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



Movie Review-Concussion



Concussion is not just a football movie. Football and the NFL is at the root of the story, but the movie is about the triumph of one man to inform the world about a hazard, that until recently, was not known to the general public nor to men in the NFL who strapped on a helmet. In Concussion Will Smith is Dr. Bennet Omaulu, a Nigerian pathologist who works for the Pittsburgh coroners office.  

When Steeler Hall of Fame center, Mike Webster, ends up in the morgue Dr. Omaulu sets off a firestorm in the NFL with the findings that he discovers killed the former All-Pro center.

He discovers a condition, which he names Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CET). Its a condition that cannot be detected by a CAT scan. Only after a players death can it be identified by an autopsy. The condition is caused by the lifetime of head to head collisions received by players in the NFL. In the movie Dr. Omaulu describes the blunt force to the head as a force that is equal to a sledge hammer blow to the helmet. It is a report that the NFL immediately goes to work on to discredit. First they try to discredit the doctor as a quack and a "witch doctor" but when big name NFL players like Andre Waters and Dave Duerson, continue to die by committing suicide, it is a report that the NFL eventually has to acknowledge.

Smith is amazing as pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, He plays the role with a quiet grace and inner strength that reminded me of a classic Sidney Poitier performance. Gugu-Mbatha-Raw, the English actress who played Belle in the movie of the same name, plays Smith's love interest in the movie. She's a woman of few words but the words that she does speak are always words of kindness and encouragement. On screen the two actors have great chemistry.

Albert Brooks plays Dr. Omaulu's supervisor at the Pittsburgh coroner's office, Dr. Cyril Wecht and Alec Baldwin is Dr. Julian Bailes. He's a former NFL team doctor and he enlists with Dr. Omaulu based on the strength of the doctor's medical findings. The entire cast gives a great performance in this Oscar worthy film.

Concussion has a run time of just over two hours and it is rated PG-13 for some disturbing images and harsh language. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I give Concussion my highest rating, a JUMBO with extra butter.

Hollywood Hernandez

  

  

  







Movie Review-In The Heart Of The Sea

Award winning director Ron Howard teams up with actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor) again for an epic tale based on the true story of the circumstances that led to Herman Melville writing the great American classic, Moby Dick. Howard and Hemsworth collaborated previously on the Grand Prix racing movie Rush in 2013. Clearly Howard knows how to get the best out of Hemsworth. The actor is so convincing as the first mate on the whaling ship The Essex that I actually forgot that I was watching "Thor" on the big screen.

In the movie Ben Wishaw, who also plays "Q" in the current James Bond movie Spectre, is author Herman Melville. He travels to New England to speak to one of the remaining survivors of the ship wreck to find out the facts about the legendary tale of a giant white whale attacking a vessel on the high seas. After hearing the tale he pens the novel "Moby Dick", but what we learn in the movie is that there were other atrocities that occurred during the 90 days that the men were lost at sea. While he choose to omit the gory details from his novel we, as movie watchers, learn about all of the horrific things that happened to the crew of the Essex.

Howard weaves a brilliant tale and the scenes with the 100 foot long white whale on screen are amazing. The movie is shot in 3D so you almost feel as if you're going to get wet every time the whale splashes his mighty tale. The story, while horrific, is fantastic and it keeps you enthralled for the entire run time of the movie (121 minutes).

The movie is rated PG-13 for some pretty intense scenes. I won't giveaway any spoilers here but there are some disturbing scenes in the movie. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate In The Heart Of The Sea a JUMBO.   

Hollywood Hernandez

    





Movie Review-Creed

Creed is a very satisfying boxing movie staring Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) as the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed, Rocky's (Sylvester Stallone) longtime nemesis and friend.

Young Adonis has boxing in his blood but he tries to hide his true identity as the heir to the former heavyweight champ by fighting under his mother's name, Johnson. That plans goes out the window when he enlists the help of Rocky as his trainer and soon the boxing world discovers that the former champ had a son, out of wedlock, while he was being portrayed as a loyal family man with his wife Mary Ann (Phylicia Rashad).

Creed has a little bit of something for everyone. It, of course, has boxing at the center of the story and with real media partners ESPN and HBO it comes off as a very credible boxing story. But the movie also has family drama, romance and a little bit of humor to go along with the boxing story.

Thankfully Rocky has retired from boxing in this latest installment of the Rocky Balboa franchise. (The 2006 movie Rocky Balboa was a real stretch with Stallone playing a sixty something year old fighter.) In "Creed" Rocky, who's affectionately known as "Unc", is purely along to train the young Adonis Creed in lessons he's learned both in boxing and in life.

The movie has a few plot twists that make for an enjoyable movie watching experience, but at the heart of the film is the music driven fight scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat cheering. Creed has a run time of 132 minutes and it's rated PG-13. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate it a JUMBO.

Hollywood Hernandez   



Bonus Review-Love the Coopers

My best buddy Lecia and me saw the new family Christmas comedy Love The Coopers this week. We both couldn't help but notice, with the exception of an appearance by Anthony Mackie as a cop, there wasn't anybody in the movie who looked like us. It felt like we crashed a holiday party that we hadn't been invited to.
If you'll notice in the past we seemed to get an alternating Latino or African American family Christmas movie every other year. ...I guess this is our year off in the rotation.

Love the Coopers has it's funny moments and there are some universal messages about family and love in the film, but I sure would have liked it a lot better if they coulda worked in a person of color into the family as a son or daughter in law. I rate the movie a MEDIUM on my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale.

Movie Review-The 33

The 33 is based on the true and inspirational story of thirty-three Chilean miners who were trapped in a collapsed gold and copper mine for over sixty nine days. The side of the mountain that collapsed on top of the men was twice the size of The Empire State Building. The movie chronicles the struggles and hardships that the men were faced with and had to overcome to remain alive. In the end all thirty-three men were rescued and became national heroes in Chile. 

The beauty of The 33 is the unity the men were forced to forge while trapped below ground. Men from different backgrounds, each with their own issues and personal demons, became a unit of support for each other and they survived by becoming their brother's keeper. I loved the strong message of brotherhood in the film. It was both uplifting and inspiring.

Antonio Bandares plays the lead character of Mario Sepulveda (he was nicknamed "Super Mario" after his heroics in the rescue). He's a simple miner and family man who is thrust into the role as the leader of the trapped minors. Lou Diamond Phillips, Juliette Binoche, and Gabriel Byrne also play strong and important supporting roles.

I loved this movie. It was 127 minutes of inspirational entertainment. The movie is both tender and funny as it tells the stories of the lives of the thirty-three men before they were left for dead 2,000 feet below ground. The movie is rated PG-13 for some intense scenes and some strong language. Be sure and stay until the very end of the movie as it features some black and white footage of the actual thirty-three miners, who remain friends today.

On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate The 33 a JUMBO!

Hollywood Hernandez 





Movie Review-Spectre

Spectre is a fine send off for the baddest Bond yet. It's the darkest film in the series of Bond films which the dashing Daniel Craig has played 007. He's an unapologetic assassin in his final go round as Bond and it makes for a very gritty and enjoyable movie.

In Spectre Bond discovers a phantom organization called Specter which has been behind the scenes in all of the tragedy and loss he has experienced in the previous Bond films. The final movie for Craig as James Bond ties up all of the loose ends in a nice little package.
Ralph Fiennes plays "M", Bond's direct supervisor who had to take over since the previous "M" (Judi Dench) was killed in the last Bond film (Skyfall). And the younger supporting cast of Ben Whishaw (Q) and Naomi Harris (Moneypenny) are back in a big way.
Former WCW pro wrestler David Bautista plays Hinx, the best bad guy/henchman to star in a Bond film in a long time. In the movie the guy is just indestructible (well almost).

Iloved the action and the interaction between the characters in the movie. This will be Daniel Craig's last appearance as Bond and already there is talk of who will be selected as the next 007. Mentioned most is the name of Idris Elba. Whoever is selected to play the next Bond, Craig has left the franchise full of life and ready to continue for the next episode.

On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate Spectre a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez