hollywoodhernandez-70868 Reviews

The Shape of Water (2017)

Brilliant directing job by Guillermo del Toro

[7 December 2017]

The Shape of Water is brilliantly directed by Guillermo del Toro and is set in the Cold War era of the 1960's. The U.S. Military has found a creature in the jungles of South America, an Amphibian Man (that looks a lot like the 1960's monster, The Creature From the Black Lagoon), and they want to use it as a military weapon against the Russians. The Russians want it too. That's the big picture the film hangs its hat on.

The deeper story is about Elsa (Sally Hawkins) and how her lonely life changes when she comes into contact with the "secret experiment" that the government is keeping in a military facility. She and her co- worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) are part of the cleaning crew and it doesn't take long for them to discover that there's something different going on at the military facility.

It seems odd, but the movie is also a love story. Elsa sees the cruelty that the government's project head treats the amphibian man with (the sadistic head of the project is played by Michael Shannon) and she sneaks into his holding area at the facility to show him kindness and to show the amphibian man he's not all alone.

The theme of loneliness runs deep thru the movie. At home Elsa lives next door to an artist (Richard Jenkins) who's character is a gay man in the 1960's. They are both each other's only friend. The characters are all well developed and del Toro gives you a good insight into the lives they are all living.

Octavia Spencer is stellar in the movie. While Sally Hawkins character Elsa, who was born not being able to talk, is the main character, it's Spencer's character, Zelda, who keeps the movie moving along.

It seems odd but the interaction between Elsa and the monster is beautiful. It's a fairy tale love story like in Beauty and the Beast. However, the movie seems to go off the rails for about thirty minutes with a fantasy scene about a musical (the monster actually dances) and a few other scenes that would be a spoiler for the film. But overall the movie has way more good stuff than bad.

The Shape of Water is rated R for nudity and graphic violence and has a run time of 2 hours and 3 minutes. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate this movie a LARGE.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)

Another Oscar contender for Denzel Washington

[10/10 · 30 November 2017]

Roman J. Israel, ESQ, staring Denzel Washington is out now in limited release and it is already receiving rave reviews from movie critics and has also been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards (Best Picture and Best Actor). It looks like it will be another contender for Washington come Oscar time.

The movie does however suffer from a lack of availability at movie theaters. It's currently showing on just about 1,600 screens nationwide while a movie such as Justice League, in wide release, is showing in about 4,000 movie theaters. So it will take a bit of looking to find the movie at you local cineplex, but it will be well worth your effort.

In the movie Denzel plays the title character, Roman J. Israel, ESQ. He is an idealistic lawyer who has the luxury of hanging onto his civil rights era beliefs since he doesn't try cases. His partner had been the litigation lawyer for the two man law firm, allowing Roman to work on court briefs back in the office, while never stepping into a courtroom. That all changes when his partner suffers a stroke and is hanging on to life in a hospital on life support.

That's when Denzel's quirky, almost Autistic, character traits come into play. First he loses his job in the law firm as the heirs of his partner start to plan for his impending passing. Now, Roman J. Israel, ESQ. needs to make a living so he takes a job in a huge law firm that's headed by his partner's college protegee (played very slickly by Colin Farrell).

Denzel plays a fish out of water with his odd behavior and his inability to grasp the concept of subtlety. He speaks his mind when he shouldn't and even his style of hair and dress is out of place in a modern corporate law firm.

He tries to hang on to his core values by volunteering at a community center working with teens.That's where he meets Maya, played by actress Carmen Ejogo. She becomes his mentee and the two soon become more than friends. She worships him for his values and the struggles he's been through as a advocate for civil rights.

Eventually Roman makes some mistakes in his dealings with lawyers and clients. He shows that he's human and has to give up on some of his principles and ideals in order to survive. He ends up being chased by criminals, after her betrays a client who's in jail, and his world is turned upside down by his mistakes. In the end he tries to make amends for his mistakes and ends up inspiring others by his attempt to make good on the error of his ways.

Roman J. Israel, ESQ is a terrible title for a movie, but it's another winner for Oscar winner Denzel Washington. The movie is rated PG-13 and runs just over 2 hours. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" Roman J. Israel, ESQ gets my highest rating; a JUMBO (with extra butter). Hollywood Hernandez

Justice League (2017)

Justice League (Spoiler Alert)

[9/10 · 16 November 2017]

After a long wait, the band is finally together on the big screen for Justice League. The eagerly awaited movie brings together more members of the DC World; united against a common foe. Batman (Ben Affleck) travels the world searching for the super heroes who will comprise his team. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is the first to enlist.

The remainder of the first part of the movie continues on two fronts. First Batman has to keep an evil space villain, Stepenwolf, at bay while he puts together the team of superheroes who can defeat him. That is the only part of the movie that hits a sour note. The film has to give the back story on three new DC heroes, Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg, in a short length of time. But, once the team is assembled, the movie is non stop action with a lot of humor mixed in. SPOILER ALERT: the movie really finds it's rhythm when Superman is brought back from the dead. (Come on, Henry Cavill's name is right there on the movie poster!)

Stepenwolf, Ciaran Hinds, is back on earth to find and reassemble three cubes which will give him the ultimate power to rule the world and to plunge it into darkness. He's been here before. He has a history of doing battle with both the Amazons and the Aquamen.

The new DC characters are great. Jason Momoa from Game of Thrones is Aquaman, Ezra Miller, who had small roles as the Flash in both Suicide Squad and Batman vs Superman, reprises his role as The Flash and Ray Fisher, who's mainly known for his work on TV, plays Cyborg a half man/half cybernetic computer who is brought back from the dead by his father (Joe Morton) after he dies in an accident.

The movie has a lot to cover in just two hours and it ends up wrapping up all of the loose ends very nicely. Justice League is rated PG-13 for some very cartoonist violence and on my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate it a JUMBO!

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Best Marvel comic book movie since Iron Man

[9/10 · 2 November 2017]

In the new Thor movie Chris Hemsworth returns as "The God of Thunder" but this time around he's evolved from the big lug in the original movie into a more all around character with a wider range of emotions. With credit to Hemsworth the new Thor is funnier and has more emotions than in the previous Thor movie. He's even gotten a haircut.

In Thor Rangarok Thor returns home to Asgardian to find Loki (Tom Hiddleston) up to his old tricks. He's faked his own death and is posing as the king, his father (Anthony Hopkins). He's also sent his father off to another realm (an old folks home in New York). So Thor and Loki head off to find their father but when they find him his life force is fading and before he dies he tells his sons that they have an evil, all powerful sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), who they never knew existed.

Hela returns to Asgardin to claim the crown that she thinks is rightfully hers. With her evil powers she's able to bring her former army back to life and, backed by her army of zombies, she sets out to conquer every realm and to be the most powerful queen in the entire universe. However, her plans run into a roadblock when Heimdall (Idris Elba) comes out of hiding and steals the key that will allow her to leave the realm of Asgard.

Meanwhile, Thor's return is delayed after he is captured by a female bounty hunter, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson from Creed), and sold to "Grandmaster" (Jeff Goldblum) who entertains his realm by staging gladiator fights. Captives can only be set free by defeating the sitting champion, who just happens to be an old friend of Thor's, The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

The two "Avengers" end up teaming up and returning to Asgard to save the people of the realm and to do battle with the evil queen Hela. It's really a straight forward story that is easy to follow on the big screen (shown in IMAX 3D). I think this is the best Marvel comic book movie since the original Iron Man.

Although no explanation is given in the movie of the word "Rangarok" it has to do with Germanic mythology and refers to the end of the world for the gods and resurfacing new and fertile again. Seems like a good title because Thor Rangarok is a breath of fresh air from the often complicated and hard to follow super hero movie. It's rated PG-13 and has a run time of 2 hours and 10 minutes (which passes really quickly). On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I give this movie my highest rating a JUMBO (with extra butter)!

There is a funny bonus scene that appears after the movies' credits so be sure and stay until the very end.

Hollywood Hernandez

Suburbicon (2017)

Suburbicon is a very dark comedy

[7/10 · 27 October 2017]

Suburbicon is a very dark comedy from the mind of director George Clooney. Clooney has a very twisted sense of humor. The gags about murder and death run rampant in the movie, yet some how we can't help but laugh at the misfortune that occurs to the characters in Suburbicon.

Suburbicon is a fictitious suburban town in the late 1950's where things are slow and the worries about the traffic and the hustle of the big city are far away. Then the unthinkable happens to the members of the small community; a black family moves to town!

We soon see the "true colors" of the people in the small community as they ban together to "over come" and run the professional black family out of town. Meanwhile, next door to the protesting mob, a home invasion takes place at the Gardner house (Matt Damon and Julianne Moore). Damon's wife is killed by the burglars and he and his sister-in-law pick up the pieces after the crime, along with his young son Nicky (Noah Jupe), and start a new life. But things take a twist and we find out that Damon's character is not what he appears to be to everyone in the community of Suburbicon.

The movie is written by Clooney, along with the Cohen Brothers (O Brother, Where Art Thou) and is about as satirical as you can get. It drips with irony and is a social commentary film about this country, both in the 1950's and still even today.

Even with it's violence and dark theme this will be a film that will be discussed at Oscar time, perhaps even as Best Movie. There is no denying the quality of the film; however, it wasn't a movie I really enjoyed. For me it was too dark and too violent. It's rated "R" for violence and sexual situations and runs at 1 hour and 44 minutes.

There were parts of the movie that made me howl with laughter and the black family living in suburbia was another good twist on the tale, but overall the movie wasn't an enjoyable experience. My sense of decency made it hard for me to laugh at all the murders and violence in the movie.

On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate Suburbicon a LARGE. Hollywood Hernandez

Only the Brave (2017)

Only the Brave is a tribute to these brave men

[9/10 · 19 October 2017]

Only the Brave is another movie that is based on a true story. This one tells the tale of the brave volunteer firefighters known as The Granite Mountain Hotshots, who risk their lives to protect their remote community.

Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men) stars are Fire Chief Eric Marsh, a grizzly old man who loves both his job and his men. Miles Teller (Whiplash) is the young new recruit who finds the support he needs in the tight fraternity of firemen. Jennifer Connelly plays Teller's wife, Amanda, who keeps the home fires burning while her husband is out putting fires out.

Only the Brave does an excellent job of showing the danger that the volunteers have to endure and it also shows the bond between the tight group of men who put their lives on the line each day. The movie also goes out of its way to show the stress that the job puts on the men's home life.

The movie is based on an actual incident where 19 firefighters lost their lives defending their small town against a wildfire. Director Joseph Kosinski, who's directed a couple of Tom Cruise's action films, puts you at ground zero of the raging wildfire and, using CGI effects, gives you the incredibly scary feeling that the men must have faced while running to the raging fire instead of away from it. That is an amazing feat of courage.

The movie has many quotable lines. My favorite among them was, "We don't see things as they are; we see things the way that WE are." This movie is a fitting tribute to the brave men who died, from their perspective, doing what they were only thought was right, because it was their job.

Only the Brave runs a little over 2 hours and it's rated PG-13. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate this amazingly inspiring movie a JUMBO.

The Foreigner (I) (2017)

Jackie Chan still has that Kung Fu Fighting magic

[7/10 · 13 October 2017]

The Foreigner is Jackie Chan's first serious drama. He plays the father of a high school aged girl who is killed in a terrorist attack in London. After the attack we find out that Quan (Chan) is a former elite special forces soldier who fought in the Vietnam war. He gives up everything he owns to seek revenge on his daughter's killers.

After seeing a former IRA member on the news (Pierce Brosnan), who's now working as a liaison between the British and the IRA, he decides to camp on Liam Hennessy's doorstep in search of any information that can lead him to his daughter's killers.

We soon learn that Hennessy is not exactly squeaky clean in his dealings with the IRA and a trail of deceit and a serious espionage story begins to develop. This is where the story went a little off the ranch for me. I was enjoying the character development of Chan's character.

We see Chan and his tortured past and we see why the killing of his daughter is the overload that sends him out seeking only to harm and kill the perpetrators of the crime. At the age of 63 Chan still has that Kung Fu fighting magic and this is a rare occasion where I felt like more violence could have been included. The violence isn't gratuitous, it's a necessary part of the story. But unfortunately there are long periods without Chan's character in the movie. Instead the director chose to make the movie more about Brosnan's character and the often hard to follow story of political corruption.

There is enough of Chan's creative fight scenes to make the movie enjoyable, but I would have liked to have seen a little more. The movie is rated "R" for violence and some sexuality and it runs just under 2 hours.

On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" The Foreigner rates a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez

Marshall (2017)

Marshall will move you

[9/10 · 13 October 2017]

Marshall is about the true story of Thurgood Marshall. It's set in the 1940's when Marshall was an attorney for The NAACP. Understaffed at the time, the NAACP sends Marshall out on crusades all over the country giving legal defense to blacks who have been wrongly charged with a crime.

Chadwick Boseman is slick in his portrayal as the future Supreme Court Justice. He reminds me of a young Sydney Poitier with his quiet confidence and his cool style. Josh Gad (Beauty and the Beast) plays opposite of Boseman as a young Jewish attorney, Sam Friedman, who has to be the voice of Marshall in the Connecticut courtroom because Marshall is not a member of the bar in that state.

Friedman is the exact opposite of Marshall, which makes for some excellent chemistry between the two actors. While Marshall is thorough and prepared (he travels with an entire law book library in his suitcases), Friedman has never even been involved in a criminal case. As a matter of fact, Friedman is such a bad lawyer he is picked by litigants because of his ability to lose cases.

Slowly a friendship develops between the two men and they soon find that they have more in common that they first thought. Neither is an accepted member of the community; one because of his religion and one because of his race.

The trail focuses on a case where a black man (actor Joseph Spell) is falsely accused of raping a white woman (Kate Hudson). The movie is both gripping and inspiring. The entire cast is excellent and the movie will have you on an emotional ride from start to finish.

Marshall is rated "PG-13" and , while it has some violence and sexual situations, I would recommend the movie for any child of school age. It is a very worthwhile movie. It has a run time just under 2 hours.

The movie will move you both to tears and anger but I highly suggest you go see it. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" Marshall rates a JUMBO!

Hollywood Hernandez

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Remake falls a bit short

[6 October 2017]

How do you make a sequel of a movie that many consider to be the greatest science fiction movie of all time? Well, that was the task that director Denis Villeneuve was given with Blade Runner 2049. His last movie was the 2016 sci-fi movie Arrival, which won Best Picture of the Year. So, you'd think he was up to the task. However, the sequel falls a bit short.

The movie takes place 30 years in the future from the original Blade Runner. Ryan Gosling is the new Blade Runner and he sets out to find the original Blade Runner (Harrison Ford) who disappeared 30 years ago and has never been heard from since. The problem for the former Blade Runner Rick, (Ford) is that he meant to to that. He hasn't been missing; he's been in hiding. It's a secret that K (Gosling) discovers about a replicant that sends him in search of the old Blade Runner.

Most of the dark theme of the original movie made it to the remake and the story, although a little bit complicated, is a smooth transition from the first movie to the new one. The special effects are even more amazing, after 30 years of new technology have passed, and if you over think some of the premises in the movie it will really blow your mind. My recommendation is to just enjoy the movie as it plays out.

While not as good as the original, this movie comes darn close. At 2 hours and 43 minutes the movie runs a little long and it has an R rating for harsh language and some sexuality.

On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate Blade Runner 2049 a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

The Mountain Between Us has star power

[6 October 2017]

The Mountain Between Us is an adventure movie based on Charles Martin's 2011 book of the same name. Idris Elba plays Ben, a neurosurgeon who has to get home to New York to perform brain surgery and Kate Winslet is Alex, a photojournalist who waited until the last minute to get home for her wedding in New York. When an incoming storm strands the two travelers in Idaho Alex approaches Ben with a plan to rent a small plane to fly them into Denver ahead of the storm.

The two strangers become travel companions and when the storm comes rolling in earlier then predicted their small plane crashes high in the mountains of Northwest Utah. Now, the two strangers have to rely on each other to survive.

Beau Bridges has a small role as the pilot of the plane but this is basically a two actor movie drawing on the star power of it's leads, Elba and Winslet.

When the two survivors realize that no one is coming to their rescue they decide to climb down the mountain, battling the elements, wild animals and the injuries they sustained in the plane crash.

We learn a lot about the two characters as they travel down the mountain (I can't reveal much more without spoiling the movie) and as they survive the extreme conditions this action adventure becomes a love story.

The Mountain Between Us went to extreme for it's realism. The movie was actually shot at the 10,000 feet level in the mountains of Calgary.The actors took a helicopter each day to the location where temperatures were as cold as minus 38 degrees. So, when the actors seem to be freezing, they are not pretending.

The movie has some amazing action in the beginning and finishes with some melancholy and emotional scenes in the final act. It was a very satisfying combination and I liked the way things all wrapped up.

The Mountain Between Us is rated "PG-13" and has a run time of 1 hour and 43 minutes, which for me was a bit long and some parts of the film kind of dragged on, but it is a good adventure with some serious star power.

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

Hollywood Hernandez

American Made (2017)

American Made is based on a true story

[7/10 · 29 September 2017]

American Made is based on a true story, that takes place in the 1980's, about an American commercial pilot who is recruited by both the C.I.A. and by Escobar's Colombian drug cartel. He first starts out gathering info and taking pictures from the sky for the C.I.A. but when he's made an offer that he cannot refuse by the Colombians to run drugs from Latin America to the U.S., his world changes at a break neck pace and the money starts rolling in.

More questions are asked than answered in this movie. The movie itself is too busy relying on Cruise's movie star charm. He's smiles from behind his aviator shades as he deeply emerges himself in his character as Barry Seal. He reminded me of what may have become of a young "Maverick" from Top Gun if we were to see him as an adult 20 years later. This story is fast paced and it does manage to keep you entertained.

Sarah Wright plays Cruise's wife Lucy. She's hilarious in her role as a girl who was working at KFC when she met her husband to the richest woman in a small Arkansas community where they are placed by the C.I.A. to run all kind of covert operations from gun running to smuggling in Nicaraguans to the U.S. to train them as "freedom fighters."

American Made is definitely a star driven vehicle for Cruise and, to his credit, he acts well enough to make you forget that your watching Tom Cruise on screen. He's Barry Seal, "the gringo who can get anything delivered" and he is very believable. The movie also shows the corruption in that was widespread in Ronald Reagan's government, but that's another story.

This movie is rated "R" for obscene language and some sexuality and it runs just under 2 hours long. American Made is not a great movie, but it will keep you entertained. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" it rates a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Action is better than the weak humor

[22 September 2017]

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is the second attempt to adapt the comic book to the big screen. Taron Egerton is back as Eggsy, the once upon a time street hood turned English gentleman by his mentor Harry (Colin Firth). The secret spy organization, that uses a tailor shop called Kingsman as it's cover, suffers a catastrophic loss when they are hacked by a drug cartel and all of their agents are killed, except for Eggsy and Merlin (Mark Strong). The two agents search for clues to rebuild their organization when they discover they have an allied organization in the states called Statesman. The fraternal group of spies are in Kentucky and they operate as a whiskey distillery.

Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry join the movie at that point for the most entertaining scenes of the film. The Statesman team up with the Kingsman to find out who's behind the evil plot that killed all of their fellow agents in England. It leads them to a drug lord who is the head of The Golden Circle.

The Golden Circle is a drug cartel led by a cruel and evil crime boss named Poppy, played by Julianne Moore. She brands all of her agents with a circle of hot molten gold. She's forced to hide out in the jungle, but she's created her own little fantasy town that looks like a movie set from the 1950's; complete with a dinner, a bowling alley and a movie house. In the funniest parts of the movie she kidnaps Elton John to perform for her on demand. Elton is hilarious as a "diva" who's held captive and forced to perform against his will.

Although her product is illegal drugs, Poppy wants to be recognized as one of the top companies in the world. So she devises a plan to taint all of her drug supply with a virus that causes severe symptoms and eventually death. She wants drugs legalized and immunity from all of her previous illegal acts in exchange for an antidote which can save everyone infected. Publicly the president of the United States agrees, but he has plans to stall the distribution of her antidote until all of the drug users die from the tainted drugs. A hardliner on drugs, he sees that as a way of winning the war on drugs and any future demand for drugs.

The problem is it's not just "junkies" who are effected by the tainted drugs. Casual drug users, like one of the president's assistants and Eggsy girlfriend, who just happens to be a Swedish princess, are also infected. As a side note, the movie is from Fox Films which uses it's Fox News Channel to report on the crisis. Ironically, no one at The Fox News Network gets infected with the tainted drugs because, of course, none of the Fox Anchors would use drugs.

The action in the movie is better than the humor, which is a one note song that replays over and over again. The "spy gadgets" are cool and there is also some key product placement of a few items that will be available for purchase online.

The move it rated "R" for violence and some harsh language and it runs 2 hours and 21 minutes long. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" The Golden Circle rates a LARGE.

Hollywood Hernandez

American Assassin (2017)

An action/thriller filled with espionage, intrigue and plenty of action

[8/10 · 14 September 2017]

American Assassin is an action/thriller filled with espionage, intrigue and plenty of action. Dylan O'Brien (The Maze Runner and MTV's Teen Wolf) plays C.I.A. trainee Mitch Rapp. You'll be amazed at the transformation of O'Brien as he buffs up to play the stone cold killer in American Assassin. The movie is based on the best selling novels of Vince Flynn and directed by Michael Cuesta, who also directs the TV series Homeland.

O'Brien's character, Mitch Rapp, becomes a lone wolf who is obsessed with revenge after terrorists kill his girlfriend while they are on vacation on a small island in the Mediterranean. He trains for a year in MMA and with weapons. He is so ruthless that he is kicked out of both his martial arts class and his weapons training class. His plans are to pose as an American who is sympathetic to the cause of Isis so he can get near enough to kill members of their terrorist cells.

While he's making his plans he also being watched by the C.I.A. and they extract him from his first mission in Libya and offer him a chance to be a part of a super secret and elite black ops team. Sanaa Lathan plays Irene Kennedy, a C.I.A. Deputy Director who is in charge of the black ops team and Michael Keaton (who looks fantastic at age 66) is a former Navy Seal who's in charge of training the team. As an ensemble the actors make for a very entertaining movie.

Keaton and his team travel all over the world to stop a terrorist plot between Russia and Iran to build a nuclear weapon. On the mission the team discovers a former black ops team member, only known as "Ghost", who is now a mercenary and is brokering the deal between the two countries. "Ghost", played by Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) is a former protegee of Keaton who's now seeking revenge against his former mentor and against The United States, a country who he feels betrayed him.

While the cast is strong, it's O'Brien who carries the movie. He's on par with any former actor who's played James Bond except, unlike the Bond characters, he doesn't play his part with any humor or sarcasm. He plays it full out serious. He's a man obsessed with violence and killing, which makes for a very bloody and intense movie.

American Assassin is rated a very strong "R" for violence and it has a run time of 1 hour and 51 minutes. It will keep you enthralled and on the edge of your seat from start to finish. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate American Assassin a JUMBO.

Hollywood Hernandez

It (I) (2017)

Best Stephen King Adaptation in Years!

[8 September 2017]

IT is the best adaptation of a Stephen King novel in recent memory. While it takes a few liberties with the original novel (the book was set in the 50's and this movie is set in the 80's) it has the same qualities as some of his earlier movies like The Shinning and Stand by Me.

The story is told from the point of view of seven kids who are bullied at school. In school the six boys and one girl are referred to as "The Losers Club", but they band together over the summer and start to unravel the mystery of a history in their small town of children disappearing over the years. After doing some research at the library (pre-Google) the kids discover that the disappearances happen in the small town in Maine every 27 years.

The movie starts out with a little boy being sucked down a sidewalk gutter by a very creepy clown played by Bill Skarsgard. Skarsgard plays the killer clown perfectly. He's not over the top at all, but he goes from 0 to 100 from being a laughing, silly clown to a homicidal killer with out any type of warning. Each child sees the clown but they are also tormented by whatever their imagination conjures up as their deepest fear. IT is one terrifying movie.

The relatively unknown cast of kids are great. Imagine a monster who is preying on small, defenseless children. This makes the movie even more of a nightmarish tale. It's rated R for violence, terror and bloody scenes. No small child should see this movie. Even Bill Skarsgard, who plays the killer clown, says the movie gave him nightmares from playing the role.

The CGI effects are really amazing. There are some very demented monsters in this movie that come straight from the mind of the master of horror, Stephen King. I expect IT to debut with some huge box office numbers. It is really the best horror film to come out in a long time. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" IT rates a JUMBO.

Hollywood Hernandez

Crown Heights (2017)

Crown Heights is amazing

[10/10 · 1 September 2017]

In 1980 Colin Warner (played by Lakeith Stanfield) was charged with a crime he did not commit. He was convicted and spent 21 years in prison, including four years in solitary confinement. All the while he was in prison his friend Carl King (Nnamdi Asomugha) never gave up on correcting this injustice. This is the true story of the movie Crown Heights.

Crooked cops, an injustice justice system and the politics of the day (Ronald Reagan's "Get Touch on Crime Policies") all steam rolled Warner's efforts to prove his innocence. His friend, Carl King, soon discovered that without money for adequate legal counsel a poor man had no access to the justice system. But he never gave up.

While the movie portrays a jaw dropping look at our judicial system for poor people and minorities it is also a hopeful movie about faith, hope and friendship. Carl King almost lost his family to his commitment to prove his friend innocent, but still he never quits trying. He's convinced that the injustice of his friend could easily be him. He never stops trying to right the wrong.

Marsha Stephanie Blake plays Briana his childhood sweetheart who is also convinced of his innocence and she makes him a promise that one day she will be there to drive him home from prison. They develop a romantic relationship while he's in prison and she waits for him during his entire 21 years of incarceration. 

Crown Heights won the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival with good reason. Lakeith Stanfield as Collin is amazing in his portrayal of a man wrongly imprisoned. The actor has to cover a full range of emotions of a man who loses hope, finds love, and discovers the true meaning of friendship. Stanfield does a masterful job. 

The movie is rated "R" for violence and sexual situations and it has a run time of 94 minutes. While gut wrenching to watch, I enjoyed Crown Heights very much. At the very end of the movie it's closing credits make the point that there are about 2.4 million people currently in prison in the United States. It's estimated that over 120,000 are innocent. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" this movie gets my highest rating, A JUMB0 (with extra butter).

Hollywood Hernandez

Good Time (2017)

Good Time is good but doesn't make it to the finish line

[6/10 · 22 August 2017]

Good Time is a dark and gritty crime drama that is set to a driving techno beat and takes place on the streets of New York City. The movie begins with two brothers botching a bank robbery job where one brother Nick, played by co-director Benny Safdie, gets caught and sent to prison and the other brother, Robert Pattinson (from the Twilight movies) ends up on the run, pursued by the authorities and trying to find a way to get his brother out of jail.

Both actors give stellar performances. Nick (Benny Safdie) as the mentally challenged brother and Robert Pattenson gives such a hard core performance as brother Connie you'll easily forget he was a teen heart throb vampire in the Twilight movies. The movie starts off with a bang (literally) with plenty of action and a musical soundtrack that keeps you enthralled. (The soundtrack is probably one of the 5 best of the year.) The problem for me was at some point the movie turns into "Groundhog Day" with the same situations happening over and over again. It's a movie that ends with a whimper.

I give the movie high marks for its direction by the brothers team of Benny and Josh Safdie and the visuals on the big screen are stunning; it's just that the story is a little weak. It doesn't have quite enough to bring the movie all the way to the finish line.

Good Time has a run time of 1 hour and 40 minutes and it earns its strong "R" rating with plenty of violence, sex and drugs.

When I go to a movie the first question I ask myself is, "was it entertaining?" Unfortunately that would include the entire movie. The final third of the film almost bored me to sleep. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I give Good Time a MEDIUM. Hollywood Hernandez

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

Hit-man's Bodyguard is a star driven action/comedy

[9/10 · 17 August 2017]

As the summer movie season comes to an end Hollywood gives us one last action/adventure film that is driven by star power; The Hit-man's Bodyguard starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. Reynolds plays Michael Bryce, an anal retentive hit-man who is strictly by the books; while Samuel L. Jackson is Darius Kincaid, an assassin who flies by the seat of his pants however; his style seemingly makes him bulletproof.

The fun, and a whole lot of killing, begins when Reynolds gets the assignment to be Jackson's bodyguard and The two world class hit-man set out on a trek to get Kincaid to a world tribunal to testify against a dictator (Gary Oldman) who is accused of war crimes, but everyone who's previously tried to testify against him has ended up dead.

The two lead characters could not be any more different. Reynolds, who was heartbroken by his previous relationship with a secret agent, is jaded and bitter while Jackson's character is married to another hired killer (Salma Hayek), who is currently doing time, is a romantic, love struck fool who takes to singing loves songs at the drop of a dime.  He's also prone to dropping the "MF" word. (There are more MF's in this movie than in any other I can recall since Pulp Fiction.) 

MF's aside, this is one funny film. It's in the tradition of classic "buddy movies" like Lethal Weapon or 48 Hours. The contrast of the two main characters make for some serious comedic moments. The jokes make for a smooth transition from the car chase scenes and violence. The Hit-man's Bodyguard never takes it's foot off the gas. The movie goes at full throttle from beginning to end. It is a seriously fun movie!

The film is rated "R" for violence and harsh language and it has a run time of 1 hour and 58 minutes (which passes very quickly). On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate it a JUMBO!

Hollywood Hernandez

Step (2017)

STEP will move you!

[9/10 · 13 August 2017]

Step in an inspiring documentary by first time director, Amanda Lipitz. Lipitz is normally a Broadway producer but she had a special connection to this project. The film takes place at a charter school in Baltimore, The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, and the school was started by the directors mother. When Lipitz visited the school she learned about the girl's STEP team and met the founder of the team Blessin Giraldo, one of the three young women featured in the movie. She spent several years preparing to film the senior year of the girls who began at the school in the 6th grade. What she created is an excellent "slice of life film" that is very entertaining yet politically conscious.

Beside Blessin the films other lead characters are Cori, the school's valedictorian, and Tayla, a member of the team who got started late (9th grade) and who's single mother is a prison corrections officer. The movie show's the struggles of the girls growing up in inner city Baltimore; a key city in the Black Lives Matter movement, to the simple challenge of having nothing to eat in the fridge. Still the movie is uplifting.

STEP shows us the power that comes from supporting each other, as the girls do in the STEP group, and the importance of having people that care for you and have your back, as the girls do with their parents, teachers and principal. The girls all have the goal of being the first in their family to attend college and to have 100% of the school's girls graduate. SPOILER ALERT: They succeed!

Then there's the stepping. In the entire history of the STEP group they had never won or even placed in a STEP competition. In their senior year the girls get a new coach and take things to a new level. The dancing is soul stirring! As a group the girls come together and compete in the biggest STEP event in the city. I won't spoil the ending by telling you if they won or not but, trust me, the ending will move you to tears.

Much like the movie Hidden Figures, STEP is a triumph of sisterhood and should definitely be viewed by all teenage girls. STEP will move you. It will inspire you and it will having you leaving the theater more hopeful about the future of our children than when you went in. My favorite thing about the movie, besides the dancing, is that is shows there are small pockets of hope in even the worst neighborhoods in America and that with education we can produce more.

STEP was a winner at both The AFI Film Festival and The Sundance Film Festival. Former first Lady Michelle Obama has endorsed the movie too. It's rated PG. It has a run time of 1 hour and 23 minutes and on my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate STEP a JUMBO, with extra butter (my highest possible popcorn rating).

Hollywood Hernandez

47 Meters Down (2017)

You'll be two steps ahead of the characters but it's fun (for a while).

[5/10 · 15 June 2017]

47 meters is bout 154 feet. So imagine being at the bottom of the ocean in a shark cage with only about one hour of oxygen to sustain you. And oh yeah, you're also being stalked by humongous, hungry great white sharks. That's the premise of the new movie starring Mandy Moore and Claire Holt. who play two sisters vacationing in Mexico. After one of the sisters gets dumped by her fiancé the two sisters are looking for some fun and adventure but they get a little more adventure than they planned for when two Mexican locals convince them to go on a shark seeing excursion on board a rusted out boat owned by the two guys friend. Matthew Modine plays the captain of the raggedy ship.

When the crane that lowers the shark cage collapses the two sisters are plunged to the bottom of the ocean. They are too far down to try and swim back to the surface (they could get a severe case of the bends) and menacing great whites are all around and looking for their next meal.

47 Meters Down is one of those, "oh don't go in there girl" kinda movies. You know, the ones where everybody watching can tell the outcome of a bad choice the characters about to make, except for the characters in the movie. You stay a step ahead of the trapped girls at all times; who make one bad decision after another while being trapped at the bottom of the ocean.

Thank goodness the movie is a quick 1 hour and 29 minutes long and for most of the movie it is a fun time, but eventually the movie becomes tedious. I couldn't have taken much more. 47 Meters Down is rated PG-13 and on my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" it rates a MEDIUM.

Hollywood Hernandez

The Mummy (2017)

Hollywood just starts over with The Mummy

[5/10 · 8 June 2017]

In the new version of The Mummy Hollywood once again shows us that when a franchise runs out of steam all you have to do is rewind and recast the movie and start all over again. The Mummy franchise had been getting steadily worse over the past few years, finally becoming a direct to DVD movie with The Scorpion King, but the Mummy (2017) makes a strong comeback with the new version staring Tom Cruise.

Cruise, who made his bones as an action star in the Mission Impossible series, does a great job with the action scenes in this reboot and delivers a fine sense of humor that entertains during the slow parts of the movie while we wait for the next big round of action.

Sofia Boutella is the bad girl mummy who's awakened from her eternal rest and who is hell bent on releasing the evil she has been denied during her long slumber. She haunts Nick's (Cruise) dreams with her visions of making him her sacrifice and taking her evil into all eternity with him by her side.

Annabell Wallis is the female Egyptologisit who travels the world helping to prevent the evil from getting loose and Russell Crowe is the corrupt Dr. Henry Jekyll (no joke) who's the head of the ghost busting agency who has some special plans for the female mummy.

The Mummy has a some incredible visual effects and enough action and humor to be entertaining but it's not a great movie. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" (which I rate by the popcorn sizes SMALL, MEDIUM, LARGE and JUMBO) The Mummy rates a MEDIUM. It has a run time of 1 hour and 50 minutes and it's rated PG-13. Hollywood Hernandez

Wonder Woman (2017)

Movie Review-Wonder Woman

[10/10 · 4 June 2017]

The new D.C. Comics movie franchise, Wonder Woman, benefits from a lot of good choices. First, the choice of Gal Gadot, a former member of the Israeli army, as the lead character. She's a martial artist. She's 5'10" and a former fashion model who has great looks along with her athletic skills. She was born to play this role. Another excellent choice was the female director, Patty Jenkins. She portrays Wonder Woman as a "feminine feminist". Our hero is equal to any man in the movie but it's a subtle portrayal that doesn't beat you over the head. She's simply a strong woman.

In Wonder Woman, Diana/Wonder Woman is introduced as a young girl who starts early with her training as a defender of the all female island she was placed on, with an entire tribe of Amazonian women, by the gods. She becomes the best of the best after her years of combat training; surpassing even her teacher in her skills.

On the secluded island she had never seen a man before, until Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) drops in after his plane is shot down by German soldiers. When he tells her of the conflict that's killing thousands of people in the outside world (World War I) she decides, against her mother's wishes, that she must do something to help. So, together the two leave the island for a world that Diana knows nothing about and there are some hilarious situations that occur from her innocence with civilization in 1919 England.

While the movie is both funny and romantic, it's strongest element is its action scenes. Once Wonder Woman gets to fighting, forget about it, you can't take your eyes off of her up on the screen. The movie is a bit long (two hours and twenty one minutes) but I never noticed the length. There was plenty of excitement to keep you enthralled for every minute of the film.

Wonder Woman will reprise her role for (at least) two editions of The Justice League (which will also include more D.C. superheroes such as Batman, Superman and The Flash) and I'd bet on another Wonder Woman solo project as well. I thought Wonder Woman was wonderful! The movie is rated PG-13 and on my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" I rate it a JUMBO (with extra butter), my highest rating.

Hollywood Hernandez

Born in China (2016)

Born in China

[8/10 · 21 April 2017]

Just in time for Earth Day 2017 comes a Disney Documentary called BORN IN CHINA. It's a majestic film shot in the mountains of China that shows the life cycle of a herd of elk, a family of rarely seen snow leopards, a mischievous two year old monkey and his family and a mother panda bear with her daughter. John Krasinsky, from the TV show The Office, narrrates the movie, which takes us deep into the wild in China and shows us places rarely seen by man.

It is a beautiful movie that took four years to film. It shows the intimate lives of the animals involved. From a herd of migrating elk to a rarely seen (much less shot on film) mother snow leopard the movie takes us up close in the life cycle of these rare and exotic creatures. The movie does a great job in the story telling in this real life nature story. It personalizes the families of animals (in a way that only Disney would do) by giving names to the animals such as Tao Tao the golden snub nosed monkey, Dawa the mother snow leopard and, the star of the movie Ya Ya the mother panda bear who's recently given birth to a baby panda bear. The cuteness in this film is off the chart!

The visual experience of BORN IN CHINA is worth the price of admission. The nature and natural beauty of China, away from the big cities with it's huge population, traffic and pollution, is a feast for the eyes. I loved this movie! BORN IN CHINA is rated G and has a short run time of one hour and sixteen minutes. Take the family and experience this excellent Disney documentary. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" BORN IN CHINA is a JUMBO! Hollywood Hernanadez

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

Fate of the Furious

[7/10 · 20 April 2017]

The Fate of the Furious is the eighth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise and, judging from the audience reaction to this movie, the series still has plenty of gas left in it's tank. It has enough of a story line to hold it all together but this movie is all about action and fast cars. It has car chases, car crashes and even cars falling out of the sky. Director F. Gary Gray, who also directed Straight Outta Compton, has put together a high octane adventure that is a real crowd pleaser.

In Fate of the Furious the team has gone back to their normal lives, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is coaching his little girls soccer team and Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are in Havana on their honeymoon. However one day Dom is approached by the cyber- terrorist known only as Cipher (Charlize Theron) and she shows him something on her cell phone which makes him turn his back on his team and join her in her evil international terrorist plot. So the whole team is forced to go after Dom and the family, which is a prevailing theme in the movie, is a family no more.

The supporting cast, including Tyrese, Ludicrous and Jason Stratham, add the comic relief to the movie and there's even a small cameo appearance in the movie from Oscar winner Helen Miren as an international crime boss. Obviously I don't want to give away the ending but the movie is set up for another Fast and Furious movie in the future, and since the previous F&F 7 made over one billion dollars worldwide, you should get ready for a Fast and Furious 9!

The movie is rated PG-13 for violence and destruction and has a run time of 136 minutes. On my "Hollywood Popcorn Scale" The Fate of the Furious rates a JUMBO!