Mike's Movie Tips

1.5/4 Starring: Jane Adams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dylan Baker, Cynthia Stevenson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Camryn Manheim, Ben Gazzara, Louise Lasser, Jared Harris, Elizabeth Ashley Not Rated (Probably NC-17 for Pervasive Sexual Content including Aberrant Sexuality, Language and Some Violence) Be aware of trailers... Occasionally, you'll see a movie marketed as something other than it actually is.  For example, " Carriers " was marketed as a horror movie when in reality it was nothing of the kind.  Such is the case with "Happiness."  The trailers made it out to be a cheerful, if warped, comedy.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  This is a blacker-than-black dramedy that explicitly deals with subject matter such as pedophilia, sexual perversions, and where just about every character is an abhorrent misanthrope.  Needless to say, it's not for everyone (even Todd Solondz, the director, says this). Sadly the film doesn't work on its own level....

2/4 Starring (voices): Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Zahn, Frances McDormand, Sam Elliot, Anna Paquin, A.J. Buckley Rated PG for Peril, Action and Thematic Elements Apart from film buffs, I don't know if anyone can name a film company other than Disney (although considering how wide their fingers spread, I'm not sure if they still count).  But audiences know Pixar, and they know that that name means superior quality filmmaking.  They don't have a flawless record (" Monsters University " was a misfire), but even their weakest films have more merit than a considerable number of mainstream releases.  So I expected something of similar quality as I settled back into my seat with my popcorn, hot dog and Diet Pepsi.  I was unpleasantly surprised. For the most part, Pixar has prided itself on the ability to appeal to children and adults.  Unfortunately with this film, they have missed the latter audience.  More importantly, they didn't ...

3/4 Starring: Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Gabriel Byrne, Juliette Binoche, Lou Diamond Philips, Bob Gunton Rated PG-13 for A Disaster Sequence and Some Language I'll be honest.  I didn't really follow the events of the 2010 mining disaster in Chile.  I remember hearing about it, but that was the extent of my knowledge.  It's funny, isn't it, how things seem more important in retrospect (although there are exceptions)? "The 33" probably isn't the ideal film version of the disaster: character development is next to nil, the plot trajectory is formulaic, and the whole film has a manufactured feel to it.  But it does do what it sets out to accomplish, which is to provide an exhilarating, emotional 2 hours. It's August 2010.  A group of miners are preparing to go into the San Jose copper-gold mine.  The foreman, a man named Don Lucho (Philips) sees broken mirrors everywhere and tells the boss that the mine is unsafe, but his words go unheed...

2.5/4 Starring: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang Rated R for Strong Violence including Scenes of Torture, Sexuality and Pervasive Language In the 12 years since its release, Chan-wook Park's thriller "Oldboy" has gained a sizable following for a foreign film, enough to earn its director the job for making an American film (" Stoker ") and, of course, a remake.  It certainly has the makings of a cult film: an offbeat tone, a twisted plot, and some weirdness worthy of David Lynch. After seeing the film, it's hard to understand why it created such a buzz.  It's not as violent as its reputation suggests (although there were a few scenes that made me wince), and the tone isn't as warped as it should be to make it a real winner.  Most importantly, the screenplay is too messy for it to succeed on its own right. Oh Dae-su (Choi) is a drunken lout who has been hauled off to jail on the night of his daughter's fourth birthday.  Bounced by ...

3.5/4 Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Liev Schrieber, Brian D'Arcy James Rated R for Some Language including Sexual References I can only imagine the amount of guts it took for the Spotlight team to write this story.  By taking on the Church in the predominantly Catholic Boston, they were not only taking on the most powerful organization in the world, they were fundamentally altering the entire city's culture.  The Catholic Church was a huge part of Boston, and still is, but this shattered the Church's image. That's one of the many things that "Spotlight" reflects on.  In telling this story, co-writer/director Tom McCarthy takes time to reflect what bringing this story to light means for the characters and the city of Boston.  The characters, each in their own way, become personally invested in the story.  With crimes that are so sinister and so obviously swept under the rug, how could they not.  Telling it bec...

3/4 Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Jillian Bell, Lizzy Kaplan, Michael Shannon, Mindy Sterling Rated R for Drug Use and Language Throughout, Some Strong Sexual Content and Graphic Nudity When I first saw the ads for this movie, I winced.  "God, another Seth Rogen 'comedy.'"  Sometimes being a film critic rules, but when I have to sit and watch him do riffs on things that aren't even jokes, it's a real trial.  So to my surprise I found that not only is "The Night Before" not 90 minutes of Rogen shooting his mouth off and smoking weed, I actually enjoyed it. "The Night Before" is not a perfect movie by any means, but it is funny and has a sweet side.  As one might expect, it's raunchy and crude, and will have little appeal for anyone who isn't in their 20's or 30's.  It's not just because of the crassness of the humor, but it's the way in which these characters interact with each ot...

3.5/4 Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Mia Kirshner, Elias Koteas, Don McKellar, Arsinee Khanjian Rated R for Some Sexuality and Language People so rarely say what they are really feeling.  The truth hurts, and for many, the lie is simply easier to accept.  Between the lies we tell ourselves and the truth that we don't want to admit, Atom Egoyan's "Exotica" weaves its hypnotic spell. Because I do not want to give away any of the plot (it's one of those movies that slowly reveals what it's about), I will say that it's about a strip club called "Exotica," and a group of people who are, directly or indirectly, involved with it.  There's Zoe (Khanjian), who runs the place, Eric (Koteas), the DJ, Thomas (McKellar), a shy pet store owner, Francis (Greenwood), a frequent customer, and Christina (Kirshner), "Exotica's" star. Despite being primarily set at a strip club, "Exotica" isn't about sex.  Instead, it's abou...