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 fictional "journalist," the

 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 solitude. Mary lives in a small cottage by

 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.  There are two kids who were found sw

 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 to NYU where he is a pr

 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 just one problem: h

 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.  Everythi

 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 filmmaker, preferring to reveal

 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 rise of

 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 she just purchased

 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 good t

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 disease early before it robs someon