Mike's Movie Tips

3.5/4 Starring: Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, Ana de Armas, Kevin Pollack, Jonah Hill Rated R for Language Throughout, Drug Use and Sexual References "War Dogs" is about two guys who stumbled into the American dream: luxury, drugs, and lots of money.  That there business is arms dealing makes no difference to them.  They see a business opportunity and milk it for all its worth.  But for every rise, there is certain to be a fall. David Packouz (Teller) is, in his own words, "lost."  He dropped out of college after one semester, doesn't speak to his parents, and is working as a massage therapist.  His girlfriend Iz (de Armas) is supporting him in his new endeavor, selling Egyptian cotton sheets to retirement homes, but it's not going well.  Then at a funeral for a friend, he sees his best friend growing up, Ephraim Diveroli (Hill).  Ephraim is selling weapons and ammo to the U.S. military, and offers David a position to help.  With reservations,...

2/4 Starring: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Souleymane Sy Savane, Michael Shannon, Madeline Carroll, Kathy Baker Rated R for Violent Content including Disturbing Images, Language, Some Drug Use and a Scene of Sexuality I was working at a local art house movie theater when this movie was released.  I saw it once with a date but I didn't review it because I had missed the opening few minutes, and as a personal rule, I never review a movie unless I've seen it from beginning to end.  My thoughts on the film haven't changed much now that I've seen all 129 minutes of it: good ideas, poor focus. Sam Childers (Butler) has just been released from prison.  He expects to return to his stripper wife Lynn (Monaghan) and daughter and resume his old life of drugs and motorcycles.  But Lynn found Jesus and quit stripping.  Despite her urging, Sam falls back into the same life that got him in trouble in the first place.  After a run-in with a nasty drifter than ...

3.5/4 Starring: Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Stephen Lang, Daniel Zovatto Rated R for Terror, Violence, Disturbing Content, and Language including Sexual References "Don't Breathe" works.  Let's just get that out of the way.  It's tense and scary, and contains more than a few surprises (at least one of which approaches the level of shock in " Seven ").  The performances are uniformly strong and it avoids common traps of the genre.  It's easy to believe that these events could plausibly happen. Rocky (Levy), Alex (Minnette), and Money (Zovatto) are three friends who commit petty crime to make ends meet.  Unlike most thieves in horror movies, these guys are smart.  "No money and a ten thousand dollar limit," Alex warns them.  They know that going over that limit is grand larceny with a ten year sentence.  They only rob houses that have the security system from a company that Alex's dad works at, since they know the ins and outs of i...

2.5/4 Starring: C. Thomas Howell, Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh Rated R (probably for Strong Violence/Gore and Language) "The Hitcher" should be a great little horror movie.  The lead is likable, the villain is the definition of malevolence, the editing is crisp and the director has the ability to generate tension with ease.  The problem?  It's stupid.  The script by Eric Red is written at such a brainless level that the hard efforts of the cast and director become futile. Jim Halsey (Howell) is driving from Chicago to San Diego.  But it's late at night and he's on the verge of falling asleep at the wheel.  Coffee and cigarettes aren't cutting it anymore.  So when he spots a man on the side of the road looking for a ride, he picks him up with the hopes that at the very least, the guy will keep him awake.  Big mistake.  Jim gets a bad feeling about this guy, who calls himself John Ryder (Hauer), almost immediately, and it isn...

3.5/4 Starring: Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Veronica Cartwright Rated PG-13 (probably for Terror/Violence) Birds. Not exactly a particularly frightening creature.  Lions (" The Ghost and the Darkness "), I get.  Snakes (" Anaconda "), definitely.  But birds?  Not really.  I mean, I did have one or two creepy experiences (a blackbird would attack little kids who walked by its tree at summer camp and during college a particularly aggressive goose would go into an aggressive stance as I walked by), but that's it.  Leave it to Alfred Hitchcock to find a way to make seagulls and pigeons scary. Melanie Daniels (Hedren) is waiting to purchase a bird for her tightly wound aunt (she plans to teach it some "four letter words" before her aunt returns from Europe).  While there, she runs into a lawyer named Mitch Brenner (Taylor) who remembers her from some newspaper headlines.  There's a spark, and she goes...

2.5/4 Starring: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, Anthony Heald, Myra Carter, Catherine Keener, Amy Morton Rated R for Strong Perverse Sexuality and Violence, and for Strong Language When it was released, "8mm" was notorious for its violence and depravity.  Seventeen years later, it's still dark and perverted, but when movies like " Fifty Shades of Grey " make millions, it's not nearly as shocking.  This is a film noir murder mystery (as film noirs tend to be) that lacks only in atmosphere and a satisfying conclusion. Tom Welles (Cage) is a private investigator known for his thoroughness and especially his discretion.  One day he gets a call from a wealthy widow.  Sensing connections to wealthier clientele and financial security, Welles leaps at the chance.  The woman, who goes by the name Mrs. Christian (Carter), has looked into the safe of her recently deceased husband and found a disturbing item: a short 8mm film th...

1.5/4 Starring (voices): Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera, Nick Kroll, David Krumholz, Edward Norton Rated R for Strong Crude Sexual Content, Pervasive Language, and Drug Use I don't think it is against the ethical code of a film critic to admit, or even feel, that was not excited to see this movie.  I posted on Facebook that I felt like I was walking down death row to my execution.  Having still not quite recovered from the trauma of witnessing " Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising ," I think that feeling this way, especially if I admit it, is fair. The good news is that "Sausage Party" isn't as bad as "Neighbors 2."  The bad news is that I'm comparing it to one of the worst, most self-indulgent "movies" (I won't devalue the form by calling it as such) ever made, that's not necessarily a compliment.  "Sausage Party" is more dull and pointless than "bad."  It's too lazy to be as unwatchable as th...

3/4 Starring (voices): Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Scary Images, Action and Peril I went into this movie fresh.  I didn't know what it was about, but more importantly, it came without any baggage.  It's not based on a book, a comic, or an old TV show.  It's not a remake/reboot/reimagining/whatever Hollywood is calling it now.  It's free of any internet hype from  internet fans pre-disposed to loving it or hating it because it has/doesn't have their favorite characters.  Or that it exists at all.  In other words, it's allowed to do what it should be able to do: fail or succeed on its own terms. "Kubo and the Two Strings" is a good, but not great, stop-motion animated fantasy.  It consistently looks great and has some humorous moments, but the film lacks a strong set-up, a clean script and a confident director.  All in all though the film contains more pluses th...

2.5/4 Starring: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg Rated PG-13 for Brief Suggestive Material People may say I couldn't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing. -Florence Foster Jenkins That mentality is what made Florence Foster Jenkins so interesting.  She's an eccentric old bat who loves to sing, despite the fact that syphilis caused so much damage to her body that she can't hit a single note on key.  The result is like fingernails on a chalkboard, which made her an infamous joke.  She was the Jerry Springer of opera. Florence Foster Jenkins (Streep) is a wealthy socialite living in New York City.  Her husband is St Clair Bayfield (Grant), who loves her but has a girlfriend (or girlfriends) on the side.  Since Madame Florence has syphilis, she is okay with this (or at least letting herself be blind to it).  She lives for music, and loves to sing.  Slight problem...when she opens her mouth to belt out an aria, it's enough ...

1.5/4 Starring: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham Rated R for Some Strong Violence, Language Throughout, and Brief Sexuality "Hell or High Water" is so laid back that it's comatose.  There's nothing wrong with low-key thrillers (I've liked more than a few of them), but those movies had real screenplays, strong direction and most importantly, a deliberate pace.  "Hell or High Water" makes a pass at all three requirements, but achieves none of them. Toby Howard (Pine) robs banks with his wild card, ex-con brother Tanner (Foster).  The two of them have a foolproof plan to get away with it, which impresses the lawman on their tale, a laid-back Texan named Marcus Hamilton (Bridges).  Still, it's only a matter of time before Marcus catches up with them. I recently watched " Heat " again, and it's obvious that director David Mackenzie has used that for inspiration (that and the underrated " Set it Off ")....

2/4 Starring: Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan, Charlotte Le Bon, Anna Geislerova, Toby Jones Rated R for Violence and Some Disturbing Images The central question one must ask when reviewing "Anthropoid" is whether or not three great scenes can redeem an additional 90 minutes of crap.  Gene Siskel was fond of saying that a good movie must contain three great scenes and no bad ones.  Well, "Anthropoid" has three great ones, but plenty of scenes that are lame or don't work at all. After Czechoslovakia fell to the Third Reich shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Hitler sent in Reinhard Heydrich to quell the resistance.  His ruthlessness earned him the nickname "The Butcher of Prague."  The Czech government in exile, which had fled to England, sends in a number of soldiers with a single mission: eliminate Heydrich, regardless of the cost.  The film follows two of the parachutists, Josef Gabcik (Murphy) and Jan Kubis (Dornan), as they develop a ...

2.5/4 Starring: Robert DeNiro, Wesley Snipes, Ellen Barkin, John Leguizamo, Benicio del Toro Rated R for Strong Language and Some Intense Violence I remember seeing a storyline in one of my favorite comic strips, "FoxTrot," where the nerdy Jason and his equally nerdy friend Marcus are given the task of handling to audio-visual detail for in class movies.  The first movie shown is called "The History of Grain," and during the film, the class looks in all directions since sound is coming from every which where.  His teacher, Miss O'Malley, admonishes them for it, claiming that their set-up would have been appropriate for a multiplex but not an in-class film. I thought of that little storyline while watching "The Fan" because it's a psychological thriller directed with enough flair and verve to fill two action movies.  By their nature, these films are rather low-key and cerebral, relying on character development and acting to generate tension....

2.5/4 Starring: Renee Zellwegger, Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Tom Everett Scott Rated R for Language We have a peculiar ability to go after those who deny us affection with single-minded zeal that borders on obsessive.  When someone says "not good enough," we try harder.  And harder.  Even when doing so causes us to alienate those who truly love us.  I don't know why, but we all do it in one way or another.  Maybe it's some sort of "survival of the fittest" mechanism that was left over from when such things actually mattered. The Gulden family lives in that part of New England that you see in the pages of Better Homes and Gardens and the dusty libraries of out of the way bookshops.  There's a chill in the air that makes you wear a turtleneck but at the same time makes you feel nostalgic.  In other words, it's Norman Rockwell's playground updated for 1987.  Ellen (Zellwegger) can't stand either of her parents.  Her mother Kate (St...

3/4 Starring: Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Hope Davis, Dominic Garcia-Laredo, Stanley Tucci Rated R for Strong Violence, Language and Some Sexuality/Nudity One of the most interesting people in Hollywood is Jason Statham.  Or at least I think so.  A professional diver turned black market salesman turned model turned actor, he certainly has the pedigree to back that statement up.  In addition to having the presence and physique to pull off an action hero role, he has quite a bit of acting talent.  Not in the way of say, Daniel Day-Lewis, but in his own way he has demonstrated a surprising amount of versatility.  Statham knows himself so well that he can use his screen image in a number of ways: he can play it straight (" The Bank Job "), parody it ("Crank") or comment on it (" Redemption ").  Few people go to a Jason Statham movie to see him do anything else but kick ass and toss out one liners, which is a shame because movies li...

4/4 Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Christina Applegate, Jay Hernandez, David Walton, Jada Pinkett Smith, Oona Laurence, Emjay Anthony, Annie Mumolo Rated R for Sexual Material, Full-Frontal Nudity, Language Throughout, and Drug and Alcohol Content It is ironic that in this day and age, the more connected we get, the more stressed out we are.  We see what everyone else is doing and we feel that if we don't keep up, we're not good enough.  To gain the extra edge, we have to do more and more and get better and better at it.  It's an understandable, if ridiculous, feeling.  I suppose no one understands that more than your average working mom.  They're expected to do everything and be everywhere while still working enough to put food on the table.  Sounds impossible?  Imagine how hard it is to live it.  Two of my best girlfriends have children of their own, and it's hard to imagine doing it at all (and I have nothing but the ut...

3.5/4 Starring: Robert DeNiro, Cybil Shepard, Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Albert Brooks, Peter Boyle Rated R (probably for Disturbing Content including Graphic Violence and Aberrant Sexuality, and for Language) How frustrating it is to want to be accepted into society but unable to do so.  We've all felt lonely or alienated in some fashion (such as adolescence), which is why we relate to Travis Bickle, a disillusioned and psychotic man who sees society as diseased and corrupt. Travis (DeNiro) is an ex-Marine suffering from insomnia.  To combat this, he takes the night shift as a cabbie, where he sees the decadence and sleaze up close (after every shift, he has to clean the semen out of the back seat).  One day he spies a beautiful campaign worker named Betsy (Shepard).  He asks her out.  The way he does so should raise alarm bells in anyone, but Betsy is intrigued.  However, he makes the mistake of taking her to a porn flick on their first date, an...

2/4 Starring: Ewan McGregor, Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccelston Rated R for Scenes of Strong Grisly Violence, and for Some Language and Nudity It's odd how sometimes in Hollywood that there are two versions of the same story with one being awful and the other being great.  An example would be " Thelma and Louise ," which was lame, and " Set it Off ," which was wonderful.  I'm not talking about remakes, which are a different breed of animal.  I'm talking about stories in general.  Given Hollywood's obsession with safe formulas, it's only natural that certain films bear certain similarities with each other, but "Shallow Grave," a 1994 British import, is startlingly similar to the criminally underrated "A Simple Plan," released four years later.  While "Shallow Grave" gets all the buzz, anyone who has seen Sam Raimi's thriller will recognize it as a far superior film. The set-up is simple: three roommates name...

3.5/4 Starring: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Miles Heizer, Emily Meade, Juliette Lewis Rated PG-13 for Thematic Material involving Dangerous and Risky Behavior, Some Sexual Content, Language, Drug Content, Drinking and Nudity-All Involving Teens Finally, there’s a movie worth going to the theaters for!  Hollywood has been suffering from a brutal year, with less tickets being bought than ever in the past 100 years.  With crap like “ Neighbors 2 ” or even “ Captain America: Civil War ” dominating the market, it’s no secret why.  “Nerve” puts an end to that drought. Vee (Roberts) is a high school student in New York City.  She’s too shy to tell her mother that she wants to go to an art school on the other side of the country and even her friends kid her about it.  After she’s turned down by a boy she likes (adding insult to injury, it’s through a third party), she decides to do something about it.  Everyone is playing a game called “Nerve,” where...