JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Major Theatrical Releases October 2018 October has some great films being released, from horror to Oscar-caliber quality and everything in between, there's no shortage of exciting films hitting cinemas this month. Here are the major motion pictures being released in October, 2018. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS,  Also, dates are subject to change** A Star is Born October 5 "A Star is Born" is a film that's been made three different times in cinematic history - in 1937, 1954, and 1976 - and now it will receive its fourth cinematic viewing in 2018, this time starring Bradley Cooper (who also directs) and Lady Gaga.  In this iteration, Cooper stars as a drunken country singer who discovers the talent in Ally, played by Lady Gaga, and the two begin both a professional and personal relationship that will define both of their lives.  There's already intense Oscar buzz around the film, and with these two actors at the helm, looks to be...

White Boy Rick Starring Richie Merritt, Matthew McConaughey, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh Directed by Yann Demange The Story: In Detroit in 1984, fourteen-year-old Rick Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt) spends time at gun shows with his father Rick Sr. (Matthew McConaughey) as he buys guns on the cheap and then re-sells them for a profit illegally.  FBI Agent Alex Snyder (Jennifer Jason Leigh) picks Rick up and tells him that he needs to sell cocaine to local gang members in order to bring them to jail, or else they'll arrest his father for illegally selling guns.  Rick agrees to help them, but finds the pull of easy money too irresistible, and becomes engrossed in the drug selling scene in Detroit, becoming the youngest drug informant and kingpin. The Synopsis: I love these true-life films that focus on people we never would've heard of in real life and witness the events that they undergo, proving sometimes that fact is stranger than fiction.  "White Boy Ri...

Traffik Starring Paula Patton, Omar Epps, Laz Alonso, Luke Goss Directed by Deon Taylor Journalist Brea is celebrating her birthday with her longtime boyfriend John at a remote luxurious condo, but before they arrive there they stop at a gas station, where Brea finds a battered woman who, unbeknownst to Brea, slips a phone in her purse.  After arriving at the condo, they're met by fellow friends who celebrate her birthday when the phone rings.  Brea unlocks the phone and finds pictures of battered woman, deducing that it's part of a sex trafficking ring.  The girl arrives for the phone, but Brea refuses to give it back, leading to the leader of the trafficking ring to assault the group.  Brea and her friends find themselves in a fight for their lives as they battle the traffickers and find there's no one else they can trust. Typically, when it says, "based on true events," I take it for a grain of salt.  While the concept of sex trafficking is unfor...

Eighth Grade Starring Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Catherine Oliviere Directed by Bo Burnham The Story: Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is a shy eighth grader who also posts motivational videos on YouTube, but never getting any hits.  She endures school, including seeing her popular crush Aiden (Luke Prael), as something that could be reached but also seemingly impossible.  When she's invited by popular girl Kennedy's (Catherine Oliviere) mother to Kennedy's birthday party, she shows anxiety and tries to break out of her shell. After shadowing senior Olivia (Emily Robinson), Kayla earns a new friend and gets to spend some time with Olivia and her other friends at the mall, all the while being watched by her well-meaning, yet bumbling, father Mark (Josh Hamilton).  Kayla wonders if she brings sadness to her father, and deals with the fears and pressures of becoming a teenager as she tries to find the good in life. The Synopsis: Eighth grade is hell....

The Meg Starring Jason Statham, Bingbing Li, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose Directed by Jon Turteltaub The megalodon was a huge, fearless shark that existed during the time of the dinosaurs, and thought to be extinct.  Of course, after a group of oceanographers dig deeper than anyone has ever gone before, they find one still alive and well, and it's rather angry it's been disturbed.  Ever since Steven Spielberg introduced the world to a cute little thing named Jaws, people have been afraid to get into the water.  While The Meg continues the tradition of having a shark attacking and eating people, it doesn't infuse the level of fear and paranoia many people felt after seeing Jaws, and thankfully the film never tries to re-create that sense of dread.  Instead, it serves as a typical B-rated film with just enough laughs and violence to earn a timid PG-13 rating, serving as a middle-of-the-road film between Jaws and Sharknado. The film, based on a book, has as m...

The Predator Starring Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown Directed by Shane Black The Story: While on a mission in Mexico to rescue hostages from a drug cartel, sniper Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) is almost killed when an alien ship crash lands nearby, and he's attacked by an alien that camouflages itself.   He manages to take some of the alien's body armor and sends it home before he's taken in by the government and sent on a bus with other captives to be silenced for what he knows. Meanwhile, government agent Will Traeger (Sterling K. Brown) is searching for the alien tech, and brings in evolutionary biologist Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn) to inspect the captured Predator.  Before they can investigate, the Predator escapes and they find themselves under attack from another Predator ship, where a bigger, meaner Predator is hunting down the other Predator.  Quinn discovers that his autistic son Rory (Jacob Tremblay) has the Predator...

Kin Starring Myles Truitt, Jack Reynor, Zoe Kravitz, James Franco Directed by Jonathan & Josh Baker The Story: Eli (Myles Truitt) is the adopted son of Hal (Dennis Quaid), and his older brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor) just got paroled from prison.  Jimmy owes money to a gang of thieves led by Taylor (James Franco), and they decide to rob Hal's business to get the money. Things get out of hand, and Jimmy takes Eli on a cross-country road trip to escape.  Before all this happened, Eli found a mysterious weapon in an abandoned building, and discovers it has some very lethal charges.  Unbeknownst to the brothers, they're being chased by the cops, Taylor and his men, and two mysterious soldiers who are on the hunt for the weapon. The Synopsis: Jonathan and Josh Baker are brothers who are making their directorial debut with "Kin," based off a short film they produced called "Bag Man."  The film focuses on a unique family dynamic, wrapped in a sci-...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten True Life Films of the 2010s (So Far) On Friday, September 14th, the film "White Boy Rick" will be released, and will tell the true life story of Rick Wershe Jr, who became a street hustler, FBI informant, and drug kingpin - all before turning sixteen. I personally love true life films (and yes, I understand that they're typically not entirely accurate, I don't go to them to get a history lesson), and there's been several amazing true life films that have been released, especially in the 2010s. So here are my personal top ten true life films of the 2010s (so far), worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10  I, Tonya This mockumentary focuses on the bad girl of skating, Tonya Harding, who became infamous during the attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan before the Winter Olympics.  This film tells her side of the story, and is filled with dark humor and tells the story in a way that's so outrageous it must be t...

BlacKkKlansman Starring John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace Directed by Spike Lee The Story: In the 70s, racism is still unrelenting and nonstop, but this doesn't deter Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) from doing what he's always wanted to do - be a cop.  At first, he's harassed by his fellow officers, but is given an undercover mission by the chief to infiltrate a civil rights rally, where he meets activist Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier).  After this meeting, he decides he wants to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan, but there's the obvious issue that Stallworth is African American. His solution is to bring in another police officer - Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) - to play him in person, while he communicates to the Klan through the phone.  Flip, a non-practicing Jew, reluctantly agrees to the mission, and as he spends more time with the racist, anti-Semitic group, he grows uncomfortable and has to face his own prejudices and b...

The Nun Starring Taissa Farmiga, Demian Bichir, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons Directed by Corin Hardy The Story: In a monastery in Romania in 1952, an evil spirit haunts the nuns and the town itself, which sees the monastery as a curse rather than a blessing.  After a nun kills herself, the Vatican sends in Father Burke (Demian Bichir) to investigate, and they suggest bringing in nun-in-training Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) as well.  Upon arriving in Romania, they meet townsman Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet), who found the body, and after entering the monastery, they're hunted and stalked relentlessly by the evil nun known as Valak (Bonnie Aarons), who threatens to escape the monastery and wreak havoc on the world. The Synopsis: "The Conjuring" films have been pretty much major hits (with the exception of "Annabelle," but even that movie had some major scares).  "The Nun"- the latest installment in "The Conjuring" universe - doesn...

Major Theatrical Releases September 2018 September has a little bit of something for everyone in theaters - from horror to comedy, from action to family-friendly, there's no shortage of decent films hitting theaters this September. Here are the major motion pictures being released in September, 2018. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS,  Also, dates are subject to change** The Nun  September 7 This is a prequel film that follows the Conjuring universe as it centers on the origins of the evil nun spirit that haunted Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring 2.  In a monastary in Romania in 1952, a Catholic priest played by Demian Bichir is sent to investigate a mysterious suicide, and Sister Irene - played by Taissa Farmiga - encounters an evil spirit that resides within.  As with the other films in the Conjuring universe, this looks to be a terrifying thrill ride from start to finish. Peppermint  September 7 When her young chi...