JoeMama's Movie Reviews

 Vivo Starring Lin-MAnuel Miranda, Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldana, Juan de Marcos Gonzalez Directed by Kirk DeMicco Animated films are synonymous with the names Disney and Pixar, but recently other production companies have come out with their own unique animated tales that have withstood the test of time. DreamWorks Animation has given us the likes of the "Shrek," "How to Train Your Dragon," and "Kung-Fu Panda" franchises as well as classics like "The Prince of Egypt," "Megamind," and "Bee Movie." Before they were bought out and upended by Disney, Blue Sky Studios gave us the beloved "Ice Age" franchise as well as films like "Robots," "Rio," and "Spies in Disguise." Laika's stop-motion animation studio gave us cherished films like "Kubo and the Two Strings," "Coraline," Paranorman," and "The Missing Link." Japan's Studio Ghibli has given us timeles...

 Sweet Girl Starring Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Justin Bartha Directed by Brian Andrew Mendoza Everyone knows the American medical system is a deeply flawed entity that focuses more on making money than helping people get better - none the more prudent now in this pandemic world where some people still don't trust that Big Pharma has our best interests in mind. Shady backroom deals, corrupt politicians, and greedy pharmaceutical tycoons control pretty much the entire medical supply in America, and will dish it out for a pretty penny. While people believe that healthcare should be an individual's right, it's more than often not treated as a privilege for the highest bidder. "Sweet Girl" could've gone down the "Erin Brockovich" road where a man wronged by Big Pharma gets his revenge against the greedy fat cats, but instead it becomes a lesser-Jason Bourne where said man goes on the hunt for the men he holds responsible for his wi...

PAW Patrol: The Movie Starring Iain Armitage, Keegan Hedley, Lilly Bartlam, Marsai Martin Directed by Cal Brunker Generally when a television series makes a movie for the big screen, it's for a few reasons: either it wants to make more money by making children drag their parents to the theater, or by introducing new characters to sell more toys. One of the prime examples of this is the 1986 classic "Transformers: The Movie," where they created the movie to play on the big screen in-between seasons of the hit animated series to introduce a gang of new characters by killing off the classic ones (I still have mental scars from that). "PAW Patrol: The Movie" seems to follow in line with both those ideas: it not only already spawned a new series of video games, toys, and clothing around the movie, but it also introduced a new pup character to join the main squad. In the bustling city of Adventure City, the dastardly Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) has won another term of...

Don't Breathe 2 Starring Stephen Lang, Madelyn Grace, Brendan Sexton III, Adam Young Directed by Rodo Sayagues "Don't Breathe 2" is one of those sequels that by all means should never exist. It clearly wasn't planned before the first one was released in 2016, turning into a surprise hit and earning over $157 million dollars worldwide, as it was one of those oddly rare movies where both the villains and the one they're targeting is also a villain, so there's no one to really root for. Yet, since the film was a success, there had to be a way to make more money, so they finally put out the second film in 2021, and tried to change the villain from the first film into a sort of hero figure, or at the very least give him a shot at redemption by pitting him against people who are even more villainous than he is. Still, you can clearly tell that the second film was written with a very razor-thin concept that tried to balance your hatred for the main character and ...

The Protege Starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Patrick Directed by Martin Campbell The female-led assassin movie genre pretty much stays within its status quo: an unemotional female rises up and becomes a trained, heartless assassin who takes down men and women alike left and right to get to the big bad boss at the end of it all. It happens in pretty much every movie - "Atomic Blonde," "Black Widow," "Red Sparrow," "Ava," "Anna," "Colombiana," "Nikita," "Kill Bill," and so on. What keeps it from becoming stale is the stylish action sequences that leaves the audience exclaiming "oh!" numerous times as they practically literally tear their enemies limb from limb either by being a trained markswoman or expert hand-to-hand combat. There's nothing really more that's needed for a genre like this, and it's something "The Protege" continues to pursue: anothe...

Worst2First: My Most Anticipated Films of Fall 2021 It's been awhile since I've been able to do this! With 2020 being marred by the Covid-19 virus, it effectively canceled any big-budget films from being seen and pushed back to 2021. Even though now the Delta Variant is running rampant, it seems that it hasn't halted the major films from being released to theaters nationwide - at least for now. So here are my top ten most anticipated films for Fall 2021 (September, October & November): Obviously, dates are subject to change... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10 No Time to Die October 8 I don't know if its franchise fatigue or being tired of it being pushed back over and over, but my excitement for the latest James Bond film has waned over the last two years (it was originally supposed to be released in November 2019 before being postponed multiple times), but I'm still excited to see how Daniel Craig will finish out his stint as the classic super spy. It seems to...

Reminiscence   Starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis Directed by Lisa Joy "Reminiscence" can be summed up with one famous saying: "don't keep living in the past." That's what this movie does, in its overall theme, appearance, and neo-noir style, while also appealing to the future in its "Westword"-style setting - it relies on past films to draw in the viewer to a feeling of nostalgia and comfort while offering little to nothing of original substance, but yet it's still an adequate time-waster due to the visual style and mystery. In a future Miami, the city has been devastated by global warming, sending most of the city underwater while making it too hot to do anything during the day, so the town comes alive at night. It's here where Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) and his partner Emily "Watts" Sanders (Thandiwe Newton) operate a business where customers come to relieve their past by going into a sens...

Annette Starring Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Devyn McDowell Directed by Leos Carax I can fully appreciate a decent avant-garde film (films that allow the viewers to question and challenge their thinking about what they see in the aspects of time, space, dreams, fantasy, and perception) when it's done right. Films like "Eraserhead," "Mulholland Dr.," and "Enter the Void" are exceptional pieces of unique cinema that were revolutionary, groundbreaking, and downright unnerving to the very core of one's existence. Then there's films that try to be avant-garde by manipulating the audience and showing itself as something purely hollow - beautiful to look at, but when you dig deeper you find nothing worth of substance. That's what "Annette" was - a wannabe avant-garde film that's bloated, filled with mindless musical numbers, and offers a very linear story that's delivered with beautiful visuals and tremendous, d...

Free Guy Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jodi Comer, Joe Keery, Taika Waititi Directed by Shawn Levy I like to label myself as an "average" gamer - someone who plays video games enough to know what I'm doing most of the time, but not one that would be a successful streamer because I often get bored after playing for a little bit of time. Still, they're a great release and escape from reality, and there's nary a moment where I think about the NPCs (Non-Player Characters) and the effect I have on their animated lives. After watching "Free Guy," it made me think that maybe these NPCs deserve their own freedoms, their own rights, and should band together to demand equality and stop being shot at - but then I realize it was just a movie, and these characters don't really have consciousness. In the fictional gaming world of "Free City," Guy (Ryan Reynolds) repeats the same day over and over - wake up, feed his goldfish, change into his everyday blue butt...

6:45 Starring Michael Reed, Augie Duke, Armen Garo, Thomas Waites Directed by Craig Singer The time loop movie subgenre is very unique and rare, consisting of only a handful of films (and even less that are any good). The classic "Groundhog Day" is the go-to film for time loop films, but there's also incredibly well-done films like "Triangle," "Happy Death Day," "Source Code," "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time," "Edge of Tomorrow," and "The Final Girls" that you can explore to get your fix. Yet for every one of these, there's several lesser-done films that maintain the traditional trope of a time loop movie that become stale after the first repetition, and "6:45" is one such film - a movie that follows the formula but then seems to realize it got stuck in its own loop and can't find a decent way out. Bobby Patterson (Michael Reed) and his girlfriend Jules Rable (Augie Duke) decide to go on vacati...

The Suicide Squad Starring Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman Directed by James Gunn This a tale of two men. One man wanted to make a movie focusing on the baddies of the DC Universe who are forced to do good otherwise the implant in their heads will explode, leaving them...well...headless. Another man wanted to make a movie focusing on the anti-heroes of the Marvel Universe, a ragtag group of intergalactic miscreants who are forced to come together to save the universe. The first man - David Ayer - directed "Suicide Squad," which was a slightly less-than-adequate film that spent too much time with expository dialogue and character introductions to leave any lasting impact (although it did earn an Academy Award) and neutered the superherovillains (one word) with a PG-13 rating. The other - James Gunn - directed "Guardians of the Galaxy," the first film that stretched the mold for the MCU that could've ended the cinematic universe, but instead be...

The Green Knight Starring Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury Directed by David Lowery The English poet James Shirley once wrote: "The glories of our blood and state are shadows, not substantial things. There is no armor against fate. Death lays his icy hand on kings. Scepter and crown must tumble down, and, in the dust, be equal made with the poor crooked scythe and spade." The concept of fate and accepting it weighs heavy in David Lowery's masterwork "The Green Knight," a slow burn film about a hero's journey, a man who is virtuous but also deceptive, someone who is fearful yet also fearless. A man who must accept his own fate but also wants to change it, but slowly understands that it might not be possible. It's a fantastical, ethereal, and downright soul-impacting film that's filled to the brim with some of the most lavish visuals and unnerving music set to screen in recent memory, a film that - like the poem it's base...

Stillwater Starring Matt Damon, Abigail Breslin, Camille Cottin, Lilou Siauvaud Directed by Tom McCarthy Back in 2007, the world was riveted by the case of Amanda Knox, an American woman who was studying in Italy when she was arrested along with her boyfriend for the murder of her roommate. She spent four years in an Italian prison before being exonerated, but her reputation had been tarnished nearly beyond repair. After returning to the States, she became an author, activist, and journalist, and has pretty much disappeared from the public eye until now. "Stillwater" is a film that's based on her story, and she's gone on the record denouncing the film, saying it distorted the facts of the story, and once again made her into a villain. Despite this, director Tom McCarthy released the film and while you can clearly see the parallels, it also is very fictionalized - as it is with most true-life films - and centers more on Matt Damon's character and his own quest for ...