Mike's Movie Tips

2.5/4 Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Edward Ashley, Tom Holland, Angus MacFayden, Ian McDiarmid Rated PG-13 for Violence, Disturbing Images, Brief Strong Language and Some Nudity A poor choice in cinematographer casts a pall over “The Lost City of Z.”   Oh sure, there are other problems, such as flat characterizations and odd directing choices.   But the film's look, which is bleak and morose without any atmosphere, sinks the entire project.   I’ve seen many films in my time, but never one where the lighting tanked it so completely. To history and adventure buffs, the story of adventurer Percy Fawcett (Hunnam) is well known.   An army officer turned Amazonian explorer sought to find a city hidden deep within the Amazon rainforest.   Despite three attempts, he was unable to, and on the final attempt, he and his young son Jack (Holland) were never seen again. The film version of his story starts at the early point in ...

2/4 Starring: Johnny Depp, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Javier Bardem, David Wenham, Orlando Bloom Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Adventure Violence, and Some Suggestive Content Captain Jack Sparrow is one of cinema's legendary characters.  I would put him alongside Hannibal Lector ( Hopkins , not Cox ), Norman Bates, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler , and even Rick and Ilsa .  Due in no small part to Johnny Depp's performance, Captain Jack Sparrow towers over all other pirates in film history.  It's unthinkable that then-CEO Michael Eisner thought that Depp was ruining the movie with his balls-out loony interpretation of the character.  His original three appearances were first rate, but after that, the story was told.  Disney, looking to keep a cash cow running by any means possible and Depp, lured by his love of the character (although the salary of $55.5 million probably helped), returned for a fourth installment .  That was very profitable, b...

2/4 Starring: Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad, Jorge Garcia Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore, Language including Sexual References, and Some Drug Use Ah, cooties.  The predecessor of hormonal confusion.  All the awkwardness, none of the...well, you know.  I'd rather not mention that when referring to kids.  Not that it matters, since that has little to do with kids themselves.  Nor this movie, in fact.  This is a zombie comedy (without the zombies) where the villains become undead as a result of a very bad chicken nugget.  And you thought "Super Size Me" had it in for fast food... Clint (Wood) is a hack writer having returned home to Fort Chicken, IL after his career as a writer never took off.  To pay the bills, he's returning to his old elementary school as a substitute English teacher.  However, things don't turn out the way he expects: he runs into an old flame, Lucy (Pill), ...

1.5/4 Starring: Gabriel Chavarria, Demian Bichir, Theo Rossi, Melissa Benoist, Eva Longoria, Tony Revolori Rated PG-13 for Language, Some Violence, Sensuality, Thematic Elements and Brief Drug Use I've often said that I go easier on films that try to do something different.  Even if they aren't perfect or don't quite work, I'll give them credit for going against the grain.  However, the reverse is true.  If a film takes no chances or settles for routine, I'm tougher on them.  If a movie plays it safe, it has to bring something new to the table (such as good storytelling, acting, etc., like in " Blood Diamond ").  However, if you clearly ignore interesting possibilities in your story or waste talents of your actors in playing it safe, that's when I turn hostile. Such is the case of "Lowriders," an urban drama that seeks to meld a dysfunctional family yarn with an underdog story.  In addition to being routine on both counts, it does bot...

3/4 Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Callie Hernandez, Demian Bichir Rated R for Sci-Fi Violence, Bloody Images, Language and Some Sexuality/Nudity By the time "Alien: Resurrection" was released in 1997, the story of Ellen Ripley and her unending battle with the xenomorphs had been played out.  The franchise had worn out its welcome (I'm not counting the "Alien vs. Predator" movies since no one saw them and none of the fans or creators from either franchise consider them to be part of their respective canons).  But in 2012, Ridley Scott, the director of the original " Alien ," released " Prometheus ," a prequel of sorts that breathed new life into the franchise, taking it into a more philosophical direction.  That film was born of questions about identity and man's place in the universe, rather than scares and gore (although it had a bit of both).  While it was well received, it left a ...

3.5/4 Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, John Cena, and the voice of Laith Nakli Rated R for Language Throughout and Some War Violence And the moral of the story is...you don't need a big budget to make a good movie. If you're thinking of " The Great Wall ," don't.  That movie was awful.  This one is great.  Primarily because it understands that there is more to making a movie than throwing special effects at the screen.  This is not an ambitious picture, but it's efficiently made and well-executed. Isaac (Taylor-Johnson) and Matthews (Cena) are two snipers trying to outfox an opponent who has just slain a number of contractors.  Believing the coast to be clear, they check out the scene but are shot at by an unseen sniper.  Both are wounded, especially Matthews, who is on the verge of bleeding out.  Isaac has found refuge behind a wall, but his attempts to call for help are thwarted by the enemy sniper (Nakli), who hears his every word.  No...

1.5/4 Starring: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes, Joan Cusack, Tom Bateman, Christopher Meloni, Oscar Jaenada Rated R for Crude Sexual Content, Brief Nudity and Language Throughout "Snatched" is what this movie did to my life.  Because I decided to watch this movie, 90 precious minutes of my life were stolen by this turkey.  90 minutes doesn't seem like much in terms of a lifetime, but when you spend it watching a movie this bad instead of, say, cleaning the toilet, you get a little pissed.  As much as I wanted to, I stayed so I could review it and encourage you to stay away from this dud.  I hope you're happy. Admittedly, the filmmakers picked the wrong plot for a comedy.  Tourists getting kidnapped by locals for nefarious purposes is a very real threat in some areas of the world.  Turning this into a comedy would require a deft touch, something that Jonathan Levine does not possess.  There is a constant sense of whiplash ...

2.5/4 Starring: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, Anna Paquin, William Baldwin Rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Graphic Dialogue and Language You wouldn't believe how many people are surprised that my parents are still together.  With the divorce rate at 50%, I guess it makes sense.  Whether or not this is something that should alarm me, I have yet to figure out. "The Squid and the Whale" isn't the first film to deal frankly with divorce, nor will it be the last.  But its no-frills, melodrama-free approach sets it apart from all the others.  This is an independent film in the truest sense of the word; shot on digital video and made for a paltry sum of $1.5 million, this was never destined to be shown in the multiplex.  That it is not entirely successful further cements this. The Berkmans are separating.  Bernard (Daniels) and Joan (Linney) will split custody of their two sons, Walt (Eisenberg) and Frank (Kline).  Plus...

2/4 Starring: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Shanice Banton, Jeremy Irons, Carice van Houten, Barnaby Metschurat Rated PG-13 for Thematic Elements and Language The title "Race" is a plainly obvious double meaning on the film's conflict: a track race and racial tension.  Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?  And the film as a whole is written with that amount of depth: it wants to be deep and substantial, but consistently underestimates the intelligence of the audience.  This isn't a bad movie, just a hopelessly routine one. Director Stephen Hopkins (never one to make movies of substantial quality) seems more interested in dotting every t and crossing every i than creating three-dimensional characters or telling a compelling (or coherent) story.  The list of clichés he employs reads like a list of greatest hits from Sports Movie 101.  Let's count them down, shall we? -Period piece setting complete with sepia tone: check -Talented but naïve c...

1.5/4 Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Eric Bana Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Violence and Action, Some Suggestive Content and Brief Strong Language While one can debate which weekend signaled the exact start of the 2017 summer movie season, there's no doubt that it's in full swing now.  That means we get movies that place more emphasis on marketing and special effects rather than plot or good writing.  With "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword," Warner Bros. is hoping for a new franchise.  While making a projection on its box office success (or lack thereof) on the night before its official opening may seem a bit premature, trust me when I say this: it ain't gonna happen.  Especially when audiences realize what a dog this movie is.  Warner Bros. apparently knows too, since marketing has been minimal and the buzz is negative. Like most franchise starters, this is an origin story (here's a novel idea:...

1.5/4 Starring: Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Alice Eve, Malin Ackerman, Julia Stiles, Glen Howard, Chris Marquette Rated R for Language, Violence, and Some Sexuality/Nudity You'd think I'd learn.  A few years ago I watched a movie I found available at a grocery store, of all places, called " The Stone Merchant ."  It starred Harvey Keitel and F. Murray Abraham and it was available for cheap, so I bought it.  And it was awful.  So here is "Misconduct," a legal thriller starring acting titans Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins, up-and-coming leading man Josh Duhamel and lady Alice Eve, and reliable character actors Malin Ackerman and Julia Stiles.  Surely it had to be a diamond in the rough, right?  That would be a no. A pharmaceutical company is being sued after one of its drugs caused the deaths of hundreds of people.  A hotshot lawyer named Ben Cahill (Duhamel) wants to lead the case when an old flame, Emily Hynes (Ackerman), comes to ...

3/4 Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Kurt Russell, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Action and Violence, Language and Brief Suggestive Content Anyone who reads my reviews on a regular basis knows how tired I am of the superhero genre.  In fact, many of you probably think that I hate the entire genre.  This is not the case; I was excited for this movie and I can't wait to see "Thor: Ragnarok," since the thought of Cate Blanchett vamping it up and participating in some serious action scenes makes it hard to wait for November).  I just can't stand the bad ones where fan service and loyalty are used as a crutch for lazy screenwriting and pedestrian direction.  This is why I was disappointed by " The Avengers " and " Logan ," for example, while I love Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy.  Although miles away from Christ...

2/4 Starring: Radha Mitchell, Joanne Crawford, Rupert Graves, Robert McElhinney Not Rated (Probable R for Disturbing Violent Content including Grisly Images and Rituals, and for Brief Language) I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to find a movie like "Sacrifice" on Netflix.  It has a formula plot, adequate performances and pedestrian direction.  It is also plagued by plot holes that only increase in size and quantity the longer the film goes on.  The film is only 90 minutes long, which I guess I should be thankful for.  I won't say I was ever truly bored, but I will say that this is not a good movie. Dr. Tora Hamilton (Mitchell) is an obstetrician living in New York.  When a medical emergency prevents her from having children, she and her husband Duncan (Graves) relocate to rural Scotland to be with his family.  She can resume her practice with less hustle and bustle, and with the help of her in-laws, she and Duncan can adopt a child and raise a...