equally unfunny original.

Planet Terror: The Story: When a mysterious bio-chemical is released into the populace which turns people into cannibalistic "sickos," a ragtag group must fight their way to safety. The Lowdown: Probably the most over-the-top, ridiculous movie you'll ever see -- and also one of the most purely entertaining. Death Proof: The Story: A former possible…