Mike's Movie Tips

4/4 Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, CCH Pounder, Laz Alonso, Wes Studi The version being reviewed is the Unrated one (although the rating would not change).  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated PG-13 for Intense Epic Battle Sequences and Warfare, Sensuality, Language and Some Smoking It had been 12 years since James Cameron released his crown jewel, "Titanic" that he released his next film, "Avatar."  Personally, I heard about the film on iMDb three years before it had been released.  Although three years may seem too long to wait for any film without disappointment, Cameron makes the film worth it. In the future, humans have ventured into space and have set up a mining colony on a planet called Pandora.  In order to come to an agreement with the native Na'vi, a scientist named Grace Augustine (Weaver) has created "avatars," beings that humans...

4/4 Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellan, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, John Noble Rated PG-13 for Intense Epic Battle Sequences and Frightening Images I haven't read J.R.R. Tolkien's works, but I'm positive that if he were alive to see Peter Jackson bring his celebrated fantasy saga to the screen, he would be overjoyed.  Taken with the first two films, what Jackson has created is not only a cinematic translation of a complex story, but he has crafted an epic adventure worthy of the history books.  It will be a long time before we see anything like it again (although the first part of "The Hobbit" is due out this December). The War of the Ring is in its final throes; both sides are desperate to win, and the side of evil has the upper hand.  Frodo (Wood) and Sam (Astin) are journeying deep into Mordor to destroy the Ring, but success is an unlikely prospect, and returning home is prob...

4/4 Starring: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellan, John Rhys-Davies, Christopher Lee, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Miranda Otto, Bernard Hill Rated PG-13 for Epic Battle Sequences and Scary Images One of the risks of making a trilogy is that the second installment can suffer from "middle installment syndrome." This is when the second chapter is merely a bridge between the beginning and the climax.  Done poorly, it can be boring since it is merely a connecting thread.  Peter Jackson avoids this trap by making this sequel about something.  I haven't read the books, but "The Two Towers" does indeed have a beginning, a middle and an end. At the end of the first film, the fellowship that was sent to destroy the Ring has broken apart.  Hobbits Frodo (Wood) and Sam (Astin) are journeying to Mordor to throw the Ring into Mount Doom.  Aragorn (Mortensen), Gimli (Rhys-Davies) and Legolas (Bloom) are going to rescue ...

2.5/4 Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer, Roger Allam Rated PG-13 for Thematic Material and Violence/Disturbing Images Not every scary movie has to rely on bloodthirsty killers or possessed forms of technology.  Last year's " Insidious " proved that.  Daniel Radcliffe's new ghost story is definitely spooky, but it falls short of a recommendation. Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) is a young lawyer who is still grieving over the loss of his wife (Sophie Stuckey) four years ago.  She died while giving birth to his son, Joseph (Misha Handley) and he still hasn't gotten over it.  He's been assigned to go to a remote village to make sure the passing of a house is done legally.  When he gets there, he finds that the locals are terrified of the house, and warn him not to go there.  Only one man, Sam Daily (Hinds) is welcoming to him.  It isn't long before Arthur realizes that the house is indeed haunted, and she's got a bone to pick. ...

3/4 Starring: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly, Ashley Hinshaw Rated PG-13 for Intense Action and Violence, Thematic Material, Some Language, Sexual Content and Teen Drinking As all of you may know, I am a huge fan of the pseudo-documentary.  With a reliance on no-name actors and dialogue that sounds improvised, it allows us to connect with characters in ways that traditional filmmaking cannot.  As good of an actor as Robert DeNiro is, he is so famous that it's impossible to only see the character he is playing (playing very well).  In this kind of a movie, that problem doesn't occur. "Chronicle" introduces us to three high school students: shy and socially awkward Andrew (DeHaan), his hot and popular cousin Matt (Russell) and the class president, Steve (Jordan).  The three students are really mere acquaintances until one night at a party, they venture into a hole and find a mysterious object.  When they touch it, they realize ...

3/4 Starring: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Daveigh Chase, Brian Cox, Jane Alexander Rated PG-13 for Thematic Elements, Disturbing Images, Language and Some Drug References Admittedly, "The Ring" loses a bit of its punch now that VHS is obsolete, but it really doesn't matter since we watch movies on DVD and Blu Ray (although VHS tapes were more reliable).  Gore Verbinski's horror flick is an amazingly spooky movie, with some sequences guaranteed to at least raise the nape hairs. The film opens with two girls, Katie (Amber Tamblyn) and Becca (Rachel Bella) watching TV.  Becca starts talking about a mysterious tape that kills you seven days after you watch it.  It turns out that Katie has watched it, and soon she's no more. Her aunt, Rachel Keller (Watts), is a journalist, and as a favor to Katie's mother, she starts investigating.  She finds the tape, and is rightly skeptical, but then things start to happen that make her believe that ...

3/4 Starring: Nicolas Cage, Gary Sinise, Carla Gugino Rated R for Some Violence "Snake Eyes" is an exercise in style; the plot is almost beside the point.  Although the film centers on Nicolas Cage, the movie's real star is director Brian DePalma.  This is a visually dazzling thriller that toys with our perceptions. Rick Santoro (played by Cage, and not to be confused with the nutso presidential hopeful) is a corrupt cop in Atlantic City.  He knows everyone and, more importantly, will do anything for a price.  He's attending a boxing match in Atlantic City with his best friend, Department of Defense Commander Kevin Dunne (Sinise, and ironically, there's an actor who has a meaty supporting role whose name is in fact, Kevin Dunn).  All the sudden, there are gunshots, and the Secretary of Defense, who is sitting right behind them, is shot.  Rick and Kevin are on the case, and it turns out that this isn't the work of a terrorist, but a deadly conspiracy...