Movie Review-Free State of Jones

FREE STATE OF JONES, starring Matthew McConaughey, is an epic drama set during the Civil War. It tells the story of a defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, who comes to realize that as poor whites he, and other “non-privileged” soldiers are dying to help rich whites in the south stay rich and to keep their slaves on their plantations.

The story, based on fact, is an amazing tale about a group of Confederate deserters, along with other poor farmers and slaves, who fight against the South in an uprising that gained them their freedom in the small county of Jones, Mississippi. The Free State of Jones eventually seceded from the state of Mississippi to create a free state in Jones County.

The movie is directed by four time Oscar nominee, Gary Ross, who goes to great length to show the injustice done to African Americans during that time and the gruesomeness of war. The movie is harsh and violent, with some pretty hardcore battle scenes that are a little bit hard to watch.

As a mater of fact, the entire movie is a little bit hard to watch. It makes you mad, but more importantly it keeps alive the memories of the atrocities of the past and truly tells it like it was in the old south. I don’t think we should ever forget how many African Americans died simply because they were trying to live their lives as free men. The movie claims to be historically accurate and there is no “white washing” of this violent and cruel time in our nation’s history.

I know a lot of people question why they should support another movie about slavery. Well, Free State of Jones is also a tale of bravery and courage that was shown by former slaves. Slaves who, even after the Emancipation Proclamation, were still denied their rights to vote and denied their rights as free men.

It’s an important film that, in my opinion, is not to be missed. The movie is rated “R” for violence, cruelness and language and has a run time of well over 2 hours. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate Free State of Jones a JUMBO.

Hollywood Hernandez 

Movie Review-Cenrtal Intellegence

 Central Intelligence is a new action/comedy pairing comedian Kevin Hart with action star Dwayne Johnson. The two are hilarious together with a serious “bro-mance” going on between the two former high school classmates. Johnson plays Bob Stone, a former overweight geek in high school who’s now a lean mean fighting machine and an operative for the C.I.A.

Hart’s character, Calvin Joyner, was voted “most likely to succeed” in high school but now, 20 years later he feels like he’s stuck in a rut, going nowhere, in his job as a forensic accountant. He did marry his high school sweetheart, Maggie (Danielle Nicolet). She is now a corporate attorney and things all come to a head when their big high school reunion comes up and Calvin decides he doesn’t want to go.

The story starts to spin out of control when his old high school classmate, Bob Stone, sends him a friend request on Face Book and then immediately sends him a direct message inviting him to meet for drinks. After meeting for drinks, and seeing Bob teach a few guys in the bar a lesson for bullying his diminutive friend, the two become inseparable (literally) as Calvin unknowingly and unwillingly gets involved in a C.I.A. mission of counter terrorism and espionage.

It’s all a laugh a minute and the chemistry between the two main characters is a perfect match of opposites in the big screen. Spoiler Alert: Calvin and Bob end up saving the world and the action and fun involved in doing so is non-stop. I also enjoyed the anti-bullying message that was delivered in a fun and subtle way through out the film. The movie is a fun time with a good message that doesn’t beat you over the head.

Central Intelligence is rated PG-13 for violence and harsh language. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate it a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez 

Movie Review-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a nostalgic trip back to the 90’s. The new TMNT movie really captures the feel of the old original 90’s cartoon by capturing the campiness and the “anti-hero” appeal of the Ninja Turtles. Also adding to the nostalgia are the additions of some new (old) characters like Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) and Shredder’s Henchman Be Bop and Rock Steady. Tyler Perry is also along for the ride as the mad scientist Baxter Stockman and try as I may I cannot get the image of Madea out of my head for any of the time he is on the screen.

In “Out of the Shadows” the turtles have to face an alien named Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett) who wants to build a machine that can travel through different dimensions and assemble a weapon that can destroy the world. Shredder joins the evil Krang to help him assemble the weapon and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the only ones who stand in their way.

Kids will like “Out of the Shadows” (my grandson loved it) and, if you grew up a turtles fan, you’ll probably like it as well. It’s a fun movie with plenty of laughs and action. It runs 112 minutes and is rated “PG-13” for some adult language.

On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows a LARGE.

  

Movie Review-X-Men: Apocalypse

In X-MEN: APOCALYPSE the X-Men battle the original and most powerful mutant ever, Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). The movie is another X-Men prequel. After a brief introduction to the origin of the invincible Apocalypse he is set free after being entombed for hundreds of years. When he’s awakened he’s enraged to discover that his race is no longer treated as gods. 

 

With the help of some powerful mutants, including Magneto; who’s distraught after he faces a horrible personal tragedy and becomes obsessed with revenge on humans, Apocalypse sets out to destroy everything on earth and create a new world where he will reign as a god over all who survive. The X-Men, led by Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and Professor X (James McAvoy) are all that stand between him and the destruction of the entire world.

 

In the movie The X-Men and Apocalypse are joined by some familiar characters from previous X-Men movies, but they show up as the younger versions of themselves. Most of them are still discovering how to use their special powers. The younger version of Storm, played by Alexandra Shipp (who played Aaliyah in the TV movie), was one of my favorites of the new/old characters. She plays the part well of a conflicted mutant who’s trying to control her newly found powers and decide if they should be used for good or evil. 

 

X-Men Apocalypse is filled with almost non-stop action. Although the movie is two hours and twenty two minutes long it never drags or hits any dull spots. It’s an epic battle from start to finish. Apocalypse is rated PG-13 for some sci-fi violence. I’d feel comfortable taking a child to see the movie who was at least 9 or 10. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” X-Men Apocalypse rates a JUMBO. Also, be sure and stay until the end of the credits. There is a tease for the next X-Men movie where Mister Sinister is introduced.

Hollywood Hernandez

Movie Review-The Nice Guys

Let me start by letting you in on the joke…The Nice Guys is a movie about two low class private detectives who are anything but “nice”. The movie is set in the swinging 70’s and Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling play the two private eyes. They are unscrupulous bottom feeders who’ll do almost anything to make a buck. Jackson Healy (Crowe) is an enforcer who beats up and threatens people to make them leave someone alone and Holland March (Gosling) is a crooked P.I. who’s living his life from the inside of a bottle. These Guys aren’t nice.

However, they do try really hard to do the right thing when they catch a case involving a murdered porn star named Misty Mounds (Murielle Telio) and they both end up on the trail of a girl named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) who is supposed to be dead but her grandmother swears she’s seen her alive.

The Nice Guys is a sexual romp back to the 70’s filled with strippers, porn stars and plenty of drug use (ah, the good old days). Gosling and Crowe have a real “Laurel and Hardy vibe” going on between them. It’s just a funny situation to see these two, usually dramatic, actors play such bumbling clowns.

Shane Blake is the movie’s director and co-writer. He was the hottest screen writer in Hollywood thirty years ago when he wrote the script for the first Lethal Weapon movie. The Nice Guys has that “Lethal Weapon feel”, but it’s not as good. However, there are plenty of laughs in this one hour and fifty six minute long movie.

The Nice Guys is rated a hard “R” for adult situations (nudity, strong language and drug use) and on my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate it a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez

Movie Review-Money Monster

Money Monster could easily be a story ripped from today’s headlines. George Clooney plays a TV talk show host on a news network that amazingly resembles CNBC and Julia Roberts plays his producer. When an investor, who lost all of his money on a stock Clooney’s character (Lee Gates) recommended, takes over the live broadcast at gunpoint the clock starts ticking on this drama to find out how a major corporation lost $800 million dollars of the investors money in one day.

The movie moves at a fast pace. We quickly discover that some “human involvement” was at work at the time the stock took a huge tumble and that the CEO of the company was not where he claimed to be on the company’s corporate jet. It all unravels “live on the air” while most of America has their eyes glued on the TV show Money Monster.

Clooney drives this movie. He’s on camera for most of the film and carries off the task of holding the audience for the entire story; both on camera for the TV viewers in the film and for the movie watchers in the theater. The movie also has a few funny moments that are a release for the intense drama on the big screen.

Money Monster runs for only one hour and thirty eight minutes. I liked that. The movie tells the story quickly and gets right to the payoff for the film. (I wish more movies were like that.)

Money Monster is rated “R” for strong language throughout the film and it also contains a few comical sexual references. It’s not an epic film, but Money Monster is a satisfying one. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate this movie a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez

Movie Review-Barbershop The Next Cut

 

It’s been more that ten years since our last visit to the barbershop and a lot has changed in that time. In Barbershop The Next Cut the once male sanctuary is now a co-ed shop. Regina King plays Angie, the female partner who now has her staff of ladies working in Calvin’s barbershop. Even Calvin has some newcomers on his team including Common and Lamorne Morris, however; Cedric the Entertainer as Eddie is still a mainstay at the shop and the main source of humor with his political incorrectness.

Again, in Barbershop 3, Calvin is considering selling the barbershop because of the violence in his South Side Chicago neighborhood. However this time things really hit close to home when his teenage son starts getting into trouble at school and begins to run with the neighborhood gang.

While the new Barbershop movie has plenty of laughs this new edition has a bit more heart and social consciousness. Perhaps it’s the addition of Malcolm D. Lee, who directed The Best Man movies, that gives the movie a little more heartfelt drama. Whatever the reason, I really enjoyed the movie.

 

The new character additions of J.B. Smoove, a hustler who rents out a space in Calvin’s shop, and Nicki Minaj as a full-time hairstylist and a part-time gold digger, really freshen up the place and breathe new life into the franchise. And of course, Ice Cube as Calvin, is the anchor of the movie.

I enjoyed Barbershop The Next Cut. I think you will too. Also be sure not to leave early. There’s a hilarious bonus scene at the end of the movie. The movie has a run time of 112 minutes and is rated PG-13. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate it a LARGE.

 

Hollywood Hernandez

 

Movie Review-Miles Ahead

For his directorial debut Don Cheadle chose a complicated and difficult subject when he chose to tackle a biopic about jazz legend Miles Davis. However, using the same theory that Miles used, being innovative and unconventional, Cheadle succeeds as a first time director. Miles Ahead, in which Cheadle also stars and co-wrote the script, is like one of Miles’ songs; he stays off the beaten to create a film which is innovative and free form (like Be Bop).

In the movie, rather than telling Miles’ story with a beginning, end and middle, Cheadle instead focuses on one particular incident in Miles’ life. The incident depicted is “inspired by true events.) The main story shows his interaction with a Rolling Stone writer, played by Ewan McGregor, and the hilarious story of him fighting with his record label over the ownership of his latest recordings. Cheadle then fills in the blanks using flashbacks of the trumpet player at different points in his life. We see his bouts with domestic violence, drug use and all of the dark places in Miles’ life, but we also learn about the beautiful dancer who was his muse and the love of his life. I appreciated the balance between his genius and his madness.

Although Miles Ahead is not just for jazz lovers; the music is amazing. All of the new “Miles Inspired music” is written by Robert Glasper. Glasper’s soundtrack is already an Oscar contender. BTW: Glasper revealed to me in an interview in 2015 that he was first approached by Cheadle about writing the soundtrack via Twitter.    

Cheadle transforms himself as Miles Davis. It’s his best performance in a movie since Hotel Rwanda and his performance is also Oscar worthy. It’s obvious that Miles Ahead was a labor of love for Cheadle and that he really wanted to get it right; and for the most part he succeeds. 

The movie has run time of 1 hour and 40 minutes and it’s rated “R” for domestic violence and harsh language. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” Mile Ahead rates a JUMBO. It’s rolling out in limited release (it starts in Dallas on Friday 4/15) but do yourself a favor and look for it in your local theater.

Hollywood Hernandez

   

Movie Review-Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is a coming out party for DC comics Justice League series. You can expect two Justice League movies to come out each year through 2020. The next DC comic movie, called Suicide Squad (which will feature a cast of super villains), comes out this summer in August. And believe me when I say, Batman V Superman kicks off the party right! It’s an action pack spectacle on the big screen filled with plenty of fun and surprises.

The story picks up after the city of Metropolis has been destroyed in Superman’s epic battle with General Zod. While the public is unsure if Superman (Henry Cavill) is a hero or if his unlimited power is a threat to the world, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) firmly believes that Superman is a threat to the entire world. Absolute in his belief that the unchecked and uncontrollable Superman is a threat to society Batman uses all of his cool gadgets to wage a war on The Man of Steel.

The movie has a very dark tone. Batman is hell bent on vengeance and, believing that it is in the best interest of society, he has only one thought on his mind and that thought is; Superman must be killed. The two superheroes become rivals and wage war on each other, until a force greater than either of them is created that can destroy the world.

Using DNA from the body of the deceased General Zod, Lex Luther creates the ultimate god like creature called Doomsday. With the help of Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot an exotic Israeli actress who was born to play this role, the combatants become allies, united to help save the world from the ultimate super villain.

Batman V Superman is not to be missed. The movie runs about 2 ½ hours long and is rated PG-13 for violence. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I give this movie my highest rating; a JUMBO with extra butter!

Hollywood Hernandez    

  



Movie Review-The Perfect Match

The Perfect Match is a new romantic comedy starring Terrence Jenkins as Charlie, a serious player with some serious relationship issues. R&B diva Cassie plays Eva, the beautiful woman who turns his world upside down when he starts to catch feelings for her, but all they agreed to in the beginning was a casual relationship “with benefits”.

In a familiar role Paula Patton plays Charlie’s sister, a therapist who helps Charlie deal with some of his issues. Donald Fason and Robert Christopher Riley play Charlie’s best friends, two married men who are dealing with issues of their own and French Montana has a small role as himself. (The running gag in the movie about his song, “I ain’t worried ‘bout nothing” wears a bit thin after a while.)

The cast of the men and women in this movie is beautiful. The eye candy on screen, whatever your sexual preference, is worth the price of admission. It’s a familiar story, but it is told in a fresh way. The movie is a great conversation starter for what we expect for ourselves in our relations, whether you see the movie with a date of for a girls night out. (I know my girl and me had a good conversation on the way home after seeing the movie.)

The Perfect Match is sexy and fun. It’s rated R for sexuality, brief nudity and strong language. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate it a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez  

Movie Review-London Has Fallen

In London Has Fallen, the sequel to the 2013 hit Olympus Has Fallen, the whole crew is back for another battle against terror. This time the evil ones are Muslim extremist headed by international arms dealer Aamir Barkawi (Alon Aboutboul). When the British Prime Minister dies, under mysterious circumstances, all of the leaders of the free world descend upon London for what is supposed to be the most secure gathering in history. However; terrorist infiltrate the London security forces and proceed to launch chaos on the city as all hell breaks loose on the day of the funeral.

Aaron Eckhart is back as the president, the most prized target on the terrorists hit list, and so is Gerard Butler as Secret Service Agent Mike Banning. Angela Bassett reprises her role as the head of the Secret Service and Morgan Freeman returns as Vice President Trumbull. The characters all quickly fall back into a comfortable rhythm and then the non-stop action begins.

Agent Banning and the president escape the initial attempt on the president's life and set out to get the president back to safety. Since the terrorist are posing as British soldiers and policemen they can trust no one, except a friendly female MI6 agent who Agent Banning has a history with. So, it's one man against an entire army in action scenes that play more like a video game than a movie.

The movie is pure escapism and filled with non-stop violence so, if that is your cup of tea, you will love London Has Fallen. There are also a few chuckles in the film that balance out the gunfire and explosions of the movie. The movie is rated R and has a run time of 99 minutes. It's what I call a "Popcorn chomper movie" (just eat your popcorn and enjoy it). On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate London Has Fallen a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez

    

Movie Review-Gods of Egypt

Gods of Egypt is an epic fantasy about fictional gods who ruled a world where humans and gods lived together in harmony. That is until an evil god, Set (Gerard Butler), decides to invade Egypt on the day of the new king’s coronation. Horus (Nikolaj Costner-Waldau), Sets nephew, is defeated by the god of darkness and exiled from Egypt. Horus also loses his eyesight in the battle and his one true love, Hathor-the goddess of love (Elodie Yung). Once in power, Set enslaves the mortals and proclaims that gold and wealth, not good deeds, is now the only way to the afterlife.

Meanwhile, Bek (Brenton Thwaites), a human boy loses his one true love when she becomes the chief builders slave girl (you may get a “10 Commandments” vibe on this like I did). He seeks out Horus and together the man and god go on a quest to overthrow Set and bring Egypt back to the just society that it once was. The quest unfolds in 3D on the big screen in splendor as they battle gods, demons and monsters along the way.

Lavish effects rule in this big budget fantasy movie. For me it was a mash up of Clash of the Titans and Transformers, possibly an odd mix, but the combination worked for me. Butler is perfectly cast as the god of darkness, Set, and Geoffrey Rush has a small part in the film as Ra, Sets father. He overlooks the world from his position in space and protects Egypt from an evil creature that constantly tries to destroy the world below. Also Chadwick Boseman (Get on Up and 42) has a role in the movie as Thoth, the god of knowledge. He nails the English accent he’s asked to deliver and is one of the few actors of color cast in the film. (I’m guessing the movie’s producers didn’t get the memo about the Egyptians originating from Eastern African and the Middle East.)   

Overall the movie works for me. It’s a grand adventure with plenty of sci-fi shape shifting, fictional creatures and plenty of fantasy battles. Gods of Egypt is rated PG-13 for violence and some sexuality and the movie’s run time is just over 2 hours at 127 minutes. On my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” I rate Gods of Egypt a LARGE.

 

Hollywood Hernandez

         



Movie Review-Race

Race is the new biopic based on the life of Olympic gold medal winner Jesse Owens. Most of the story is well known from our grade school days and from the annual "Black History Month Vignettes" that we see and hear every year in the month of February on TV and radio. However, there are some parts of Owens life that are not commonly known. I won't spoil the movie for you by giving away any of the details, but there were things I learned about Owen's life that I'd never seen before in history books.

Besides being educational, Race is an inspiring and entertaining movie. Most of the credit for the soul stirring movie goes to the young 22 year old actor who plays Jesse Owens, Stephan James. He plays the role with dignity and portrays Owens as a man who has faults and fears, just like everyone else.

Much like the story of Jackie Robinson, Owens challenge was to be seen as a "runner" and not a "black runner". He did just that when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin at a time when Hitler planned to showcase his "superior race" of Aryans while Germany hosted the games. Owens not only won four gold medals, he won the hearts of people all over the world with his performance against incredible odds.  

Comic actor Jason Sudeikis plays up the yuks as Owen's track coach at Ohio State. Sudeikis provides the comic relief that breaks up the intense drama of the movie. The movie also stars Jeremy Irons and William Hurt and has a strong supporting cast that provide for Owen's support system in the film.

My only criticism of the movie is it's length. It runs well over two hours (134 minutes) and could have been a tighter and more entertaining movie if it was about 20 minutes shorter. Otherwise, I loved it.

Race is rated PG-13 for some intense scenes of bigotry and some harsh language, but I would not hesitate to take a young child to see it. I think our children would benefit greatly from seeing this movie. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" Race is a JUMBO!

Hollywood Hernandez   



Movie Review-DEADPOOL

DEADPOOL has been eagerly anticipated and much talked about since the anti-hero's first appearance in an X-Men movie. (In 2009 Ryan Reynolds first appeared as Deadpool in "X-Men Origins-Wolverine"). The time was well spent in creating the first "anti-hero, superhero in the Marvel universe. DEADPOOL looks more like a comic book come to life than anything previously has on the big screen. "The Merc with the Mouth" breaks down the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience during the entire movie. Deadpool is self aware and knows he's in a movie. His running commentary throughout the movie is hilarious and makes the audience feel like you are in on the inside joke that's going on inside his head. And, by the way, his dude is crazy!

Deadpool is a former mercenary and, after being convinced to undergo a series of medical treatments that he thinks will cure his terminal cancer, he develops the power of accelerated healing. So, basically his mutant power is immortality. He can recover from any potentially fatal injury. The X-Men want Deadpool to join the group of "do good superheroes" but he's not much of a "joiner" and choses to go it alone; until he needs some help from the mutants to help him get revenge on the man who ruined his life with his experimental medical procedures.

Again, the snappy banter between Deadpool, the X-Men, the villains, and the audience will leave you in tears; for example when X-Man Negasonic Teenage Warhead decides to "tweet" before she engages a foe Deadpool yells, "don't forget to hashtag it". I want to see the movie again because I feel like I missed some stuff because the audience was howling so loudly.

Ryan Reynolds is great as Deadpool. He's a little bit of Spiderman and a little bit of Jim Carey in "The Mask" all rolled into one. This movie is a hellavu lot of fun and the run time is one hour and forty eight minutes. Also, don't forget to stay through the end of the credits for one more bonus scene. I won't spoil it for you, but its worth staying for.  

Be warned that the movie is as violent as it is hilarious and this is not a movie for kids! It earns its R-rating with plenty of foul language, sexual situations and nudity. It is a guilty please that is strictly geared toward an adult audience. (OK, you've been warned.) On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" DEADPOOL is a JUMBO with extra butter (my highest rating).  

Hollywood Hernandez

    

Movie Review-Kung Fu Panda 3

Jack Black is back as "The Dragon Warrior" in Kung Fu Panda 3! After a five year lay off the fighting panda and the "Furious Five" still have the same big screen chemistry as they set off on a new quest. In the latest installment Po has two big challenges. One is to become the Furious Five's teacher, as their master Shifu looks to hand over that role to his pupil, and the other challenge comes from a supernatural villain who seeks to steal the chi of all the kung fu masters. Kai is an evil beast who'll stop at nothing to be the ultimate master of kung fu in this realm and in the realm of the supernatural. He is one bad dude!

The vocal talents of all the previous actors return, including Angelina Jolie as Tigress and Dustin Hoffman as Shifu, but two new big names join the cast with Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as Li, Po's long lost father, and J. K. Simmons (Whiplash) as the evil villain, Kai. Po's father, Li, helps him reconnect with his panda roots when he reveals to him an entire tribe of pandas which had long been considered extinct.

Jack Black was born to be a panda (on screen). He's perfect in this role. He has just the right amount of "awesomeness" mixed with a boyish innocence. Kung Fu Panda 3 is rated "PG" for some crude humor and martial arts violence but the movie is a real fun time for kids of all ages. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate Kung Fu Panda 3 a JUMBO.

Hollywood Hernandez