Mike's Movie Tips

1.5/4 Starring: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Oshimura, Kei Sato, Taiji Tonoyama Not Rated (Probable R for Some Violence and Language and Sexuality/Nudity, although I'd give it a PG-13) When it comes to classics, it's really a shot in the dark if you're not a critic.  Some are timeless and have aged well.  " Casablanca " is one such film.  Some were probably good for their time, but with improved technology, they seem dated.  "The Wages of Fear" belongs in this category.  Others were shit to begin with.  " Shane " is one of those.  While not nearly as dreadful as George Stevens's wretched western, "Onibaba" is still a waste of time. The film takes place in an unspecified time, but it's probably during feudal Japan.  There is a war going on, which makes starvation one of many real worries for those not fighting.  Two women are struggling to survive without Kichi, the man they share in common.  They are Kichi's mother (Otowa

3.5/4 Starring: Matthew Perry, Bruce Willis, Amanda Peet, Natasha Henstridge, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kevin Pollack, Rosanna Arquette Rated R for Some Sexuality, Nudity and Violence "The Whole Nine Yards" is a great Friday night movie.  It's well-acted, unpredictable, clever, and above all, very funny.  A mix of film noir and screwball comedy, this underrated gem is distressingly overlooked, and that's a shame since these days screenwriting for comedy ends at the pitch stage (thank you, Seth Rogen). Dr. Nicholas Oseransky, or "Oz," as he is known, is not having his share of the American dream (or Canadian, since he lives in Canada).  He married Sophie (Arquette), the daughter of his late business partner, only to have her end up being a total bitch.  And since her father stuck them with a load of bad debt, she won't divorce him until it's paid off.  His fortune changes when his new neighbor, Jimmy Jones, moves in.  When the ever-polite Oz goes

2.5/4 Starring: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Nonzo Alonzie, Sophie McShera, Holliday Grainger, Stellan Skarsgard, Derek Jacobi, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Chaplin, Hayley Atwell Rated PG for Mild Thematic Elements Given Hollywood's obsession with "brand names," not to mention the timeless quality of the tale, I suppose a big budget, live action version of the tale of Cinderella was inevitable (the fact that Disney has already made a classic animated version of it probably made it all the sweeter for studio executives).  My memory of the animated version is fuzzy at best, but despite owning the tape, I remember hating the idea of it because it was a "girly" movie.  Boys will be boys, I guess. This new version isn't half bad, but considering what it has going for it, it is disappointing.  Cate Blanchett is one of the leads, Stellan Skarsgard and Derek Jacobi play supporting roles, and it's directed by Kenneth Branagh.  It should have

3/4 Starring: Peter Mullan, Louise Goodall, David McKay, Anne-Marie Kennedy, David Hayman, Gary Lewis Rated R for Pervasive Language and Some Violence, Sexuality and Drug Use Ken Loach frequently makes movies about the British working class.  Surprisingly, or perhaps not, it's not all that different from the American working class: blue collar jobs, scarce money, and cigarettes being common.  Loach keeps the characters at an arm's distance, but the performances are strong enough that it makes for worthwhile viewing. Joe Kavanagh (Mullan) is a recovering alcoholic and approaching his one-year sobriety.  He paints houses, and with his friend and co-worker Shanks (Lewis), coaches a soccer team.  One of his players, Liam (McKay), is an ex-con and former drug addict with a wife Sabine (Kennedy), who is also an ex-addict, and a three-year-old son.  They're being watched over by a social worker named Sarah Downie (Goodall).  Joe becomes smitten, and embarks on a romance wi

3/4 Starring (voices): Deanna Oliver, Jon Lovitz, Timothy E. Day, Timothy Stack, Thurl Ravenscroft, Phil Hartman Rated G I remember being entertained, if not enchanted, by this little movie when I was a kid.  All these years later, I find that it's not nearly as good (for my money, if you're looking for a good family movie, " Rise of the Guardians " or anything by Hayao Miyazaki would be a much better investment of your time).  Still, I think there are enough moments here to delight kids and to make sure that their parents aren't incredibly bored. Five appliances, the Toaster (Oliver), Lampy the lamp (Stack), Blanky the electric blanket (Day), and Kirby the vacuum cleaner, are awaiting the return of a little boy that used to play with them.  But when a mean air conditioner (Hartman) tells them that the boy moved away, they decide to set out to find him. Admittedly, a road movie about five household appliances doesn't sound like an appealing concept,

2/4 Starring: Judi Dench, Billy Connelly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher, Gerard Butler Rated PG for A Beating, Language and Brief Nudity "Mrs. Brown" is a buddy movie for the Merchant/Ivory crowd.  As much as I liked " The Remains of the Day ," I don't mean that as a compliment.  When people call art house movies stuffy and dull, they're thinking of movies like "Mrs. Brown."  This movie is so badly written and awkwardly constructed that had it not been for the valiant, if futile, efforts of it's leads, it would have been legitimately unwatchable.  As it is, it's a well-acted mess. The husband of Queen Victoria (Dench) has died.  Their marriage was one of the happiest in the history of the monarchy, and she is so depressed that she has taken herself into seclusion into the Scottish Highlands.  John Brown (Connelly), who was with her husband during his final days, is brought in to bring her out of her depression.  Although they don

3.5/4 Starring: Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Ninja, Yo-Landi Visser, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sigourney Weaver, and the voice of Sharlto Copley Rated R for Violence, Language and Brief Nudity I just love it when movies defy my expectations.  Whether through quality (" Redemption ") or content (" Faster "), I love the feeling of being immersed in a film that takes me into unexpected directions. At first glance, "Chappie," the new film by South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp, looks to be a ripoff of "Robocop" (the original or the remake , take your pick).  In fact, while it takes elements of both (there's even a machine that looks like a camo version of ED-209 from Verhoeven's original, and it plays a big role in the film), a closer cousin would be "E.T."  A more violent version, but the story similarities are hard to miss. Johannesburg is in chaos.  Criminals run rampant on par with those in " The Crow ," and the po

1/4 Starring (voices): Cindy Robinson, Yuri Lowenthal, Brian Beacock, Doug Erholtz, Michael Forest, David Lodge, Paul St. Peter Rated R for Violent and Sexual Images I've noticed that when I dream, or at least when I remember them, they make total sense only in the moment.  After I wake up, I'm left wondering whether my subconscious was on some sort of illegal drug while I was asleep.  Satoshi Kon, the director of the terminally bland " Tokyo Godfathers " (there's a visual reference to his earlier film), has apparently tried to replicate this in a film.  While I applaud his attempt, there's no denying that "Paprika" is an utter failure. This is a really bad movie.  It's so bad that for 95% of it, the storyline is so incoherent that if you set the film on shuffle, it wouldn't make any noticeable difference.  There are some nice visuals and some offbeat moments to be found here, but they don't offset the frustration.  Or the boredom

2/4 Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rosanna Arquette, John Goodman, Ving Rhames, Tom Sizemore, Marc Anthony Rated R for Gritty Violent Content, Drug Use and Language Few will argue that Martin Scorcese is one of the most talented innovative men to ever get behind a camera.  His resume is littered with classics ("Taxi Driver") and near masterpieces (" Goodfellas ," " The Departed ," " The Wolf of Wall Street ").  Sadly, while "Bringing Out the Dead" allows him to show off his skill as a filmmaker, it doesn't make for compelling cinema. Frank Pierce (Cage) is a paramedic working in New York City.  He hates his job (in more than a few scenes, he begs his boss to fire him) because the ghosts of the people he couldn't save are coming back to haunt him...and it's been months since he's saved anyone.  He's also embarking on a tentative relationship with Mary Burke (Arquette), the daughter of a man he tried to save. "

3/4 Not Rated (Probable R, but should be PG-13 for Language) I enjoy the "Star Wars" movies, but I am not a "fan."  Meaning, I don't own any "Star Wars" media, and I really don't care whether Han Solo shoots Greedo first.  I also enjoy the prequels (although after watching them all in succession, I think that the original trilogy is better...albeit marginally since they're all wonderful). In fact, I am so out-of-the-loop with all things "Star Wars" that I didn't know there was a fan controversy in the first place until I read some of James Berardinelli's thoughts on the subject (God bless Reelviews!).  That's when I started thinking, and the more I thought about it, the more I thought that the fans should just get over themselves. That is until I saw this movie. "The People vs. George Lucas" offers a reasonably balanced portrayal of the arguments against George Lucas.  While some fans hate Lucas, there

1.5/4 Starring: Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco, Sienna Miller, James Marsden, Nick Frost Rated R for Some Strong Risqué Sexual Content/Graphic Nudity, and for Language and Drug Use "Unfinished Business" wants you to think it's what would happen if Judd Apatow crossed "The Hangover" with " Tommy Boy :" a raunch-fest with a trio of underdog businessmen who get into all sorts of anti-PC shenanigans on a European business trip.  Alas, even with the talents of Vince Vaughn and Tom Wilkinson, it doesn't work.  Not only isn't "Unfinished Business" funny, it typically doesn't try to be.  The film is more concerned with the drama, which would be fine, except that it's half-baked and too broad for a sitcom. Chuck Portnoy (Miller) has cut Dan Trunkman's (Vaughn) salary by 5%.  Needless to say, he's not happy about this, and ends up quitting and going into business designed to compete with her with Timothy McWint

1.5/4 Starring: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan Rated R for Language Throughout, Some Sexual Content and Brief Violence There is no denying that "Birdman" takes risks.  For the most part, it appears to have been all done in one take (it wasn't...clever editing camouflaged necessary cuts).  It also has something to say.  But being audacious and having an important message doesn't make a good movie.  I respect what the director, Mexican wunderkind Alexander Gonzalez Innaritu, is saying, but I don't like the way he goes about saying it. Riggan Thomson (Keaton) is a has-been movie star who is trying to re-invent himself as an artist by putting on a Broadway play about Raymond Chandler.  It is not going well.  One of the actors was gravely injured on set and the opening is days away.  His leading lady, Lesley (Watts), brings in her boyfriend, the uber-talented and super method Mike Shriver (Norton), whose ego

2.5/4 Starring (voices): Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal, Josh Hutcherson, Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner Rated PG for Frightening Images and Brief Mild Language One of the many, many things I admire about Hayao Miyazaki is that he took chances.  I've said it before and I'll say it again and again because it's so rare and so valuable to the film industry and to storytelling in general.  They didn't always work (" Lupin the III ," "Porco Rosso"), but the results were always at least interesting.  However, when they do work, he ended up with something truly special, like " Spirited Away " or " The Wind Rises ." "Spirited Away" didn't exactly make Miyazaki a known name, but it did introduce him to a lot of fans who would have otherwise passed his films up (him winning the first ever Oscar for Best Animated Film certainly helped, although I would argue that he deserved a nomination for B

4/4 Starring: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, Jonathan Ke Quan Rated PG (probably for Action Violence, Disturbing Images and Brief Language) I think that Indiana Jones' second outing, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," is a far superior feature to the entertaining but overrated " Raiders of the Lost Ark ."  Don't get me wrong, "Raiders" is a blast with a number of spectacular action sequences, but the storyline is on the thin side and it's a little too energetic for its own good.  That's changed with his second outing, which boasts a stronger plot and packs a bigger punch.  Plus, as creepy as Toht, the panting, trenchcoat-wearing villain from "Raiders" was, he's got nothing on Mola Ram. "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is a prequel to "Raiders," and is set a year previous.  After a deal in China goes bad, Dr. Indiana Jones (Ford) makes a hasty escape with a pretty but feisty lou

1.5/4 Starring: Will Smith, Margo Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, B.D. Wong Rated R for Language, Some Sexual Content, and Brief Violence Ask anyone who the world's biggest movie star is, and it won't take long before someone blurts out Will Smith.  He's the Meryl Streep of blockbusters.  No matter the budget or the genre, when it comes to charisma and star power, no one comes close. Playing a likable con man is something Smith could probably do in his sleep, so it would probably surprise you to learn that he's the film's biggest problem.  His lackluster performance is not the only reason why this movie sinks within the first ten minutes, but it's certainly the most surprising. Nicky (Smith) is the ultimate con-artist; he knows all the tricks of the trade, and can lift your wallet, purse, ring without you realizing it.  A wannabe pickpocket named Jess (Robbie) wants to learn the tricks of the trade, and after she shows potential, he takes her under his wing.

2.5/4 Starring: Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James LeGros, Heather Graham, James Remar Rated R (probably for Language and Drug Content) Gus Van Sant's career has been inconsistent.  He was behind movies like "Good Will Hunting" and " Milk ," which were excellent, but he was also behind movies like " Paranoid Park " and his much despised version of "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues."  So I guess it's just as well that "Drugstore Cowboy" is just as mixed.  The first half is boring and aimless, but the second half is more interesting and compelling. There really isn't a plot to this movie, which considering the material, is perfectly fine.  It follows four drug addicts who rob drugstores looking for drugs.  Bob (Dillon) is the leader, and his "crew" includes his wife Dianne (Lynch), his friend Rick (LeGros), and Rick's girlfriend Nadine (Graham).  They are tailed by a cop named Gentry (Remar), who would very much