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