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



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