Mike's Movie Tips

2/4 Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons, Kirsten Dunst, Mahershala Ali, Glen Powell Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Some Language Biopics have become a genre, and their subjects have become brands.  Some have been amazing (I count "Schindler's List" as one of the greatest films ever made), while others aren't.  But like sequels, they're considered cash cows to bring in an easy buck.  "Hidden Figures" at least has its heart in the right place, but this is by-the-numbers filmmaking. Katherine Johnson (Henson) is a brilliant mathematician.  Growing up a child prodigy, she ended up working for NASA.  With her co-workers Dorothy Vaughn (Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Monae), we see them persevere through racism and sexism to become some of the most brilliant minds that NASA has ever seen. The problem isn't with the story.  It's the manner in which it is assembled.  Every character has their o...

2/4 Starring: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Bill Murray, Lisa Marie, Jeffrey Jones Rated R for Some Strong Language Tim Burton has an obvious love affair for oddball outcasts.  "Edward Scissorhands," "Beetlejuice," " Sleepy Hollow ," "Big Fish," the list goes on.  I suppose it makes sense for him to be drawn to notorious hack director Ed Wood, whose movies were awful enough to gain a cult following in the vein of MST3K or "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."  Despite never making much money and having an utter lack of talent, Wood made movies by any means possible.  And I mean any. Edward D. Wood Jr. (Depp) would like nothing better to do than to make movies.  Unfortunately, with no connections and no experience, not even a Z-list producer like Georgie Weiss (Mike Starr) will take him seriously.  However a chance meeting with has been horror icon Bela Lugosi (Landau) nets him a job making a sle...

2/4 Starring: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, Shawn Roberts, Boris Kodjoe, Kim Coates Rated R for Sequences of Strong Violence and Language You know, for a movie franchise based on video games that essentially defined the "survival horror" genre, the "Resident Evil" movies aren't scary.  Nor, in fact, do they try to be.  At least I don't think so.  They're all about kicking zombie ass and looking totally stylish while doing so.  There's nothing wrong with that per se, it's just, well, they're not at all like the games (based on my limited experience).  I probably wouldn't even mention it if the films were any better, but alas they are at best (" Resident Evil: Apocalypse ") stupid fun.  "Resident Evil: Afterlife" can't rise to that level, but at least it's better than the previous entry (the less said about that movie, the better). After taking down the Umbrella Corporation's facility...

1.5/4 Starring: Jamie Foxx, Michelle Monaghan, Dermot Mulroney, Scott McNairy, Octavius J. Johnson, David Harbour, T.I., Gabrielle Union Rated R for Strong Violence and Language Throughout I'm going to make a mental note and reserve a spot for "Sleepless" on my Bottom 10 of 2017.  With its pedestrian direction, flat performances, and cocaine-addled camera, there's nowhere else it could end up.  If there are 10 movies between now and December 31 that are worse, well, it's going to be a very long year. The film opens with a duo of corrupt cops, Vincent Downs (Foxx) and Sean Cass (T.I.) stealing a considerable amount of cocaine.  What they don't know is that they've stolen it from casino mogul Stanley Rubino (Mulroney), who is moving it for the notorious Novak family.  Rubino has Vincent's son Thomas (Johnson) kidnapped, the message being the obvious one: deliver the coke or else.  But Rubino is sweating bullets too; the Novaks have sent the boss...

2.5/4 Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Alex Wolff, Themo Melikidze, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher O'Shea, Rachel Brosnahan, Jake Picking Rated R for Violence, Realistically Graphic Injury Images, Language Throughout and Some Drug Use I remember the Boston Marathon bombings.  I wasn't glued to my TV or phone watching it happen minute by minute like they show random people doing in movies like this, but I knew what was going on.  It was really surreal, watching the city of Boston go on lockdown.  It was almost like a real-life movie.  Of course, making a narrative feature out of an event that everyone knows inside and out is challenging for a director who wishes not to bore his audience.  Peter Berg tries his best, but the results are decidedly mixed. The city of Boston is gearing up for the famous, annual marathon.  Disgraced cop Tommy Saunders (Wahlberg) is irked at the fact that he has to do patrol for the event, especially with...

1.5/4 Starring: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Cleo King, Jenna Kanell Rated PG-13 for Terror, Horror Violence, Bloody Images, Sexual Content, Thematic Elements, Partial Nudity, Some Language and Teen Drinking Don't think of a pink elephant in a tutu! You thought of one, didn't you?  Don't worry, I'm not holding it against you.  It's how our brains are wired.  "The Bye Bye Man" seeks to use this as the gimmick for scares, but it does so in a slapdash fashion.  The concept, where being scared of the villain gives him more power and telling someone about it spreads it like a virus, has promise.  But the screenplay is in desperate need of another run through the computer.  Or two. Elliot (Smith) is a college student who has just signed a lease on a house with his girlfriend Sasha (Bonas) and lifelong best friend (Laviscount).  After the housewarming party, Sasha's psychic friend Kim (Kanell) performs a séance that ends badly....

3.5/4 Starring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, May Robson, Charles Ruggles, Walter Catlett, George Irving Not Rated (probably G) It's a common truism that comedies tend not to age well.  Whether through changing cultural norms, a lack of relevance in topical humor, or the ever evolving nature of comedy, what made a person laugh 75 years ago will probably bore today's audiences to tears.  That's not the case with "Bringing Up Baby," which is easily one of the smartest, quickest and funniest comedies I've seen in a long time. The set-up is simple, which befits a screwball comedy like this.  David (Grant) is a museum researcher vying for a $1 million dollar grant for his research.  The missing bone that he needs to complete the brontosaurus he's been putting together for the past four years is arriving tomorrow, which is the day he is going to get married.  While he's trying to schmooze the donor's lawyer, Mr. Peabody (Irving), he's consta...