Mike's Movie Tips

3/4 Starring (voices): Justin Briner, Clifford Chapin, Dani Chambers, Maxey Whitehead, Johnny Young Bosch Rated PG-13 for Violence and Language Sometimes a film critic must do something difficult.  He (or she) must sacrifice his ego and admit to liking something he didn't think he would when he started it.  I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing about the "My Hero Academia" anime, but hoping for the best.  Or at least something different than a generic superhero movie that we seem to get every time I go to the theater.  But when it started, my heart sank as it seemed to be a movie on par with the crap on afternoon TV that gives anime a bad name and is only loved by four year olds and nostalgia junkies.  But then something strange happened.  I started to get invested.  I cared.  And I felt genuine tension.  Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. In the world of "My Hero Academia," everyone is a superhero.  Human ...

3/4 Starring: Margot Robbie, Ella Jay Bosco, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Chris Messina Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout, and Some Sexual and Drug Material "Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn" is as off-kilter an action movie as its zany anti-heroine.  It's loud, it's colorful, it's definitely warped, and it is fun.  It isn't anything special, but it delivers the goods. Harley Quinn (Robbie) has just been dumped by her boyfriend, the Joker.  To announce this to the world, she decides to blow up the ACME chemical plant (she always gets her best ideas while drunk, or so she claims).  However, that puts her in the crosshairs of some dangerous people since she was considered untouchable as the Joker's squeeze.  Like Roman Sionis (McGregor), who uses her to try and find a diamond with the account of a vast mob fortune hidden inside.  Also in the mix are a m...

4/4 Starring: Elizabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Michael Dorman, Harriet Dyer, Oliver Jackson-Cohen Rated R for Some Strong Bloody Violence, and Language It's been a good long while since I've seen a movie that has scared me as badly as "The Invisible Man."  Movies that are truly scary don't come along that often, so it's been a while.  When was the last one?  " The Nun ?"  " The Conjuring 2 ," certainly.  Both of those movies had their moments (such as the first meeting of the Demon Nun in the latter film), but when it comes to two hours of pure, unadulterated terror, Leigh Whannel's new film beats them hands down.  Evidently, Whannel has learned something from his friend and filmmaking partner James Wan. The film opens with a bang (even the opening credits, where the titles are created by waves, are eerie).  Cecilia Kass (Moss) is trying to escape from her sleeping boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Jackson-Cohen).  It's a s...

3/4 Starring: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, Susan Kelechi Watson Rated PG for Some Strong Thematic Material, A Brief Fight, and Some Mild Language I suppose it's no wonder that there has been a resurge of interest in Fred Rogers of late.  With the surge of scandals, violence and increasingly bitter politicization of every facet of our culture, the gentleness and compassion of Mr. Rogers seems like a light in the dark.  Although Rogers died in 2003, people still fondly remember his message of understanding and love. Actually, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" isn't really about Fred Rogers (Hanks).  He's just a supporting character.  The film's center is a journalist named Lloyd Vogel (Rhys), who is assigned to write a puff piece on Rogers.  Vogel, who usually does the hard-hitting stuff, is almost insulted, but his editor (Christine Lahti in a cameo) won't take no for an answer.  So he resolves to get a few quotes and be done with it. ...

3.5/4 Starring (voices): Hailee Stanfield, Kiernan Shipka, Grey Griffin, John C. Reilly, Geena Davis Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Smoking Watching "When Marnie Was There" is like listening to a bedtime story or a lullaby.  It is a very soothing and serene experience (for the most part), despite dealing with some heavy material.  Although there are some tense scenes, they are short and understated.  That doesn't mean boring by any means (it's anything but that).  Just that the film operates on its own terms. Anna (Stanfield) is an unhappy child.  She has asthma and difficulties making friends.  She has lost interest in life, resulting in what her mother Yoriko (Davis) calls a "wooden" personality.  After an asthma attack, her doctor suggests that she spend some time in the open country with family.  Setsu (Griffin) and Kiyomasa Oiwa (Reilly) welcome her with open arms.  The serene environment does well for her, but her shyness an...

1/4 Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Harry Collett, Michael Sheen, and the voices of Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland Rated PG for Some Action, Rude Humor and Brief Language The advanced word for "Dolittle" was not good, to put it mildly.  As if the fact that a big budget franchise-starter starring Robert Downey Jr., arguably the biggest star on the planet, opening in January wasn't reason enough to be wary.  So the question of "is it good?" becomes "how bad is it?"  The answer?  It's bad.  It's really, really bad. Dr. John Dolittle (Downey Jr) is a veterinarian who has the unbelievable ability to converse with animals.  So renowned are his abilities that the Queen of England has given him his own sanctuary where he and creatures he has gathered from all over the world live in harmony.  But the death of his wife has turned him into a recluse.  Two things happen one day that catapult him out...

1/4 Starring: John Candy, Eugene Levy, Meg Ryan, Robert Loggia, James Tolkin, Kenneth McMillen Rated PG-13 (probably for Violence, Language and Sexual Content) It's hard to imagine any movie starring John Candy and Eugene Levy, two brilliant comic talents, being altogether bad.  Which makes "Armed and Dangerous" all the more astonishing because it's absolutely terrible.  No wonder Harold Ramis wanted his name removed from the film (only his producing credit is gone...he's still credited as a writer). Frank Dooley (Candy) and Norman Kane (Levy) are both out of a job.  Dooley is a cop who was set up as a thief while Norm is a lawyer whose fear of his lunatic client causes a judge to make him leave his profession.  They both end up working at Guard Dog Security Company as security guards.  But it isn't long before they realize that their boss (McMillen) and union leader are crooked.  Now the two are on the case! This is a hopeless story.  I'm ne...

When " Titanic " was released on December 19, 1997, anticipation was high.  Rumors of a disaster were rampant, as it was the most expensive movie ever made (at the time) and had been delayed by five months because the special effects weren't ready (it was originally set to be released on July 2 in the middle of blockbuster season).  It turned out to be the exact opposite.  Word of mouth and internet chatter spread quickly, and it became a smash hit.  It stayed number one at the box offices for a record-setting 15 weeks and only left theaters on October 1, 1998.  It was also the first film to cross the billion dollar mark at the box office and was the all time box-office champion for 12 years (it was subsequently broken by Cameron's next film, " Avatar " and " Avengers: Endgame ," although Cameron insists that his "Avatar" sequels will top it. Needless to say, "Titanic" defied all expectations.  But that, as they say, was then....

3.5/4 Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, LaKeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian Rated R for Pervasive Strong Language, Violence, Some Sexual Content and Brief Drug Use Howard Ratner lives on the edge.  He's a "go go go" type of guy.  He is an adrenaline junkie to the extreme.  He needs to be energized.  Gambling is his fix, but it's the sense of being juiced up that is his obsession.  "Uncut Gems" tells the story of a few days in his life.  It is not a necessarily pleasant experience, but it's intense. Howard (Sandler) is a jeweler in New York City.  He has just acquired a stone filled with rare black opals that he intends to sell for big money.  But he's also a gambling addict, and his attempts to manipulate others and himself to get the big score push him to the brink of financial success or ruin.  Exactly where he wants to be. Watching "Uncut Gems" is like watching a magician trying to keep a dozen plate...

2/4 Starring: Vicky Dawson, Christopher Goutman, Bryan Englund, Farley Granger, Lawrence Tierney Not Rated (probable R for Strong Violence/Gore, Sexuality and Nudity, and for Some Language) "The Prowler" is an 80's slasher movie, and that is probably all that needs to be said.  Anyone familiar with the horror genre knows what that entails: a bunch of stupid characters doing stupid things, a masked killer sending people into the netherworld in the most gruesome way possible, a virginal heroine, her hunky boyfriend...you get the idea.  "The Prowler" sticks to the genre in every sense of the word.  For better and for worse. At the first graduation dance after the end of World War II, two cuddling co-eds were found brutally murdered.  The dead girl's father, Major Chatham (Tierney), has eliminated graduation dances ever since.  Now in 1980, they are back.  Outgoing student Pam (Dawson) is getting ready to attend, although she is disappointed that her bo...

3.5/4 Starring: John Lone, Joan Chen, Ying Ruocheng, Victor Wong, Ric Young, Peter O'Toole Rated PG-13 (probably for Some Violence and Sexuality, and for Drug Content) How horrible it must be for someone to go through life without any real control over his or her own destiny.  Sure, Puyi "lived" a life of luxury and glamor, but any power he had to make his own decisions was a pipe dream.  He was an emperor with all the traditions (not limited to being unable to venture out of the Forbidden City) with none of the power of governance.  He was the emperor of Manchukuo, but that just meant he was a poster boy for the Empire of Japan.  He had all the duties but none of the rights.  Puyi's life was spent waiting for a break that would never come, only to find out just how horrible life can be. Puyi was a sheltered child.  He was forced to abdicate his throne at age three, but he was kept there as the leader by many others in the hopes that Chinese monarch...