Mike's Movie Tips

3/4 Starring: Katherine Heigl, Nick Stabile, Jennifer Tilly, Gordon Michael Woolvett, John Ritter Rated R for Strong Horror Violence and Gore, Some Sexual Content and Brief Drug Use The " Child's Play " franchise has always been a mix of horror and black comedy, combining scares with dark one-liners (the best of which was Chucky's famous "Fuck you" in the original.  The franchise always leaned more toward the slasher genre, but after " Scream ," such a decision would be seen as behind the times.  To rectify this, creator Don Mancini and director Ronny Yu opt for the latter.  It's violent and gory as you might expect, but if there's a scene that isn't played tongue-in-cheek, I missed it. It turns out that Charles Lee Ray, aka the Lakeshore Strangler (Dourif), had a girlfriend before he used voodoo to enter the body of a Good Guy doll.  Her name is Tiffany (Tilly), a blonde bimbo with a similar penchant for violence and murder.  S...

3/4 Starring: Justin Whalin, Jeremy Sylvers, Perrey Reeves, Travis Fine, Dakin Matthews Rated R for Horror Violence and Language Ah, the slasher movie.  I admit that I smile to myself when I see all the familiar conventions: the false start before the scare, the cheap shocks, the camera that inches closer to the next unfortunate victim.  The "Chucky" franchise has always been reliable for a decent 90 minutes of cheap scares, but it's also worthy for it's black comedy.  Chucky, voiced as usual by the always deranged Brad Dourif, always has plenty of profane one-liners to throw about.  On that level, you really can't say no to this movie. After the events in the first two massacres, the company behind the Good Guy dolls decides to put the infamous toy back on the market.  By accident, Charles Lee Ray, aka Chucky (Dourif), is resurrected and seeks to find Andy (Whalin), whom he needs to return to a human form.  Andy, having been bounced from foster hom...

4/4 Starring: Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring Not Rated (probable PG for Mild Sensuality and a Brief Disturbing Image) Love or career?  It's a question that everyone, in their own way, has to decide upon.  How do you find the balance between your work and your personal life?  Everyone struggles to find the correct balance, but few (especially these days with constant connectivity and economic insecurity) ever achieve it. Victoria Page (Shearer) is a ballerina who has just attended a ballet by the legendary Lermantov company.  She meets the head of the company, Boris Lermantov (Walbrook), who initially rebuffs her when her aunt invites him to watch her dance at the after party.  He thinks she wants to get noticed but she just likes to dance.  He's impressed by her attitude and credentials and invites her to train with his company.  She quickly rises through to ranks to become a major star.  Also a newcomer is Julian Caster (Gor...

3/4 Starring: Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, Nicol Williamson, Theresa Randle, D.B. Sweeney, Miko Hughes Rated R for Violence and Crude Humor "Spawn: Director's Cut" is a hit-and-miss affair, but at least it hits more often than it misses.  There are some big problems, like a ridiculous story that never finds the right tone and some cheesy special effects, but it has an intriguing premise and some nice performances.  And a villain that's a cross between Pennywise from " IT " and something from the Farrelly brothers. Al Simmons (White) is a mercenary working for a man named Jason Wynn (Sheen).  What he doesn't know is that Wynn has, quite literally, made a deal with the devil.  You see, Heaven and Hell have been waging a war since time immemorial, and the Prince of Darkness (known as Maleboglia and voiced by veteran voice actor/special effects sound man Frank Welker) wants to launch a massive assault on the Pearly Gates.  To do t...

3/4 Starring (voices): Ellen Blain, Paige Gosney, Ben Gregory, Michael Crawford, Elizabeth Moss Rated G I have fond memories of putting in the tape for "Once Upon a Forest" into the VCR and being enchanted by the story.  All these years later, it hasn't stood the test of time, but it remains charming and entertaining.  Those looking for a nostalgia trip would do well to revisit this film.  Or if you have kids, then they'll like it too. Three animal children, or furlings, are going on a trip with their teacher, Cornelius (Crawford) and his niece, Michelle (Moss).  They are the tomboy mouse Abigail (Blain), the chubby hedgehog Russell (Gosney) and the timid mole Edgar (Gregory).  While on their trip, a gas truck blows a tire and overturns, leaking gas and poisoning the village.  Michelle impulsively runs into her home to check on her parents and becomes gravely ill.  Cornelius tells them that they have to find a new meadow in order get the herbs ...

3/4 Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Sofia Boutella, Simon Pegg, Idris Elba Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Action and Violence The best action movies start with the story and build the action scenes around it.  The lame ones start with the action scenes and use the story to fill in the blanks.  The "Star Trek" reboot and its sequel, " Star Trek into Darkness " were a lot of fun because J.J. Abrams remembered that.  He left the series in the directing capacity (but stayed on as a producer) to work on "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," leaving director Justin Lin to take his place.  Lin broke out with the highly regarded indie flick "Better Luck Tomorrow," but then turned his attention to "Fast and the Furious" franchise. "Star Trek Beyond" is a disappointment.  That doesn't mean it's a bad movie, because it's not.  It does what it sets out to do: provide a thrilling two hours with some old friends.  ...

3/4 Starring: William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowell, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, Jonathan Stark Rated R (probably for Vampire Violence and Gore, Language and Some Sexuality) "Fright Night" is like " Kick-Ass " or " Shoot 'Em Up ."  It wants to be a genre movie while at the same time winking at its clichés and genre conventions.  While not as clever as "Kick-Ass" or as action-packed as "Shoot 'Em Up," "Fright Night" is still a lot of fun.  It's spooky, it's funny, and has some perfectly gruesome makeup. Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) is your average teenager.  He isn't the best student and would rather cut class than go, has a girlfriend named Amy (Bearse) who isn't ready to sleep with him, and watches too much TV, especially "Fright Night," a "Creature Double Feature"-ish show hosted by "vampire killer" Peter Vincent (McDowell).  Charley has a new neig...

3.5/4 Starring: Tyrin Turner, Jada Pinkett Smith, Larenz Tate, Charles S. Dutton Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Drug Use and Pervasive Language There is a sense of pent-up unease that permeates "Menace II Society" that gives the film its edge.  It's a sense of frustration, anger, and futility that makes it easy to understand what drives the culture of violence in the inner city community, especially when it comes to young black men. But this isn't a maudlin cry for sympathy.  The film was directed by the immensely talented Hughes Brothers, who are black and grew up in a similar environment.  They don't ask for sympathy for their characters nor do they condemn them.  The protagonist is likable but makes a number of bad decisions with his life (and has to pay for them).  Instead, they seek to explore what drives this cycle of violence.  Liberal viewers will cite a culture of racism and police brutality while conservatives will claim that they onl...

1.5/4 Starring: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth Rated PG-13 for Supernatural Action and Some Crude Humor I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of these new "comedies" that seem almost entirely composed of endless riffs on jokes rather than a screenplay.  I watched the original 1984 classic a week ago and was surprised at how effective it is.  It's still hilarious and creepy.  But that's because its stars were working with a real script, and while there was certainly improvising, they kept their riffs to a line or two.  Here, it's like watching a group of stand-up comics shooting their mouths off without knowing when someone said the punchline. This "Ghostbusters" is a reboot rather than a sequel or a remake.  It ignores the other films except for the obligatory callbacks and cameos (and there are plenty of both).  The story outline is pretty much the same, only there's less of a pl...

3/4 Starring: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson, Joseph Julian Soria, Betty Gabriel, Edwin Hodge Rated R for Disturbing Bloody Violence and Strong Language It's rare that we get a horror movie that provokes thought.  Most are mindless ghost stories or brainless gorefests.  "The Purge" franchise (with the exception of the first one , which I'm going to pretend doesn't exist) does.  I'm not talking Stanley Kubrick or anything, but it does get you thinking about morality and the psychological drives of violence.  I enjoy that aspect of these two movies, although the implication that a significant portion of the U.S. population is psychopathic and will sadistically torture and kill anyone they can find (if allowed to do so) is a little scary. Despite saving the country from economic ruin, the annual Purge, a 12 hour period where all crime (including murder) is legal, remains controversial.  Some support it with an almost religious zeal....

0.5/4 Starring: Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza Rated R for Crude Sexual Content, Language Throughout, Drug Use and Some Graphic Nudity There is a scene in this movie that I want to tell you about.  As everyone who has seen the trailer knows, the four protagonists and the bride and groom go on an ATV ride where the bride gets creamed by an ATV wheel and thus half her face looks like road kill.  After spending 30 seconds listening to her and the high strung maid of honor worry about how her face looks, Adam Devine says it looks horrible.  And he says it again, this time in a different way.  And he says it again, in a different way.  Then Zac Efron comes on and spends another 30 seconds trying to make her feel better.  This whole scene, which is essentially a single joke, takes up about 2 minutes. Does anyone actually find this schtick funny?  I like good improv, but when it’s done by someone who doesn’t know what they a...

1.5/4 Starring: Chris Farley, David Spade, Tim Matheson, Christine Ebersole, Gary Busey, Bruce McGill Rated PG-13 for Crude Language and Humor, Drug-Related Material and Sexual Innuendo A movie like “Black Sheep” is what happens when no one involved in the creative process is on the same page.  To say that it had a troubled production history is to understate matters.  Paramount had totally underestimated the appeal of “ Tommy Boy ” and wanted a sequel of sorts (these days, Chris Farley and David Spade would have been contractually obligated for two sequels before there was an underlying premise).  Farley wanted it to be a dramedy about an aspiring governor played by Tim Matheson and his enthusiastic but bumbling brother (played by Farley, of course).  Director Penelope Spheeris didn’t think that David Spade, who played the aide assigned to keep Farley out of trouble, was funny at all.  To that end, he cut out most of his scenes and she ended up leaving...

2/4 Starring: Scott Bakula, Famke Janssen, Kevin J. O'Connor, Joel Swetow, Daniel von Bargen The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Strong Violence and Gore, and for Language and Sexuality I suppose that there is a dark side to everything.  Movies that cause us joy were a nightmare to make.  Artists that we love are the biggest jerks in real life.  Religion gives us hope and peace but at the same time gives birth to violent zealots who think they can dictate the life and death of innocent people.  In Clive Barker’s “Lord of Illusions,” magic has the same duality.  Illusion provides entertainment, but real magic is a nightmare to behold.  It’s an intriguing concept to be sure, but an underwritten screenplay and a miscast lead turns it into a gory mess. “Lord of Illusions” is based on a short story that Barker wrote and features his famous character Harry D’Amour, played here by Scott Bakula...

2.5/4 Starring (voices): Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Albert Brooks, Dana Carvey, Ellie Kemper Rated PG for Action and Some Rude Humor The life of a pet seems simultaneously perfect (who hasn't wanted to spend the entire day sleeping?) and depressing (it must be a very boring life when each day consists of eating and sleeping and a trip to the dog park if you're lucky).  The new film from Illumination Entertainment, who created the "Despicable Me" franchise, explores what pets really do when their owners are off at work or school. The influence of "Toy Story" is hard to deny, but it's only similarity is at the basic concept level.  Unfortunately while "Toy Story" was fun and heartfelt, "The Secret Life of Pets" comes up short even on its own merits.  This is another animated movie where the concept and marketing appear to have been of more importance to the filmmakers than the writing and v...

3/4 Starring: George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu Rated R for Strong Violence and Gore, Language and Nudity Watching "From Dusk Till Dawn," I got the sense that everyone involved in the project was enjoying themselves immensely making it.  From frame one, it's played with its tongue firmly planted in cheek.  This an extremely silly horror movie.  And I mean that as a compliment. Bank robbers Seth (Clooney) and Ritchie Gecko (Tarantino) are two brothers on the run from a bank robbery gone bad.  The "cool under pressure" Seth and psychopathic Ritchie are heading to Mexico to live in paradise.  To cross the border without getting caught, the two hijack the RV of an ex-preacher named Jacob Fuller (Keitel) and his two children Kate (Lewis) and Scott (Lir).  The crossing is a success, and they go to the meeting point where the Gecko brothers will be picked up by some friends.  The meeting place is an out of th...

2.5/4 Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali, Bill Tangradi, Christopher Berry, Sean Bridgers, Thomas Francis Murphy, Jacob Lofland Rated R for Brutal Battle Scenes and Disturbing Graphic Images The problem with "Free State of Jones" isn't what's on screen, it's what isn't.  The film has all the evidence of being a workable (if unspectacular) film, but the editing appears to have been done with a meat cleaver.  Subplots are raised and dropped with alarming frequency, characters appear and disappear at random, and the film (the second half in particular) is an unfocused mess.  Still, the performances are effective and the battle scenes are assembled well. Newt Knight (McConaughey) is a nurse in the Confederate army.  He cares enough for his patients that he will claim that they are of a higher rank than they actually are so they will see the doctor first.  When a neighbor boy (Lofland) is killed in battle, he becomes disillusione...

2.5/4 Starring: Gong Li, Chow Yun-Fat, Jay Chou, Ye Liu, Dahong Li, Man Lie, Jin Chen, Junjie Qin Rated R for Violence On the basis of its visual appeal, "Curse of the Golden Flower" is a flat-out masterpiece.  It looks gorgeous.  Every costume, every set, every image busts with color and detail.  It's positively striking; a sumptuous feast for the eyes.  If only the same thing could be said for the screenplay. Trouble is brewing in ancient China.  The Emperor (Yun-Fat) has returned to The Forbidden City to celebrate the Chrysanthemum Festival with his family.  However, the relationships between the family members are anything but cordial.  The Emperor has been treating the Empress (Li) for anemia, but that's just a smokescreen.  He really does it to control her, and has recently begun insert poison into her "medicine."  She is carrying on an affair with her stepson, Prince Wan (Liu), who in turn is in love with the doctor's daughter ...

1.5/4 Starring: Blake Lively Rated PG-13 for Bloody Images, Intense Sequences of Peril, and Brief Strong Language You know a movie is in trouble when you are thinking more about everyone except the leading lady who is present in every scene.  You know a movie is in trouble when you get so bored you bring logic into a movie that doesn't want it.  You also know a movie is in trouble when a movie that has all the right ingredients is still a sleep aid. By all accounts, this should have been a great thriller.  It's got a gorgeous heroine, who wears a bikini, is wet for 99% of the movie, and is smart and resourceful rather than a wimpering idiot.  The premise is gripping in a completely visceral way, and it's got a director who has done some good work in the past ("Run All Night" narrowly missed my Top 10 list last year).  But despite all that's going for it, it's actually a real trial. Nancy (Lively) is a surfer going to a remote beach in Mexico....