Mike's Movie Tips

3/4 Starring: Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Ezra Miller, Steven Strait, Emily Mortimer, Dominik Garcia-Lorido Rated PG-13 for Sexual Content, Smoking and Language The first time I watched "City Island," I didn't like it.  I said in my review (in general), "the characters in this film do three things: smoke, lie and talk in low gravelly voices."  But a number of the scenes and characters got stuck in my head, and after seeing the trailer again and reading reviews, I decided to give it another shot. I'm glad I did.  "City Island" is a lot of fun. The Rizzos are a dysfunctional family living in the Bronx.  Vince (Garcia) is a blue-collar prison guard who is so ashamed of his love for acting that he lies about taking an acting class to his wife and says that he's going to a poker game.  Naturally, his wife Joyce (Margulies), doesn't believe this for a second, and thinks he's having an affair.  His daughter Vivian (Garcia-Lorido)

2.5/4 Starring: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Simon McBurney, David Oyelowo, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington Rated R for Some Strong Violence and Gruesome Images, Sexual Content and Language In a world where media is free (or at least the rumor mill is), everyone in the news has to be a showman.  Idi Amin understood that.  He was a charismatic leader; he had the presence to draw one's attention simply by standing there. and the deep dramatic voice helped a lot too.  He also had a sense of humor and loved to have fun.  Of course, that doesn't mean much once people realize that you're killing everyone who speaks against you. Nicholas Garrigan (McAvoy) is a young Scotsman who has just graduated from medical school.  Eager to escape the shadow of his father, he spins a globe and decides to go the first place his finger lands on (after Canada).  In no short order, he has found himself in Uganda working at a clinic.  That's when he first sees the new leader of the

3/4 Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzundza The version being reviewed is the unrated one.  For the record, the theatrical cut was rated R for Strong Violence and Sexuality, and for Drug Use and Language "See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, but only enough blood to run one at a time."-Robin Williams That's Detective Nick Curran's problem.  He's so infatuated with Catherine Tramell that thinks that he can outsmart a killer who has always been one step ahead. The film opens with a gruesome murder.  A man is having a night of rough sex with a beautiful blonde woman.  Things get kinkier when she ties his hands up against the bedposts.  That's when she grabs an icepick and stabs him in a frenzy.  Curran (Douglas) is on the case, and the woman who was with him last night is Catherine Tramell (Stone), a wealthy inheritor and author.  Incidentally, she wrote a book about the crime that she is being

1.5/4 Starring: Mariel Hemingway, Michael Pare, Mason Gamble, Primo Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore, Brief Language, and a Scene of Sexuality More so than Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli is my favorite film critic.  I first recall reading his review of "L.A. Confidential" (a movie I didn't like) and found him to be one of those wannabe hoitey toitey critics than only loves the popular movies.  But the more I read, the more I respected his opinion, and am now a devoted reader of Reelviews.net.  It is thanks to him that I've seen some truly good movies, like " Once Were Warriors ," "The War Zone," and " Before Sunrise " (I've also seen some movies I didn't like even though he gave them positive reviews, although none were awful).  But his strong writing capabilities sometimes, in what I wholeheartedly would be his honest opinion, backfire.  What really turned me onto his site is his vicious tearing into of a number of bad

2.5/4 Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Jason Momoa, Sarah Shahi, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christian Slater, Jon Seda Rated R for Strong Violence, Bloody Images, Language, Some Nudity and Brief Drug Use When we go see a movie, we expect to be told a story.  Lots of action is fine (in fact, it's encouraged), but the audience expects more than a series of shootouts.  Sadly, that's what happens with "Bullet to the Head."  As the great critic Dustin Putman pointed out, "Bullet to the Head" is aptly titled: nearly every scene where a gun is pulled, someone gets put down with a...bullet to the head. James Bonomo, aka Jimmy Bobo (Stallone), has just finished a hit with his partner Louis (Seda), and they're waiting at a bar to get payment from the man who hired them.  Little do they know that they're about to be had.  Another killer, the nastier than nasty Keegan (Momoa), is there waiting for them.  He expertly dispatches Louis, leaving Jimmy

2.5/4 Starring: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum Rated R for Sexuality, Nudity, Violence and Language "Side Effects" is what happens when the screenwriter and director are not on the same page (ironically, this is the third collaboration between writer Scott Z. Burns and director Steven Sodebergh...the other two being "The Informant!" and " Contagion ," respectively).  Burns's script is a cross between "Primal Fear" and "Basic Instinct," while Sodebergh thinks the film is more cerebral and an examination of guilt and responsibility.  The result is a film that, while never uninteresting, doesn't really work. Emily Taylor (Mara) is feeling a mixture of happiness and anxiety.  Her husband Martin (Tatum) is about to be released from a 3 year prison term for insider trading.  Both love each other very much, and are determined to work together to get back on their feet.  That's when Emily's c

3.5/4 Starring: Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Powers Boothe, Nick Stahl, Jessica Alba, Devin Aoki, Elijah Wood, Carla Gugino, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Madsen, Alexis Bledel Rated R for Sustained Strong Stylized Violence, Nudity and Sexual Content including Dialogue More than anything else, "Sin City" is a comic book brought to life.  Oh sure, comic books are slapped onto film as fast as Hollywood can buy the rights.  But never before, or since, has there been a comic book movie like this.  Directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller (who authored the comics upon which the film is based) used the comic panels as storyboards. The film tells three stories: two in the middle that are squeezed in the middle of a third.  The first (and last) involves Hartigan (Willis), a cop with a bad heart on the verge of retirement.  Before he turns in his badge at the end of his shift, he wants to close one last case: the son of a powerful senator has a habit

0/4 Rated R for Sexual Content and Language Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Amanda Peet, Robert Patrick, Genesis Rodriguez, T.I., Morris Chestnut, John Cho There is a scene about halfway through this movie where the two lead characters, mild mannered twit Sandy Patterson (Bateman) and Diana (McCarthy), the whale who stole his identity, are in the woods and invaded by snakes.  I was praying that the snakes would kill them both and the movie would be over.  Alas, it was not to be. "Identity Thief" is a shoo-in for the worst movie of 2013.  I hope there isn't one that top it, because I don't know if I can take another movie this bad.  Hell, it's even worse than " Killer Elite ," and that was two years ago.  The jokes aren't funny (the funniest joke in the trailer is replaced with a lamer one liner), the characters are annoying, and the film takes a direction in the reprehensible at the end. Sandy, as we learn, is a pushover for his

3/4 Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Val Kilmer, Michael Ironside, James Tolkan Rated PG for Action, Language and Some Sexuality (I guess...) "Top Gun" defines the word "cool."  The stars are hotter than hot, the action is exciting, and then there are those sunglasses.  No wonder this movie was a hit when it was released in 1986! Maverick (Cruise) and his wingman, Goose (Edwards) are two of the most talented pilots in the world.  They're also as reckless as they are skilled, pulling moves so daring and so insane that the only reason they aren't punished is because they're so good.  In fact, their commander (Tolkan) is (reluctantly) sending them to Top Gun, where they will be trained with the best of the best in aerial dogfighting.  There, their skills make them fierce competitors, but as a fellow pilot named Iceman (played with a delicious chill by Kilmer), warns Maverick, his belief in his invincibility is dan

2.5/4 Starring: Debbie Doebereiner, Dustin Ashley, Misty Wilkins Rated R for Some Language "Bubble" demands patience.  For those who are looking for a fast-paced thriller or an amped up melodrama, this isn't for you.  Not much happens in this movie, but it is well-acted (none of the actors who appear on screen are professionals) and has an astonishing sense of verisimilitude.  But I don't know if there is enough substance to be worth watching (although it is only 73 minutes long). Martha (Doeberiner) is a worker at a doll factory in a run down town.  She gets up, goes to work, and comes home at the end of the day to care for her ailing father (Omar Cowan).  She gives Kyle (Ashley), a co-worker, a ride to work and to his next job.  Neither of their lives is going anywhere, despite their dreams of getting out.  Conflict arises when a new worker named Rose (Wilkens) joins the factory and gets close to Kyle. Steven Sodebergh eliminates any whiff of melodrama or

The goal of a film critic is to be honest and open minded.  I've said before that in order to be fair to a movie, you have to give it the benefit of the doubt.  Sometimes, however, that's not possible.  How is it possible to have an open mind when someone has already told you that to movie sucks?  Or it stars Katherine Heigl? Such is the case with " The Royal Tenenbaums " and " Ghost World ."  I saw them both years ago when I was younger.  One could argue that I was both too young to get the movies, and was blindsided by their impact.  I'd give weight to both, although I don't think they would have changed my opinion very much with either film. But the question is that is it fair to review a movie you have preconceived notions about?  I mean, your reader probably hasn't heard much, if anything, about the movie. It's an interesting question.  The answer is probably not, although in some cases, a person needs a place to express thei

1/4 Starring: Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, Illeana Douglas, Brad Renfro Rated R for Strong Language and Some Sexual Content When I first saw this movie, I hated it.  I despised it as much as " The Royal Tenenbaums ."  And there is one reason for that: the lead character is one of the most obnoxious, nihilistic, cruel and vicious beasts ever to grace the screen.  Keep that in mind when I go on a rant here. Enid (Birch) and Rebecca (Johannson) are outsiders, and proud of it.  They think anything or anyone normal is a boring loser and anything weird or annoying is cool.  In other words, they're ultra-hipsters.  Shortly after graduation, they decide to play a prank on a guy who put a personal ad in the paper.  His name is Seymour (Buscemi), and they drag their friend Josh (Renfro) to watch as he sits sadly in the diner stood up by the date he thought he had.  Cruel, huh?  It gets worse.  Rebecca realizes that being normal isn't as terrible as it

3/4 Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco Rated PG-13 for Zombie Violence and Some Language Without a doubt, Summit Entertainment is hoping for lightning to strike twice.  After all, the " Twilight " franchise and "Warm Bodies" share the same central premise: a human girl falling for a studly member of the undead (zombies this time, not vampires, but who cares?).  Despite being unquestionably better, I don't see that happening.  Summit hasn't been marketing it as aggressively, and although it takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting, it's hardly epic.  That, and few people have heard of the book upon which it the film is based. R (Hoult) is a zombie.  He doesn't remember much about his past life.  Or even his name.  It begins with an R (at least he thinks so).  But he's a different sort of zombie.  He's self-conscious and tries to do the right thing.  He doesn't like ha

3.5/4 Starring: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Anthony LaPaglia, Mary-Louise Parker Rated PG-13 for A Child in Jeopardy and Brief Language During the 90's, there was no author bigger than John Grisham, and due to the cinematic and suspenseful nature of his novels, the rights to his books were snapped up by Hollywood as fast as he could write them.  "The Firm" was the first, and it was followed by "The Pelican Brief."  "The Client" was the third, but by no means the last. Mark Sway (Renfro) is sharing a forbidden cigarette with his brother Ricky (David Speck), when they spot something disturbing.  A drunken man connects a hose from his car's tailpipe to his window.  Realizing that this man is trying to commit suicide, Mark tries to save him.  But the man catches him and amid his drunken ramblings, he reveals the location of a dead body.  That dead body is a missing senator, and he's been offed by a mob killer known as Barry

.5/4 Starring: Eric Freeman, James Newman, Elizabeth Kaitan, Ken Weichert Rated R for Violence/Gore, Rape and Language Like " Wishmaster 2 ," the only reason I watched the sequel to " Silent Night, Deadly Night " is because it came with the original, not because the quality of the first one was high.  The sequel, on the other hand, is beyond awful. It's not unusual for a sequel to reference or even give viewers a short breakdown of what happened in the first film.  It's a good reminder for those who haven't seen the first one in a while and for those who skipped the original.  Usually, though, it takes about five or ten minutes, give or take.  In "Part 2," it takes half the film (literally, I checked).  In between the flashbacks, we are given narration by Billy's younger brother Ricky (Freeman), who is either in prison or a mental hospital for as yet unknown crimes.  Once he recounts the events of the first film, we see his crimes.

2/4 Starring: Robert Brian Wilson, Lilyan Chauvin, Ginger McCormick, Britt Leach Rated R for Violence/Gore, Rape and Language (I guess) "Silent Night, Deadly Night" created a storm of controversy when it was released.  Angry parents were furious that beloved children's icon was being portrayed as a psychotic killer (despite the fact that, according to iMDb, "Tales from the Crypt" had done the same thing 12 years prior).  Siskel and Ebert famously derided it .  The controversy rose to such a furor that the film was pulled from release after two weeks (it did make a small profit, however).  Part of the reason it caused such a furor is that ads for the movie, showing an ax-carrying Santa Claus, were shown on TV. Still, after viewing the movie, it's hard to understand why it created such a controversy.  Slasher movies were not a new thing in 1984.  "Halloween," the movie that gave birth to the genre as we know of it today, was released six year