JoeMama's Movie Reviews

The Lion King Starring Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James Earl Jones Directed by Jon Favreau The Story: In the Pride Lands of Africa, a family of lions rule over the land, led by the gentle and caring Mufasa (James Earl Jones), who sets out to protect his lands and not rule with an iron fist.  His young cub Simba (JD McCrary) is crowned the future king, to the anger of Mufasa's brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who desires to rule himself.  As Mufasa teaches Simba what it means to be a real king, Scar tricks Simba to find himself in a dangerous situation, leading Mufasa to save him and leading to Mufasa's death at the hands of Scar.  Simba - thinking Mufasa's death was on him - is told by Scar to leave and never return, which he does. In exile, Simba meets meerkat Timon (Billy Eichner) and warthog Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), who teach the young cub the importance of forgetting the past and living a life of no cares or worries.  The years go by...

The Friday Five:  Margot Robbie Margot Robbie is one of today's most prolific, talented, and downright stunning actresses, a rare talent who totally envelops herself in her role so fully that you don't even recognize her.  With her upcoming role in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," I take a look at my five personal favorite Margot Robbie films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5  Z for Zachariah In one of her first starring roles, Margot Robbie stars as Ann Burden, who thinks she's the lone survivor after the world ends due to an apocalyptic event.  Living alone in an unspoiled piece of land, she finds that she's not alone after discovering stranger John Loomis (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) in the valley, and the two begin to form a bond - until she finds another survivor, played by Chris Pine, that threatens everything they worked to build.  Robbie delivers a solid performance and sets the stage for this then-up-an...

Wonder Park Starring Brianna Denski, Jennifer Garner, Matthew Broderick, Mila Kunis The Story: Growing up, June (Brianna Denski) and her mother (Jennifer Garner) share a vivid imagination, and together create the mythical Wonderland theme park where their most innovative imaginations can create the most unique rides imaginable, and when June tries to create this world for real, ends in hilariously disastrous consequences.  The young girl maintains a childlike imagination and wonder, but when her mother comes down with a terminal illness that sends her away, June abandons her imagination and Wonderland altogether. Then while on a trip, June wanders from the group and finds her Wonderland theme park in tatters.  The creatures that run it - Boomer (Ken Hudson Campbell) the bear, Greta (Mila Kunis) the boar, Steve (John Oliver) the porcupine, and Cooper (Ken Jeong) and Gus (Kenan Thompson) the beavers - are trying to keep what's left of Wonderland alive after it myst...

I Am Mother Starring Clara Rugaard, Hilary Swank, Rose Byrne, Luke Hawker Directed by Grant Sputore The Story: After a cataclysmic world-ending event, a hidden bunker activates and a robotic AI named Mother (Luke Hawker/Rose Byrne) awakens and brings life to one of the thousands of embryos kept safe in the bunker.  As her Daughter grows up, Mother shows a nurturing side that showcases true motherly natures, and as Daughter (Clara Rugaard) reaches her eighteenth birthday, has to take a test.  But before she can complete the test, she finds a rat in the bunker and thinks there could be life outside, but Mother doesn't believe it. One night Daughter goes to the main doors and hears a woman's voice outside, and lets her in.  This Woman (Hilary Swank) had been shot, and needs medical attention.  At first Daughter keeps her hidden from Mother, but she finds out that the Woman is there, which leads to lies being revealed, and Daughter's world turned upside d...

The Friday Five:  Seth Rogen Seth Rogen is one of today's funniest comedians, and although his humor may seem a bit crass for most, it's still laugh-out-loud funny.  As he lends his comedic voice to the iconic character of Pumbaa in the new "The Lion King" live action film, I take a look at my five personal favorite Seth Rogen films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5  Zack and Miri Make a Porno Seth Rogen plays Zack, who, along with his roommate Miri (played by Elizabeth Banks), decide to film a porno so they can make some money.  They enlist a group of ragtag individuals to do the film, and raunchy, no-holds-barred hilarity ensues.  Throw in the fact that the film was written and directed by the great Kevin Smith - along with the natural chemistry between Rogen and Banks - and you've got comedic gold. #4  Neighbors Seth Rogen and Rose Byne play a young married couple with an infant child who's living the per...

The Perfection Starring Allison Williams, Logan Browning, Steven Weber, Alaina Huffman Directed by Richard Shephard The Story: As a young child, Charlotte (Allison Williams) was a cello prodigy, invited to live and learn at the prestigious Bachoff school until her mother fell ill, and she left the school to take care of her.  Decades later her mother dies, and Charlotte reunites with Anton (Steven Weber) and his wife Paloma (Alaina Huffman), who ran the Bachoff school.  She meets Lizzie (Logan Browning), who became the cellist that Charlotte wanted to be, and as the two begin to form a friendship and relationship, the two women find themselves embattled with their pasts that threaten their future. The Synopsis: Going into "The Perfection," I didn't really hear a lot about it other than sporadic word-of-mouth, and from what I heard it seemed right up my ally - a combination of "Black Swan" and "Whiplash" that meets with several twists a...

The Friday Five:  Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie is one of the most iconic, well-known actresses of our time.  She can do it all - comedy, drama, horror, animated, action - and has an alluring, captivating, one-of-a-kind physical presence that's undeniable.  As we eagerly anticipate her follow-up to "Maleficent," I take a look at my five personal favorite Angelia Jolie films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5  Salt In a time where it seemed men had all the fun in regards to playing a rogue government agent who's framed for a crime they didn't commit, Angelina Jolie emerged with "Salt," and showed that women can be as powerful as any man.  Playing a CIA officer who's accused of being a Russian spy, Jolie's character has to prove her innocence as she goes on the run, hunted down by both the government and the bad guys.  Providing a ton of twists and turns along the way, "Salt" is a picture-perfect popcorn action fi...

Midsommar Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter Directed by Ari Aster The Story: Dani (Florence Pugh) suffers from depression and concern as she deals with a bipolar sister who's left some cryptic messages for her.  Her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) doesn't seem interested - because he wants to break up with her due to her insufferable clingy nature, but after a family tragedy occurs, he chooses to stay with Dani to help her through her grief.  This includes inviting her to Sweden with his friends Josh (William Jackson Harper), Mark (Will Pulter), and Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) to attend a midsummer celebration hosted by Pelle's commune.  Upon arriving, they partake in some drugs, and suffer bad trips - especially Dani. Upon arriving at the commune, they meet another young couple invited by Pelle's brother, and at first it seems that the celebrations are innocent and fun.  The midnight sun turns night to day, and ...

Annabelle Comes Home Starring Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Vera Farmiga Directed by Gary Dauberman The Story: After taking in the cursed doll Annabelle, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren trap the evil in the doll in a blessed cabinet, keeping it in their basement of cursed collections under lock and key from their young daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace).  One year later, the Warrens go out of town and Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) agrees to babysit Judy for the night, along with her best friend Daniela (Katie Sarife), who wishes to enter the forbidden room so she can talk to her recently deceased father. When she gets into the room, Daniela unwittingly lets Annabelle out of her cage, and the spirit that uses the doll as a conduit awakens the other spirits in the room, unleashing a nightmarish night for the three girls - along with Mary Ellen's crush Bob (Michael Cimino) - as they search for Annabelle to return her to her cage before th...

The Friday Five:  Tom Holland Tom Holland hasn't had a lot of memorable roles in film, except for one notable exception, but he's given some fine performances in films that don't contain superheroes.  With "Spider-Man: Far From Home" being released this week, I take a look at my personal five favorite Tom Holland films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5  How I Live Now In this Saoirse Ronan-led drama about an American girl living with family in Europe during an incoming war, you'd be forgiven if you forgot Tom Holland also starred in this film as Ronan's character's cousin Isaac, who's a free-spirited, loving, and quite nerdy boy who's not equipped to handle the coming war. #4  In the Heart of the Sea  In the true-life story that inspired the classic novel "Moby Dick," "In the Heart of the Sea" finds Tom Holland playing cabin boy Thomas Nickerson, whose older version (played by Brend...

Spider-Man: Far From Home Starring Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya Directed by Jon Watts **THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS FROM "AVENGERS: ENDGAME"  BUT NOT FROM "FAR FROM HOME"** The Story: Months after Bruce Banner snapped his fingers using the new Infinity Gauntlet and bringing back everyone who was dusted, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his classmates head off on a European field trip, but before they leave he learns that Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) wants to talk to him, but he ignores his calls.  He wants to focus on asking out MJ (Zendaya), and doesn't want to deal with another world-ending event. While on their trip, they come into contact with an Elemental monster, who is defeated by the mysterious Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) - who is nicknamed Mysterio.  It turns out Mysterio is working with Fury and Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders) to stop the Elementals from destroying the world, and Fury needs Spider-Man to...

Major Theatrical Releases July 2019 With summer heating up, the films being released are also heating up as well, providing another thrilling, intriguing month at the movies. Here are the major theatrical releases for July 2019... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  Spider-Man: Far From Home July 2 Tom Holland returns as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man as he and his classmates take a field trip to Europe, where he's enlisted by Nick Fury to stop the Elementals from taking over the world, with the help of the mysterious Mysterio.  Jake Gyllenhaal makes his Marvel debut as the classic Mysterio, and this looks to be just as good as "Homecoming," filled with action, humor, and fantastic performances. Midsommar July 3 There's so many things "Midsommar" has going for it:  it's produced by the golden standard A24, it's directed by "Hereditary" direc...