JoeMama's Movie Reviews

The Dig Starring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily Janes, Johnny Flynn Directed by Simon Stone "What will people think of me when I'm gone?" "How will I be remembered in the annals of history?" "Will I be remembered at all?" The issue of legacy is something that people think about more often than they want to admit, and some worry that they'll be forgotten entirely. Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name." This is what fuels archaeologists and historians, who without their tireless efforts, we might never know half of what we've been able to discern about our own history. "The Dig" is a fictionalized true story about one of the greatest archaeological finds in history, and how it impacted those who discovered it, as they too grew concerned about how they would be remembered. Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) is a wealthy widow who hires wo...

Tom & Jerry Starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Michael Pena, Colin Jost, Rob Delaney Directed by Tim Story There's negatives that both film critics and certain films receive that are sometimes unfair, but more often on point. For film critics, criticizing children's films as something almost unwatchable for adults due to their total ineptitude is met with an opposing criticism that the film "wasn't meant for them." For certain films, there's the criticism that Hollywood has run out of ideas and instead has gone back to the long-forgotten well of past enjoyment to produce something new, fresh, and obviously a cash grab. "Tom & Jerry" is one such film, and even though some critics received negativity due to them panning the film as unwatchable due to its own nature, those critics themselves were silenced when watching the film and realizing those critics who get paid for a living to do this were totally on point. In the Big Apple, Kayla (Chloe Grace ...

Bliss Starring Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek, Nesta Cooper, Madeline Zima Directed by Mike Cahill What is bliss? It seems to me that the concept of bliss is a sense of willful naivete, a complete understanding of the world and its quarrels yet producing an ignorance to it, hence the saying "ignorance is bliss." To be blissful - in my opinion - is to be happy in the sense of being self-absorbed, where you only care about yourself and what makes you happy instead of the happiness of others, or caring about the plight of others. It's a selfish emotion that puts blinders on your sight to see only what you want to see - and in the case of Mike Cahill's "Bliss," it seems to be an apt comparison. Greg Wittle (Owen Wilson) is not having a blissful life. He's newly divorced, estranged from his son, has a strained relationship with his daughter Emily (Nesta Cooper) who wants him to be in her life but he seems to be missing it, and has just lost his job - but then thing...

Coming 2 America Starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones Directed by Craig Brewer The 1980s was one of the best decades for movies in the history of cinema. Classics like "Ghostbusters," "Back to the Future," "The Outsiders," "The Lost Boys," "Gremlins," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," "E.T." and so many others were released in that decade, along with "Coming to America," a fantastic, hilarious film about a prince from a fictional African nation who comes to America to find the woman of his dreams. The film was met with critical and audience acclaim, and many claim it's the best film of Eddie Murphy's fantastic resume (I personally wouldn't put it first, but top five for sure). Ever since then, talks of a sequel had been talked about, but as the years...and decades...moved on, we were sure we'd never visit the land of Zamu...

Malcolm & Marie Starring Zendaya, John David Washington Directed by Sam Levinson There was a punk rock band in the early 2000s named Good Charlotte, and they released a song called "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous," and the chorus of the song started with "lifestyles of the rich and the famous, they're always complainin', always complainin'." This rousing chorus kept repeating in my mind as I watched "Malcolm & Marie" - the first film written, shot, edited, and produced during the Covid lockdown - as what the film was in its entirety is two self-entitled wealthy snobs who go through one night in a repetitive loop of fighting, making up, and fighting again. Malcolm (John David Washington) and his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) have just returned to their Malibu mansion after Malcolm's new film debuted, and he eagerly awaits the critics' reviews. As Marie makes him macaroni and cheese, he notices that she's acting cold toward ...

The United States vs. Billie Holiday Starring Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes, Natasha Lyonne, Garrett Hedlund Directed by Lee Daniels There are some performances that transcend the script that the actor or actress was given, a role that said performer gives it all they got despite a lackluster story, that elevates the film beyond something utterly terrible to something somewhat passable. Such is the case with Andra Day's performance in "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," a supposed biopic about one of the most influential and powerful African American singers, who changed hearts and minds through her powerful ballad "Strange Fruit." Yet what was delivered wasn't as much a biopic as it was a hodgepodge of different scenes that were hastily edited together, featuring recurring side characters you don't know, including a shoe-horned love story that never really happened, and portrayed Holiday simply as a heroin addict destroyed by the events of her past who...