Mike's Movie Tips

 3/4 Starring: Eric Bana, Genevieve O'Reilly, Keir O'Donnell, John Polson, Julia Blake, Bruce Spence, William Zappa, Matt Nable, James Frecheville Rated R for Violence, and Language Throughout Atmosphere is essential for a thriller.  Essential, essential, essential.  A powerful sense of menace and dread can be what separates a great thriller like " Se7en " from any episode of "Law and Order."  And that's what "The Dry" is lacking.  Director Robert Connelly and his production team try to use the weather and the secrecy of a small town to generate tension, but for the most part it doesn't work.  Don't get me wrong, "The Dry" is a good movie and it is worth seeing.  It's just that because it doesn't have the right mood to supplement the solid story and great performances, it's just a good mystery instead of a great one. Luke Hadler shot his wife and son before driving to the middle of nowhere and turning the gun on hi...

 3/4 Starring (voices): Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste Rated PG for Action, Violence and Some Language There are times when a critic must remind himself what his job really is: to review the movie that he has seen, not the one that he wishes he has seen.  Where the story goes is no more his call than an MCU film is for the die hard fan.  Do I wish that "The Sea Beast" had kept the forward trajectory started after the first scene rather than settle for PC cliches?  Yes.  At the same time, I must admit that the film did involve me and I did enjoy it for what it was. In "The Sea Beast," sea monsters are real.  They're big, they're mean and they won't hesitate to fight to the death.  Captain Crow (Harris) is the leader of the Inevitable , one of the most legendary monster hunting ships.  Together with his first mate and surrogate son Jacob Holland (Urban), he is obsessed with hunting down the notorious Red Beast. ...

 2.5/4 Starring: Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O'Brien, Simon Russell Beale Rated R for Some Bloody Violence, and Language Throughout "The Outfit" is one of those thrillers that in trying to be too clever ends up being not nearly as clever as it thinks it is.  Co-writer/director Graham Moore is so desperate to shock and surprise his audience that he ends up resorting to cliches.  I don't want to give away spoilers to illustrate what I mean, but suffice it to say that there are movies that have travelled down this path before. Leonard Burling (Rylance) is a quiet, unassuming tailor (or "cutter," as he prefers) living and working in Chicago in 1956.  He is known for not only his talent, but his discretion.  Inquiring too much about the lives of your customer, especially when they are armed and seem to wear the occupation of "mobster" as a badge of honor, is a surefire way to lose your shop (or your head).  He has a lovely receptionis...

In some circles, " Thor: Love and Thunder " has been under some harsh criticism.  Normally, I'd be jumping for joy at this, since the movie is absolutely terrible and the MCU has lingered long past its sell-by date.  Not this time.  This criticism has nothing to do with its abysmal quality or that it's pre-packaged fan service.  This is over allegations of "queer-baiting" on part of the filmmakers.  So as much as I disliked this movie and loathe the MCU in general, I cannot let this stand. "Queer-bating," as it is known, is promising certain audiences that a film or product will be sufficiently "gay enough" to represent the LGBTQ community and then not delivering.  I'll be the first to proclaim that representation of LGBTQ people is so low it's shameful, but I was surprised at this response.  At first, but then I thought differently. In my opinion, "Thor: Love and Thunder" was the most LGTBQ-accessible the MCU has ever b...

 2/4 Starring: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich, Rosamund Pike, Tom Hollander Rated R for Strong Sexuality including Dialogue, Violence and Language He didn't resist temptation.  He pursued it. As far as taglines go, that's a pretty good one.  Edgy, enticing and sensual.  One believes that Wilmot would have approved. The subject of "The Libertine" is John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester.  He's an alcoholic sex addict who takes pleasure in insulting and offending everyone within his field of view.  The only thing that hasn't gotten this anarchic bulldozer executed is that he's so damn smart and witty.  King Charles II (Malkovich) sees his genius and overlooks his faults as much as he can.  His long suffering wife Elizabeth (Pike) does the same.  And a young actress named Lizzie (Morton) that he sees potential in puts up with his thorns because of what he can give her.  But for Wilmot, rules of propriety, decorum and common sense...

 1/4 Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Jon Polito, Albert Finney, Jon Turturro, J. E. Freeman Rated R (probable for Graphic Violence and Language) The Coen Brothers have long since achieved the kind of reputation that merely their names on the poster is reason enough to see the movie.  They're not conventional filmmakers nor do they shy away from taking chances.  But it's a pretty safe bet that when they come out with a new movie, it's gonna be great. Not always though.  Like every filmmaker not named Christopher Nolan, they have their misses.  I wasn't especially enthused with their remake of "True Grit," and I really didn't like "Burn After Reading."  Add "Miller's Crossing" to their list of failures.  This movie has the ambition to be a sprawling gangster epic that Hollywood used to make (before everyone sold their soul to Marvel and " Star Wars ").  In reality this is a talky melodrama that starts spinning it...

 3/4 Starring: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Scenes of Strong Graphic Violence, and for Language "Leon: The Professional" is Luc Besson's attempt to fuse an American action movie with European sensibilities.  It isn't a perfect mix, but with strong action and some energetic action scenes, it's worth checking out. Mathilda (Portman) is living a life straight out of Dickens.  Her father is a dope dealer, her mother cares little about her daughter, and her older sister beats her up.  Only her younger brother is a decent human being (possibly because he's too young to be infected by their rot.  One day, her family is gunned down by a corrupt DEA officer named Stansfield (Oldman).  Luckily for her, she was out buying groceries at the time.  She ends up in the apartment of a neighbor, a quiet man named Leon (Reno).  When she discovers t...

 1/4 Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Action, Language, Some Suggestive Material and Partial Nudity "Thor: Love and Thunder" is so lame that calling it "MCU by the numbers" is giving it too much credit.  It's so half-assed that Disney is expecting people to pay to see it is insulting.  It's a vapid, pointless bore that shows that whatever juice is left in the MCU is gone.  There's nowhere to take the character of Thor because his arc has already been completed. To say that the fourth solo adventure of the Thunder God has a plot is being overly generous.  It's so thin that if anyone gets involved in the story suggests that they find Barney the Purple Dinosaur the height of plot.  This isn't a movie; it's a trailer for a movie that could have been compelling had it been actually written. Thor (Hemsworth) is trying to "find himself."  Aft...

 4/4 Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field Rated PG-13 for Drug Content, Some Sensuality and War Violence Occasionally, my dad will say that " Casablanca " is a "uniquely American movie."  I find it impossible to argue with him, but a case could also be made for "Forrest Gump."  Sure, it's American in superficial ways as the story deals with everything from the Vietnam War and the hippie movement, football and the Kennedys.  But more than that, it's the spirit of "Forrest Gump" that is as American as apple pie.  It's a testament to the undying belief that no matter how hard things are, good times are just around the corner.  And that through hard work, determination and a bit of luck, even the most unlikely of people can have tremendous success. "Forrest Gump" is a reminder of the kind of move magic that Hollywood can make when they concentrate on making a good movie first as oppose...