JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Words on Bathroom Walls Starring Charlie Plummer, Taylor Russell, Molly Parker, Walton Goggins Directed by Thor Freudenthal There's something that I believe most of us are guilty of: judging people with mental illness.  We see that strange person on the street talking to themselves, and we do everything we can to avoid any contact with that person.  We see someone clearly struggling with internal demons, and we dismiss them as crazy and meaningless.  "Words on Bathroom Walls" is one of those films that not only sheds light on such a mental disease, but gives it a voice, a heart, an emotion, and most importantly, humanity. Adam Petrazelli (Charlie Plummer) is in his last year of high school, and wants to go to culinary school afterward, due to his impeccable cooking abilities and the fact that he's been doing it for years since his father left him and his mother Beth (Molly Parker).  Then Adam starts having hallucinations of a hippie chick (AnnaSophia Robb), a 90s-sty...

Unhinged Starring Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius, Gabriel Bateman, Jimmi Simpson Directed by Derrick Borte Thanks to COVID-19, the summer theater season was effectively shut down, with the most major blockbusters being moved to 2021 (or, in some cases, straight to VOD).  Come August, many movie theaters began to re-open with just one problem: they really didn't have any new films to show, since production companies didn't want to release their heavy hitters in such an unstable climate.  So instead theaters started showing "classic" films (such as "Inception," "Lord of the Rings," and "Jumanji: The Next Level" - not that I think that film is a "classic," but whatever), along with one newcomer: "Unhinged."  Maybe this wasn't the best film to come out after people have been shut in their homes for months and being told repeatedly they can't go out and enjoy their old lives, because this film isn't one to escap...

Bill & Ted Face the Music Starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine Directed by Dean Parisot There's hardly anyone - if they're honest - who'll admit in their later years that'll say they lived a perfect life, accomplishing everything they ever set out to do, and most of the time that's met with regret and sadness.  It could be even worse when something you wanted to accomplish but never did was create the song that would bring the world together, but that's the failure that Bill and Ted faced, something that's haunted the duo for over twenty years.  Yet instead of moping around and being depressed about it, the lifelong friends continue to look on the bright side of things, showing that even though we might not accomplish everything we've set out to do, we can still appreciate the other victories we've achieved along the way - and find out that sometimes our adventure isn't quite over. Bill (Alex Winter) and Te...

Fatima Starring Stephanie Gil, Alejandra Howard, Jorge Lamelas, Lucia Moniz Directed by Marco Pontecorvo For centuries people have claimed to see the apparition of the Virgin Mary in everything - from clouds to specters, and even toast.  Yet the most famous - and well recounted - vision came from the small city of Fatima, Portugal, in the early 1900s, when the Virgin Mary was said to appear to three children, urging them to continually pray, use their rosary, and hopefully bring about the end to the war.  As with most miracles, this was met with equal skepticism and optimism, depending on your belief, culminating in one final visual miracle that 70,000 people witnessed. Young Lucia dos Santos (Stephanie Gil) is out in the field tending to her parents' sheep when she's visited by a beautiful woman in white (Joana Ribeiro), urging her to pray.  Lucia is soon joined by her younger cousins Jacinta (Alejandra Howard) and Francisco (Jorge Lamelas), who both also witness the app...

The Personal History of David Copperfield Starring Dev Patel, Tilda Swinten, Hugh Laurie, Aneurin Barnard Directed by Armando Iannucci There's been several films accused of "whitewashing" - casting white actors to play minority characters.  Films like "Gods of Egypt," "Exodus," and "The Great Wall" have been accused of casting white actors for non-white roles, and suffered at the box office because of that.  Very few films have been accused of "colorblind casting" - where they cast without considering the actor's skin color, ethnicity, body shape, sex or gender.  Recent films like "Artemis Fowl," "Birds of Prey," and the upcoming "The Batman" have used colorblind casting in their roles, and it's the same with director Armando Iannucci's "The Personal History of David Copperfield," giving his own spin on the classic Charles Dickens novel while still maintaining its heart and core ce...

Tenet Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh Directed by Christopher Nolan Christopher Nolan is one of his generation's most intelligent cinematic geniuses.  Not only does he direct mind-bending films, but he also writes most of them as well, and in a time where Hollywood is over-saturated with reboots, remakes, and novel adaptations, it's always refreshing to see someone with bold new ideas bringing his vision to the big screen, and hardly anyone does it better than Nolan.  Even when he's directing works from other people (such as his stellar Batman trilogy), he's always got a unique vision and produces something entirely memorable, but it's his own work that really sets him apart.  "Inception," "Interstellar," "Memento" - all three were iconic films that far surpassed even the most highest praise, offering awe-inspiring stories that were never seen before.  Now with "Tenet," he c...

The New Mutants Starring Blu Hunt, Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton Directed by Josh Boone   Way back in the day, when life was a lot easier although we didn't know it yet, way back in 2017, I saw the first trailer for "The New Mutants," an X-Men spinoff film that was hailed as the first superhero horror film, and I was beyond excited because it incorporated two of my favorite things: horror and superheroes.  The film was slated to be released April 13, 2018...but then it got pushed back to February 19,2019...and then pushed back again to August 2, 2019...and then again to April 3, 2020...until COVID-19 hit, setting the film back yet again to August 28, 2019...but finally it was released in theaters.  The result was something I was expecting by now, as the old saying goes: fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  Fool me four or more times, and I just don't care anymore.  Thus was the result of finally seeing "The New Mutant...

The Friday Five: Chadwick Boseman Chadwick Boseman was a superstar on the rise, an accomplished actor who gave 110% in every role he did, and forever changed the landscape of cinema especially for minority fans.  His shocking passing at only 43 from colon cancer shocked the world, and took away one of cinema's most powerful stars.  In honor of his memory, I take a look at my five favorite Chadwick Boseman films. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5 21 Bridges In "21 Bridges," Boseman stars as NYPD Detective Andre Davis, a man who became an officer after the murder of his father at a young age, and always sets out to do the right thing.  When two criminals are accused of killing cops, Davis has all twenty-one bridges out of Manhattan shut down so he can find the culprits and bring them to justice - but that's just the beginning of this twisty film filled with action, suspense, and a spectacular performance by Chadwick Boseman. #4 Get On Up Chadwick Boseman wa...