Mike's Movie Tips

3/4 Starring: Katherine Heigl, Nick Stabile, Jennifer Tilly, Gordon Michael Woolvett, John Ritter Rated R for Strong Horror Violence and Gore, Some Sexual Content and Brief Drug Use The " Child's Play " franchise has always been a mix of horror and black comedy, combining scares with dark one-liners (the best of which was Chucky's famous "Fuck you" in the original.  The franchise always leaned more toward the slasher genre, but after " Scream ," such a decision would be seen as behind the times.  To rectify this, creator Don Mancini and director Ronny Yu opt for the latter.  It's violent and gory as you might expect, but if there's a scene that isn't played tongue-in-cheek, I missed it. It turns out that Charles Lee Ray, aka the Lakeshore Strangler (Dourif), had a girlfriend before he used voodoo to enter the body of a Good Guy doll.  Her name is Tiffany (Tilly), a blonde bimbo with a similar penchant for violence and murder.  S...

3/4 Starring: Justin Whalin, Jeremy Sylvers, Perrey Reeves, Travis Fine, Dakin Matthews Rated R for Horror Violence and Language Ah, the slasher movie.  I admit that I smile to myself when I see all the familiar conventions: the false start before the scare, the cheap shocks, the camera that inches closer to the next unfortunate victim.  The "Chucky" franchise has always been reliable for a decent 90 minutes of cheap scares, but it's also worthy for it's black comedy.  Chucky, voiced as usual by the always deranged Brad Dourif, always has plenty of profane one-liners to throw about.  On that level, you really can't say no to this movie. After the events in the first two massacres, the company behind the Good Guy dolls decides to put the infamous toy back on the market.  By accident, Charles Lee Ray, aka Chucky (Dourif), is resurrected and seeks to find Andy (Whalin), whom he needs to return to a human form.  Andy, having been bounced from foster hom...

4/4 Starring: Moira Shearer, Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring Not Rated (probable PG for Mild Sensuality and a Brief Disturbing Image) Love or career?  It's a question that everyone, in their own way, has to decide upon.  How do you find the balance between your work and your personal life?  Everyone struggles to find the correct balance, but few (especially these days with constant connectivity and economic insecurity) ever achieve it. Victoria Page (Shearer) is a ballerina who has just attended a ballet by the legendary Lermantov company.  She meets the head of the company, Boris Lermantov (Walbrook), who initially rebuffs her when her aunt invites him to watch her dance at the after party.  He thinks she wants to get noticed but she just likes to dance.  He's impressed by her attitude and credentials and invites her to train with his company.  She quickly rises through to ranks to become a major star.  Also a newcomer is Julian Caster (Gor...

3/4 Starring: Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, Nicol Williamson, Theresa Randle, D.B. Sweeney, Miko Hughes Rated R for Violence and Crude Humor "Spawn: Director's Cut" is a hit-and-miss affair, but at least it hits more often than it misses.  There are some big problems, like a ridiculous story that never finds the right tone and some cheesy special effects, but it has an intriguing premise and some nice performances.  And a villain that's a cross between Pennywise from " IT " and something from the Farrelly brothers. Al Simmons (White) is a mercenary working for a man named Jason Wynn (Sheen).  What he doesn't know is that Wynn has, quite literally, made a deal with the devil.  You see, Heaven and Hell have been waging a war since time immemorial, and the Prince of Darkness (known as Maleboglia and voiced by veteran voice actor/special effects sound man Frank Welker) wants to launch a massive assault on the Pearly Gates.  To do t...

3/4 Starring (voices): Ellen Blain, Paige Gosney, Ben Gregory, Michael Crawford, Elizabeth Moss Rated G I have fond memories of putting in the tape for "Once Upon a Forest" into the VCR and being enchanted by the story.  All these years later, it hasn't stood the test of time, but it remains charming and entertaining.  Those looking for a nostalgia trip would do well to revisit this film.  Or if you have kids, then they'll like it too. Three animal children, or furlings, are going on a trip with their teacher, Cornelius (Crawford) and his niece, Michelle (Moss).  They are the tomboy mouse Abigail (Blain), the chubby hedgehog Russell (Gosney) and the timid mole Edgar (Gregory).  While on their trip, a gas truck blows a tire and overturns, leaking gas and poisoning the village.  Michelle impulsively runs into her home to check on her parents and becomes gravely ill.  Cornelius tells them that they have to find a new meadow in order get the herbs ...

3/4 Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Sofia Boutella, Simon Pegg, Idris Elba Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Action and Violence The best action movies start with the story and build the action scenes around it.  The lame ones start with the action scenes and use the story to fill in the blanks.  The "Star Trek" reboot and its sequel, " Star Trek into Darkness " were a lot of fun because J.J. Abrams remembered that.  He left the series in the directing capacity (but stayed on as a producer) to work on "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," leaving director Justin Lin to take his place.  Lin broke out with the highly regarded indie flick "Better Luck Tomorrow," but then turned his attention to "Fast and the Furious" franchise. "Star Trek Beyond" is a disappointment.  That doesn't mean it's a bad movie, because it's not.  It does what it sets out to do: provide a thrilling two hours with some old friends.  ...

3/4 Starring: William Ragsdale, Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowell, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, Jonathan Stark Rated R (probably for Vampire Violence and Gore, Language and Some Sexuality) "Fright Night" is like " Kick-Ass " or " Shoot 'Em Up ."  It wants to be a genre movie while at the same time winking at its clichés and genre conventions.  While not as clever as "Kick-Ass" or as action-packed as "Shoot 'Em Up," "Fright Night" is still a lot of fun.  It's spooky, it's funny, and has some perfectly gruesome makeup. Charley Brewster (Ragsdale) is your average teenager.  He isn't the best student and would rather cut class than go, has a girlfriend named Amy (Bearse) who isn't ready to sleep with him, and watches too much TV, especially "Fright Night," a "Creature Double Feature"-ish show hosted by "vampire killer" Peter Vincent (McDowell).  Charley has a new neig...