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