Mike's Movie Tips

2.5/4 Starring: Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, Charlotte Le Bon Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Some Violence, Language and Brief Sensuality There a few really good "food" movies out there: movies that create such wonderful images of food and cooking that you wish you could touch the screen and dive into the feast.  Some examples include the indie hit "Big Night," and the early Ang Lee masterpiece "Eat Drink Man Woman."  The highly talented Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom has tried to create another entry in the genre, and while it certainly has its pleasures, it doesn't have enough juice to succeed.  Pun intended. The Kadam clan is a family of culinary geniuses.  They owned a very successful restaurant in India until an act of political violence cost them the restaurant and the life of the matriarch.  Papa (Puri) has decided to pack up everything and head to Europe.  He eventually decides to buy a restaurant in a small French province, ...

2/4 Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Carice Van Houten, Kimberley Nixon Rated R for Strong Brutal Violence and Some Language A good movie needs one of two things to succeed (or preferably both): an engaging story and strong characters.  Without them the movie will tank.  That's what happens here with "Black Death."  The story is thin and trite and the characters aren't very interesting. The film takes place in the year 1349.  The Black Death, or "pestilence," as it's called here, is in full swing.  A young monk named Edmund (Redmayne) is debating whether or not to leave the monastery he calls home to flee the city with his lover, Averill (Nixon).  He gets his answer when a man named Ulric (Bean) comes to the monastery looking for a guide.  He's going to the same place to hunt a necromancer, and Edmund thinks that this means that God is telling him that he should meet up with Averill.  Of course, nothing turns out like he expects. The...

1/4 Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Odeya Rush, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgard, Cameron Monaghan, Taylor Swift Rated PG-13 for a Mature Thematic Image and Some Action/Violence When I heard that Lois Lowry's powerful and haunting novel was being adapted for the screen, I thought, "It's about time."  The novel was published 1993, with three sequels that followed in the years since (which surprised me, since I've never heard of them).  Given Hollywood's obsession with special effects and toning down everything to appeal to those with the lowest IQs, I was nervous.  Still, the novel is still widely read in middle schools, so I was hopeful that the filmmakers would realize that the majority of the audience would be able to grasp its complexities and rich thematic material.  No such luck. Philip Noyce's film version, which Jeff Bridges has been trying to make for the past 20 years, is exactly what I feared the film would be.  I...

3.5/4 Starring (voices): Barrie Ingham, Vincent Price, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek Rated G Somehow, if he had lived to see it, I don't think that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have imagined his most famous character, Sherlock Holmes, to be brought to the screen quite like this.  Not only is it an animated movie featuring mice as the lead characters, it features three song and dance numbers and ends with a fight on Big Ben.  Still, I'd like to think that he'd be at least entertained if nothing else. Actually, "The Great Mouse Detective" is not directly based off of the most frequently adapted character in cinema.  It's comes from a book series called "Basil of Baker Street," although the similarities are so numerous that the filmmakers do little to hide them.  Basil Rathbone's (who is widely considered to have given the definitive portrayal of the famous detective) archived voice is even used in one brief scene.  Everything is there, fr...

2.5/4 Starring: Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mickey Rourke, Eva Green, Powers Boothe, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis Rated R for Strong Brutal Stylized Violence Throughout, Sexual Content, Nudity, and Brief Drug Use " Sin City " was a breath of fresh air.  It was a dark, brutal and ultra-violent film noir that packed a knockout punch.  It used the panels from Frank Miller's graphic novels as storyboards for the film, giving it a unique look and personality.  The long-awaited follow up, "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For," attempts to replicate its success, but there's something missing. As was the case in the first film, there are three interlocking stories that are (mostly) told consecutively.  First up is "Just Another Saturday Night," where the heavily scarred hulk Marv (Rourke) hunts down a bunch of violent frat boys.  "The Long Bad Night" has Johnny (Gordon-Levitt) in a poker battle with the vicious Senator Roark...

3/4 Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong, Tahar Rahim The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical version is rated PG-13 for Battle Sequences and Some Disturbing Images The mystery of the Ninth Legion (correctly labeled as Legio IX Hispana) has fascinated students of history for decades (it was also the focus of Neil Marshall's underrated adventure, " Centurion ").  It went to North Britannia and was never seen again.  While there are theories about what happened to it, no definitive archaeological evidence exists, and it is unlikely that we will ever know conclusively what happened to the 5,000 soldiers in the legion. Kevin MacDonald's film, "The Eagle" doesn't attempt to provide the answer.  It's based on a work of fiction by Rosemary Sutcliff.  Instead, it uses the incident as a jumping off point for an adventure with a roman soldier and his slave. Marcus Flavius Aquila (Tatum) h...

3/4 Starring: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgood, Adam Arkin Rated R for Strong Sexuality including Graphic Nudity and Frank Dialogue Sex is so volatile and controversial in American culture that even the most open-minded person feels like they are in a pretzel of moral and social conundrums.  It's a shame, really, since it's universally agreed that it's one of the best things about life.  So it's rare to find a movie like "The Sessions," which strips it of all its controversy and treats it exactly like a sex surrogate would: professionally. Mark O'Brien (Hawkes) has been crippled by polio since the age of 6.  He is required to sit in an iron lung for most of the day and requires constant care.  But after he becomes attracted to Amanda (Annika Marks), his new nurse, he realizes that he's never had sex with a woman, and with the urging of his priest, Father Brendan (Macy), he seeks to do the deed.  He hires a sex therapist ...

2/4 Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, Megan Park, Mackenzie Davis, Rafe Spall Rated PG-13 for Sexual Content, including References Throughout, Partial Nudity and Language "What If" is a romantic comedy, but it fails in two key categories: it's not romantic and it's not all that funny.  There are a few sparks of each, but for the most part it doesn't work. Wallace (Radcliffe) is a guy who lives in his grandmother's attic and has a job writing technical manuals.  He was in medical school but dropped out.  His last relationship ended very badly, and a year later he's still really cynical about love.  Then at a party, he meets Chantry (Kazan), and hits it off magically with her.  But of course she's been dating Ben (Spall) for five years.  Just his luck.  Still, they agree to just be friends.  Guess how well that turns out. "What If" is "When Harry Met Sally" for the Millenial generation.  That means it asks ...

1/4 Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fitchner, Noel Fisher, Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard, Tohoru Masamune and the voices of Johnny Knoxville and Tony Shaloub Rated PG-13 for Sci-Fi Action Violence Everything you heard about how awful the new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie is is true.  It's noisy, maddeningly aggressive, often incoherent and dreadfully unfunny.  I'm glad I'm home now.  I can watching something of quality that isn't going to give me a headache. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have seen various incarnations over the past 20-odd years.  They started out as a comic book in the early 80s, but they didn't break into film and TV until 1990, when the first movie came out.  Two sequels followed, and three attempts at a TV series as well.  The franchise was dead and buried until an animated movie starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ziyi Zhang came out in 2007.  It didn't establish a franchise, and that was the last we heard...

3/4 Starring: Nicole Kidman, Billy Zane, Sam Neill Rated R (probably for Violence, Language, Sexuality and Nudity) In general, I don't like minimalist movies.  They're usually artsy for the sake of being artsy and exist solely to impress the critics and counter-culture crowd (examples would be anything by Wes Anderson, " Greetings from Tim Buckley ," and this year's " The Rover ").  There are exceptions, however, such as "The Blair Witch Project" and " The Samaritan ." "Dead Calm" is an effective but imperfect thriller.  Aside from a few plotholes and an only adequate sense of atmosphere, the film features three strong performances and is effectively paced.  The premise, being trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean with a homicidal lunatic, is sufficiently explored for the purposes of the movie, but the film's presentation is definitely not Hollywood.  In some ways, that's a good thing. After the deat...

3/4 Starring: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., James D'Arcy, Nina Dobrev, Andy Garcia, Rob Riggle Rated R for Language including Sexual References, Some Graphic Nudity, Violence and Drug Use "Let's Be Cops" is a very, very dumb movie.  It is filled with what my best friend calls "stupid humor."  Nevertheless, the film is frequently hilarious, with two sequences that brought down the house. Ryan (Johnson) and Justin (Wayans Jr.) have been best friends since their college days at Purdue.  They've moved to LA to seek their fortunes, but neither one has found it.  Ryan is a professional layabout who fancies himself a football coach to a group of kids while Justin is a doormat working at a video game company.  When attending a reunion party, they realize that their lives are going nowhere fast.  They have dressed as cops (this results in a joke that I won't give away), and on their way home, they are impressed with the attention that they're ge...

2.5/4 Starring: Hugo Weaving, Terrence Stamp, Guy Pearce, Bill Hunter Rated R for Sex-Related Situations and Language Drag shows are not my thing.  When I see one going on, I'll stop in for a few minutes and watch, but it's not something I'll go out of my way to see.  I do, however, understand the appeal.  It's a cross between a Broadway musical and a comedy club.  The music is fun and upbeat, but the costumes and dancing is beyond outrageous.  The humor comes from the fact that the whole show is so over-the-top, and everyone is in on the joke.  "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" understands that. The film's stars are Mitzi (Weaving), Felicia (Pearce), two drag queens, and Bernadette (Stamp), a transsexual (a man who is transitioning into a woman, in this case).  They're a trio of drag queens who perform in Sydney, Australia.  But they have a show to get to in the small town of Alice Springs, and Felicia buys a broken down ...

1.5/4 Starring: Iko Uwais, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Joe Taslim, Pierre Gruno, Ray Sahetapy The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Strong Brutal Bloody Violence Throughout, and Language I like a loud, hyper-violent action movie as much as the next guy.  Done right, they can be a lot of fun, but the reverse is also true.  No guesses as to which side of the line this one falls on. "The Raid: Redemption" is a no-holds-barred action movie.  There's minimal plot and even less character development.  That's not such a bad thing; in the case of a movie like this, it will only serve as a hindrance since taking the time for a complex plot or characterization will only slow the film down.  As long as there's plenty of dazzling testosterone and adrenaline, I have no complaints.  Sadly, this film has little of either.  It's a total bore. The set-up is simple: a squad of heavily armed police offi...

0/4 Starring: Morjana Alaoui, Mylene Jampanoi, Catherine Begin The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the rated version is rated R for Disturbing/Severe Aberrant Behavior involving Strong Bloody Violence, Torture, Child Abuse and Some Nudity Back in the early years of the last decade, the term "torture porn" was used to describe horror movies like "Saw," "The Collector," and so on.  Those movies scared audiences through showing characters facing not only death, but horrific pain.  Of those, I've only seen the original "Saw" (which was good) and its first sequel (which was not).  "Saw" may have been horrifically violent and graphic, but it, as the adage goes, it's only a movie.  "Martyrs," on the other hand, is anything but. I can think of no other purpose for "Martyrs" than being pornography for individuals who experience pleasure from watching women in pain.  Almost the entire movie ...

1/4 Starring: Richard Armitrage, Matt Walsh, Sarah Wayne Callies, Nathan Kress, Max Deacon, Alicia Debnam Carey, Kyle Davis, Jon Reep Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Intense Destruction and Peril, and Language including Some Sexual References Now here is an ugly movie.  "Into the Storm" is a cynical exercise in soulless and ridiculously over-the-top special effects and manipulation so overblown that it becomes offensive.  It's 90 minutes of loud, expensive trash. The film takes place in an unnamed small town in Anywhere, USA.  Gary (Armitrage) is the vice principal for the local high school, where his two sons Donnie (Deacon) and Trey (Kress) attend.  He wants them to interview the townspeople for a time capsule.  Donnie sees a chance to talk to Kaitlyn (Carey), whom he likes.  At Trey's encouraging, Donnie swoops in on the stressed out Kaitlyn, which has the unintentional effect of leaving Trey to film the graduation ceremony alone.  But a storm ...

4/4 Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, Ethan Hawke Rated R for Language including Sexual References, and for Teen Drug and Alcohol Use "Boyhood" is a one of a kind movie.  There has been nothing like it before, and it is unlikely that there will ever be anything like it again.  This is a movie that took 12 years to make; not because of egos or running out of money, but because it follows one boy and his family from age 5 to 18. Yes, as you have heard, this movie took 12 years to make.  But it's not a gimmick.  Writer/director Richard Linklater took this long because there was no other way to make it.  Spending less time and using actors at different ages wouldn't have had the same effect. To do this, Linklater shot what was essentially a 10-15 minute short featuring the same characters each year, then edit them together as a feature film.  Naturally, this wasn't an easy sell for IFC, but they contributed $200,000 each ...

2.5/4 Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Glenn Close Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Action, and for Some Language "Guardians of the Galaxy" is the sleeper hit of the summer.  Clearly, Marvel was hoping for a good reception for the film in order to make back the $170 million budget, but it's become the movie to see.  An action movie released in August is never a good sign, but "Guardians" has defied a lot of people's expectations. Frankly, I'm not able to understand why.  Sure, it's fun, but it feels like a " Star Trek " ripoff.  The special effects are impressive and there are some amusing bits here and there, but it lacks personality and warmth.  I didn't really care about anyone in this movie. Minutes after his mother's death, a young boy is abducted by aliens.  His name is Peter Quill (Pratt), although he would prefer to be known as the noto...

2/4 Starring: Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Rebecca Ferguson, Ian McShane, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Rufus Sewell, Aksel Hennie, Reece Ritchie, Joseph Fiennes Rated PG-13 for Epic Battle Sequences, Violence, Suggestive Comments, Brief Strong Language and Partial Nudity Hollywood is trying to bring back the "sword and sandal" genre back again, with " 300 ," " Immortals ," and " 300: Rise of the Empire " and this year's earlier film starring Hercules, "The Legend of Hercules."  Audiences want them because the good ones tend to be filled with copious amounts of violence, blood & gore, and some gratuitous sex and nudity.  But Hollywood isn't giving it to them.  They're still chasing the billion dollar mark for every movie, even if they're guaranteed a sizable profit for a smaller audience.  "The Legend of Hercules," a PG-13 movie, bombed (although that may have had to do with the low quality of the film...it'...

2.5/4 Rated R for Graphic, Sex-Related Cartoons and Language "[Terry Zwigoff] makes a specialty of depressed, antisocial, oddballs." - Roger Ebert, in his review of Zwigoff's later film, "Bad Santa" Those words are definitely true.  Few people are stranger than the famous underground cartoonist Robert Crumb.  He's shy, super dorky, and hates just about everything.  In fact, with those oversized glasses and worn-down clothes that are clearly too big for him, and with his stooped posture and strained way of speaking, Crumb looks like a real-life cartoon.  If nothing else, he's an interesting character. The problem with making a personal film is being too close to the material to see it objectively.  "Schindler's List" was a hugely personal film for Steven Spielberg, but it worked because he was able to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.  Zwigoff isn't able to do that.  He is so infatuated with Crumb that he is happy ...

3/4 Starring: Tom Hanks, Shelly Long, Alexander Godunov, Philip Bosco, Maureen Stapleton Rated PG (probably for Language, Sexual Content and General Mayhem) Everyone has a story (or knows someone who does) about a construction project that went to hell.  Something so simple and straightforward turns out to be a nightmare that takes a lot longer, costs a boatload more money and will try the patience of a saint.  It happens all the time, which is partly why contractors have just as bad of a reputation as lawyers.  So, taking this relevant situation and amping it up about, oh, a dozen levels, and you'll have "The Money Pit." Walter (Hanks) and Anna (Long) are a young couple very much in love.  Walter desperately wants to marry Anna, but she is reluctant to marry period after her last marriage went down in flames.  That's when their happy lifestyle goes up in smoke when a bunch of guys come barging through the door, telling them that Anna's ex, Max (Godunov)...

2/4 Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Amr Waked, Min-Sik Choi, Pilou Asbaek Rated R for Strong Violence, Disturbing Images and Language "Lucy," a relatively ambitious thriller, falls flat because it fails to follow the mantra that every movie that doesn't take place in reality must follow: consistency is everything.  Time and time again, we have seen movies that, either due to lazy screenwriting or inept direction (or both), fail to establish a set of rules of what can and cannot happen.  Without this crucial part of storytelling, we can't buy into the premise, and the movie is sunk. The plot is built on a commonly-held belief that is actually untrue.  That's not necessarily a bad thing (I liked "Double Jeopardy," which had a similar problem with its underlying premise), but the director must set up the plot to the point where we can believe that it's true.  Director Luc Besson doesn't do that.  He presents the theory that a h...