JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Won't You Be My Neighbor? Starring Fred Rogers Directed by Morgan Neville The Story: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" is a documentary film telling the life of Fred Rogers, who started a children's programming show in 1968 in a small Pittsburgh studio that blew up into an international sensation.  The film interviews those who knew him best (including his wife Joanne and his now-grown children) as they share Fred's ups and downs, how he tackled important issues for children, and proved that a nice guy can really finish first. The Synopsis: Growing up in the 80s, I remember seeing "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" when I went to my grandma's house.  I don't remember a lot about it, but I remember really enjoying the program despite also liking the classic 80s children action shows like "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe."  "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" was something ultimately different and, as mentioned s...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Films Featuring Redheads "Blondes are noticed, but redheads are never forgotten" - Unknown. There are countless films that prominently feature redheads, and many of them are actually very good.  Here are my personal top ten films featuring redheads, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10  Child's Play If you had to transfer your soul into the body of a pint-sized red-headed doll, you'd probably be a bit pissed off too.  Serial killer Charles Lee Ray (played by the amazing Brad Dourif) transfers his soul into the body of a Good Guy doll named Chucky, which is purchased by a mother for her young son, and he continues his rampage of terror.  One of horror's most lasting icons, Chucky has terrified and thrilled audiences since 1988. #9  Miss Sloane Jessica Chastain is one of modern cinema's most prolific actresses, and I was torn between picking "Zero Dark Thirty" or "M...

The Equalizer 2 Starring Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders Directed by Antoine Fuqua The Story: Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) continues working for the little guy, using his particular skill set to beat up and kill bad guys in order to protect the good.  His friend Susan (Melissa Leo) works for the government, and while in Belgium working on a case, she's murdered.  This causes McCall to investigate, finding a conspiracy deeper than he imagined, and putting those he cares most about at risk. The Synopsis: 55.  Denzel Washington has appeared in over fifty-five television shows and films, and never once did he sign up for a sequel.  He's one of the few actors in Hollywood who's never done a sequel, but no longer.  "The Equalizer 2" is Washington's first sequel, and you know for him to relent and appear in a sequel that the film had to be good, and it was. Antoine Fuqua (who also has never directed a sequel) returns...

The Equalizer Starring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloe Grace Moretz, Melissa Leo Directed by Antoine Fuqua The Story: Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is leading a rather quiet life: he lives alone after his wife's death, he works at a Home Depot-style retail store, and he enjoys reading at an all-night diner.  He befriends Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), and takes her under his wing to teach her the importance of life and valuing herself as a human being, despite servicing as a prostitute. When she's beaten up by her Russian owners, McCall unleashes his old training and dispatches harsh justice, inciting the ire of the Russian mafia, who sends Teddy Rensen (Marton Csokas) to dispatch McCall.  Instead, Rensen finds McCall to be more than meets the eye, and learns to never underestimate the opponent. The Synopsis: Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson.  Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.  Ron Howard and Tom Hanks.  Martin Scorsese and Robert De Ni...

Skyscraper Starring Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han, Roland Moller Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber The Story: Ten years after a hostage negotiation goes horribly wrong and leads to his leg getting amputated, former FBI leader Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) now assesses security for skyscrapers, and his latest job lands him at The Pearl in Hong Kong - the world's largest self-sustaining skyscraper designed by billionaire Zhao Long Ji (Chin Han). Will's wife Sarah (Neve Campbell) and twin children are able to stay at the Pearl during Will's assessment, before they open it up to the general public.  However, terrorist kingpin Kores Botha (Roland Moller) has different plans, and sets fire to one floor of the complex in order to trap Ji and an item that Botha desperately needs.  Unfortunately for him, he also trapped Sarah and her children, leading Will on a wild adventure to save them. The Synopsis: At the opening party of a colossal, but poorly const...

Sorry to Bother You Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Steven Yeun Directed by Boots Riley The Story: Cassius (Lakeith Stanfield) is a man in his 30s struggling with his identity in the world, finding a job to pay the bills, and wanting to live a comfortable life with his artistic girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson).  He finds a job at a telemarketing firm, and learns from fellow employee Langston (Danny Glover) to use his "white voice" in order to drive sales. Mastering his "white voice," Cassius soon moves up the ranks in the company, earning the title of "power caller" and getting a prime raise and position, while his friends meander in the lower tiers and plan to form a union.  He learns he's making calls for Steve Lift (Armie Hammer), who's the president of WorryFree - a company where people sign away their lives to work, live, and eat there their entire lives in return for free room and board.  While De...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Unnecessary Sequels This week finds three sequels hitting theaters, and each one has something different to offer.  "Unfriended: Dark Web" isn't a direct sequel to the original, but includes the same concept of being filmed through the lens of a computer camera.  "The Equalizer II" is Denzel Washington's first sequel ever, so you know it's something he believes in.  Then there's "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!"  Why was this sequel greenlit and produced?  Was there even a need for a sequel like this so long after the original? This got me thinking about the most unnecessary sequels I've seen, and I've compiled a list. So here are my personal top ten unnecessary sequels, worst2first (this time, "first" being the worst of them all)... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10  The Last Exorcism II When the title of the film has the word "last" in it, you definitely don...

Beirut Starring Jon Hamm, Rosamund Pike, Dean Norris, Shea Whigham Directed by Brad Anderson The Story: Ten years after the murder of his wife, Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm) returns to Beirut at the behest of CIA field agent Sandy Crowder (Rosamund Pike), who informs him that his old friend Cal (Mark Pellegrino) has been kidnapped by a Militia of Islamic Liberation, and he's been chosen to broker a trade.  The leader of the terrorist group, Karim (Idir Chender), demands Cal's life for the life of his brother, but Mason can't locate him.  As time begins to run out, he pulls out all the stops to find the brother and save his friend before he becomes the next casualty of the Lebanese Civil War. The Synopsis: Jon Hamm was a television icon, starring as the always debonair Don Draper in the AMC series "Mad Men," winning two Golden Globes for his performance.  However, his transition to the big screen hasn't been as stellar.  Apart from decent secondary cha...

Sicario: Day of the Soldado Starring Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner, Jeffrey Donovan Directed by Stefano Sollima The Story: After two terrorist bombings occur on American soil, CIA Special Activities Division officer Matt Graves (Josh Brolin) discovers that they came from Mexico, and is enlisted to create havoc by pitting rival Mexican druglords against each other.  To accomplish this, he enlists Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) to do the dirty work, and mostly because one of the cartel leaders is the same man responsible for Gillick's family's death. The two men plan to kidnap Isabela (Isabela Moner), the daughter of the drug cartel leader, and in doing so will incite a war between the cartels.  As the violence escalates, Isabela sees more than she's supposed to, resulting in the government's plan to take her out - but Gillick is unwilling to do so, pitting him against his old friend for the life of the girl and the safety of America. ...

The First Purge Starring Y'lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Jovian Wade, Mugga Directed by Gerard McMurray The Story: America is in a decline.  Poverty is up, crime is rampant, and it's in this political climate that a new political party - the New Founding Fathers of America - rises to power, electing their man as the new President.  They begin a social experiment known as The Purge at Staten Island - giving residents $5,000 to stay in their homes, or more if they participate - where all crime will be legal for twelve hours. Activist Nya (Lex Scott Davis) is against this Purge because it's basically a legal way to murder the under-privileged, and her former boyfriend and drug kingpin Dmitri (Y'lan Noel) feels it's bad for his business, but Nya's brother Isaiah (Jovian Wade) chooses to participate for the money and get revenge on a drug user who almost killed him. As the Purge begins, the Architect of the program (Marissa Tomei) finds that not a lot of...

Worst2First:  My Top Third Films With the third "Hotel Transylvania" film coming out this week, I decided to focus my top ten list on the best third films I've seen. Two's company, but three is a crowd.  In many instances, that's very true, but in cinema, sometimes you need a third film to help complete a story.  While there's been countless third films, I've found my personal ten favorites, which I will now list for you.  This doesn't mean I like the third film the best out of the trilogy, but I found them very enjoyable, important, and meaningful. So here is my personal top third films, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10  Goldmember Mike Myers took the 1960s spy subgenre and turned it on its head with the creation of Austin Powers, a man frozen in time, who thaws out in the present still living according to the swingin' 60s.  His blend of slapstick, crude, and offbeat humor has echoed through the yea...