Mike's Movie Tips

1.5/4 Starring: Jane Adams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan Baker, Cynthia Stevenson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Camryn Manheim, Ben Gazzara, Louise Lasser, Jared Harris, Elizabeth Ashley Not Rated (Probably NC-17 for Pervasive Sexual Content including Aberrant Sexuality, Language and Some Violence) Be aware of trailers... Occasionally, you'll see a movie marketed as something other than it actually is.  For example, " Carriers " was marketed as a horror movie when in reality it was nothing of the kind.  Such is the case with "Happiness."  The trailers made it out to be a cheerful, if warped, comedy.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  This is a blacker-than-black dramedy that explicitly deals with subject matter such as pedophilia, sexual perversions, and where just about every character is an abhorrent misanthrope.  Needless to say, it's not for everyone (even Todd Solondz, the director, says this). Sadly the film doesn't work on its own level....

2/4 Starring (voices): Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Zahn, Frances McDormand, Sam Elliot, Anna Paquin, A.J. Buckley Rated PG for Peril, Action and Thematic Elements Apart from film buffs, I don't know if anyone can name a film company other than Disney (although considering how wide their fingers spread, I'm not sure if they still count).  But audiences know Pixar, and they know that that name means superior quality filmmaking.  They don't have a flawless record (" Monsters University " was a misfire), but even their weakest films have more merit than a considerable number of mainstream releases.  So I expected something of similar quality as I settled back into my seat with my popcorn, hot dog and Diet Pepsi.  I was unpleasantly surprised. For the most part, Pixar has prided itself on the ability to appeal to children and adults.  Unfortunately with this film, they have missed the latter audience.  More importantly, they didn't ...

3/4 Starring: Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Gabriel Byrne, Juliette Binoche, Lou Diamond Philips, Bob Gunton Rated PG-13 for A Disaster Sequence and Some Language I'll be honest.  I didn't really follow the events of the 2010 mining disaster in Chile.  I remember hearing about it, but that was the extent of my knowledge.  It's funny, isn't it, how things seem more important in retrospect (although there are exceptions)? "The 33" probably isn't the ideal film version of the disaster: character development is next to nil, the plot trajectory is formulaic, and the whole film has a manufactured feel to it.  But it does do what it sets out to accomplish, which is to provide an exhilarating, emotional 2 hours. It's August 2010.  A group of miners are preparing to go into the San Jose copper-gold mine.  The foreman, a man named Don Lucho (Philips) sees broken mirrors everywhere and tells the boss that the mine is unsafe, but his words go unheed...

2.5/4 Starring: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang Rated R for Strong Violence including Scenes of Torture, Sexuality and Pervasive Language In the 12 years since its release, Chan-wook Park's thriller "Oldboy" has gained a sizable following for a foreign film, enough to earn its director the job for making an American film (" Stoker ") and, of course, a remake.  It certainly has the makings of a cult film: an offbeat tone, a twisted plot, and some weirdness worthy of David Lynch. After seeing the film, it's hard to understand why it created such a buzz.  It's not as violent as its reputation suggests (although there were a few scenes that made me wince), and the tone isn't as warped as it should be to make it a real winner.  Most importantly, the screenplay is too messy for it to succeed on its own right. Oh Dae-su (Choi) is a drunken lout who has been hauled off to jail on the night of his daughter's fourth birthday.  Bounced by ...

3.5/4 Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Liev Schrieber, Brian D'Arcy James Rated R for Some Language including Sexual References I can only imagine the amount of guts it took for the Spotlight team to write this story.  By taking on the Church in the predominantly Catholic Boston, they were not only taking on the most powerful organization in the world, they were fundamentally altering the entire city's culture.  The Catholic Church was a huge part of Boston, and still is, but this shattered the Church's image. That's one of the many things that "Spotlight" reflects on.  In telling this story, co-writer/director Tom McCarthy takes time to reflect what bringing this story to light means for the characters and the city of Boston.  The characters, each in their own way, become personally invested in the story.  With crimes that are so sinister and so obviously swept under the rug, how could they not.  Telling it bec...

3/4 Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Jillian Bell, Lizzy Kaplan, Michael Shannon, Mindy Sterling Rated R for Drug Use and Language Throughout, Some Strong Sexual Content and Graphic Nudity When I first saw the ads for this movie, I winced.  "God, another Seth Rogen 'comedy.'"  Sometimes being a film critic rules, but when I have to sit and watch him do riffs on things that aren't even jokes, it's a real trial.  So to my surprise I found that not only is "The Night Before" not 90 minutes of Rogen shooting his mouth off and smoking weed, I actually enjoyed it. "The Night Before" is not a perfect movie by any means, but it is funny and has a sweet side.  As one might expect, it's raunchy and crude, and will have little appeal for anyone who isn't in their 20's or 30's.  It's not just because of the crassness of the humor, but it's the way in which these characters interact with each ot...

3.5/4 Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Mia Kirshner, Elias Koteas, Don McKellar, Arsinee Khanjian Rated R for Some Sexuality and Language People so rarely say what they are really feeling.  The truth hurts, and for many, the lie is simply easier to accept.  Between the lies we tell ourselves and the truth that we don't want to admit, Atom Egoyan's "Exotica" weaves its hypnotic spell. Because I do not want to give away any of the plot (it's one of those movies that slowly reveals what it's about), I will say that it's about a strip club called "Exotica," and a group of people who are, directly or indirectly, involved with it.  There's Zoe (Khanjian), who runs the place, Eric (Koteas), the DJ, Thomas (McKellar), a shy pet store owner, Francis (Greenwood), a frequent customer, and Christina (Kirshner), "Exotica's" star. Despite being primarily set at a strip club, "Exotica" isn't about sex.  Instead, it's abou...

3/4 Rated R for Language and Sexual Humor Joan Rivers' daughter Melissa said that comedians are innately insecure because they're essentially standing up on stage alone and saying "laugh."  "Laugh at me or with me, just laugh," she says.  When someone laughing at you is the goal, it's a strange one. What makes "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" is its honesty.  Documentaries work best when they confront the material head on, and Joan bares it all.  Not literally, thankfully, but this is definitely n ot a vanity project.  She is open about her struggles, her fears, and her insecurities.  It's at times heartbreaking to watch, but always compelling. The film follows Joan for a year in her career.  She's in a bit of a rut, with all of the places and opportunities being booked by other, more "hot" comedians like Kathy Griffin (who appears in this documentary).  But Joan understands that that is the nature of show business.  Som...

1.5/4 Not Rated (probable R for Strong Graphic Violence) In my experience, anime movies come in two flavors: excellent (" Spirited Away ," " Grave of the Fireflies ," etc.) and horrid (" Tekkonkinkreet," " Dragonball Z: Resurrection: F ," etc.).  The exception, of course, being Hayao Miyazaki's "lesser" efforts like " Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro " or "Porco Rosso."  They may not "work" and lack a coherent plot, but they are still endlessly imaginative and remain watchable.  The same cannot be said about the newest film bearing the "Ghost in the Shell" name.  It's a disaster. When a movie doesn't take place in our reality, be it horror, sci-fi or fantasy, the filmmakers must build its world.  They must make the setting in which the story takes place seem real, and they must explain how it functions.  If they don't, the movie won't even get off the ground.  At b...

2/4 Starring: Jack O'Connell, David Wilmot, Killian Scott, Sean Harris, Sam Reid, Richard Dormer, Charlie Murphy, Corey McKinley Rated R for Strong Violence, Disturbing Images, and Language Throughout A poor choice in director prevents "'71" from being, for lack of a better term, all it could be.  The script is pure thriller, complete with a vulnerable hero and bad to the bone villains.  However, the approach is that of "the most important movie of all time."  By leeching all of the style and excitement out of it, it's rendered almost inert. Gary Hook (O'Connell) is a British grunt whose unit has just been called into Belfast during the troubles.  On a fairly routine mission looking for guns, he ends up getting left behind.  Now he has to find a way to stay alive when just about everyone, whose motives range from benevolent to sinister, is looking for him. This is pure Hollywood.  Not that that's a bad thing.  There is just as much a pl...

4/4 Starring: Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont, Halston Sage, David Koechner, Patrick Schwarzenegger Rated R for Zombie Violence and Gore, Sexual Material, Graphic Nudity and Language Throughout Pardon my language, but there's no other way to put it: this movie kicks ass!  It has everything a person could want in a zombie movie and more.  "Scouts Guide to the Apocalypse" is scary, funny, subversive, gory and raunchy as hell (the film contains the mother of all dick jokes).  It also has one thing that no other zombie movie has even tried to have: a heart.  I cared about the characters, who are refreshingly real.  Paramount has been doing surprisingly little to market this movie.  It's a shame, because this is a gem of a movie.  So you can bet I'm going to do all I can to help. The three heroes are Ben (Sheridan), a normal teenager, and his two best friends, the sex-obsessed Carter (Miller) and the chubby Augie (Morgan)....

3.5/4 Starring (voices): Joseph Lawrence, Billy Joel, Cheech Marin, Dom DeLuise, Natalie Gregory, Robert Loggia, Bette Midler Rated G For a long time, before the billion dollar movie obsession took hold of Hollywood and they bought Marvel and Pixar, the Walt Disney Company was known for its regular output of splendid family animated movies.  While their 1988 film, "Oliver & Company," isn't at the level of their greatest works, it's magic is hard to resist. A little kitten (Lawrence) is waiting in a box on the streets of New York City, hoping that someone will pay the five dollars and bring him home.  Alas, even after his brothers and sisters have gone, he is left all alone.  By chance, he meets the super suave Dodger (Joel), who shows him how to get food.  However, he neglected to tell the feline that the stolen hot dogs wouldn't be split.  Feeling screwed, the kitten follows Dodger home to his pack of dogs, and his owner, Fagin (DeLuise).  Fagi...

3/4 Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Bruhl, Matthew Rhys, Emma Thompson, Uma Thurman, Matthew Rhys Rated R for Language Throughout I've always wondered what it would be like to cook in a restaurant.  I can't cook to save my life, so that's not a future that's open to me.  But I do wonder.  Many films, like "Ratatouille" and "Mostly Martha" (and its American remake, "No Reservations") have peeked behind the curtain.  But if this movie is anything to go by, it's better to be waiting at your table than cooking it.  Chefs are temperamental, perfectionist monsters and woe betide anyone who doesn't cook something perfectly. There's nothing in "Burnt" that hasn't been done before (many times in fact).  But that means little since it's done well.  This isn't a great movie, but for what it is, it's entertaining. Adam Jones (Cooper) was a kitchen legend until his vices destroyed everythin...

3.5/4 Starring: Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid, Elizabeth Moss, Bruce Greenwood, Stacey Keach Rated R for Language and a Brief Nude Photo What makes Cate Blanchett such a force to be reckoned with as an actress is not her talent (which is astonishing), but her gutsiness.  Blanchett always throws herself into her work, be it light fluff like "How to Train Your Dragon 2" or heavy Oscar-bait movies like " Blue Jasmine " (for which she won her second Oscar...the first, and thus far only, Australian actress to do so).  "Truth" is without a doubt one of the latter, and much of its success is because of Blanchett. Dan Rather (Redford) is the host of "60 Minutes" for CBS.  He's joined at the hip by his producer Mary Mapes (Blanchett), who has come into some information about then-President George W. Bush.  Someone has documents that show that someone pulled strings and got Bush into the Texas Air National Guard, an...