Mike's Movie Tips

2/4 Starring: The Marx Brothers, Margot Dumont, Louis Calhern, Raquel Torres Not Rated (contains nothing offensive) Of all the genres of film, comedy is the one that ages the least.  Due to culture changes and world events, not to mention personal taste, what was once cutting edge and hilarious has become quaint and old-fashioned.  Such is the case with "Duck Soup," the final film with all four of the brothers that went to Hollywood. I won't say that the movie isn't funny.  It is, although not in a way that we're used to.  While "There's Something About Mary" shocked us with its frankness and explosively funny situations and "Ted" had hilarious dialogue and a truly original premise, "Duck Soup" is more gentle.  Watching it is like listening to a harmless stand-up comic.  You both know he's too quaint to be truly funny, but you're too caught up in his energy to sit there stone-faced.  You can't not laugh. The s...

2.5/4 Starring: Scarlett Johansson Rated R for Graphic Nudity, Sexual Content, Some Violence and Language I've repeatedly stated that there is a distinction between a foreign or independent film and an art house film.  People often mix the two up, often to the detriment of the film.  "Under the Skin" is unquestionably an art film, and definitely not for everyone. That's because this is not a plot or character oriented movie.  Not much is said by anyone and even less is said.  We don't know much about the woman the film focuses on, played superbly by Scarlett Johannson, and even less about anyone else.  The only thing we know is that she's an alien who picks up men and lures them to their deaths. One of the things I admire about Scarlett Johansson is not only is she talented (not to mention beautiful), but she takes chances.  For every big budget spectacular she does, like playing Black Widow in the Marvel movies, she does a number of independent f...

It seemed that last year had more bad movies than good ones, but looking back I found that it's not the case.  There were 13 possible entries on both lists, but keep in mind that in order to qualify for the Top 10, the film had to be at least a 3.5/4, whereas to qualify for the Bottom 10 the film had to be a 1.5/4.  That's 2 possibilities versus 3. There were also a number of pleasant surprises.  Three movies that I was not excited to see turned out to be much better than anticipated, and while "The Purge: Anarchy" and  "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" didn't make the cut, "The Guest" did. What really sets these movies apart is that they all took chances.  None of these films are conventional, or they knew what the audience would expect and took it in a different direction.  "The Purge: Anarchy" took a home invasion story with a great premise and set it loose in a whole city, "Interstellar" took a gritty and realistic lo...

Every year has its stinkers...movies you wish you could un-see.  Since that's not possible, I can allow myself (and those unfortunate to have seen these monstrosities) a little chance for revenge,  And one last warning to those who are considering watching these movies.  Be forewarned, these are the worst of the worst of the year. 10.   Wish I Was Here .  Not only is this a bad movie, it's not even a complete movie.  It's more of a trailer than a complete film, and while I love movie trailers, there's a reason why they are only a few minutes long.  Either Zac Braff got completely lost after making the wonderful "Garden State," or his editor should never be allowed to cut a film again. 9.   The Drop .  I hate it when directors let their egos control the movie.  Art is only art when it's actually good.  Here, director Michael R. Rocksam is convinced that his film is "groundbreaking" and artistic when really it's just a mess. ...

3.5/4 Starring: Tom Hardy, and the voices of Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Ben Daniels, Tom Holland, Bill Milner Rated R for Language Throughout I watched this film to see if it would end up on my Top 10 list for the year, only to realize that it came out last year.  So much for that idea... Not that I didn't want to see it.  I'm a big fan of Tom Hardy, and I heard the film was great.  Surprising, considering that it's just Hardy in his car talking to people for 90 minutes.  But the key to the movie's success lies not in the premise, but in the execution. "Locke" isn't a thriller, at least not in the usual sense.  But because I want to keep the film's revelations a secret, I will tread lightly. Ivan Locke (Hardy) gets into his car for a long car ride.  He has a number of important calls to make, and by the look on his face, he's not excited to make any of them.  But they all result from one decision he made a long time ago, ...

2/4 Starring: James Corden, Emily Blunt, David Huttlestone, Lilla Crawford, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Mackenzie Mauzy, Billy Magnussen, Johnny Depp Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Fantasy Action and Peril, and Some Suggestive Material If you haven't noticed, I quote/reference James Berardinelli a lot.  This is because I like him a lot as a critic.  I have a voracious appetite for his work and check his website daily to see if he has written anything new.  Not only is he a good writer, he's very knowledgeable about film and knows what he's talking about. In his review of the film version of "RENT," he said, in a nutshell, that it's usually not a good idea to directly lift a stage musical and put it on the screen.  There is an intimacy between the stage actors and the audience which can't be replicated on screen, thus a replacement must be found.  I liked the movie "RENT," although it may be because I saw it before I saw it o...

1/4 Starring: Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, Dan Byrd, Vinessa Shaw, Aaron Stanford, Emilie de Ravin The version being reviewed is unrated.  For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Strong Gruesome Violence and Terror Throughout, and for Language I don't ask a lot from a horror movie.  I really don't.  An engaging story (originality is preferred, but not required), a character or two worth caring about, and a creepy sense of atmosphere is all I ask for.  Sadly, director Alexadre Aja can't even manage that.  Apart from a few legitimate shocks, this movie is a total waste of time. I haven't seen the original 1977 thriller directed by Wes Craven, but according to James Berardinelli, this one is better.  He wrote: "The story has been tightened up, the acting is better, and the blood-and-gore effects aren't as hokey."  Considering how bad this movie is, I should be thankful that I haven't seen the original.  I thought this might be a su...