Mike's Movie Tips

2/4 Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the original version is rated R for Intense, Graphic Combat "Gladiator" is one of those movies that everyone seems to like but me (although neither Roger Ebert nor my local film critic liked it either).  It's only fair, I suppose, since there are plenty of movies that I like that everyone else hated.  The line between an emotional epic, like " Braveheart ," and one that misses the mark, like " Pompeii ," is pretty thin.  So I guess I'm not surprised that it worked for a lot of people.  I will, however, say that the decision to award it the Best Picture Oscar is an embarrassment (my vote went to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," although any of the films that year was more deserving than this). The premise is great for a larger-than-life spectacle: as the vil...

1/4 Starring: Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien, Hayley Hudson, Kathleen Rose Perkins, Agnes Bruckner Rated R for Some Strong Bloody Violence and Language In order to enjoy "The Pact," you have to be both inattentive and stupid, although I'm not sure if that will help.  More testing is required, but doing so would probably be outlawed by the Geneva Convention.  This is a really bad movie.  It's dumb, nonsensical and so boring it threatens catatonia. Nichole (Bruckner) is having a rough time.  She's gotten sober and has temporarily left her daughter Eva (Dakota Bright) with a friend.  And her mother has died, but their relationship was terrible, so she's doing the planning out of obligation than love.  Then when she goes to check on something in a dark place, she goes missing.  After three days, her friend Liz (Perkins) is worried.  Then she goes missing too, and something invisible has scared the living hell out of Nichole's sister, Annie (Lotz)...

3/4 Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor Rated R for Sequences of Disturbing Violence and Terror I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a haunted house.  On some level, I think it would be kind of cool.  It would be at least an interesting story to tell at parties (whether I could get someone to believe me would depend on how many drinks that person has had.  Probably.).  Most paranormal instances seem to be relatively benign: flashes of light, changes in temperature, spectral sightings that are there one moment and gone the next.  Then again, after watching what happens to the Perron family, maybe it wouldn't be such a hot idea. It's 1971.  Roger (Livingston) and Carolyn (Taylor) have just moved into a lakeside cottage with their five daughters.  From the moment they get there, things seem a little off.  The dog won't go inside.  Strange smells are coming from a room upstairs, and someone...

2.5/4 Starring (voices): Daniel Craig, Catherine McCormack, Jonathan Pryce, Ian Holm, Romola Garai Rated R for Violent Images, Sexuality, Nudity and Language " Sin City " was a comic book come to life.  So is "Renaissance," albeit in a different way.  Robert Rodriguez used CGI and real actors with the panels from the comics used as templates for his camera shots.  "Renaissance" used motion capture technology and computers to make it seem like a black and white comic book come to life.  The result is astounding; it's so great that the film is almost worth seeing just for that.  If only the same could be said for the plot... Paris, 2054.  A young scientist named Illona Tasuiev (Garai) has been kidnapped.  Detective Barthelemy Karas (Crag) is on the case.  Of course, the more he investigates, the greater the danger. "Renaissance," which has nothing to do with the historical time period, is a futuristic detective story.  Karas meets all...

3/4 Starring: Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Steve Martin, Timothy Dalton, and the voice of Joe Alasky Rated PG for Some Mild Language and Innuendo To me, the Looney Tunes were the ultimate cartoons.  They were clever, well drawn, and often very funny.  The Disney canon was sweet, but they didn't make me laugh as often or as hard.  It's a pity that today's kids are growing up with the utter garbage on Cartoon Network, but I digress... Anyway, after their stint playing basketball in "Space Jam," which I liked as a kid, but haven't seen since, the Looney Tunes are back in their own big budget movie.  This time, the filmmakers were truer to the source material.  Really, the only way to describe it is a cross between "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and " Scary Movie " (I'm only speaking in terms of structure...there's nothing in this movie that isn't entirely suitable for the whole family).  The connecting story is a spy spoof, bu...

3/4 Starring: Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans, Samantha Morton, Bill Nighy, Susan Lynch Rated R for Language, Some Violence and a Disturbing Image The trailer, and the premise, of "Enduring Love" make it seem to be a British art-house version of " Fatal Attraction ," but that's not a fair representation of the film.  While there is a stalking situation in the film, it's a subplot.  The film's main focus is on how tragedy and guilt can warp a man's life. It was a beautiful day.  Joe (Craig) and Claire (Morton) are having a picnic in the English countryside.  Just when things are getting romantic, Claire spies a balloon in trouble.  They rush to help, and Joe tries to bring the balloon down to save a young boy inside.  A gust of wind sends it soaring into the air, however, and Joe and the others let go.  Only one man stays, but eventually he falls to the ground and is killed instantly. Joe is reeling from the accident, suffering from survivor's ...

3/4 Starring: Sarah Drew, Patricia Heaton, Andrea Logan White, Abbie Cobb, Sean Astin, Trace Adkins, David Hunt, Alex Kendrick, Kevin Downes Rated PG for Mild Thematic Elements and Some Action When I learned that "Moms' Night Out" was a Christian film, I dreaded going to see this movie.  Thoughts of something wretched like " God's Not Dead " flooded my mind.  But, as a film critic, I had to see it (if nothing else, it would help fill up my Bottom 10 list).  To my surprise, not only was "Moms' Night Out" eons better than the previously mentioned disaster, it's actually a good movie.  It's fun, fast-paced, and frequently very funny. Allyson (Drew) is a young mom of three children.  She's a blogger about family life (although no one reads it) and raising her wild children is driving her to the point of a breakdown (it doesn't help that she's a clean freak and a worry wart).  Noticing that her two friends, Izzy (White) a...