Mike's Movie Tips

 3.5/4 Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Reid Miller, Connie Britton, Maxwell Jenkins, Gary Sinise Rated R for Language including Offensive Slurs, Some Disturbing Material, and Teen Partying When I hear terms like "gay movie" or "queer cinema," my guard goes up.  Not because of the subject matter (obviously), but because gay movies are typically either campy or sanctimonious.  I'm not a fan of camp and I don't like it when movies feel like UNICEF commercials.  Then I saw that this movie was written by Diana Ossana and the late Larry McMurtry, who wrote the sublime " Brokeback Mountain ."  And Mark Wahlberg is as apolitical an actor as they come.  So I relaxed a little, having been reassured that I would see a movie free of fake sentiment and "progressive" slogans I've heard too many times.  "Joe Bell" earns its motions through acting and dialogue, not speechifying. Joe Bell (Wahlberg) has undertaken an insane task.  He's walking ...

 3.5/4 Starring: Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin, Tony Siragusa Rated R for Strong Language and Some Violence "25th Hour" is one of the gloomiest, yet at the same time one of the most thought-provoking, movies I've seen in a while.  The subject matter is as unhappy as you can imagine, but it stirs considerable thought.  Not just about the scenario that sets up the film's minimalist plot, but other more existential matters as well.  It's impossible to watch this movie without having the back of your brain considering the questions that it raises. It's Monty's last hurrah.  He isn't going to die, but he is turning himself in for a seven year prison sentence in the morning.  Someone snitched on him and the DEA found a kilo of drugs hidden in his couch.  He's allowing himself one last night on the town for himself and his friends Frank (Pepper) and Jacob (Hoffman).  His girlfriend Naturelle (...

 1.5/4 Starring: Katrina Bowden, Aaron Jakubenko, Kimi Tsukakoshi, Tim Kano, Te Kohe Tuhaka Not Rated (probable PG-13 for Language and Shark Attacks) Despite initial appearances, "Great White" has less in common with traditional monster movies like "Jaws" or " The Meg " and more with survival stories like the underrated " In the Heart of the Sea ."  Sadly, this change in genre only serves to make the film look worse.  The shark scenes achieve some measure of tension, but there is a lot of dead weight in between them. Kaz (Bowden) and Charlie (Jakubenko) are a loving couple who run a charter service in the reefs.  Their latest clients are Michelle (Tsukakoshi) and Joji (Kano).  They're there to spread the ashes of Michelle's grandfather.  While there, they make a horrifying discovery: the remains of a shark attack victim.  Soon this quartet, plus Benny the cook (Tuhaka), become the shark's targets. "Great White" suffers from ...

 3/4 Starring: Kea Peahu, Alex Aiono, Lindsay Watson, Owen Vaccaro, Kelly Hu, Branscombe Richmond Rated PG for Language, Crude References, Adventure Action and Some Suggestive Comments No review of "Finding Ohana" could be complete without mentioning "The Goonies."  The debt that this movie owes the beloved 1985 adventure is impossible to ignore, but the creative team behind this new iteration gives it enough invention and flavor that calling it a "ripoff" would be unfair.  There's more effort to be found here than the premise would have you believe. Pili (Peahu) is a treasure hunting enthusiast.  Having just won a geochasing competition on the streets of The Big Apple, she's looking forward to a summer of solving puzzles and having adventures to find the big prize at camp.  Her hopes are dashed when her grandfather Kimo (Richmond) has a heart attack, and her mother Leilani (Hu) ships her and her self-absorbed brother E (Aiono) off to Hawaii to car...

 3.5.4 Starring: Emily Mortimer, Jack McElhone, Mary Riggans, Gerard Butler, Sharon Small Rated PG-13 for Language What makes "Dear Frankie" such a touching experience is that it has the good sense to take itself seriously.  The idea behind this movie, that a mother's lie to her son blows up in her face, could have been turned into a dim-witted sitcom.  But director Shona Auerbach and writer Andrea Gibb have too much respect for the characters they have created.  The people in this movie have very good reasons for acting the way they do. Frankie (McElhone) has never met his father.  His dad is a sailor on a ship called the ACCRA, and they keep in touch by letter.  Having moved yet again, young Frankie wastes little time making friends.  When one of them points out that a boat named the ACCRA is coming into port in their little Scottish town, Frankie is delighted.  What he doesn't know is that while his father exists, he isn't the person replying t...

 2.5/4 Starring: Liam Neeson, Marcus Thomas, Benjamin Walker, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne, Holt McCallany, Martin Sensmeier, Matt McCoy, Matt Salinger, Chad Bruce Rated PG-13 for Strong Language and Scenes of Action and Violence In many respects, "The Ice Road" is a very bad movie.  It's loud, dumb and takes the realm of the absurd to a whole new level.  It does have one saving grace: it's hilarious.  Not intentionally, but all the same, I could barely suppress giggles the entire time.  From the horrible screenplay to the hammy acting, "The Ice Road" is the embodiment of the term "guilty pleasure." A sudden explosion at the Katka diamond mine has just trapped 21 miners.  If there is any hope for them to survive, a special well head and other materials must be delivered in less than 30 hours. That means driving big rigs over the ice roads.  In prime conditions, such a mission would be dangerous enough to be labeled as suicidal.  But this i...

 2.5/4 Starring: Gong Li, He Saifei, Cao Cuifen, Kong Lin, Zhou Qi, Jin Shuyuan, Ma Jingwu Not Rated (probable PG-13 for Sexuality and Disturbing Content) If someone were to put a gun to my head and demand that I name my favorite actress, I'd probably have to go with Gong Li.  While she doesn't always appear in the best movies, her beauty and talent cannot be denied.  Even in lousy movies like " Shanghai " or " Leap ," Li always impresses.  She is, in every sense of the word, a movie star. Songlian (Li) has just been married off to a wealthy man (Jingwu).  She is the "fourth mistress" of the man, and her "sisters" have varying reactions to her presence.  The first wife, Yuru (Shuyuan), is indifferent.  His third wife, Meishan (Saifei), refuses to even meet with her.  Only the second wife, Zhuoyun (Cuifen), is welcoming.  Because she is the new arrival, it is assumed that the master will spend the first night with Songlian.  However, he i...