Mike's Movie Tips

2/4 Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons, Kirsten Dunst, Mahershala Ali, Glen Powell Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Some Language Biopics have become a genre, and their subjects have become brands.  Some have been amazing (I count "Schindler's List" as one of the greatest films ever made), while others aren't.  But like sequels, they're considered cash cows to bring in an easy buck.  "Hidden Figures" at least has its heart in the right place, but this is by-the-numbers filmmaking. Katherine Johnson (Henson) is a brilliant mathematician.  Growing up a child prodigy, she ended up working for NASA.  With her co-workers Dorothy Vaughn (Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Monae), we see them persevere through racism and sexism to become some of the most brilliant minds that NASA has ever seen. The problem isn't with the story.  It's the manner in which it is assembled.  Every character has their o...

2/4 Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Bill Murray, Lisa Marie, Jeffrey Jones Rated R for Some Strong Language Tim Burton has an obvious love affair for oddball outcasts.  "Edward Scissorhands," "Beetlejuice," " Sleepy Hollow ," "Big Fish," the list goes on.  I suppose it makes sense for him to be drawn to notorious hack director Ed Wood, whose movies were awful enough to gain a cult following in the vein of MST3K or "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."  Despite never making much money and having an utter lack of talent, Wood made movies by any means possible.  And I mean any. Edward D. Wood Jr. (Depp) would like nothing better to do than to make movies.  Unfortunately, with no connections and no experience, not even a Z-list producer like Georgie Weiss (Mike Starr) will take him seriously.  However a chance meeting with has been horror icon Bela Lugosi (Landau) nets him a job making a sle...

2/4 Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Shawn Roberts, Boris Kodjoe, Kim Coates Rated R for Sequences of Strong Violence and Language You know, for a movie franchise based on video games that essentially defined the "survival horror" genre, the "Resident Evil" movies aren't scary.  Nor, in fact, do they try to be.  At least I don't think so.  They're all about kicking zombie ass and looking totally stylish while doing so.  There's nothing wrong with that per se, it's just, well, they're not at all like the games (based on my limited experience).  I probably wouldn't even mention it if the films were any better, but alas they are at best (" Resident Evil: Apocalypse ") stupid fun.  "Resident Evil: Afterlife" can't rise to that level, but at least it's better than the previous entry (the less said about that movie, the better). After taking down the Umbrella Corporation's facility...

1.5/4 Starring: Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney, Scott McNairy, Octavius J. Johnson, David Harbour, T.I., Gabrielle Union Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout I'm going to make a mental note and reserve a spot for "Sleepless" on my Bottom 10 of 2017.  With its pedestrian direction, flat performances, and cocaine-addled camera, there's nowhere else it could end up.  If there are 10 movies between now and December 31 that are worse, well, it's going to be a very long year. The film opens with a duo of corrupt cops, Vincent Downs (Foxx) and Sean Cass (T.I.) stealing a considerable amount of cocaine.  What they don't know is that they've stolen it from casino mogul Stanley Rubino (Mulroney), who is moving it for the notorious Novak family.  Rubino has Vincent's son Thomas (Johnson) kidnapped, the message being the obvious one: deliver the coke or else.  But Rubino is sweating bullets too; the Novaks have sent the boss...

2.5/4 Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Alex Wolff, Themo Melikidze, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher O'Shea, Rachel Brosnahan, Jake Picking Rated R for Violence, Realistically Graphic Injury Images, Language Throughout and Some Drug Use I remember the Boston Marathon bombings.  I wasn't glued to my TV or phone watching it happen minute by minute like they show random people doing in movies like this, but I knew what was going on.  It was really surreal, watching the city of Boston go on lockdown.  It was almost like a real-life movie.  Of course, making a narrative feature out of an event that everyone knows inside and out is challenging for a director who wishes not to bore his audience.  Peter Berg tries his best, but the results are decidedly mixed. The city of Boston is gearing up for the famous, annual marathon.  Disgraced cop Tommy Saunders (Wahlberg) is irked at the fact that he has to do patrol for the event, especially with...

1.5/4 Starring: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Cleo King, Jenna Kanell Rated PG-13 for Terror, Horror Violence, Bloody Images, Sexual Content, Thematic Elements, Partial Nudity, Some Language and Teen Drinking Don't think of a pink elephant in a tutu! You thought of one, didn't you?  Don't worry, I'm not holding it against you.  It's how our brains are wired.  "The Bye Bye Man" seeks to use this as the gimmick for scares, but it does so in a slapdash fashion.  The concept, where being scared of the villain gives him more power and telling someone about it spreads it like a virus, has promise.  But the screenplay is in desperate need of another run through the computer.  Or two. Elliot (Smith) is a college student who has just signed a lease on a house with his girlfriend Sasha (Bonas) and lifelong best friend (Laviscount).  After the housewarming party, Sasha's psychic friend Kim (Kanell) performs a séance that ends badly....

3.5/4 Starring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, May Robson, Charles Ruggles, Walter Catlett, George Irving Not Rated (probably G) It's a common truism that comedies tend not to age well.  Whether through changing cultural norms, a lack of relevance in topical humor, or the ever evolving nature of comedy, what made a person laugh 75 years ago will probably bore today's audiences to tears.  That's not the case with "Bringing Up Baby," which is easily one of the smartest, quickest and funniest comedies I've seen in a long time. The set-up is simple, which befits a screwball comedy like this.  David (Grant) is a museum researcher vying for a $1 million dollar grant for his research.  The missing bone that he needs to complete the brontosaurus he's been putting together for the past four years is arriving tomorrow, which is the day he is going to get married.  While he's trying to schmooze the donor's lawyer, Mr. Peabody (Irving), he's consta...

4/4 Starring: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Issei Ogata, Liam Neeson, Yosuke Kubozuka, Ciaran Hinds Rated R for Some Disturbing Violent Content There is a certain type of person that sees the world in black and white.  They take everything they see on either faith or fact (which for them are often the same thing).  They are certain of everything and unshakable in their convictions.  Such is the case with more than a few people who regularly post on the American Family Association's Facebook page.  "Silence" takes two people of this mindset and challenges them and their views from all fronts.  I'm surprised that this film hasn't been met with a storm of controversy.  It's certainly more provocative than " The Da Vinci Code " or " South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut ." A Jesuit priest working to spread the faith in mid-1600's Japan, Father Ferreira (Neeson), has just denounced God in the public square.  His two pr...

2.5/4 Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Ed Skrein, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand, and the voice of Stefan Kapicic Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout, Sexual Content and Graphic Nudity That "Deadpool" turned out to be one of the sleeper hits of last year doesn't surprise me.  Obviously, that it comes from Marvel Studios is a big plus, since almost everything they put out turns into box office gold (much to my displeasure).  It's irreverent and raunchy, which is another good sign.  And it was one of the best marketed movies of the year.  But more importantly, it knows exactly what it is.  There are no sacred cows and no rules that the film won't break.  Suffice it to say, there's nothing quite like it. Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is an ex-soldier turned muscle for hire.  With a quick wit and a love of pop culture, he endears himself to the similarly sharp-tongued Vanessa (Baccarin).  After a year of dating ...

0.5/4 Starring (voices): Martin Short, Jim Belushi, Annie Golden, Tim Curry Rated G I can think of only two possible audiences for "The Pebble and the Penguin:" those who pass the time by eating paste and those who have undergone frontal lobotomies.  This is the most idiotic, brain-dead animated movie I've seen since " Norm of the North ."  Granted, that was almost exactly a year ago, but I have to admit that this piece of crap isn't quite as aggressively obnoxious as last year's stinker. The film uses real behavior of the adelie penguin.  Considering the final result, they should sue.  Male adelie penguins choose their mates by offering the female a pebble.  If she accepts, they mate for life.  Shy, stuttering penguin Hubie (Short) has the hots for Marina (Golden) and she for him, but he can't get the courage to give her a pebble.  Since Hubie and everyone else knows that Marina loves him, you would think that he would be able to figure out ...

2.5/4 Starring: Ben Affleck, Chris Messina, Zoe Saldana, Remo Girone, Chris Cooper, Elle Fanning, Robert Glenister, Sienna Miller, Brendan Gleeson Rated R for Strong Violence, Language Throughout, and Some Sexuality/Nudity "Live by Night," is too ambitious for its own good.  While that's admirable and almost always preferable to the contrary, it doesn't negate the fact that the movie doesn't work.  Almost, but not quite.  The number of elements that director/screenwriter/star Ben Affleck tries to put into a movie that stretches barely over two hours is extraordinary: the mob (Irish, Italian and Cuban), the KKK, religious revivals, people coming back from the dead, romance, the rise and fall from grace, theological questions, police corruption and prohibition, among others.  It would try the talents of great directors like Martin Scorcese or Francis Ford Coppola (both of whom have tackled similar material with better results).  And while I applaud Affleck f...

Human interaction is complicated.  I don't think anyone can dispute that.  What we say isn't always what we mean, and particularly when you're getting to know someone, a lot of guesswork and risk is involved.  You never know if you're going to say the wrong thing, or if they're going to misinterpret what you say.  With the rise of technology, face to face interaction has become less relevant, and with less practice, people are less likely to reach out and meet new people (yes, there are studies that show this).  This is also probably what has made political correctness such a hot topic, but that's for another argument. The "Bro Code," or any sort of bonding between male (or female) friends, is not a new phenomenon.  Shakespeare's "Love's Labors Lost" is a bro-comedy.  Hell, you could even say that Jesus Christ and his disciples were "bros."  It's not a new thing to film either.  Movies like " Porky's " an...

2.5/4 Starring: Thomas Jane, Damien Lewis, Morgan Freeman, Timothy Olyphant, Tom Sizemore, Jason Lee, Andrew Robb, Donnie Wahlberg Rated R for Violence, Gore and Language "Dreamcatcher" doesn't work.  Let's get that out of the way.  While there are some effective moments and some intriguing ideas, co-writer/director Lawrence Kasdan can't make them all fit into one cohesive whole.  If a movie is like a completed jigsaw puzzle, "Dreamcatcher" would be one with a few pieces off to the side. Henry (Jane), Beaver (Lee), Jonesy (Lewis) and Pete (Olyphant) have been best friends for twenty years.  In addition to growing up in Derry, Maine, the four share something else together: they are telepathically linked.  Through the gifts of their friend Duddits (Robb), the four can read minds and can find anything with ease.  They also have (literal) libraries of all their memories.  One night after Jonesy nearly dies after being hit by a car, the four friends ...

3.5/4 Starring: Renee Humphrey, Alicia Witt, William R. Moses, Leslie Hope, Ania Sull Not Rated (Probable R for Strong Language including Explicit and Disturbing Sexual Dialogue, and for a Scene of Vicious Violence) "Fun" is extremely disturbing, and that is perhaps the highest possible compliment that I can give it.  Rafal Zielinski's 1994 film is ironically titled; this is not a pleasant film to watch.  It's tough and unforgiving, but for those who venture in, the rewards are immense. Hilary (Humphrey) and Bonnie (Witt) are two girls who in the space of a few hours, have become lifelong best friends.  Of course, their relationship is anything but healthy.  They meet by accident, but their personalities are such that when they meet, it's an instant connection.  They feed each other's mania, which escalates from the sharing of secrets to a brutal murder. The film tells two stories.  One is Hilary and Bonnie meeting and the resulting even...

3.5/4 Starring: Lu Lu, Lopsang Rated R for Strong Sexual Content China's Cultural Revolution, or The Great Leap Forward, is one of many eras of history that is ripe with dramatic possibilities.  True or not, there are many films waiting to be told about that era in Asian history.  Most likely due to skittishness about casting a film without a white actor in it, Hollywood has shied away from it.  Those who are interested in the period are forced to turn to China itself in telling these stories.  There are a few, such as " Farewell, My Concubine ," " The Red Violin " (which is Canadian, but never mind) and " Coming Home ."  Add Joan Chen's "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl" to that list. Wen Xiu (Lu Lu), or Xiu Xiu, as she is known, is a young 15 year old girl living in the city of Chengdu.  Like many girls her age (that don't have money or connections to get out of it), she is sent away to begin work training.  She's studying ra...

3.5/4 Starring: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, C.J. Wilson, Kyle Chandler, Michelle Williams, Heather Burns, Gretchen Mol, Matthew Broderick Rated R for Language Throughout and Some Sexual Content Note: I didn't see the entire film.  I walked in a few moments after the opening credits had started, meaning I missed the first 30 seconds.  I normally don't review movies when I haven't seen the film in its entirety.  But I asked another viewer and he said I didn't miss anything.  Technically I shouldn't be writing this review, but the film is too good to get overlooked.  There, my confession is done. The 30-something man child is a comedy staple.  Characters in a state of arrested development have been the heroes of comedy for generations.  In recent years, it's taken off.  From Chris Farley in " Tommy Boy " to the early Adam Sandler movies to " Ted ," it's pretty much a given that in any comedy, the goals of every male character are se...

3/4 Starring: James Purefoy, Pete Postlethwaite, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Alice Kirge, Max von Sydow Rated R for Violence Throughout For a movie found in the discount Blu Ray bin at Best Buy, "Solomon Kane" is a better movie than it has a right to be.  It is well-acted, the special effects are splendid and it doesn't overstay its welcome.  True, it's not hard to understand why it wasn't released in theaters, but home viewing is always less demanding, so it's fitting to watch it at home. Solomon Kane (Purefoy) is the worst sort of person.  Pirate, mercenary, murderer...all are words that can be used to describe him.  After sacking an Arabian castle, the villain finds himself face to face with the Devil's Reaper (Ian Whyte).  Apparently, if you enter into a life of crime, you make an unconscious deal to give him your soul.  And he's come to collect Solomon's.  Naturally, he refuses and flees back to London, finds God and enters into a monastery.  W...

As I said in my previous post, 2016 was not a good year for movies.  Low quality, low ticket sales, low excitement.  That doesn't mean there weren't good movies to be found.  There were quite a few that were a three-and-a-half or above.  You just had to know where to look.  Most were mid-to-low budget movies that put more of an emphasis on quality rather than being easy money.  Classics are made by people with passion and a willingness to take chances. 10. I'm Not Ashamed .  I did not expect to like this movie.  In fact, I was astonished at the fact that someone could have the gall to make this movie.  Evangelical Christianity playing the victim card in " God's Not Dead " and its miserable sequel was bad enough, but exploiting one of the victims of the Columbine massacre?  Unforgivable.  Fortunately, that was not the case.  The filmmakers had too much respect for Rachel and what she stood for.  They had the courage to l...