Mike's Movie Tips

1.5/4 Starring (voices): Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Jackie Chan, Olivia Munn Rated PG for Some Mild Action and Rude Humor If a sequel/spin-off to a hit movie comes out within a year of its predecessor, it's a pretty safe bet that, regardless of how interconnected they are, they're going to be crap.  Just look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  For every " Guardians of the Galaxy ," there are a few forgettable behemoths like " Captain America: Civil War " or " Fantastic Four " (pick a version).  The same goes for " The Lego Movie ."  Despite being marketing at its most shameless, the 2014 animated hit was a breath of fresh air.  It was filled to the brim with animation, clever humor and ideas no one could see coming.  Eager to jump on the bandwagon while it was hot, Warner Bros. produced spin-offs as fast as they could make them.  Despite having three years to prepare, " The Lego Batman Movie " was a waste of time.  And a...

2/4 Rated PG for Some Thematic Elements and Peril Studio Ghibli has such a high standard quality that their name on a film is enough to recommend it.  Not even Pixar has as good a track record.  And even when their movies don't work, such as "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," the end result is interesting and daring enough to check out anyway.  With "The Red Turtle," the studio went outside of Japan for the first time.  Legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki was impressed with director Michael Dudok de Wit's short film, "Fathers and Daughters," that Studio Ghibli asked him if they could distribute it in Japan, and if he would make a feature film for them.  Reportedly, de Wit couldn't believe his ears when they asked him to make a film for them.  Unfortunately, this is one of the rare misses for the legendary animation studio. The plot is extremely vague.  With almost no dialogue (except for characters yelling "Hey!" to get someon...

2/4 Starring: Christina Ricci, Stephen Dillane, Kerry Fox, Harry Forrester, Simon Russell Beale, Robert Hardy, Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Mann Rated R for Violence and Language "The Gathering" is a strange little horror film.  The first act is clunky, the second act is super creepy, and the final act is pure crap.  Here is a horror film that combines religious mumbo jumbo, voyeurism, Catholic sex abuse, and a spree shooter in a religious horror movie.  If it were possible to combine them all in one movie (and I'm not sure it is), it would take some deft hands.  Which director Brian Gilbert definitely does not possess. Marion Kirkman (Fox) is driving in the blinding rain, trying to get her stepson Michael (Forrester) to stop kicking her seat.  She turns around to yell at him, only to find that she has hit a girl with her car.  Despite an accident that should have killed her, Cassie Grant (Ricci) is fine, except that she doesn't remember anything except h...

3/4 Starring: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong, Troy Garity, Mark Strong Rated R for Violent Content and Language Danny Boyle's 2007 is as close to an art film as a $40 million budget will allow.  That it ends with a conventional thriller ending was either due to studio interference or a creative compromise on the part of director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland to actually get the film made.  It's hard to believe that ending what is essentially an existential art film with a slasher going bezerk was the original vision of either man. Not so very far into the future, the sun is slowly dying.  Facing extinction, humanity launches Icarus I with a theoretical payload to reignite the dying star.  It fails.  Humanity tries again with Icarus II .  On board are Haneda (Sanada), the captain, Cassie (Byrne), the pilot, Corazon (Yeoh), the biologiost, Searles (Curtis), the doctor, Harvey...

3.5/4 Starring: Taron Edgerton, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Edward Holcroft, Hanna Alstrom, Pedro Pascal, Jeff Bridges, Elton John Rated R for Sequences of Strong Violence, Drug Content, Language Throughout, and Some Sexual Material I suppose it takes a special couple of Brits to effectively parody American culture (specifically the South), but director and co-writer Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman do so with flair.  It may not be mean, but it's definitely on point.  This isn't one long lampoon into Americana, but the barbs are fresh and knowing, and lead to some of the biggest laughs. Eggsy (Edgerton) has settled into life as a Kingsman.  He goes to work during the day and on missions when the occasion calls for it, but usually he's hanging with his mates and his new girlfriend, Tilde (Alstrom), who just so happens to be a princess.  However, trouble occurs when he is attacked by Charlie (Holcroft), a Kingsman rejec...

3/4 Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Jesper Christensen, Yvan Attal Rated PG-13 for Violence, Some Sexual Content and Language "The Interpreter" is rare in the sense that it not only has a brain, it demands that the audience use theirs.  Those expecting action, gunfights and explosions are going to be disappointed.  Don't get me wrong, there is some of that, but it's kept low-key and never dwelled upon for very long.  The term "slow-burn thriller" was coined for movies like this.  The movie is exciting, but in a cerebral sort of way.  In a way, it's a little like " The Siege ," only not as grim. The President of Matobo, Edmund Zuwanie (Earl Cameron) is scheduled to appear before the UN in a few days time to defend himself against charges of genocide.  While going back to retrieve her things after an evacuation, UN interpreter and Matoban national Sylvia Broome (Kidman) overhears some hushed voices planning to assass...

3/4 Starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, Christian Bale, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Marwin Kenzari, Igal Naor, Angela Sarafyan, Milene Mayer, Stuart Scudamore Not to be confused with the 2005 Japanese film "The Promise" is a daring effort with noble intentions.  It dramatizes a shamefully not well known event in world history for a mass audience.  It's $90 million budget fully funded by Armenian billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who had family that lived through these events, it refuses to allow these atrocities to be ignored no longer.  While a lot of its potential is unrealized (much of which has to do with the love story), there are just as many scenes of real power. Mikael Boghosian (Isaac) is an Armenian apothecary in a small Turkish town.  It's been a family tradition for 200 years, but he desires to do more.  He wants to go to medical school, but lacks money.  So he marries Miral (Sarafyan), a local girl, and uses the dowry to pay for his educatio...