Mike's Movie Tips

3/4 Starring: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Greene, Peter Riegert, Richard Jeni, Amy Yasbeck Rated PG-13 for Some Stylized Violence Sometimes, there's only one actor who could possibly play a certain role.  While James Bond or Batman can change actors with no problem, there's only one man who could play The Mask: Jim Carrey.  With his rubber face and flexible body, Carrey was born (or is that made?) to play this role.  Indeed, director Chuck Russell said that the actor's physical abilities saved the production a lot of money because he was so agile that they didn't need to digitally enhance his movements. Stanley Ipkiss (Carrey) is the biggest doormat in Edge City.  His life is one attack on his dignity after another.  His landlord (Nancy Fish) is a shrieking harridan who gives him no end of grief.  The bozos at the garage defraud him.  Even his best friend Charlie (Jeni) doesn't take him seriously.  After what was supposed to be a night to remember at the

2/4 Starring: Daniel Craig, Colm Meaney, George Harris, Tamer Hassan, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Cranham, Michael Gambon, Jamie Forman, Sally Hawkins, Marcel Iures, Sienna Miller, Ben Whishaw Rated R for Strong Brutal Violence, Sexuality, Nudity, Pervasive Language and Drug Use The problem with "Layer Cake" is easy to identify: there's too much plot for a 105-minute movie. There were as many twists and turns in " Black Book ," and that took 2.5 hours to tell.  There's even less character development, and the actors, while charismatic and giving strong performances across the board, are forced to rely on their screen presence and ability to utter dialogue without stumbling over it.  Everyone gives it a game try, but it's all for naught.  The story makes less and less sense as it goes on and I didn't care one way or the other about any of the characters. "Layer Cake's" unnamed protagonist (Craig) is a cocaine dealer living in London.  He

3/4 Starring: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans Rated PG-13 for Violence and Terror, and for Some Thematic Material Like " The Forest ," another January horror movie that, for being a January horror movie, was better than it had a right to be, "The Boy" is what it is.  No more, no less.  It's by no means a classic, but if all you're looking for is a few cheap shocks and chills, it will fit the bill. Greta (Cohan) has just been hired as a nanny for a young boy in England.  They live in a creepy manor in the middle of nowhere but that suits Greta just fine.  So it is to her surprise that her charge is not a boy at all, but a porcelain doll.  At first, she thinks this is a joke, but the boy's parents are quite serious, and have a strict set of rules that she must follow.  Naturally, since they're not there and the "boy" is an inanimate object, she doesn't follow them.  But creepy things start happening, and Greta begins to wonder if this

3/4 Starring: Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Robert Redford, Seymour Cassel, Oliver Platt Rated R for Sexuality and Language One million dollars for a night with your spouse.  Would you do it?  The obvious answer would be no, but if you're broke and a handsome billionaire makes this offer to you, it looks mighty tempting. I love morality plays that examine all sides of an issue.  Presented effectively, they can make for riveting viewing.  In a not so strange way, I was reminded of " Into the Blue ," where a quartet of beach bums were presented with the chance to make billions if they were willing to commit some illegal (and potentially deadly) activities.  "Indecent Proposal" is a more adult film and a more low-key affair, but it is nonetheless compelling. Diana (Moore) and David (Harrelson) were high school sweethearts who eloped shortly after high school.  He's an architect and she's a realtor, and they take the chance in investing in their dre

3/4 Starring (voices):  Brittany Snow, David Gallagher, Harold Gould, Jean Smart, James Sikking, Courtney Thorne-Smith Rated G Now that I think about it, I'm wondering why animation is only used to tell fantasy stories (or in rare cases, science fiction).  It's not that it can't work with a "normal" story.  After all, that's what comics are.  But even with story that doesn't include magical creatures and places or song-and-dance numbers, animation gives it a certain life and energy that filming with cameras and actors could not give it.  It would have been entirely possible (and much easier) to film this story using conventional means.  But it would not have the same effect. Shizuku Tsukishima (Snow) is a normal 8th-grader.  She's starting to notice boys like Sugimura (Martin Spanjers), although neither she nor her friend Yuko (Ashley Tisdale) have a clue what to do about it, and is preparing to take her high school entrance exams (think SATs/A

3/4 Starring: John Krasinski, James Bage Dale, David Costabile, Pablo Schreiber, Dominic Fumusa, Matt Letscher, Alexa Barlier Rated R for Strong Combat Violence Throughout, Bloody Images and Language Michael Bay has become a popular whipping boy these days.  Considering the bloated behemoths (" Transformers " movies) he has directed and the trash he has produced (" Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ," " Ouija " and the first installment of " The Purge " franchise, although the sequel kicked ass), it's warranted.  But remember that he also directed " The Rock ," and for the most part the "Transformers" movies were stupid fun.  But let loose with a teen-unfriendly R-rating and allowed to flex his visual flair, there's no one who can top him.  This isn't a perfect film, but it is very good (at times bordering on excellent), and it should allow him to regain much of the cred that he lost with the "Transformers&q

2.5/4 Starring: Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones, Leslie Bibb, Roger Bart, Brooke Shields The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Sequences of Strong Bloody Gruesome Violence, Grisly Images involving Nudity, Sexual Content and Language "The Midnight Meat Train" starts out strong, but begins to lose its way around the halfway mark and continues to fall.  The film is by no means a waste of time, but I can't help but wish that director Ryuhei Kitamura could have sustained the tension that he constructs early on in the film. Leon (Cooper) is an amateur photographer looking for his big break.  His goal is to capture the heart of the city, but as an art dealer (Shields) tells him, he's only scratching the surface.  She tells him that when he finds something that makes him tense, he should keep shooting.  He takes that to heart that night.  A girl on the subway is being harassed by a group of thugs, and while he initially

3/4 Starring: Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Yukiyoshi Ozawa, Eoin Macken Rated PG-13 for Disturbing Thematic Content and Images Aokigahara is a densely populated forest at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan.  It is also one of the top three places for suicides.  Although it became popular as a suicide destination after the release of the novel "Black Sea of Trees" in 1960, it has a long history of death, and has long since thought to be haunted by evil spirits.  To this day, bodies are still found within it.  No wonder Cracked.com proclaimed it to be one of the creepiest places on Earth.  It's an ideal setting for a horror movie. Sarah (Dormer) has always been closer to her twin sister Jess (Dormer).  When one of them is in trouble (usually Jess), the other can sense it.  So when Sarah gets a call saying that Jess has gone missing in Aokigahara, Sarah hops on a plane to Japan.  With the help of a guide named Michi (Ozawa) and a hunky writer named Aiden (Kinney), Sar

2.5/4 Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Tom McCamus, Sean Bridgers Rated R for Language "Room," not to be confused with Tommy Wiseau's camp classic "The Room," is film about a fascinating, if disturbing, situation: what would it be like for a five year old to experience the outside world after having lived his entire life in a small room?  Although this idea has baffled many a philosopher over the years, "Room" opts for a more sensible, down to earth approach.  In this case, the child is offspring of a kidnapped woman and her captor. Jack (Tremblay) has just celebrated his fifth birthday.  His mother, Joy (Larson), is completely devoted to him and gives him all the love she can.  What is strange about their existence is that Joy was abducted by a man she dubs "Old Nick" (Bridgers) seven years ago and hasn't seen the outside world since.  Jack hasn't seen it at all.  What little he knows about the outside world

3/4 Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domnhall Gleeson, Forrest Goodluck Rated R for Strong Frontier Combat and Violence including Gory Images, A Sexual Assault, Language and Brief Nudity I was one of the few critics who did not like last year's " Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) ."  I found it to be pretentious and dull, and its arrogance towards mainstream movies was irritating and a little offensive.  I must have been the only one, since the critical consensus was hugely positive and it won the Best Picture Oscar last year (not that that means much).  So while my anticipation for "The Revenant" was measured: it looked good, so I hoped for the best, but after "Birdman" I braced myself for the worst. As far as gritty adventure epics go, "The Revenant" is a solid entry.  It's by no means a classic, but it does do what it sets out to do: present an engaging 2.5 hour thrill ride.  The film takes it

0.5/4 Starring (voices): Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Maya Kay, Colm Meaney, Bill Nighy Rated PG for Mild Rude Humor and Action I'm not a believer in karma, but I've been seeing so many excellent movies one right after the other that I knew I was "due" for a really bad movie.  "Norm of the North" is that movie, and boy oh boy, is it bad!  There's next to no humor that's actually funny, the characters range from boring to obnoxious, the plot is occasionally incoherent, and filled with plot developments that are nonsensical and stupid.  This is one of those movies where you can imagine clueless studio executives spending all their time on market research and assembling this movie from bits and pieces of other hit movies without bothering to think about whether or not they're telling a compelling story. Norm (Schneider) is a polar bear who can talk.  He's next in line for being king, but he's got the heart of a poet rath

2.5/4 Starring: Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Julia Roberts, Alan Rickman, Stephen Rea, Jer O'Leary Rated R for Violence and Language I will never make a more important film.  -writer/director Neil Jordan I believe it.  This is a story that acclaimed Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan wanted to tell.  And while passion is essential for a film to work (witness the power of " Schindler's List ," for example), it has to be effectively channeled.  Sadly, that doesn't happen here. The relationship between Ireland and England is long, complex and bitter.  700 years of oppression from the British government had built up a lot of resentment in the Irish people, but repeated attempts at independence had been met with failure.  It took Michael Collins (Neeson), a man who used guile, guts and violent guerilla tactics, to earn its independence.  However, he was no diplomat, and when tasked with negotiating a truce, he only managed to foster a deal that left many feeling dissat

3.5/4 Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson Rated R for A Scene of Sexuality/Nudity and Brief Language "Carol" is a haunting motion picture.  It draws you in and places you under its spell for the better part of two hours, and only slowly lets you go.  The performances are powerful, the writing is strong, but what really sets the film apart is the dream-like quality that the film has.  Watching it is an experience. Therese (Mara) is a young woman working at a department store.  She's aimless and doesn't really know what she wants to do with her life.  Her boyfriend Richard (Jake Lacy) wants to marry her, but she can hardly decide what to order for lunch, much less who to marry.  While working, she meets Carol Aird (Blanchett), whom she sells an expensive train set to.  After Carol accidentally leaves her gloves at the store, Therese has them returned.  As a thank you, Carol invites Therese to lunch.  The two grow close, eventually

1.5/4 Starring: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini Rated R for Strong Terror and Violence, and for a Scene of Sexuality Classifying "Opera" as a horror flick is a falsehood since it's rarely scary.  A better genre to peg it under would be comedy, since it's occasionally funny.  The problem is that it's not supposed to be.  Awkward... After an opera star's diva-like behavior ends up with her getting hit by a truck, Betty (Marsillach), her understudy, takes over as the lead.  However, Betty is nervous about making her debut in this particular opera, Verdi's "Macbeth," since it's rumored to be cursed.  Nevertheless, the show must go on and Betty makes a stunning debut.  Her newfound fame might be short-lived though, since someone is picking off members of the cast and crew. Betty would be the ideal horror movie heroine: she's adorable, has a decent set of lungs, and is capable of speaking her lines without it soun

2.5/4 Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Kristen Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth Rated R for Sexuality, Some Violence and Language Call me a romantic.  Call me a lover for nostalgia.  Call me whatever you like, but movies that look back through rose-colored glasses, especially if they're romances, strike a chord within me.  I love those huge, sprawling epics that make the heart soar.  By all accounts, I should have loved "The English Patient."  The performances are strong, the film looks fantastic, and the story is the kind of romantic saga that could only be told against the backdrop of war.  So why am I not recommending it? The lack of chemistry between the leads is a good place to start.  Although both Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas are excellent actors, they generate no heat together.  I didn't care about their romance at all, mainly because they spend so much time avoiding saying what they should say.  Their charact

2/4 Starring: Kanu Bannerjee, Karuna Bannerjee, Uma Das Gupta, Subir Banerjee, Chunibala Devi Not Rated For cinephiles, "The Apu Trilogy" by Satyajit Ray is something of a legend.  The most famous films from an under-recognized legend (many put Ray among the likes of Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa) were for a long time difficult to find in the US.  The original negatives were burned in a fire, and it was only due to the combined efforts of a number of film organizations including Criterion and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (for those of you who don't know, they hand out the Oscars) that the films were restored and able to be released.  Naturally, having heard about them through James Berardinelli's reviews, I snapped up a copy as soon as I could.  I have to say, though, I was disappointed with the first installment. There's not much of a plot to "Pather Panchali."  It's more of a slice-of-life drama about a family in Indi

3/4 Starring: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Julia Ormond, Aidan Quinn, Henry Thomas, Gordon Tootoosis, Paul Desmond Rated R for Violence, and for Some Sexuality and Language By all accounts, "Legends of the Fall" should be a grand, glorious epic on par with " Gone with the Wind ."  It has the period piece setting, the larger than life characters, the action, the adventure, the romance, the tragedy...all the good stuff.  And yet, there's something missing.  The pieces are there, but they don't quite mesh perfectly. The story, as they do in movies like this, follows the Ludlow family: William (Hopkins), the patriarch, Tristan (Pitt), the eldest child with a wild heart that cannot be tamed, Alfred (Quinn), the sensible middle child, and Samuel (Thomas), the baby of the family.  Of course, there's a woman, too.  Her name is Susannah (Ormond), Samuel's fiancée.  All three brothers fall in love with her and she for them. It is not enough to have al

3/4 Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac Rated R for Strong Brutal Bloody Violence, Language, and Some Nudity Style. It's a word that critics throw around whenever a movie looks cool or emulates the "style" of a certain genre.  For example, " Sin City " and its sequel are stylish in the sense that they are comic-book film noir in overdrive.  But in the case of "Drive," the term isn't just an adjective.  It's the focus. Everything about this movie, from scripting to acting, action to music, direction to flair, and yes, style, is carefully constructed to enhance the film's presentation.  The film values mood and tone over everything else, giving it sort of a stream-of-consciousness, dream-like quality.  That's what sets it apart from other crime films. There is a man  (Gosling) in Los Angeles who, when behind a wheel, is capable of anything.  For the right price, he&#

2/4 Starring: Edward Fox, Michael Lonsdale, Derek Jacobi Rated PG (probably for Violence, Language and Nudity) The idea behind "The Day of the Jackal," and its loose American remake " The Jackal ," is solid.  There is much suspense to be found watching a professional killer plot to assassinate a powerful man while the authorities race against time to find him.  However, neither film gets the recipe right.  Whereas the 1997 film (which Fred Zinnemann, who directed this one, begged the studio to change the title), substituted brutality and violence for suspense, the original opts for a more low-key, slow-burn approach.  As is usually the case, the original is better, but alas, not by much. After French president Charles de Gaulle grants Algeria its independence, a faction that resents the decision forms.  Calling themselves the OAS, they plot to murder de Gaulle. The first attempt fails, so they decide to hire a professional.  He doesn't have a name, but f

4/4 Starring: Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, Renan Ozturk Rated R for Language I suppose it takes a certain kind of person to climb mountains.  Being physically fit is a given.  But mentally, you gotta be a little obsessed.  And quite possibly deranged.  At least, that's my impression from movies like "Meru" and "Touching the Void." I was recommended this movie by my best friend.  It was a kind of "quid pro quo" thing: I told him to go see " Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse " and he loved it, and then he told me to see "Meru" and I loved it.  I always meant to watch it before the new year to see if it would be a Top 10 contender, but I kept procrastinating.  I dunno.  Never got around to it, I guess.  I sincerely regret it now, since it would have been on the list at number 5. The film details the trials and ordeals of three climbers: seasoned pro Conrad Anker, his climbing partner for the past decade, Jimmy Chin, and Conr