JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Best Supporting Actress  Oscar Winners To earn an Oscar for a Supporting Actress is no small feat, and requires an absurd amount of talent because you're not on the screen as much as a lead, but you must also leave a lasting impact.  These ten women were able to achieve this feat by sheer talent and ability, and clearly deserved to win the coveted Oscar. Here are my personal top ten Best Supporting Actress Oscar winners, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10 Octavia Spencer "The Help" It's hard to believe that Octavia Spencer was a relative no-name for so long (I remember seeing her in a small role in Rob Zombie's "Halloween II" where she played a nurse) due to her outstanding natural talent.  In "The Help," she played Minny Jackson, a feisty African American maid during the Civil Rights Movement who formed a friendship with a journalist who wrote a book from the point of view of the...

The Maze Runner: The Death Cure Starring Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden Directed by Wes Ball The Story: Hot on the heels of the evil corporation WCKD, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and his friends set out to free their friend who was captured.  As they traverse the post-apocalyptic world, they hear of a city called the Last City where WCKD is headquartered, a virtually impenetrable city surrounded on all sides by a high wall and armed to the teeth with guards and high-caliber weapons.  Inside lies the truth to everything, and possibly mankind's only hope for survival. The Synopsis: There's been some movies out there where I couldn't care a lick about any of the characters due to extremely poor writing and acting.  I sit through the drudgery and monotony until the film thankfully draws to a conclusion, and almost immediately wipe it from my memory bank.  While there's countless number of solo films that this has happe...

The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Starring Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden Directed by Wes Ball The Story: After surviving their maze, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and his friends find themselves under the protection of Janson (Aidan Gillen), and are told that they're on their way to a better world.  Yet things don't sit right with Thomas, and he finds out that the group that "rescued" them are actually members of WCKD, the company that took them in the first place. After planning a harrowing escape, Thomas and his friends find themselves in a deserted wasteland, after the world was pretty much destroyed by a solar flare.  As they traverse the desert in search of a rebel group, they come into contact with Cranks, human-zombies who were affected by the Flare virus that turned them into murderous monsters.  They struggle to survive and try to make it to the Right Arm, a resistance group aimed at taking down WCKD. T...

The Maze Runner Starring Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter Directed by Wes Ball The Story: Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) finds himself on an elevator heading up to an unknown destination.  He arrives in the middle of a lush, green valley surrounded by other young men, and he has no clue as to his identity, where he is, or how he got there.  He's instructed by the leader, Alby (Aml Ameen), that they're in a place called the Glade, which is surrounded on all sides by huge walls.  These walls open during the day, and inside there's a labyrinth of mazes from which no one has ever come out of. Thomas is intrigued, and when he sees a few other boys emerging from the maze, he learns that some of them have been designated as Maze Runners - sent to go into the maze during the day to map it out, even though at night it changes.  His constant inquiry draws the ire of Gally (Will Poulter), who wishes for everything to remain the same as ...

Phantom Thread Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville, Richard Graham Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson The Story: Set in London sometime after World War II, Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is an acclaimed fashion designer who's meticulous eye for detail in the fabric matches his equally insatiable desire for routine and perfection in his real life.  He has never fallen in love, still pining over the loss of his mother, and has a deeply personal connection with his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville), who helps control the company he's amassed. One day he goes to a restaurant and meets waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps), and is smitten by her.  They go out on a date and slowly begins a relationship, with Alma becoming Reynolds' muse and model, as well as his lover.  Yet things aren't all perfect, as Reynolds' thirst for control and routine is equally matched by Alma's own desires, and the two participate in an intense back-and-forth for...

12 Strong Starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena, Navid Negahban Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig The Story: Immediately after the terrorist attack on 9/11, Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) and his team travel to Uzbekistan, where they learn they'll be the first Special Forces team to head into Afghanistan and take the Taliban stronghold of Mazar-i-Sharif with the aid of General Abdul Rashid Dostum (Navid Negahban), the leader of the Northern Alliance and former warlord.   When they arrive in Afghanistan, Nelson learns that he and his men must advance on horseback due to the treacherous terrain, something none of his men were prepared for.  Still, they mounted their horses and rode into battle against an unknown amount of Taliban soldiers with missiles, tanks, and heavy artillery, knowing they have to succeed, or else America would be attacked again. The Synopsis: After 9/11, there were several films released that detailed that tragic day in...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Biggest Oscar Surprises & Snubs 2018 To me, the Academy Awards is like the Super Bowl for sports fanatics.  It's the highlight of my year, when the best of the best in film get the recognition they deserve.  To me, it's a magical night that I look forward to every year. Just like every year, when the nominations are announced, there's several snubs and surprises, and 2018 is no different. Here are my top ten biggest Oscar surprises and snubs for 2018, worst2first... #10 Super Zeroes The Academy and superhero movies is like mixing oil and water: they hardly go together.  The only real exception was when Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal as The Joker in "The Dark Knight."  Last year, the biggest surprise was that "Suicide Squad" - hardly a feat of Oscar-worthy caliber - won an Academy Award (granted it was for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, but still, you have to say the words "Oscar win...

The Shape of Water Starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer Directed by Guillermo del Toro The Story: Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) is a mute woman who works as a janitor at a secret government facility during the Cold War, and is friends with her closeted gay neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins), and Zelda (Octavia Spencer), an African American woman she works with. One night, the government comes with an unknown Asset, and Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) takes over command.  Elisa sees the Asset and discovers it's actually a mysterious sea creature that closely resembles a human, and the government is keeping it secret so the Soviets don't get their hands on it.  Elisa is smitten by the creature, and reaches out to it using her forms of communication, mainly sign language.  The creature begins responding to Elisa, and the two form an unlikely friendship as Strickland plans on killing it so it doesn't fall into the ...

The Commuter Starring Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra The Story: Michael McCauley (Liam Neeson) is a 60-year-old former detective-turned insurance salesman who rides the train to his job every single day - for the last ten years.  Yet today is different.  He's just been laid off, he doesn't know how to tell his wife (Elizabeth McGovern) and son (Dean-Charles Chapman) that he's now unemployed, and wonders how he will make ends meet.  Then he meets mysterious Joanna (Vera Farmiga), who offers him a tantalizing offer: find someone on the train that doesn't belong, and $100,000 will be his. Michael is doubtful about the claim until he finds the money hidden, and then learns there's a much darker motive to this supposed hypothetical, but he finds himself caught in a web of deceit and danger, as there's much more at stake than money. The Synopsis: There are some actors who are generally typecas...

Mary and the Witch's Flower Starring Ruby Barnhill, Louis Serkis, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi The Story: After a witch steals a mysterious flower, it blooms in a deserted forest.  Years later, young Mary (Ruby Barnhill) - a girl who finds herself with a severe case of wanderlust - stumbles upon the flower, and is taken to a mythical school for witches led by Madame Mumblechook (Kate Winslet).  They think she's a natural witch, but she only made it there through the power of the flower, and she learns that they want the flower back to complete a ritual that will give their students the ultimate magical power - and will stop at nothing to get the flower back. The Synopsis: Japanese animation is a thing of utter beauty.  The animation is lavish, vivid, and detailed.  The stories are beautiful, imaginative, and blends childlike elements with strong adult themes.  They're a delight for the eyes and the ears, and somethin...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Best Twist Endings in Film What makes films great is the stories they tell.  Sometimes they're cut-and-dry, straightforward and linear, and that's alright.  Then there's other films that take your mind for a ride, traverses the many twists and turns that ends in a spectacular finish that you never saw coming. Here are my personal top ten best twist endings in film, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! I WILL BE SPOILING THE ENDING FOR THESE FILMS! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THEM YET,  DO NOT READ AHEAD!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!** Alright, you have been adequately warned. #10 Atonement In the film, there's a relationship blossoming between Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy), but Cecilia's younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) becomes jealous and concocts a story, sending Robbie to prison and eventually into World War II.  The two lovers are able to reconnect, and se...