JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Best Picture Oscar Winners   These are the best of the best, the films that earned the highest honor of Best Picture.  This is what all directors aspire to, and only a few have achieved this ultimate goal. Here are my personal top ten Best Picture Oscar winners, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10 No Country for Old Men Brother Joel and Ethan Coen have churned out some of the most thought-provoking and powerful pieces of cinema in recent history, and "No Country for Old Men" is definitely one of them.  The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, and made a household name out of Javier Bardem.  #9 Braveheart Known as Mel Gibson's best work, "Braveheart" told the story of William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the first war of Scottish independence against the British.  Besides sta...

Major Theatrical Releases March 2018 As winter comes to a close, a slew of exciting films will come to theaters.  There's something for everyone in March, and it looks to be a very exciting month at the movies. Here are the major theatrical releases for March 2018. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS,  since the films aren't released yet. Also, dates are subject to change** Death Wish March 2 Better known for directing horror classics like "Hostel" and "Cabin Fever," Eli Roth turns to action in this modernized remake of the classic Charles Bronson revenge thriller.  Bruce Willis stars as a man who looses his family, and sets to the streets of Chicago for vigilante justice.  It looks to be a non-stop thrill ride, which is no surprise considering Willis is at the helm. Red Sparrow March 2 Jennifer Lawrence once again showcases her action prowess with "Red Sparrow," where she plays a Russian wo...

Worst2First:  My Most Anticipated Films of Spring 2018 As the winter snow disappears, it's time to bring out some big blockbusters before the huge summer season.  March/April of 2018 brings a lot of promising prospects to cinemas - including three long-awaited sequels, an interesting reboot, some vividly fascinating films, and some truly creepy horror. **There will be no spoilers,  since the films haven't been released yet. Also, dates are subject to change** #10 Super Troopers 2 April 20 A few years ago there was a slew of sequels that were released long after the original, and most of them ("Bad Santa 2," "Independence Day: Resurgence," "Rings") were utter trash.  The original "Super Troopers" came out in 2001, and was a surprise hit, and word of a sequel quickly spread like wildfire.  Then the fire died out, or so we thought.  Now, seventeen years later, we're getting the sequel we squealed about in 200...

Annihilation Starring Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez Directed by Alex Garland The Story: One year ago, Lena's (Natalie Portman) soldier husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) went missing, and considered killed in action.  Then he arrives back home, and seems to be totally different, and then he starts bleeding.  En route to the hospital, they're taken by the government and sent to a secret facility until the lead of Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ventress informs Lena that Kane is in a coma, and he was the only person who ever returned from The Shimmer - a mysterious glowing border between the regular world and a world changed after a meteor crash three years earlier.  The barrier is expanding, and they fear it could envelop the whole world. Ventress, Lena, and three other women - paramedic Anya (Gina Rodriguez), physicist Josie (Tessa Thompson) and geologist Cass (Tuva Novotny) enter the Shimmer to reach the lighthouse in th...

Early Man Starring Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall Directed by Nick Park The Story: In the Stone Age, a small village is ruled by the dim-witted Chief Bobnar (Timothy Spall), where he organizes daily rabbit hunts - because they can't catch anything bigger.  Equally dim-witted Dug (Eddie Redmayne) wants them to hunt bigger things, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.  One night, they're attacked by more civilized people from the Bronze Age, led by Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston), banishing the cavemen to the volcanic badlands. Dug finds his way into the town of the Bronze Age, and discovers they play a game called football.  He offers Lord Nooth a challenge - if his people can defeat his men at football, they can get their land back, and if they loose, they'll work in his mines.  Nooth agrees, thinking there's no way primitive cavemen could beat his sophisticated players. Back home, Dug tries to teach the other dim-wits how to pl...

Johnny Mnemonic Starring Keanu Reeves, Dina Meyer, Ice-T, Dolph Lundgren Directed by Robert Longo The Story: In 2021, some people are known as "mnemonic carriers," people who have had their memories erased and implanted a way to transfer important data through the use of their brain.  Johnny (Keanu Reeves) is one of those people, and is tasked with carrying highly sensitive information from Beijing to Newark, but the information is so big that it can literally blow his mind if he doesn't release it in a few days. He's tracked by the Yakuza, under direction of Pharmakom Corporation leader Takahashi (Takeshi Kitano), who doesn't want the information released.  With the help of Jane (Dina Meyer), a cybernetically-enhanced bodyguard, Johnny attempts to get the information to J-Bone (Ice-T) before being assassinated by the Yakuza or the Street Preacher (Dolph Lundgren), another mercenary hired by Takahashi. The Synopsis: There are films out there that ...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Best Actor Oscar Winners When it comes to leading men, these actors more than earned their spot in cinema history as the best in the field, and they were awarded the Oscar due to their powerful, thought-provoking roles. Here are my personal top ten Best Actor Oscar winners, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10 Casey Affleck "Manchester by the Sea" In a year filled with tremendous performances, it was Casey Affleck who won the Oscar for his heart-breaking role in "Manchester by the Sea," where he played a man dealing with the sudden death of his brother and having to raise his nephew as his own.  The film is an absolute tearjerker, and Affleck gives the performance of his career in it. #9 Leonardo DiCaprio "The Revenant" The sixth time was the charm for Leonardo DiCaprio, one of our generation's most prolific actors who's graced the screen in several memorable roles, ...

Samson Starring Taylor James, Jackson Rathbone, Caitlin Leahy, Greg Kriek Directed by Bruce Macdonald The Story: Samson (Taylor James) is a towering Israelite who was chosen by God before he was born to lead the people of Israel out of their Palestinian captivity under King Balek (Billy Zane).  Balek's son, Rallah (Jackson Rathbone) draws Samson out of the shadows, but Samson is far from ready to lead his people - he's too busy getting involved with women, especially Palestinian woman Taren (Frances Sholto-Douglas), whom he desires to marry. After Rallah disrupts his wedding and brings tragedy to Samson, he decides to fulfill God's calling on his life and lead the people of Israel, but the sins of the past still haunt him and he encounters Delilah (Caitlin Leahy), who threatens to expose Samson's source of strength that could bring him down for good. The Synopsis: In 1950, the famed director Cecil B. DeMille directed the best big-screen adaptation of th...