JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Isabella Sermon Directed by J.A. Bayona The Story: Three years after dinosaurs wreaked havoc in Jurassic World, the island is set to be destroyed by a now active volcano, leading to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs yet again.  As questions are raised whether or not to rescue them, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) sides with saving the dinosaurs, and is enlisted by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and his young protege Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) to rescue them - including Blue, the last living Velociraptor.  However, catching Blue is no easy task, and Claire manages to convince Blue's old trainer Owen (Chris Pratt) to accompany her to the island to save him. After arriving on the island, Owen and Claire learn that they've been double-crossed, and the dinosaurs are being transported back to the States to be sold as weapons of mass destruction to the highest bidder, and Blue is neede...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Historically Inaccurate Films When you see the words "based on a true story" at the beginning of a film, that doesn't always mean it's the real true story.  Hollywood loves to take liberties with reality and turn it into something more entertaining for the audiences, and while there's certain moments of truth in these stories, there's also a lot of fictitious facts made to make it more appealing. Here are my personal top ten historically inaccurate films, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE SPOILERS,  SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!** #10 Captain Phillips Based on the true story of the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates in 2009, "Captain Phillips" painted the captain in a truly heroic light, in a powerful performance by Tom Hanks.  However, based on crew members' take on the event, the captain was far from heroic.  He had ignored several safety protocols and sailed too close to the coa...

Incredibles 2 Starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner Directed by Brad Bird The Story: After protecting the world from the Underminer, superhero family the Parrs are still living in hiding because superheroes are still seen as more a liability than an asset.  The law is still in effect of no superpowers being used, to the chagrin of Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson), who wants his family to be super in public. The family is forced to stay in a motel after the incident to try and stay out of hiding. Then Bob's friend Lucius (Samuel L. Jackson) comes to them with a proposition from a wealthy tycoon who wishes to abolish the anti-superhero law and bring supers back to the forefront.  They're introduced to brother/sister team Winston (Bob Odenkirk) and Evelyn (Catherine Keener) Deavor, who put tiny cameras on the superhero suits so they can show their side of the story, and choose Helen (Holly Hunter) to be the first one to try it out. Bob is res...

SuperFly Starring Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael Kenneth Williams, Lex Scott Davis Directed by Director X The Story: Priest (Trevor Jackson) is a young cocaine dealer in Atlanta, someone who's been hustling at a young age and who's learned the art of dealing drugs and other illegal activities without drawing attention of the police and getting along with rivals including the leader of rival gang Snow Patrol Q (Big Bank Black).  Yet after a near-fatal run-in, he decides to go for one last big score with his partner Eddie (Jason Mitchell), and then leave the business for good. As it goes, it's harder than Priest imagined to achieve this goal, as he finds himself in contention with Snow Patrol, crooked cops, an angry former mentor (Michael Kenneth Williams), and a Mexican drug cartel, all of which escalates as the film progresses, throwing Priest into one dangerous situation after another. The Synopsis: A remake of the 1972 blaxploitation classic, ...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Films  Where the Main Character Dies There's no bigger surprise in film than to see a main character that you've grown to love - or despise - bite the dust.  It's not something typical, and when it happens, it leaves a memorable imprint in your brain. Here are my personal top ten films where the main character dies, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!  OBVIOUSLY!** #10 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Since it takes place between Episodes 1-3 and 4-6, one would expect the inevitable - especially since none of the characters are mentioned in future "Star Wars" films.  Still, it's quite a shock when every main character meets their untimely end by the credits, including Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso. #9  V for Vendetta Set in a dystopian future, "V for Vendetta" centers round the mysterious V, who plans to take down the fascist regime.  During his fight, V is shot and dies, and his b...

Hotel Artemis Starring Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum Directed by Drew Pearce The Story: In Los Angeles in 2028, riots are at an all-time high due to a corporation's desire to privatize the water supply, and the battle is reaching the doors of the Hotel Artemis - a hospital and hotel for the criminals run by the mysterious and agoraphobic Nurse (Jodie Foster).  She gladly welcomes any criminals who are paying members as long as they keep the rules - no killing other patients, no guns, no insulting the staff and the like.  The Nurse runs the place with Everest (Davev Bautista), who serves as the muscle against unruly patrons. When bank robbing brothers Waikiki (Sterling K. Brown) and Honolulu (Brian Tyree Henry) seek refuge after a botched robbery, they're taken in along with longer staying patients Nice (Sofia Boutella) - a no-holds-barred assassin - and Acapulco (Charlie Day) - a misogynistic, egotistical arms dealer.  Events...

Ocean's 8 Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter Directed by Gary Ross The Story: After spending five years, eight months, and twelve days in prison for planning a heist, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) convinces the parole board that she's a changed woman, and is free to plan the heist of the century.  With her longtime partner in crime Lou (Cate Blanchett), Debbie plans on robbing the Met Gala - or specifically, a $150,000,000 Cartier necklace on the neck of famed actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway). To pull it off, Debbie and Lou find five other women with specific skill sets: Amita (Mindy Kaling), who's a jewelry maker; Tammy (Sarah Paulson), who worked with Debbie in the past and now spends time selling stolen merchandise from her suburban home; Constance (Awkwafina), who's a street-smart street hustler and pickpocket; Nine Ball (Rihanna), who's skilled with computer hacking; and Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carte...

Hereditary Starring Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne Directed by Ari Aster The Story: After the death of her mother, Annie (Toni Collette) reveals that the two were never really close - in fact her family has had a long line of mental illnesses that has plagued them, and her mother was no different.  After her death, strange events begin occurring to the family, and especially to Annie's youngest daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro).  It seems that the past doesn't want to die, and family secrets soon surface in dangerous and deadly ways. The Synopsis: Production company A24 has released some truly stellar work in recent years, some of which ("Lady Bird," "The Florida Project," "Room," and especially "Moonlight") have been recognized the the Academy for being some of the best of the best, and others ("The Killing of a Sacred Deer," "The Lobster," "A Ghost Story") have receive...