Mike's Movie Tips

 2.5/4 Starring (voices): Stephanie Beatriz, Maria Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitan Rated PG for Some Thematic Elements and Mild Peril I gotta hand it to Disney: they're willing to look to other cultures to inspire their stories.  From Greek myth (" Hercules ," which butchered the source material, but never mind), China (" Mulan ") and the African Savannah (" The Lion King ").  With "Encanto," they are drawing inspiration from Colombian culture and using magical realism that was emblematic of the nation's literary hero, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  It's been Disneyfied, of course, but still.  Unfortunately, this new film just doesn't live up to the Disney name. After Abuela Alma (Botero) fled her town and lost her beloved husband in an act of self-sacrifice, she was blessed with magic to create a new, perfect town.  She and her family are the leaders, as when they come of ag...

 3/4 Starring: Aleksandra Vujcic, Julian Arahanga, Rade Serbedzija, Marton Csokas Rated NC-17 for Explicit Sexuality Not to be confused with the 2007 film starring Parker Posey There is a mix of passion and eroticism that explodes from every frame of Gregor Jordan's 1996 film.  That gives the film its edge and its unique identity.  Most films, even the sexiest or most romantic, shy away from this sensual approach.  But Jordan presses on and is clearly fascinated how these two feelings can impact how people relate to each other. Let's make one thing clear first.  "Broken English" is not pornographic.  Despite the NC-17 rating (which it arguably doesn't even deserve), there is very little sex in this movie.  There are no more sex scenes in "Broken English" than in any other normal film and while they're a bit more frank than usual, it's certainly not hardcore.  It's the intimate way the director films his actors and the little bits of behavior ...

 2.5/4 Starring: Matt Damon, Camille Cottin, Lilou Siauvaud, Abigail Breslin Rated R for Language "Stillwater" is many things at once: a murder mystery, a father-daughter drama, a culture clash comedy, and a journey of self-discovery.  If it isn't a perfect mix of all of these genres, well it gets damn well close. At least until the final half hour when it completely self-destructs.  Many films are near-misses because they can't stick the landing.  "Stillwater" starts out as a near-masterpiece then blows its brains out.  God knows why. Bill Baker (Damon) is an Oklahoma roughneck looking for work.  His situation is complicated because he needs to make frequent visits to Marseille, France.  That's where his daughter Allison (Breslin) is being jailed, having been convicted of murdering her roommate four years ago.  Allison is innocent, and asks her father to pass along a note to her attorney, asking her to investigate new evidence.  It's heresay...

 2/4 Starring: Paul Newman, Jack Warden, Charlotte Rampling, James Mason, Milo O'Shea Rated R (probably for Language) An array of top talent does not always guarantee a great movie.  Usually it does, but not always.  Take " The Irishman ," for example.  Despite the legendary combination of Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Martin Scorsese, it turned out to be a rare miss from the essential New York filmmaker.  At least I thought so.  "The Verdict" is another case of big talent not equaling big success.  Acting legends Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden and James Mason in a legal drama directed by the equally legendary Sidney Lumet and with a script from David Mamet.  It should have been great.  But the film is too slow and too unfocused to really deliver. Frank Gavin's (Newman) life has been marred by disappointment.  His promising legal career ended when he refused to be dishonest (and so did his marriage).  Now he'...

 1.5/4 Starring: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jolie, Lia McHugh, Laura Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Dong-Seok Ma Rated PG-13 for Fantasy Violence and Action, Some Language and Brief Sexuality "Eternals" is your typical Marvel movie: glitzy, overlong, expensive.  And you can predict just about everything in it.  The script is drivel and the jokes are, with one exception, pebble and not especially funny.  There is a big sense of "been there, done that." What's the story?  Does it matter?  Almost every MCU movie can be summed up as a hero (or group of heroes, in this case) try to solve a crisis only to realize halfway through that everything they thought they knew was dead wrong.  "Eternals" does nothing to deviate from this formula.  Because we know what must happen, there is no suspense or tension.  And because the script is so bland, there is no one to care about.  And that means boredo...

 1.5/4 Starring: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Michael Biehn, Dana Delaney, Jon Tenney, Stephen Lang, Jason Priestley, Thomas Haden Church, Joanna Pacula, Charlton Heston Rated R for Strong Western Violence "Tombstone" is a throwback to the Westerns of yesteryear, the kind that made John Wayne famous.  It has all the requisite elements: saloons, whiskey, gambling, corsets, horses.  And of course those six shooters and fantabulous mustaches.  Unfortunately, more is needed than cosmetic successes to craft a compelling Western, and director George P. Cosmatos doesn't find it.  It's amazing how scattered this movie truly is and how frequently it drips with artifice. Hero gunslinger Wyatt Earp (Russell) has had enough of his crime fighting days.  He intends to retire anonymously in the town of Tombstone and start a business with his brothers, Virgil (Elliott) and Morgan (Paxton), and friend Doc Holliday (Kilmer).  The fa...

 2/4 Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms, Alex Jennings, Helen McCrory Rated PG-13 for Brief Strong Language If the British monarchy is good for nothing else, it's superb. at producing the subjects of films. -Roger Ebert Indeed, the British Royals have been and will be the subject of countless fantastic films.  " Elizabeth " is one.  " The King's Speech " is another.  There's something about that mixture of power, politics and tradition that is so intriguing.  But as much as I might like to add "The Queen" to that list, I cannot.  Rather than fascinate me, "The Queen" just bored me. It's August 1997.  Tony Blair (Sheen), a populist progressive with a platform geared towards modernization, has just been elected Prime Minister.  No sooner has he met with the Queen (Mirren) than they both receive terrible news: Princess Diana has died in a car accident.  It's a crisis, to be sure, but Tony and the Q...

 3/4 Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Javier Barden, Stellan Skarsgaard, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Chang Chen, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Zendaya Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Strong Violence, Some Disturbing Images and Suggestive Material I left "Dune: Part One" with mixed feelings.  There was a nagging sense of disappointment.  Disappointment, but certainly not disinterest.  This version of "Dune," the legendary novel by Frank Herbert, just might be the most experimental movie ever to cost $165 million.  This is not mainstream fare.  Anyone expecting something like " Star Wars " or yet another superhero yarn is going to be very confused. The story of "Dune" centers around a substance called "spice."  It is produced by giant worms on a desert planet Arrakis.  It is extremely powerful, as it is used by all in the galaxy for interstellar travel.  Leto (Isaac), head of House Atride...