Mike's Movie Tips

3/4 Starring: Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott, Maggie Smith, Laura Crossley, John Lynch, Irene Jacob Rated G "The Secret Garden" is a magical story of healing.  Healing of the mind, the body and the soul.  That message is conveyed with sensitivity and genuine emotional power by both its young cast, director Agnieszka Holland, and in particular, cinematographer Roger Deakins.  The film may suffer from some pacing issues and a poorly implemented sense of magical realism, but all things considered, this is a great movie. Mary Lennox (Maberly) is a sad little English girl living in India.  She is ignored by her parents; her father is off on war duties and her mother is too busy with parties to acknowledge her presence.  But then they die and she is sent to live with her uncle, Lord Craven (Lynch).  She finds herself equally miserable as there is a tremendous amount of pain in the house.  But for Mary, being left to her own devices gives her an opportunity to explore, an

2.5/4 Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonauer, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith Rated R for Extensive Use of Extremely Explicit Sex-Related Dialogue Imagine putting a sign the size of a billboard on the side of the store that says, "Yes, we're actually open."  And then everyone who comes into the store still asks, "Are you guys open?" Experiencing this once would be funny.  Experiencing it all day long for a double shift at a convenience store would be torture.  It would try the patience of a saint to avoid screaming at the customers to read the damn sign. Such is what happens to poor Dante (O'Halloran), a 22-year-old layabout with no direction in life and no real desire for anything except to get out.  But this is the least of his problems.  His girlfriend Veronica (Ghigliotti) is pressuring him to go to college and "make something of himself."  He has to cancel a hockey game with friends. Caitlin (Spoonauer), his

2/4 Starring: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross, Peter Gray Lewis Rated R for Some Prolonged Sequences of Strong Gruesome Violence, and Language "Untraceable" is a gimmick.  That's all it is.  And the more one thinks about it, the less interesting it actually is. Jennifer Marsh (Lane) is an agent in the FBI's Cyber Crimes Division.  Together with her partner, Griffin Dowd (Hanks), she tracks down all manner of technological malfeasance.  One day they get a tip about a website called killwithme.com.  To their horror, they discover that it's a snuff site tied to its viewership.  The more people turn in, the faster the victim dies.  First it was a cat.  Then it's a man.  But the website is impossible to trace. Thrillers usually require a suspension of disbelief.  Even "Seven," a film that this one owes a tremendous debt to, does.  It is the job of the filmmakers to keep the suspense high so that the audience doesn't see the seams.  

3.5/4 Starring: Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Phillip Seymour Hoffman The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Language, Drug Content and Brief Nudity I've often found that the most personal films are the best ones.  Usually, but not always.  "Almost Famous," which is a semi-autobiographical tale of writer/director Cameron Crowe's days as a rock journalist, is one of those movies.  This is a film that cannot have been made by a director for hire.  It had to have been made by someone who desperately wanted to tell this story and who understood the subtle truths and hidden emotions in it. William Miller (Fugit) is a brilliant fifteen-year-old.  He's skipped a few grads so he's more mature than one might suspect.  He's also a huge fan of rock music and writing, and has sent some articles to the legendary rock journalist Lester Bangs (Hoffman).  Bangs hi

2.5/4 Starring (voices): David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, Wendie Malick Rated G Let's get one thing straight: "The Emperor's New Groove" is not a bad movie.  It has a certain charm and one or two moments that are laugh aloud funny.  But let's not kid ourselves into believing that it is anywhere near the normal mark of Disney.  The story is thin, the animation is subpar, and the screenplay seems to be thrown together just to see what sticks.  It's diverting and amusing, sure.  But coming from the House of Mouse, it's barely acceptable. Kuzco (Spade) is one pampered Emperor.  Everyone obeys his every whim and no one has a right to complain or criticize his many, many faults.  The entitled brat is so vain that when something he does causes harm, he doesn't care even when faced with the horrible results.  I suppose it's lucky for him and all of his citizens that his advisor Yzma (Kitt) has taken it upon herself to rule in his

2.5/4 Starring: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, James Remar, Gregory Hines, Lonnette McKee, Bob Hoskins, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Fred Gwynne, Gwen Verdon The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the original cut was rated R (probably for Graphic Violence, Strong Language and Sexuality) What sets "The Cotton Club Encore" apart from most other films is that its central focus is a place rather than a person (or animal, or whatever).  A lot of stuff happens to the rouge's gallery of mobsters, hopeful stars, femme fatales and other sorts who show up in this sort of movie.  But there's no one central character.  They and their stories are simply the comings and goings of the people who work at or visit The Cotton Club. The film takes place at the tail end of the Roaring Twenties.  In Harlem, the place to be was The Cotton Club, which featured the best of the best singers, dancers and entertainers.  Their customers were the creme de la creme of Harlem

Some movies are made for adults. This is different from an "adult movie," which is a completely different thing.  No, I'm talking about movies that are made for adults because of their subject matter and the way they are (and should) be told.  Not every movie is made for the typical Marvel crowd. Nor should they be.  Some movies, like " Downfall ," " Monster ," " Saving Private Ryan ," and many others, are made for adults and were cognizant of that fact.  They were all awarded a well-deserved R rating for their frank depictions of violence and disturbing material.  Actually, the late Jack Valenti argued that "Saving Private Ryan" should have gotten a PG-13 so that kids could understand what those soldiers went through.  Admirable as his intentions might have been, I think it's safe to say that the MPAA made the right call in this case.  Yes, even the notoriously corrupt MPAA can, on occasion, do something right. But this i

2.5/4 Starring: Peter Gerety, Billy Brown, Talia Shire Not Rated (probably PG-13 for Brief Language and Some Disturbing Images) Robert Jury, the man who wrote and directed "Working Man," has something important to say.  He's calling attention to the plight of the manufacturing class that's been beaten to hell over the past few decades.  His film, like many others, is a cry for justice for the men and women whose jobs have been lost to automation, globalization and corporate cronyism.  This is not a new subject for movies, but for a while it looked as if it would tackle the situation head on as opposed to use it as a springboard for a feel-good fantasy like so many other filmmakers do.  But in the end, that's what it turns into. It's the last day of operation at a plastic factory.  Everyone grumbles about their lost jobs, not least because they had to work an extra half day just to collect their paycheck.  They all leave for the unenviable situation of

2.5/4 Starring: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Ray Liotta Rated R (probably for Sexuality/Nudity, Language and Violence) I've just finished watching "Something Wild," and I'm not sure what make of it.  Here is a movie that is throbbing with a life of its own and contains two strong performances.  But it's erratically paced uses artifice to move the plot along.  I can't say that it "works" in the most traditional sense, but I doubt it's going to be a movie I'll forget. Charlie Driggs (Daniels) is as generic a man as they come.  He's just been promoted to VP at his firm.  He's polite, affable and boring.  The Cleavers have more personality than this guy.  One day at lunch, he's spied on by a woman named Lulu (Griffith).  She calls him out for leaving without paying, but it's a joke.  For whatever reason, she finds him interesting.  They head out on an impromptu road trip for sex and adventure.  But it isn't long unt

2.5/4 Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Famke Janssen, Cush Jumbo, Joachim Krol, Naomi Hattrick, Ruairi O'Connor Not Rated (probable R for Grisly Violent Content, Disturbing Sexuality, and Language) "The Postcard Killngs" is a mix of the bizarre, the lurid and the deranged. This is a movie that will throw anything, literally anything at the screen.  I have to admit that some part of me is in awe at the audacity of director Danis Tanovic.  Especially because, as ludicrous as the film gets, it's never boring and occasionally suspenseful.  That's a good thing because the plot can barely hold itself together. Jacob Kanon (Morgan) is on a trip to London that he would give anything not to be on.  He's there to identify the bodies of his daughter and her new husband.  They were both viciously murdered on their honeymoon.  Kanon is a detective and he's determined to find their murderer and bring him to justice.  Soon he finds himself embroiled in an internati

2.5/4 Starring: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Wendell Pierce, Richard Schiff, Michael O'Neill, Richard Gunn Rated R for Some Disturbing Material, and Language "Clemency" is difficult to endure.  Often I would use such a description as a compliment.  Many of the best films put the viewer through and emotional wringer.  "The War Zone," " Saving Private Ryan ," " Boys Don't Cry ," " Once Were Warriors ," " In the Bedroom ."  Those are great movies, and calling them disturbing or hard to watch is a testament to their power.  Not this time, however.  "Clemency" is certainly not easy to watch, but not in the same way.  With those other movies, I felt like I was getting something out of it, or that it was for a reason.  I didn't feel that here. Bernadine Williams (Woodard) is the warden at a prison facility that houses death row inmates and carries out executions.  Bernadine's job isn't a happy one

2/4 Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Eijiro Yanagi, Shigeru Amachi, Masayo Banri, Michiro Minami Not Rated (probable R for Violence and a Rape Scene) It would be unfair to criticize a film made in 1962 for not having the visual sophistication or special effects of a movie made today.  And while the film has not aged well in that department, it has other areas in which it is lacking.  Strangely, it didn't stop the film from generating a series of films that, thus far, not even James Bond has equaled. Between 1962 and 1973, Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman was featured in twenty-five films, all of which starred Shintaro Katsu in the title role.  A twenty-sixth film was produced in 1989 (also starring Katsu).  In 2003, Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano made a new installment with himself as Zatoichi (Katsu died in 1997).  The character certainly has a long history, and like James Bond, he isn't the most well-developed character (at least thus far), but he's intriguing enough to b

3/4 Starring: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Daniel Craig Rated R for Violence and Language "This is the life we chose, the life we lead.  And there is only one guarantee: none of us will see heaven." "Michael could." I imagine that one of the great fears of every man is that the sins of the father will be passed down to his sons.  One of the duties of parenting is to try to prevent one's children from making their same mistakes.  The other is to instill the knowledge that there is a price to pay for everything we do.  For Michael Sullivan Sr., this is the task that he has set for himself (and in a way, one that he has forced on himself because of the choices he has made).  It is something that he must do even if it costs him his life. Michael Sullivan Jr. (Hoechlin) doesn't know what his father (Hanks) does for the charming old man Mr. Rooney (Newman).  Neither of his parents will tell him, but it keeps him away at random hour