JoeMama's Movie Reviews

F9: The Fast Saga Starring Vin Diesel, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson Directed by Justin Lin The dictionary defines "saga" as "a long story of heroic achievement, especially a medieval prose narrative in Old Norse or Old Icelandic" (where the phrase "a figure straight out of a Viking saga" comes from). In film, there's several well-known franchises that could categorize themselves as sagas: "Lord of the Rings," "The Avengers," "Harry Potter," and the like. "The Fast and the Furious" has decided to include itself in the saga business, and while it does hold to the general definition, it's far from a perfect saga. Still, by this time, no one really cares anymore and just go to see how this twenty-year and running franchise will continue to its (hopefully) eventual end. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are happy and living life off the grid with their young son ...

Voyagers Starring Tye Sheridan, Lily-Rose Depp, Fionn Whitehead, Colin Farrell Directed by Neil Burger The idea of nature-versus-nurture has been wildly debated for centuries. Are we the product of our upbringing or the events that occur around us that determine who we really are? Films have also tackled this issue from dramatic ways ("Captain Fantastic," "A History of Violence") to superhero ("Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II"), and everywhere in-between, but the most famous of these was "Lord of the Flies," which finds a group of children stranded on an island where they're forced to create their own community, and the quick deceleration of society begins. "Voyagers," a wholly original idea written by director Neil Burger, is basically the same premise: but in space. Yet unlike "Flies," "Voyagers" doesn't waste mental thought in exploring this thought-provoking debate, but rather uses it as background fodder...

Wrath of Man Starring Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Scott Eastwood Directed by Guy Ritchie There are some directors who work with the same actors over and over, creating a rapport and a sense of ease between director and actor that helps in delivering a powerful product. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Then there's Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham, who've worked together in classic British crime-caper-dark-comedies "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," "Snatch," and "Revolver," and who team up once again for "Wrath of Man." Ritchie even found Statham literally on the street and started his film career, so the two have a deep sense of respect and admiration for each other, which helps in creating more personal, powerful films. While "Wrath of Man" has some very bright shining moments, however, it's somewhat muddied by Ritchie's desire to play with time and elong...

Luca Starring Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo Directed by Enrico Casarosa I remember my childhood days, carelessly out gallivanting with my neighbor's children as we adventured out into the wild world of our backyard during the summer, and not having a care in the world. Those were obviously simpler times, where bills, jobs, and the ultimate negativity of the world had no effect on us, and life was just one big wild adventure. "Luca" is a film that celebrates that youthful innocence, while showcasing the importance of being yourself, having trusted friends, and appreciating your underdog nature. Outside the port city of Portorosso, Luca (Jacob Tremblay) is a teenage sea monster who spends his days herding his family's goatfish while dreaming about what life on the surface is like, but would never venture up there due to his fearful nature brought on by his overbearing (yet loving) parents Daniela (Maya Rudolph) and Lorenzo (Jim Gaffiga...

  In the Heights Starring Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Olga Merediz Directed by Jon Chu America is the land of opportunity, a melting pot of hundreds of different cultures, beliefs, values, dreams, and ethnicities that have come together to achieve that which would've been impossible to find anywhere else in the world. Lately, however, this view of America has been tarnished with minorities being treated with disdain and contempt, leading to a divided country based on race. It's in this politically heated climate that we get "In the Heights" - a film adaptation of the Tony-winning play - and much like the physical heat that the characters go through in the film, so too does the Latinx community face on a personal and private way in their own lives. As their culture becomes overshadowed, they demand to be heard, seen, and respected - and this film wonderfully does all that and so much more. In the predominantly Latino community of the Heights, everyone i...

Raya and the Last Dragon Starring Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Benedict Wong Directed by Don Hall & Carlos Lopez Estrada Disney has been making beautifully animated films for eighty years and I'm fully convinced they can churn out another blockbuster in their sleep. "Raya and the Last Dragon" is Disney's 59th animated feature, and much like its predecessors will go on in decades to come to be another fantastic, lavish, beautifully animated, directed, and performed story that highlights the culture of Southeast Asia, as well as providing an exciting, action-adventure epic with a true emotional resonance at its core. Five hundred years ago in the land of Kumandra, an army of evil beings known as Druun ransacked the land, turning anyone they touched into stone, including the land's dragons. The last dragons to survive formed a powerful gem that banished the Druun, and managed to turn all the humans back to life, but not the dragons, who remained petr...

The Mitchells vs the Machines Starring Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Mike Rianda Directed by Mike Rianda & Jeff Rowe Back before the pandemic hit, I saw a trailer for a movie called "Connected," and thought it didn't look all that appealing, like something that tried to be something smarter than it was. Then the pandemic hit and I totally forgot about it, until my friend at work talked about a movie on Netflix called "The Mitchells vs the Machines," and when I went to watch the trailer, I found that it was the same movie, just under a different title. My friend swore up and down that it was one of the best animated films he's ever seen, and I decided to finally give it a go - and I'm so glad I did. Not only was it filled with action and excitement, but there's a deep, emotional draw to the movie that celebrates the quirkiness of the individual as well as the power and love of family. Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) has been glued to ...

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ruairi O'Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook Directed by Michael Chaves For as long as I can remember I've been fascinated with the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed was a demonologist while his wife Lorraine was a clairvoyant, and together they investigated a multitude of mysterious and supernatural events, most notably the Amityville horror, but has also investigated a slew of other, lesser known cases. Horror maestro director James Wan finally decided to give the Warrens the big screen treatment with the 2013 "The Conjuring," and the result was nothing short of horror movie magic: one of the most terrifying, intense, suspenseful horror movies in recent memory, telling the story of the Perron family and the ghosts that haunted their home. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga transformed into Ed and Lorraine Warren, and their chemistry was instantaneous. They returned in 2016 with "The Conjuring...

Cruella Starring Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser Directed by Craig Gillespie Disney has been re-inventing their beloved animated classics into live-action spectacles, and for the most part they've stayed close to their source material. "Beauty and the Beast," "Cinderella," "The Lion King," "Aladdin," and many others are pretty much re-treads of the original, while it seems that Disney is having more fun with their villains. Maleficent got a complete makeover in her solo outing, where she comes off more as an antihero than downright villain (even moreso in her second outing), and now it's time to tell the story of Cruella de Vil, the Dalmatian hating villainess of "101 Dalmatians" who wish to kill the lovable doggos to turn them into a coat. While no one asked for such an origin story, at least it was delivered with gleeful excellence by Emma Stone, but if you take out small moments that the film tries to ...

A Quiet Place Part II Starring Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy Directed by John Krasinski For films - especially horror films - a sequel is barely as good as its predecessor. The old adage "lightning rarely strikes twice" is true for cinema, with the sequel often being lackluster compared to the original. "A Quiet Place" was a surprise sleeper hit in 2018, a film that didn't garner a lot of excitement since it was directed and co-written by John Krasinski, who was then best known for playing the lovable goof Jim in "The Office." The concept of the film was intriguing and also possibly detrimental: a movie where aliens invade earth and can only find you if you make noise. This idea on paper doesn't seem to work because there's not a lot of dialogue or epic action sequences set against ear-shattering musical scores, but the result was nothing short of amazing: a compelling, thoughtful family drama surrounded by aliens w...