JoeMama's Movie Reviews

The Friday Five:  Colin Farrell Colin Farrell has pretty much excelled in any type of film - comedy, action, horror, drama - but now he's testing his family-friendly flair with the highly-anticipated live-action version of the beloved Disney classic "Dumbo," and now I'll share my five personal favorite Colin Farrell films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5  The Recruit In this political thriller, Farrell stars as James Clayton, who's recruited to the CIA by Walter Burke (played by the amazing Al Pacino) and who undergoes a series of rigorous tests to prove himself worthy of the organization.  After becoming a member of the CIA, he's tasked with eliminating a mole in the organization - who also happens to be the woman he loves.  While the script is somewhat hackneyed, Farrell brings his natural charisma and charm to the project, producing an effortless performance. #4  Phone Booth Do they even have phone booths anymo...

Us Starring Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex Directed by Jordan Peele The Story: After experiencing a traumatizing event at the pier during her childhood, Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) returns to the beach with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and Jason (Evan Alex) with apprehension.  At night, they're visited by a mysterious family - who looks exactly like themselves.  As they struggle to survive the night, the family must come together like never before in hopes of making it through and also learning deep-seeded secrets long kept hidden. The Synopsis: Jordan Peele was best known for being half the comedic duo with Keegan-Michael Key who both starred in the hit show "Key & Peele," so when word came out that he would not only be directing, but writing, a horror movie, people were skeptical.  The result was "Get Out," one of modern cinema's most prolific and compelli...

A Madea Family Funeral Starring Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Courtney Burrell Directed by Tyler Perry The Story: While preparing the anniversary of Vianne (Jen Harper) and Anthony (Derek Morgan), Anthony suffers a fatal heart attack and dies.  As the family gathers to prepare for the funeral, deep dark family secrets threaten to tear them apart.  Thankfully Madea (Tyler Perry) and her ragtag crew is also there to provide the "fun" in funeral, and try to help put all the broken pieces together. The Synopsis: Tyler Perry created the character Madea for his stage plays back in 1999, and has since released a slew of films featuring the loud, boisterous, no-holds-barred, crass, and downright lovable woman.  With "A Madea Family Funeral," Perry plans on putting Madea on the retirement shelf, but time will tell if this is truly the last we'll see of her.  If it is, it's a darn shame because the film is definitely not his best, and actual...

The Friday Five:  Lupita Nyong'o Lupita Nyong'o is one of today's most acclaimed actresses, who's performed in some of the most moving (and successful) films in recent memory.  With her new project - the Jordan Peele-directed horror "Us" being released - I decided to look at my top five favorite Lupita Nyong'o films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5 Star Wars: The Force Awakens "The Force Awakens" was the long, long, long-awaited continuation of the "Star Wars" franchise, and went on to become the highest grossing movie in America (not counting inflation).  If you're looking to see Lupita Nyong'o, however, you won't find her - because she mo-capped the alien character Maz Kanata, a former pirate and smuggler who manages a tavern and holds a key to Rey's future.  While she's not a main character, Nyong'o's Maz is integral in furthering the story of Rey. #4  The Jungle...

Run the Race Starring Tanner Stine, Evan Hofer, Kelsey Reinhardt, Frances Fisher Directed by Chris Dowling The Story: High school brothers Zach (Tanner Stine) and Dave (Evan Hofer) live in a small Florida town, where their mother recently died of cancer, and their father Michael (Kristoffer Polaha) is absent and a chronic alcoholic.  The only real family member is their godmother Louise (Frances Fisher), who serves as the saving grace for the two young men, as they live in their family home alone and participate in sports - until Dave suffers a severe injury that ends his career.  Zach goes on to become his school's best player, but after an accident tears his ACL, he can no longer play, and can't earn a scholarship to get him and his brother out of town. Throughout, Dave keeps his faith in God, while Zach struggles with loosing his mother, and how God could allow so many bad things to happen to his family.  This drives a wedge between Zach and his new girlf...

What Men Want Starring Taraji P. Henson, Tracy Morgan, Josh Brener, Aldis Hodge Directed by Adam Shankman The Story: Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson) has always lived in a man's world - from her boxing father (Richard Roundtree) to working at an almost all-male sports agency, she's pretty much been considered one of the guys, except she's constantly being neglected for a promotion basically due to her sexuality.  She doesn't understand the male mind, which her long-suffering assistant Brandon (Josh Brener) could attest, and she comes off as standoffish and self-seeking. At her friend's bachelorette party, she consults a psychic (Erykah Badu), who gives her an odd drink, and then she proceeds to knock herself out at a dance club.  When she comes to, she realizes she can hear men's thoughts, and while at first she doesn't want it, she learns that she can use men's inner thoughts to make her way to the top - by signing the new NBA first round draf...

Greta Starring Isabelle Huppert, Chloe Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore Directed by Neil Jordan The Story: After loosing her mother, Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz) lives in New York City with her best friend Erica (Maika Monroe), and pretty much sees the world through rose-colored glasses.  When she finds an abandoned purse on the subway, she returns it to its owner, Greta Hideg (Isabelle Huppert), a single older woman.  The two begin a friendship, and Frances looks to Greta as sort of a new mother figure - until she finds other handbags in Greta's apartment, discovering that she's been baiting people for a long time. She ends her friendship with Greta, but she won't end her friendship with Frances.  Greta begins stalking Frances and her friends, and escalates her taunts and terror as Frances tries to understand Greta's mindset before Greta totally destroys her life. The Synopsis: There's a famous saying: "No good deed goes unpunished....

Fighting With My Family Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, Nick Frost, Lena Headey Directed by Stephen Merchant The Story: At a very young age, siblings Saraya (Florence Pugh) and Zak (Jack Lowden) Knight had a dream of one day wrestling for the WWE, a dream shared by their loving and offbeat parents Ricky (Nick Frost) and Julia (Lena Headey).  The family wrestles together and teaches kids in their small England town of Norwich how to wrestle, and when they receive a call from WWE trainer Hutch Morgan (Vince Vaughn) to audition Saraya and Zak, the entire family is over the moon. When they participate in the tryouts, despite Zak being the seemingly more polished wrestler, Hutch chooses Saraya to advance to Florida, ending Zak's dream before it even began.  As Saraya advances and deals with the difficulties of being a wrestler, Zak wrestles with himself and his downward spiral to depression due to his dream being crushed.  Saraya - who calls herself Paige - ...

The Friday Five:  John Goodman Although he's best known for playing the long-suffering husband to Roseanne on the hit TV series "Roseanne," John Goodman has actually had a stellar film career as well, and with his most recent film "Captive State" being released today, I made a list of my five personal favorite John Goodman films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5  Fallen In this classic psychological thriller, Denzel Washington plays a detective who thinks he's put to death a serial killer, but learns too late that he was inhabited by an evil demon named Azazel who transfers his soul from person to person by touch.  Goodman stars as Washington's partner who helps him uncover the mystery, and gives a solid performance next to the heavyweight Oscar winner. #4 Monsters, Inc.   The imaginative people at Pixar decided to reveal the monsters that hide behind children's bedroom closets aren't as scary as you t...

The Prodigy Starring Jackson Robert Scott, Taylor Schilling, Paul Fauteux, Peter Mooney Directed by Nicholas McCarthy The Story: In Ohio, serial killer Edward Scarka (Paul Fauteux) is killed by police, and a few minutes later in Pennsylvania, young couple Sarah (Taylor Schilling) and John (Peter Mooney) give birth to a son.  Almost as soon as the child is born, he begins exhibiting extraordinary intelligence, and by the time he turns eight, Miles (Jackson Robert Scott) is a bonafide genius.  Yet with this genius comes odd behavior, as Miles seems to exhibit a dark side that takes effect when he turns on people around him. Sarah goes to a local doctor, who talks to Sarah about the prospects that Miles might be inhabited by the soul of someone who's died, who's been reincarnated into Miles' body.  At first she finds the idea preposterous, but as more events unfold, she begins to think that maybe the soul of someone evil is in Miles, and she has to find out how...

Captain Marvel Starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, BenMendelsohn, Jude Law Directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck The Story: Vers (Brie Larson) is a seasoned fighter for the Kree race, as she and a team of heroes led by her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) travel the galaxy in hopes of destroying the Skrulls - a race of alien beings who can shapeshift into anyone.  When a mission goes array, she finds herself alone on a distant planet called Earth, where she begins having memories of a life she once had there, but not that she seems to remember. Meanwhile, young SHIELD agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is tasked with finding Vers and learning about her origin, as the two go on a search for an energy core that could advance light travel, as the Skrulls - led by their leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) - also seek out the coveted core. The Synopsis: There's been a lot said about the peripherals of "Captain Marvel," mostly due to Brie Larson's statements th...

The Friday Five:  Brie Larson As she's set to play the iconic superhero Captain Marvel, I take a look at my five personal favorite Brie Larson films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5  Free Fire Taking place almost entirely in an abandoned warehouse, "Free Fire" features a stellar cast including Larson, Sharlto Copley, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer and Noah Taylor, and focuses on a black-market arms deal that goes deadly - and also humorously - wrong.  Larson plays Justine, the only female in the group, but shows as much gusto and talent as everyone else in the room. #4  The Gambler Brie Larson stars as Amy, a student of literature professor Jim Bennett (played by Mark Wahlberg) who gets romantically involved with him, and tries to help him as he traverses the dark world of gambling and owing debts that seem impossible to play.  This was the real breakout role for Larson, which led her to much bigger and better roles. ...

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Starring Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, F. Murray Abraham, Cate Blanchett Directed by Dean DeBlois The Story: As the seaside town of Berk continues to grow in the amount of dragons rescued, they draw the attention of outside forces who wish to destroy the dragons for good, especially Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham), who's hunted the Night Furies into near extinction - with the exception of Toothless, who's master Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is the ruler of the land.  When Toothless discovers another Night Fury, it begins an adventure for everyone where loyalties are tested and the search for the fabled Hidden World where dragons can live in peace begins. The Synopsis: Very rarely does a sequel live up to the original, and it's even more rare for the third film to achieve that same sort of magic.  The "Toy Story" franchise is an excellent example of having a strong beginning, middle, and end (well, sort of end, since ...

Isn't It Romantic Starring Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Liam Hemsworth, Priyanka Chopra Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson The Story: Natalie (Rebel Wilson) is a single woman living in a dingy New York City apartment, working as an architect at a company that all but forgets she exists.  Her best friend Josh (Adam DeVine) harbors not-so-secret feelings for her, but she's totally oblivious to the fact and despises romantic comedies that her assistant Whitney (Betty Gilpin) plays all day.  She goes on a tirade about how romantic comedies are totally nonsensical, and follow the same desperate pattern, and when she's mugged on the subway, she bangs her head and awakens in an elegant hospital room and finds that she's been transported to her own romantic comedy - that's PG-13! In this world, New York City is beautifully landscaped and built, her apartment is luxurious and lavish, and her next-door-neighbor Donny (Brandon Scott Jones) is now her gay BFF.  She g...