Elitist Bastards: Night Of The Man-Made Bastards

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther react nonchalantly to Rob Reiner’s Flipped, show limited enthusiasm for Resident Evil: Afterlife and have mixed feelings on the Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck “documentary” I’m Still Here. They also discuss a pair of classic Universal horror flicks—Man Made Monster and Night Monster—which will be screened at this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show, and show quite a bit of excitement about next week’s Asheville Film Society screening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. There’s also a bit of gossip about the upcoming Ricochet Film Festival, followed by speculation on the quality of upcoming releases Alpha and Omega, The Town, Easy A and Devil.

Local Matters: Standoffs and sidewalks

In this week’s edition of the Local Matters podcast, Xpress staffers Jake Frankel and David Forbes discuss the recent police standoff and the special meeting of Asheville City Council to address pedestrian safety concerns.
The reporters recorded the conversation as they huddled at the site of the standoff on Otis Street, between the federal courthouse and the RBC Bank.

Elitist Bastards: Machete Sunrise

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther give a half-hearted nod to Going the Distance, heap significant praise on Machete, express ambivalence about The American, applaud Restrepo and appreciate Mao’s Last Dancer on its own schmaltzy terms. They also discuss the classic comedic horror film The Comedy of Terrors (this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show), and the upcoming Asheville Film Society screening of F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise. And if that wasn’t quite enough, they also reluctantly discuss this week’s opening films Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D and The Virginity Hit.

Elitist Bastards: There’s Always Time For Tommy

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther give fair consideration to new releases Takers and The Last Exorcism, as well as theorizing on the quality of soon-to-be-released films The American, Machete and Going The Distance. But the real discussion this week involves a trio of Ken Russell screenings, starting tonight with a special screening of the epic rock opera Tommy, followed Thursday by Altered States (the Thursday Horror Picture Show) and wrapping up with next week’s Asheville Film Society screening of Valentino.

Local Matters: Sidewalks, bridges and Shuler

In this edition of the Local Matters podcast, Xpress reporters Jake Frankel and David Forbes discuss East Asheville sidewalk concerns with neighborhood activists Chris Pelly and Kim Engel ahead of tonight’s special Asheville City Council meeting on the issue. The duo also discuss last week’s City Council meeting (including the scope of the Hillcrest pedestrian bridge reopening and the controversy around the incentives granted to the Montford Commons development) and Congressman Heath Shuler’s recent visit to Asheville.

Elitist Bastards: White Zombies And Sucky Vampires

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther review Get Low, The Lottery, Nanny McPhee Returns,The Switch, Piranha 3D and Vampires Suck. They also discuss this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show double feature of the Béla Lugosi classics White Zombie and Island of Lost Souls, the Asheville Film Society screening of the George C. Scott cult classic They Might Be Giants, and the one-night-only screening of the remastered version of Ken Russell’s Tommy. And, just to top it off, they ponder the potential quality of soon-to-open films Takers and The Last Exorcism.

Elitist Bastards: Scott Pilgrim, The Expendable­s and The Joy of Basting

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther shine their critical searchlights on Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The Expendables and Eat Pray Love. The also discuss the comedic political commentary behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show) and the slightly dated charm of Billy Wilder’s Cold War comedy One, Two, Three (this week’s Asheville Film Society screening). And they mercilessly examine this week’s new offerings Vampires Suck, The Lottery, Nanny McPhee Returns,The Switch (previously known as The Baster) and Piranha 3D.

Local Matters: Julian Price, taxes, annexation­s and sidewalks ***PODCAST­***

Xpress staffers Jake Frankel, Michael Muller and David Forbes recently sat down over drinks to discuss some of the stories covered in this week’s issue. They huddled under the awning at Mayfels as a severe thunderstorm swirled around them and chatted about downtown visionary Julian Price, the Biltmore Park Town Square development, the state of the local economy, taxes, and the current debates over city annexations and sidewalks. This news podcast experiment came out of their conversation.

Elitist Bastards: The Nexus of Mae West And Step Up 3D

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther: consider the surprise revelation that Step Up 3D is tolerable when taken on its own terms, The Other Guys is passable, The Girl Who Played With Fire suffers from a touch of sequelitis, The Killer Inside Me is both likely to earn condemnation and praise, and that Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky can’t quite maintain the quality. They also discuss Guillermo del Toro’s Cronos, this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show, and the Mae West double feature that makes up next week’s Asheville Film Society screening. And they even have a brief moment to ponder soon-to-open films Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, The Expendables and Eat Pray Love.

Elitist Bastards: Cats, Dogs, Selkies and Schmucks

In this week’s Elitist Bastards Go To The Movies, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther: delve into Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Dinner for Schmucks, The Kids Are Alright, Charlie St. Cloud and Ondine; disagree with Wikipedia about Night Of The Demon (this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show); roll their eyes at the runtime on Shortcuts (this week’s Asheville Film Society screening); and discuss the potential cinematic qualities of soon-to-open flicks The Other Guys and Step Up 3D.

Elitist Bastards: Of Salt, The Fly and The Crying Game

In this week’s podcast, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther: Dismiss Ramona and Beezus and noncommittally shrug off Salt; experience gross-out glee at The Fly; don’t reveal the secret of The Crying Game; and guess about the quality of soon-to-be-released flicks Dinner for Schmucks, The Kids Are Alright, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and Charlie St. Cloud.

Elitist Bastards: Predators, Winters Bone And A Touch of Bad Taste

In this week’s podcast, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther: Share their thoughts on newly released films A Piece of Work, Despicable Me, Winter’s Bone and Predators; say some very nice things about Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste (this week’s Thursday Horror Picture Show); praise Richard Lester’s Help! in advance of next week’s Asheville Film Society screening; and consider the potential merits and problems with soon-to-be-released flicks The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Inception and Cyrus.

Elitist Bastards: Airbenders­, Vampires and Centipedes … Oh My!

In this week’s podcast, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther examine: current and upcoming releases The Last Airbender, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Micmacs and The Human Centipede; smile wryly at the classic Vincent Price horror film The Abominable Dr. Phibes; champion the upcoming Asheville Film Society screening of The Fall; and show some enthusiasm for soon-to-open flicks Predators, Despicable Me and Winter’s Bone.

Elitist Bastards: Of Vampires and Blue Velvet

In this week’s podcast, Xpress film critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther: delve into Grown Ups, Knight And Day, Solitary Man and Harry Brown; discuss the Asheville Film Society screening of Blue Velvet; wax nostalgic about failed attempts to see Blood For Dracula (this week’s Thursday Horror Picture show); and show limited enthusiasm for upcoming releases The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and The Last Airbender.