Mike's Movie Tips

3.5/4 Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell Rated G "Singin' in the Rain" is magical, and while it's a little overlong, it's also a lot of fun.  The songs are cheery, the romance sizzles, and it's often very funny.  But because it stars Gene Kelly, the dancing is standout. Silent film stars Don Lockwood (Kelly) and Lina Lemont (Hagen) are America's sweethearts; they're the equivalent of Bennifer.  Everyone loves them and wants to believe that they're together off screen.  Of course that's not the truth.  Don feels nothing for her, but Lina thinks they're in love because that's what the tabloids say.  But with the arrival of the talkies, their stardom is threatened because Lina's voice is like fingernails on a blackboard.  Their luck changes when a girl who helped Don escape from rabid fans (before she called him on his large ego), Kathy Selden (Reynolds), has a beautiful voi...

2.5/4 Starring: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, Tom Everett Scott Rated PG for Some Rude Humor To me, the only thing that comes close to being as irritating as the proudly nihilistic hipsters that have made Wes Anderson a demigod in independent film are the yuppie suburbanites who, due to their love of their kids, only eat organic food and spout pop psychology despite not knowing a thing about either.  They're so "trendy" they've lost sight of reality.  These people get the satirical treatment they so richly deserve, but it's neither clever or incisive enough to entertain. Alice Simmons (Tomei) is embarrassed by her parents, Artie (Crystal) and Diane (Midler) Decker.  She considers them out of touch and old fashioned.  Alice is raising three kids with her husband Phil (Scott): Harper (Madison), a stressed out violinist who is so busy practicing that she has no time to live, Turner (Rush), who...

3/4 Starring: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Kathleen Quinlan Rated R for Strong Violence/Terror and Language If Hitchcock ever made an action movie (as opposed to an adventure thriller like " North by Northwest "), I imagine it would be something like this.  It starts out as a potent psychological thriller where the villains are in control, but then the tables turn when their victim refuses to play along.  Sure, it could have been a much more potent and unsettling thriller without all the crashes and action at the end, but director Jonathan Mostow is no mere hack when it comes to creating exciting action sequences (he directed " U-571 ," also starring Jack Noseworthy). Jeff Taylor (Russell) is moving to San Diego with his wife Amy (Quinlan in the first of two movies where a trip to San Diego goes to hell...the other being "The Hills Have Eyes" remake), and like everyone in this kind of movie, they decide to take the scenic...

3.5/4 Starring: Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Peter Friedman, Stephen Tobolowsky Rated R for Strong Sexuality, Violence and Language We like to think of our homes as our own.  They're a place of safety where we can go to relax and recharge our batteries after dealing with the rough outside world.  But how do you survive when that sense of safety is gone? After Allison Jones (Fonda) discovers that her fiancee Sam (Weber) has cheated on her with his ex-wife,  she throws him out.  Her friend Graham (Friedman, sounding a lot like John Heard) tells her that she does not need a man in her life and is well-equipped to achieve her dreams on her own.  Still, the thought of living alone is depressing, so she puts an ad out for a roommate.  After interviewing all the freaks and losers, she chooses the last applicant, Hedra "Hedy" Carlson (Leigh).  Hedy is shy and sensitive, but handy around the house.  The two of t...

3/4 Starring: Gerard Butler, Logan Lerman, Michael C. Hall, Amber Valletta, Kyra Sedgwick, Ludacris, Alison Lohman Rated R for Frenetic Sequences of Strong Brutal Violence Throughout, Sexual Content, Nudity and Language The first time I saw "Gamer," I was thinking "What the hell did I just see?"  I liked what I saw, but there's so much going on and it is so fast and kinetic that it was difficult to piece together.  The second time around it was easier, and although it's far from flawless, it is guilty fun. In the near future, reclusive billionaire Ken Castle (Hall) has found a way to take video gaming to the next level.  Not only are controllers unnecessary, players can control live human beings.  There are two games where players can do this (both controlled by Castle): "Society," which is essentially a live version of Second Life, and Slayers, where players can can control death row inmates who are fighting their way to freedom.  If they ...

2.5/4 Starring: Jude Law, Forest Whittaker, Alice Braga, Liev Schreiber, Carice van Houten The version being reviewed is the unrated one.  For the record, the theatrical cut was rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Grisly Images, Language and Some Sexuality/Nudity If the health care fiasco in the US wasn't so corrupt and bloodthirsty, the satirical bent of the plot would be funny.  But, since health insurance companies place their greed over human life, it's almost possible to believe that if the technology for artificial organs on demand existed, there might be a company like The Union. The Union is a company that, for a price, will give you an artificial organ.  "You owe it to yourself.  You owe it to your family," they say to nervous customers.  And they have a right to be.  The prices are obscenely high  (600K+ for a pancreas, for example), but the interest is obscene (in one case, it's 19% to start).  But since the customers don't have...

3/4 Starring: Jamie Lee Curits, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Elizabeth Pena, Louise Fletcher, Philip Bosco, Kevin Dunne, Richard Jenkins Rated R for Strong Graphic Violence including a Rape, Language and Some Sexuality/Nudity (I guess...) Can a movie with a script that is beyond silly be redeemed by excellent direction?  While I'm of the opinion that any script can work if handled correctly (sometimes it order to work, the script requires the film to be very  tongue-in-cheek or extremely warped), it's a rare case when this occurs.  "Blue Steel" is a case in point.  The film starts off effectively, but the longer it goes on, the sillier it becomes.  However, it is very suspenseful and action packed. Megan Turner (Curtis) is a rookie cop who is forced to gun down a shoplifter (Tom Sizemore in his first film appearance).  Because the gun is missing, she can't prove that he was even holding a gun, she can't prove that it wasn't murder.  So she's desig...