Mike's Movie Tips

1.5/4 Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Ali Larter, Taye Diggs, Famke Janssen, Peter Gallagher, Brigette Wilson-Sampras, Chris Kattan Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore, Sexual Images and Language I saw this movie in high school (all those years ago) and remember thinking that it was extremely lame.  Now that I'm older, wiser, and have a more refined and personal taste for movies...I still think it sucks.  It's not scary, it's not funny (not even as camp), it's not good. Evelyn (Janssen) is the pampered wife of schlock mogul Stephen Price (Rush).  Although his reputation as being a cross between Roger Corman and P.T. Barnum nets him a lot of money, she's far from happy (the feeling is mutual).  Nevertheless, after seeing a "Twilight Zone"-ish TV episode about a haunted asylum, she convinces Stephen to throw her a birthday party there.  The guests, much to her displeasure, are not whom she invited.  Nevertheless, the game that Stephen has concocted (stay a...

2.5/4 Starring: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, John Williams, Anthony Dawson Rated PG (for a Scene of Violence...I Guess) It takes a special kind of talent to be good enough to have an entire genre named after you.  While Alfred Hitchcock didn't invent the thriller, he created a template to which many are matched up.  Hitch was capable of greatness (he has more than a few masterpieces to his name, and a few that are just below that), but not everything he did worked.  "Dial M for Murder" is one of them.  While it's a smart little thriller, it falls apart at the end. Tony Wendice (Milland) has a problem.  His wife Margot (Kelly) is cheating on him and he wants to get rid of her.  The problem is that she comes from a hell of a lot of money, and he's grown accustomed to a certain level of living.  So he decides to blackmail an old schoolmate named Charles Swann (Dawson) into committing the perfect murder.  But as brilliant as...

2.5/4 Starring: Haruka Asaye, Suzu Hirose, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Brief Language "Our Little Sister" is the new film from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda.  I haven't seen any of his other films, but Roger Ebert said that his 1996 film "Maborosi" was one of the best films of the 1990's and James Berardinelli gave his previous film, "Like Father, Like Son," a rare 4/4 rating.  There's no denying that Koreeda (who sometimes only credits himself by his last name, has talent for directing actors.  But it's his screenplay, based on the manga by Akimi Yoshida, is a mess.  It's less than the sum of its parts. Three adult sisters are living in their late grandmother's house.  Their father remarried 15 years ago and they haven't heard from him since, and their mother left some time after that.  They are Sachi (Asaye), a nurse that took over parenting duties, Yoshino (Nagasawa), a ban...

1.5/4 Starring: Roseanne Barr, Meryl Streep, Ed Begley Jr., Linda Hunt Rated PG-13 (probably for Sexuality and Some Language) Don't get mad.  Get Even. It's a human impulse to get revenge on someone who has screwed us.  When a driver cuts you off, you have the urge to honk the horn or flip them off.  Movies have capitalized on this by creating an entire genre of films ("Death Wish" being the most famous example).  "She-Devil" seeks to be a comic revenge fantasy, but it completely misses the mark. There's a huge gulf between what "She-Devil" wants to be and what it actually is.  It wants to be a clever and wickedly funny comedy about a cuckolded woman getting revenge on her philandering husband and his annoying squeeze.  What it is is a tedious sitcom about a frump queen doling out uninteresting punishment to her boring husband and his self-absorbed girlfriend.  Yawn. Ruth Patchett (Barr) is a housewife to Bob (Begley Jr) and mother ...

3.5/4 Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Rhys Ifans, Zachary Quinto, Melissa Leo, Tom Wilkinson, Scott Eastwood Rated R for Language and Some Sexuality/Nudity Oliver Stone has never been afraid of controversy, nor has he ever hidden his liberal political beliefs.  His latest film, "Snowden," shows both qualities and wears them with honor.  The film's subject, Edward Snowden, has been dogged by controversy ever since he went public with what he knew, and Stone sees him as a martyr against government snooping.  Whatever your politics may be, "Snowden" is definitely worth seeing because it is one of the year's best films. Edward Snowden (Gordon-Levitt) just wanted to serve his country.  After injury (actually, a series of them) forces him out of the infantry, he goes to work to provide computer security.  This leads him to the CIA and the NSA, and eventually a contractor.  But the increasingly terrifying behavior of the surveillance prog...

2.5/4 Starring: Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Jaz Sinclair, Michael Kenneth Williams, Theo Rossi Rated PG-13 for Violence, Sexuality/Partial Nudity, Thematic Elements, Some Disturbing Images, and Language For a long time now, there have been calls for diversity in Hollywood in all areas; acting, directing, producing, and so on.  Finally, the studios have started to listen (or if they aren't, then independent studios have begun to fill the void).  Personally, I'm all for it.  New cultures bring new backgrounds and new perspectives on storytelling, and done right, can make for some interesting movies.  Take " The Cell " or "The Fall," for instance, two creative and ambitious movies from Indian director Tarsem.  Or " Menace II Society " from The Hughes Brothers.  Those movies had a point of view and a storytelling style that made them unique and engaging. Of course, going away from the mold is always risky, which makes studios nervous.  That l...

3/4 Starring: Amy Steel, John Furey, Kirsten Baker, Stu Charno, Walt Gorney, Betsy Palmer Rated R (probably for Horror Violence, Language, and Sexuality/Nudity) Who knew that an entry in the mega-popular but much maligned "Friday the 13th" slasher franchise could actually be good?  Now, I'm not talking masterpiece level, but for a low-budget gorefest, it has enough thrills and chills to make it worthwhile for horror fans. The plot is essentially the same as the first one (come to think of it, it's the same as just about every other slasher movie, give or take a few details).  Five years after the events in the first film, a guy named Paul (Furey) has decided to open up a new camp next to the old Camp Crystal Lake.  Two weeks before campers arrive, the counselors show up for training.  On the last night before they get to work, the majority go into town for one final night of partying while a select few remain behind.  They pair up for some hanky panky a...