Mike's Movie Tips

 1.5/4 Starring: Robert Shaw, Marthe Keller, Bruce Dern, Fritz Weaver, Steven Keats Rated R (probably for Violence) The poster for "Black Sunday" who's a giant blimp crashing into a stadium, sending fans running to escape its wrath.  It's a bold and dramatic image.  It's also far and away the only thing noteworthy about this snoozer of a thriller. The plot is a dopey, standard order adventure story.  A duo of terrorists, Dahlia (Keller) and Lander (Dern), are planning to attack the United States, and Kabakov (Shaw), the dogged Israeli agent who figured it out, is raving against time to stop them. I know that's a shallow plot description, but that's as deep as it gets.  Which makes director John Frankenheimer's decision to take nearly two and a half hours to tell this story all the more bizarre, since it's easily an hour longer than can be justified.  Pacing is crucial to a thriller, and taking so long to tell such a silly story does not do the film...

 3.5/4 Starring: Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Patricia Hitchcock Rated PG for Some Violence and Tension Alfred Hitchcock knew better than anyone that violence and action are not synonymous with suspense.  As he put it, "There's no terror in the bang, only the anticipation of it."  There's very little action of the conventional sort in "Strangers on a Train," but that doesn't limit the suspense.  What makes this movie such a white-knuckler is Hitchcock's slow burn approach and a brilliantly psychotic villain. Guy Haines (Granger) is a tennis star who is hopelessly in love with Anne Morton (Roman), the daughter of a senator.  Unfortunately for him, he's already married.  He explains this to a creepy fan on a train.  The man, whose name is Bruno Antony (Walker), is sympathetic.  He has issues with his domineering father.  That's when Bruno hatches a plan: he and Guy will kill each other's problems.  Since they don't know ea...

 0.5/4 Starring: MASUMI, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tsuyoshi Ihara Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Some Language and Graphic Nudity "Yakuza Princess" is the first movie I've seen in a long time that has no pulse.  I mean, it's completely dead.  Even the worst movies like " The Devil All the Time " or " Hold the Dark " generated feelings of bitter hatred at everyone involved in their production.  Here, there's nothing.  There's some activity on the screen, but the movie is running in place.  Watching it is like staring at a blank wall. I suppose if one pays attention, "Yakuza Princess" has a story.  Akemi (MASUMI) is a Japanese woman living in Sao Paulo, Brazil ("the largest Japanese community in the world," the film tells us).  She has a violent past, and is training in martial arts.  Also in Sao Paulo is an unnamed assassin (Rhys Meyers), who is desperately trying to evade the authorities while looking as obvious, uh, in...

 1.5/4 Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White Rated R for Strong Horror Violence and Gruesome Images, and for Language Over the pasts 20 years, James Wan has made a name for himself in the horror genre.  No one is as ubiquitous or successful.  " Saw ," " Insidious ," " The Conjuring " and its sequel .  The lure of money drew him to big franchises like " Furious 7 " and " Aquaman ," and he did well there too.  Wan's name is in the director's credit is gold.  So I settled back into my seat prepared for a good fright.  If not being scared out of my wits.  Halfway through, I began to wonder if this is the same James Wan who made those great movies instead of some shmuck with the same name. Because this movie sucks. Madison (Wallis) is going through a difficult time.  She's having a difficult pregnancy and her husband (Jake Abel) is a jerk who, despite giving up the booze, hasn't stopped...

 3/4 Starring: Diane Kruger, Denis Moschitto Rated R for Some Disturbing Images, Drug Use, and Language including Sexual References Every actor prays for a good role that allows them to show everything they've got.  Most roles these days are dogs; actors have become second to special effects and fan service (superheroes and the like) or are muzzled to the point where they speak in a monotone and have a dramatic pause after every line (Wes Anderson and his wannabes).  Movies that tell a story and require the people whose names are on the poster to actually act are rare.  They're made for next to nothing, if they get the green light at all. This time it's Diane Kruger's turn.  The German model-turned-actress has always demonstrated that she has the scene presence and talent to become a movie star, but never before has she gotten the chance to show that she's more than a pretty face.  To be sure, she is gorgeous.  But she's also a good actress; she can ma...

 3/4 Starring: Alicia Sanz, Adan Canto, Will Patton, Zach Avery, Chinaza Uche, Jonathan Sadowski Not Rated (probable R for Horror Violence and Language) If you're going to borrow, then borrow from the best.  As the saying goes.  And when it comes to horror movies, few are better to steal from than " The Descent ." Professional guide Arianne (Sanz) is about embark on her latest assignment.  Four scientists have hired her to help them locate a mining facility that was abandoned overnight.  They're a varied bunch: the heartthrob Darren (Canto) is the leader, Terry (Sadowski) is his right hand man, Shawn (Uche) is the nerd, and Jaime (Avery) is the security.  Ominous things start happening almost immediately.  Modern maps are useless, the locals are hostile, and someone tries to run them off the road.  But these intrepid explorers are do reach their destination.  And almost as soon as they get there, they will wish they hadn't. The first hour is ...

 2.5/4 Starring: Clive Owen, Charlotte Rampling, Jamie Foreman, Ken Stott, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Malcolm McDowell Rated R for Language, a Rape Scene, Violent Images and Brief Drug Use If there is any modern actor that seems built for film noir, it's Clive Owen.  With his soft voice and piercing gaze, he's as tailor-made for the genre as Bogie.  "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," the 2003 neo-noir from legendary British director Mike Hodges, seems like it would be the perfect vehicle to showcase Owen's skills in the genre.  In many ways, the film does just that.  But it makes one mistake that, if not fatal, severely undermines it. Will Graham (Owen) has been living off the radar for three years.  He moves constantly, doesn't get involved with anything he doesn't have to, and avoids being traced at all costs.  Like most people who intentionally disappear, he has his reasons.  What those are, only he can tell you.  But we get a good idea just by lookin...

 3/4 Starring: Billy Crystal, Tiffany Haddish, Penn Badgley, Laura Benanti, Audrey Hsieh, Anna Deavere Smith, Louisa Krause Rated PG-13 for Strong Language, and Sexual References "Here Today" blindsided me in two ways.  First, it takes a situation perfect for a sitcom and gives it depth and feeling.  Second, it takes a movie that was well on its way to earning a spot on my Top 10 list of 2021 and blows it with an ending that tries too hard.  For a movie that spent nearly two hours developing two characters with tenderness and insight, the fact that it ends on a scene that feels so artificial and dishonest really made me mad. Charlie Burnz (Crystal) is a comedy legend, having written and produced some brilliant comedies over the years.  He's now a staff writer at a "Saturday Night Live"-sh TV show as his career winds down.  One day he has a special lunch with Emma Payge (Haddish).  She won a lunch with him in an auction.  Technically, her boyfriend...

 3.5/4 Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng'er Zhang, Michelle Yeoh Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Violence and Action, and Language People probably think I hate Marvel and am just a spiteful DC guy.  I'm not.  I'm not even a superhero hater.  What I hate are the by-the-numbers superhero movies.  Where continuity, fan service and in-jokes take precedence over storytelling.  It's a problem that quickly poisoned the MCU and the Nolan-free DC movies.  I felt like if you've seen one, you've seen them all.  So I went into "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" thinking it would just be a cut and paste MCU movie.  I was pleasantly surprised. Sean (Liu) is an aimless young man.  Although he is highly intelligent, he is content to live his life as a car valet with his lifelong best friend, Katy (Awkwafina).  That all changes when he is attacked on a bus, and to Katy's surprise, demonstrates some serious martial arts moves. ...

 2/4 Starring: Ray Allen, Denzel Washington, Rosario Dawson, Zelda Harris, Ned Beatty, Milla Jovovich Rated R for Pervasive Language, Strong Sexuality, Some Drug Content and Violence It's amazing how writer/director Spike Lee is often able to convey complex emotions with simple action.  "He Got Game," an atypical sports movie if there ever was one, has a tremendous opening.  It is a series of brief clips of random people playing basketball.  Yet somehow Lee manages to communicate the fantasy of superstardom that everyone has the moment they step onto the court.  No matter how good or bad they are or how serious the game is, every time a person steps beneath those baskets, they imagine themselves as Michael Jordan or LeBron James. "He Got Game" is not a basketball movie, however.  It's merely the world in which he examines two issues: the relationship between fathers and sons and a ruthless depiction recruitment in college sports.  The former is meant t...