Mike's Movie Tips

 3.5/4 Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova Rated R for Pervasive Strong Crude and Sexual Content, Graphic Nudity, and Language "Borat" seemed to come out of nowhere.  Although it was one of three characters created by Sacha Baron Cohen for "Da Ali G Show," he was still a cult comic.  Definitely not mainstream (the film wouldn't have worked if he was).  When the film was unleashed in 2006, the buzz was rapturous.  He was an overnight sensation and the talk of town.  Everyone had to see it.  And did.  In fact, it was so popular that he retired the three characters that he created as he could no longer trick people.  Now, he has brought him back. The success of Borat  generating laughs requires two things: shock value and surprise.  What made "Borat" such a smash is how far it was willing to go.  Raunchy humor and sociopolitical satire were not new territory for film at the time.  Far from it.  But by using a fic...

 2/4 Starring: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones, James McArdle, Fiona Shaw, Alec Secareanu Rated R for Graphic Sexuality, Some Graphic Nudity and Brief Language The difference between a good performance and a great one is that in a good performance, an actor says their lines the way they are meant to be said.  In a great performance, they use their body language to enhance their line delivery.  Even a twitch of the mouth or the position of the brow can make all the difference. I make this distinction because this is how well thought out Kate Winslet's portrayal of paleontologist Mary Anning.  Winslet burrows herself deep inside her character.  Winslet the actress is as glamorous and charismatic as she is talented, but Mary is the opposite.  She is brittle, awkward and resolutely asocial.  Human connections are something she does not allow herself.  But there are times when she succumbs to passion and it shakes her carefully ordered solitud...

 1.5/4 Starring: Anjali Gauld, Lynden Prosser, Benjamin Niewood Not Rated (probable PG for Some Scary Images) Is it too much to ask that a movie tell a coherent story? When I watch a movie, I generally want to be told a story.  Character studies are okay, but they have to be both interesting and fully developed.  "Children of the Sea" has neither of these things.  The plot took about five minutes to lose me, and the characters aren't given much more depth than a name. What is this movie about?  Hell if I know.  It starts out promisingly with a young girl names Ruka (Gauld) starting her summer vacation off on the wrong foot when she gets revenge on a bully who tripped her by breaking her nose.  It effectively presents her as an awkward, alienated teenager.  Then she goes to the aquarium where she spent time as a kid and her parents work.  That's when things fall apart spectacularly.  For the next 90 minutes it's a lot of hooey.  Ther...

 2.5/4 Starring: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi Rated R for Language, Some Sexual References and Drug Use "Uncle Frank" is a would-be three hanky movie filled with every gay movie cliche in the book.  I can almost count them on my hand.  The bigoted parents, the liberated sibling, big city vs country bumpkins, the misuse of the Bible, and so on.  This is the kind of movie that I praised " Giant Little Ones " for not being.  I don't mind that the film covers familiar material.  Virtually everyone in the LGBTQ community has lived through them in one way or another.  What disappoints me is how they're used in such a slapdash manner.  You can almost predict the PC lines before they're read by the actors. Beth (Lillis) has always loved her worldly uncle Frank (Bettany).  He respects her mind in ways that no one else in her family does.  They talk literature together and he encourages her to follow her dreams.  So she goes t...

 2/4 Starring: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl Rated R for Strong Brutal and Bloody Violence, Some Graphic Sexuality, Language and Nudity When you watch "Eastern Promises," you wonder where this movie went wrong.  Usually when you have a bad movie, it's easy to place the blame.  The actors are miscast, the film was hacked apart in the editing room, or maybe it was just a bad idea from the start.  Not so with "Eastern Promises," a film that should be fantastic but is instead stuck in neutral from beginning to end. Consider now what the movie has going for it.  A-listers Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts.  The irreplaceable Armin Mueller-Stahl.  And the always colorful Vincent Cassel.  Behind the camera is the quirky David Cronenberg.  And they're all working from a screenplay by Steven Knight, who would go on to write and direct beneath-the-radar gems " Locke " and " Redemption ."  That's a lot of talent...

 3.5/4 Starring: Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightly, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupaum Kher, Shaheen Khan, Archie Panjabi, Juliet Stevenson, Frank Harper Rated PG-13 for Language and Sexual Content Few films are as deliriously delightful as "Bend it Like Beckham."  With a smart script, sparkling performances and a light touch from director co-writer/director Gurinder Chadha, this ode to football (er, soccer) and girl power is hard to resist. Jess (Nagra) is mad for football.  Her room is decked out in Manchester United gear and has a shrine dedicated to David Beckham himself (she even asks his picture for advice).  And she plays it in the park with friends every chance she gets.  There, she is spotted by Jules (Knightly), who plays for the minor league team, the Harriers, and invites her to try out for the team.  Joe (Rhys Meyers) sees that she's got some serious moves and offers her a spot on the team.  Now she's having the time of her life.  There's ju...

 1.5/4 Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige Rated R for Language, Some Sexual Content and Brief Violence That "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is adapted from a stage play should come as no surprise to anyone.  This movie exists on dialogue and performances alone.  It's a big risk, filming a version of a play like this. And it did not pay off here. Putting a play directly onto the screen generally isn't a good idea.  Theater is a different medium than film, and as such must be translated to fit the new medium.  What works on stage doesn't necessarily work on screen.  Chadwick Boseman has two monologues that are clearly meant to be spoken directly to the audience.  On stage, it would be riveting.  But on film, it's laughable. The set-up is simple.  Ma Rainey (Davis), the "Mother of the Blues" is in New York to make a recording.  She is a diva to the extreme, demanding and stubborn. ...

 3.5/4 Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Dimple Kapadia Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, Some Suggestive References and Brief Strong Language Christopher Nolan is the top filmmaker working today, and I have no qualms about saying so.  No other filmmaker has a more consistent track record of excellence.  Not Spielberg, not Scorcese, not Miyazaki.  No one.  Unlike many cinematic auteurs, Nolan is at home in blockbusters.  Using practical effects and stunts over CGI and green screen work, the British filmmaker has made a name for himself as a director who can engage the mind and the spirit.  So when he announces the release date for a new film bearing his name, it's a date to mark on the calendar and one of the few occasions to reserve IMAX tickets ahead of time.  "Tenet" was easily the most anticipated movie of 2020.  Then COVID-19 hit. Nolan is a famously secretive f...

 1.5/4 Starring: Gaby Hoffman, Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Ashleigh Ashton Moore, Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell, Melanie Griffith, Rita Wilson Rated PG-13 for Adolescent Sex Discussions I'm a sucker for nostalgia.  I admit that.  Movies like " The Sandlot " tug at my heartstrings despite the varying levels of quality (okay, "The Sandlot" is in fact awesome, but you get my point).  "Now and Then" tries to mine similar territory but with much less success.  Moments of genuine feeling are rare in this movie.  Far more common are scenes that come across as awkward, contrived or not remotely believable. Samantha (Moore), Roberta (O'Donnell), Teeny (Griffith), and Chrissy (Wilson) made a pact during the summer of 1970 to always be there for each other.  Now, they've reunited to support Chrissy as she gives birth to her first child. But these scenes actually just bookend the film.  The real meat of the story is what happens during that "speci...

 3.5/4 Starring: Gabriel Basso, Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Owen Asztalos, Hayley Bennett, Freida Pinto Rated R for Language Throughout, Drug Content and Some Violence Ever since Donald Trump won the presidency four years ago, it has become fashionable for sociologists, political junkies and lay people to "understand" rural America.  I myself began to do this after reading an article from Cracked.com explaining why and how rural America propelled Trump to the White House.  I'm not kidding.  Reportedly, J.D. Vance's memoir, upon which the film is based, is more honest and critical of Appalachian culture and values than the film is.  Presumably, director Ron Howard didn't want to alienate a sizable portion of the audience.  But is it not true that in order to understand something you have to know the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of it?  And isn't it it hypocritical to expect a film about a culture that, for four years has decried (not unreasonably) the ...

 3/4 Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh, Ty Mitchell, Hal Holbrook Rated R (probably for Terror/Violence) The appeal of "The Fog" is purely visceral.  The only reason to watch it is to admire the spooky special effects and the growing sense of terror and dread that John Carpenter is uncannily skilled at creating.  Aside from that, the film comes up short.  The screenplay is weak with a poorly communicated backstory, and the characters are thinly sketched.  But this is a horror movie, and the most important thing is that it delivers on that level.  So if you're looking for some chills and thrills, this movie delivers the goods. It's the centennial celebration of Antonio Bay, a small seaside town in California.  It's a normal slice of Americana, the kind of place you visit while on summer vacation.  And it's populated by relatively normal people.  Stevie Wayne (Barbeau) is a young single mom who works hard at the radio station ...

 3/4 Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Carroll Lynch, Frank Langella, Jeremy Strong, Ben Shenkman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Rated R for Language Throughout, Some Violence, Bloody Images and Drug Use Aaron Sorkin's films, through writing and now directing, have always been dense.  They are very dialogue heavy and the actor's speak them with rapid fire energy.  This can be seen in movies such as " A Few Good Men ," "Charlie Wilson's War," and in particular, "The Social Network."  Never has that been more true than in "The Trial of the Chicago 7," which is inarguably the most important film that has come out in 2020.  This is actually the film's biggest problem.  As much as I admire him for not talking down to his audience, it's overstuffed.  There are at least a dozen central characters, each with their own personalities, ideas and perspectives.  It's too much for a movie that...

 3/4 Rated PG-13 for Images and Thematic Issues for War and Destruction Typically, war films feature soldiers and battles.  The examples are numerous, from "Platoon" to " Saving Private Ryan ," and "The Longest Day" to " Dunkirk ."  Rarely, but not often, we see other perspectives.  Spy thrillers like " Black Book " and its alter-ego " Lust, Caution ," romances like " Casablanca " and " Allied ," to guerrilla fighting like " Ride with the Devil " and "We Were Soldiers."  The home front is touched upon in films like " Mrs. Miniver ," but due to the misconception that such a setting is limited, it's not addressed frequently (although the after effects of war have been tilled in many films).  What's interesting about "The Fog of War" is that it offers a viewpoint from a unique perspective: the secretary of defense. "The Fog of War" is a war film in the ...

 3.5/4 Starring: Dong-won Gang, Jung-hyun Lee, Do-yoon Kim, Kyo-hwan Koo, Min-Jae Kim, Re Lee, Ye-Won Lee, Hae-hyo Kwon Not Rated (probable R for Strong Violence/Gore and Some Language) 2016's " Train to Busan " was what Roger Ebert called a "bruised forearm movie."  It made you grab the forearm of the person sitting next to you.  There wasn't an original moment in it, but it was efficiently made with a lot of energy and some peak thrills.  It was the kind of movie destined to become a cult hit, and sure enough, it made a big enough splash at the box office to warrant a sequel. Four years have passed since the Korean Peninsula became overrun with the undead.  Those who managed to escape the outbreak, like ex-soldier Jung Seok (Gang) and his brother-in-law (Do-yoon Kim), are barely scraping by in Hong Kong, where everyone is too terrified to even serve them food.  Their fortune changes  when some Chinese gangsters come to them with an offer that is too ...

3/4 Not Rated (probable PG-13 for Brief Language) So the question remains: just how did a Stanford dropout manage to create a company that, within 10 years, grew to a $10 billion value, only to have it come crashing down a few years later?  It's an interesting question, and the story of Theranos is so fascinating and so bizarre that it's difficult to accept any answer as satisfactory.  Acclaimed documentarian Alex Gibney argues that it was the need to be a part of something extraordinary and a culture where deception was not frowned upon, but rewarded. Indulge me for a minute.  You remember going to the beach with your beloved uncle.  Laughing and having a great time.  Then you remember that your uncle gets sick with skin cancer.  The cancer spreads to his brain and he dies.  What would you do to prevent that from happening again?  Elizabeth Holmes found a way.  With just a tiny drop of blood, you can get all the information you need to catch...

1.5/4 Starring: Kanto Shimokura, Debo Akibe Not Rated (probable PG-13 for A Disturbing Ritual) Can the old ways survive into modernity?  I mean, can the traditions that bind a community and a culture survive against the influence of the current world?  Certainly globalization has its perks, and the exchange of ideas has led to an increase in wealth, the rise of technology and critical thinking.  But no one claim that with an increasingly homogenized society, much is being lost.  Is it possible for the ancient traditions to be relevant in our world? Debo (Akibe) thinks so.  Despite the tourists greatly outnumbering the actual members of the Ainu community, he insists on keeping the culture alive.  Kanto (Shimokura) isn't so sure.  His small town is stifling him and he longs to get out.  He and his friends are more interested in sports and music than the rituals that the members of his community perform for the tourists.  It appears to be a los...

 3/4 Starring: Josh Hamilton, Ayesha Dharker, Asif Basra Rated PG-13 for Some Sexual Content What "Outsourced" lacks in skill, it makes up for in charm.  Co-writer/director John Jeffcoat turned down offers for his screenplay so he could direct it himself, and it shows in the amateurish nature of the direction.  But it's hard to deny the fact that this film will inspire a few good laughs and a lot of silly grins. Todd Anderson (Hamilton) is having a very bad day.  His boss (Matt Smith) calls him into the office for a deal that he literally cannot refuse.  The call center job he has is being outsourced, and if he wants to stay employed, he has to go to India to train his replacement.  So off he goes, and immediately finds himself in over his head in a place where being left-handed is considered bad form and a cow that wanders into the office is thought of as odd to no one but him.  His task of getting calls down to six minutes seems hopeless, but he make...

 2.5/4 Starring: Eddie Murphy, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan-Michael Key Rated R for Pervasive Language, Crude Sexual Content and Graphic Nudity Bringing the story of Rudy Ray Moore, a blaxploitation pioneer and comic whose profane prose eventually evolved into rap (Moore was later dubbed "The Godfather of Rap"), to the screen has been a dream project for Eddie Murphy.  It's not hard to see why.  Both are charismatic and profane showmen who are most at home with raunchy, anti-PC material.  A biopic of Moore never materialized until Netflix offered Murphy his chance.  The result is a film that features Murphy in top dramatic form but feels overlong. Rudy Ray Moore (Murphy) knows he was made for bigger things.  That's why he moved to LA to hit it big.  But success of any kind in showbiz remains elusive.  Genius strikes him when he realizes that there is money to be made making jokes that are considered improper or indecent....

 2/4 Starring: Keanu Reeves, Chris Evans, Forest Whitaker, Cedric the Entertainer, Hugh Laurie, Terry Crews, Naomie Harris Rated R for Strong Violence and Pervasive Language "Street Kings" is one of those movies you start forgetting as soon as the end credits roll.  It's too good to be bad and too bad to be good.  It moves, is somewhat involving and contains enough action to keep viewers from going to sleep, but I'll be very impressed with myself if I can remember much of it in a week's time. Detective Tom Ludlow (Reeves) is a bad cop.  He throws back vodka shooters in the car, he is as profane as a cop can be, and willingly murders anyone he considers a "bad guy."  The only reason he still has a badge and is not in jail is because his superior, Captain Jack Wander (Whittaker) is on hand to clean up his messes.  Now, Lud has something new to worry about: an internal affairs officer named Briggs (Laurie) is itching to put him away, and his ex-partner Wash...

 3/4 Starring: Radha Blank, Peter Kim, Oswin Benjamin, Reed Birney Rated R for Pervasive Language, Sexual Content, Some Drug Use and Brief Nudity In the heart of every artist is a need for self-expression.  It is overpowering even in the face of logic and common sense.  It is something they must do, regardless of whether or not they have any talent.  I speak from experience.  I wrote stories throughout high school (none of which were any good) and run a film review site that no one reads.  I pay money to sit through shit like " The Grudge ," copy-and-paste MCU movies and Seth Rogen's latest ego trip just so I can say what I think about them.  It doesn't get me anything and costs me a great deal of money, but you know what?  It's mine.  It's my site, and I'm putting my thoughts and feelings out there.  It doesn't get me money or a boyfriend, but it is validating. Like me, Radha is a writer.  Unlike me, she has talent.  She was ...

 2/4 Starring: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Lucile Watson, Phyllis Povah, Paulette Godard, Mary Boland Not Rated (Probable PG for Sexual Material) It's all about the women...And their men! Okay, fine.  That's the tagline for "All About Eve," another movie about deceit, backstabbing and all other sorts of treachery.  Unfortunately, despite a cast to die for and a well-respected director, "The Women" is a bit of a mess.  Actually, it's a big mess. "The Women" details the comings-and-goings of New York City's high society women.  They spend money as fast as their husbands can make it and gossip about the love lives of the people they know.  Mary Haines (Shearer) is the center of this milieu.  She is happily married to Stephen, has a beautiful daughter, and enough money to ensure that all her material needs are provided for her.  Then her friend Sylvia Fowler (Russell) gets a bombshell: Stephen is having an aff...

 2/4 Starring: Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Pena, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Canada, Joe Morton, Miriam Colon, Matthew McConaughey Rated R for Brief Language, Sex and Violence John Sayles's "Lone Star" seeks to be more than a murder mystery.  So while the quest to solve the mystery of a long ago murder is ostensibly what the film is about, it's just the starting point.  Sayles is really interested in the people who, in one way or another, are touched by the murder and the buried secrets that are unearthed. Charlie Wade (Kristofferson) was once the sheriff of Rio County.  He was a corrupt monster and a murderer.  Anyone who disobeyed him or got in his way was lucky to escape from his sight alive.  So when he disappeared, the town breathed a sigh of relief.  The only one to stand up to him was his underling, Buddy Deeds (McConaughey), who famously threatened to expose him (or kill him) if he didn't leave town.  Wade vanished without a trace soon after that....

 1/4 Starring: Rosamund Pike, Sam Reilly, Aneurin Barnard, Simon Russell Beale Rated PG-13 for Thematic Elements, Disturbing Images, Brief Nudity and a Scene of Sensuality "Radioactive" is an embarrassment.  I regret having seen it.  It is an insult to Marie and Pierre Curie because it has no respect for them as people or their contributions to the world of science.  What should be a fascinating look at a scientific field they pioneered is instead a hack job by a lousy screenwriter and an incompetent director. I don't know if I've ever seen a biopic that is this incoherent and chaotic.  I can't even begin to tell you what it's about because I'm not sure the movie does either.  Ostensibly it's about Marie Curie (Pike), her husband Pierre (Reilly) and their discovery of radiation.  But this compelling material is largely jettisoned in favor of bad melodrama and an array of half-baked ideas.  Most of what happens is not explained or happens so sudden...

 3/4 Starring: James Badge Dale, Emily Mortimer, Bruce Greenwood, Max Martini, Cory Hardict, Clayne Crawford Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Combat Action "Spectral" takes the concept of "suspension of disbelief to heights that far surpass even an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle would have gone.  It's loud, moves fast and is more than a bit dumb.  But it has a lot of energy and some nifty special effects.  Plus it has James Badge Dale headlining his first action movie and the always welcome Emily Mortimer.  Nuff said. Clyne (Dale) is a genius inventor.  Like Nicola Tesla level of genius.  He has invented a new kind of goggles worn by the military, which is not working to prevent a civil war in Eastern Europe.  A soldier captured something very strange on his feed before dying mysteriously.  The CIA, represented by Fran Madison (Mortimer) and the military, led on the ground by General Orland (Greenwood), want to find out why and how ...

 3/4 Starring (voices): Brandon Engman, Ashley Boettcher, Lee Pace, Alison Brie, Riz Ahmed Rated PG-13 for Suggestive Material, Some Violence and Language "Weathering with You" ultimately works because it takes its subject matter and its characters seriously.  It expects that the audience will accept that a girl can change the weather by praying.  If you're willing to accept that, the film is a success. Hodaka (Engman) has run away from home.  He has gone to Tokyo, which is experiencing strange weather phenomena.  It is always raining, or about to rain, and there are puddles of water that float in the sky only to drench unlucky pedestrians passing under them.  At first, it is slow going and without a place to stay and no legal way to obtain a job, Hodaka is resigned to sleeping in the streets.  Salvation comes when he reunites with Keisuke Suga (Pace), a carefree layabout he met on the ferry, offers him a job at his bizarre underground magazine, and Hi...