JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris Starring Leslie Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Alba Baptista Directed by Anthony Fabian Every now and then there's a movie that has a certain je ne sais quoi , an appealing quality that's difficult to pinpoint or express, but something that has that particular magic that you wouldn't expect. A film that's simple, small, seemingly insignificant in a world overstuffed with million-dollar blockbuster superhero CGI films or numerous big-budget sequels - one that gets forgotten, becomes invisible, and lost in a myriad of louder films. These films are the ones that need to be seen, because they offer something more than just a sense of excitement and fun, but rather penetrate your very soul and changes your whole outlook on life. Films like "Paddington 2" accomplish such feats, as whoever thought a bear with a rain slicker could invoke such heavy emotions? Likewise, "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" invokes those same emotion...

Where the Crawdads Sing Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn Directed by Olivia Newman As it is with every book to film adaptation, I've never read the book and I base my review off the film entirely. That being said, from what I've heard from people who've read Where the Crawdads Sing , the film is as faithful an adaptation as it could be, and moreso than other book-to-film adaptations, showing a true devotion to the source material and allowing it to speak for itself with little interference, but still having some as I searched online and found about seven major differences from the book to the movie, yet again I never read it so I can't fully judge the film for it. What the movie delivers is a thrilling murder mystery set in the hauntingly beautiful and dangerous North Carolina marsh, centering on a girl who's equal parts naive and brave, forced to fend for herself against a "normal" world that shunned her fo...

  A Journal for Jordan Starring Michael B. Jordan, Chante Adams, Jalon Christian, Robert Wisdom Directed by Denzel Washington I could never begin to even comprehend how it would feel to be an Army wife (or Army husband) while their loved one is fighting overseas, and the continual feel of dread expecting that one phone call or that one visit that no one ever wants to get, so seeing films like this really rips into my heart in a different way, because it's based on a true story and the story it tells is an incredibly moving, poignant, and long-lasting one. Unfortunately, only once the final moments hit does the gravity of the film come crashing down, while the rest is filled with what was supposed to be a romantic love story, but rose just slightly above the traditional Hallmark Channel Christmas movies and there's little to no chemistry between the two leads. Dana (Chante Adams) is a headstrong, take-no-prisoners writer for the New Yorker who just got over a relationship and kn...

  The Card Counter Starring Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sherian, Willem Dafoe Directed by Paul Schrader Paul Schrader is one of those directors who write a completely thoughtful script, casts the perfect actors, and allows them to tell his story in a way that's equal parts deep and profound, mixed with a stoic, contemplative feel that makes you feel like you've known these characters all their lives and know the deep turmoil they suffer through. 2017's "First Reformed" earned Schrader his first Oscar nomination, and it was one that was long overdue. He frequently wrote scripts for Martin Scorsese, including the iconic films "Raging Bull," "Taxi Driver," and "The Last Temptation of Christ," and all the main characters are ones you could do studies on if you want to study the fractured psyche of the human mind. "The Card Counter" is one such film, although told with a lesser grandiose than any of Scorsese's work, bu...

  The Gray Man Starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick Directed by Joe & Anthony Russo Hollywood has had a rough go at it since the pandemic hit, resulting in theaters closing down and no new movies being made, and as we've dug ourselves out of it, the cinemas have seen a resurgence despite fears that people would settle for watching movies at home from now on. Yet to bring people back to the theaters production companies have decided to play it safe and not release the more independent films but instead putting out numerous superhero movies, sequels, and films based off other mediums such as books and comics - something that people will want to go see in droves because of their already invested interest. The same goes for streaming, as during the height of the pandemic services like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ saw huge gains with people unable to leave their homes, but as we've been starting to get back to normal, these services have also taken a hi...

Nope Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea Directed by Jordan Peele When I was a kid, I was always afraid to sleep in my upstairs bedroom because I was worried that aliens would come through the window and abduct me (seriously, a weird fear, but one I had). I've always been drawn to the supernatural - whether it be aliens, ghosts, cryptids, what have you - and therefore the horror genre has always been a favorite of mine. This genre is the most unique in that it can offer a host of terrifying creatures - the aforementioned ghosts and aliens, but also Bigfoot, clowns, spiders, snakes, zombies, and even killer sheep and a maniacal sentient rubber tire - and craft a unique tale around it. Jordan Peele has emerged as one of this century's most prolific horror directors, giving us the Oscar-winning film "Get Out" as well as "Us," both of which blended horror with biting social commentary and dark humor, so his much-anticipated third fil...

The Unforgivable Starring Sandra Bullock, Vincent D'Onofrio, Viola Davis, Jon Bernthal Directed by Nora Fingscheidt Lately, due to the increased fascination with true crime shows, Hollwood has tried to monopolize this popular trend by releasing films centering around juicy cases that hold exciting twists and turns, and to lackluster success. "The Unforgivable" - itself based on a three-episode miniseries called "Unforgiven" that aired in the UK - is one of those films, but somehow it tries to be so much more than that. Combining a movie about redemption with a lawyer drama and ending in a thrilling abduction sequence, "The Unforgivable" lives up to its name - it's completely unforgivable how it managed to try to unite so many different stories into a tight runtime, and drag down a couple Oscar-winning actresses in the process, along with other A-list celebrities.  Twenty years after killing a sheriff who was about to take her home away from her and...

The Harder They Fall Starring Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King Directed by Jeymes Samuel When you think of the wild west, you think of characters like Billy the Kid, Butch Cassidy, Jesse James and Wild Bill Hickok due to the countless number of Western films that've graced the big screen for the last few decades. Yet there's stories that have remained relatively lost to history, and those are the stories of the African American men and women who also helped shape the Western landscape just as much as their white counterparts that are household names. While most people have never heard of the likes of Nat Love, Rufus Buck, Stagecoach Mary, Bass Reeves, Cherokee Bill, or Jim Beckwourth, their contributions to the history of the Wild Wild West can't go unnoticed, and thanks to the directing style of Jeymes Samuel, their stories can now be told - or at least their names can be heard, so you can look them up later and read about their real lives apart from t...

The Boy Behind the Door Starring Lonnie Chavis, Ezra Dewey, Micah Hauptman, Kristin Baker van Straten Directed by David Charbonier & Justin Powell The power of friendship is often tested when you're adults, but when you're a kid it's plain and simple: you're friends to the end, no matter what. Before the weight of the world, the allure of the opposite sex, and distance comes between you, there's nothing more that you need in life than to hang out with your best buddy doing innocent children stuff. Yet when that friendship is tested to the extreme, you really learn who'll be there for you through it all, and that's the message of "The Boy Behind the Door," a tight, low-budget horror film that parallels real life in shocking ways, and centers around two young boys who say they'll be friends to the end, as they hope the end doesn't come that night. Bobby (Lonnie Chavis) and Kevin (Ezra Dewey) are best friends, twelve years old, and are on ...

 Don't Make Me Go Starring John Cho, Mia Isaac, Kaya Scodelario, Josh Thomson Directed by Hannah Marks There's been movies throughout cinematic history that seems to be heading in a certain direction and then all of a sudden they take a wild left turn that leaves the audiences stunned - and either this results in a "good" stunned or a "bad" stunned. A "good" stunned means that the audience is surprised by the twist, and actually likes it because it seems organic to the story as a whole after you think about it, while a "bad" stunned means that the audience thinks this sudden twist is only existing for the purpose of inducing some sort of emotional reaction from them that's not organically created, but manipulated instead. It's a risky move, and for movies like "Gone Girl" and "The Blair Witch Project," it paid off in dividends, and only time will tell if "Don't Make Me Go" will be remembered for i...

  Father Stu Starring Mark Wahlberg, Jacki Weaver, Mel Gibson, Teresa Ruiz Directed by Rosalind Ross Mark Wahlberg has begun to take the biopic circuit when it comes to his recent projects, and he's chosen some interesting real-life people to portray. Last year's "Joe Bell" saw Wahlberg playing the titular character, a man who planned to walk across America to raise awareness after his gay son was bullied in school, but he portrayed Bell as a bit of a hothead that when even he was trying to do the right thing, came off as wrong. "Father Stu" is his next outing in the biopic genre, playing Father Stuart Long, a man who began the film on one end of the religious spectrum and wound up on the other by the end of it, but much like "Joe Bell," his portrayal of Father Stu seemed a bit off-putting. Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) is a washed-up boxer living in Montana, and he doesn't seem to have a direct path in life. His father Bill (Mel Gibson) is an un...

Spiderhead Starring Miles Teller, Chris Hemsworth, Jurnee Smollett, Mark Paguio Directed by Joseph Kosinski We've all made mistakes in our past, and we all have moments we regret, and nothing will really totally erase those memories or emotions - but what if there was a drug that could do that? A drug that will give you feelings of euphoria, of love, of forgetfulness, of enhanced speech? What if there's a drug that'll force you to do whatever the administrator wants you to do, even if it seems benign in purpose? Would you do it? While this is the premise of the short story written by George Saunders, its film adaptation is more neutered and watered down, offering a more darkly humorous tone than the source material offers, resulting in a shrug rather than the chills and deep philosophical questions it seemed to want to pose. Inmates are given an opportunity to live on an island compound known as Spiderhead under the direction of Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth), who gives a ...

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Starring Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham, Moe Dunford Directed by David Blue Garcia 2022 has been the year of the "legacy" characters in films, and it's only the beginning of March. It started with "Scream," returning to the original roots by bringing back the classic characters of Sidney, Gale, and Dewey as they pass the mantle to the new generation. "Jackass Forever" brought back the likes of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and Wee Man as they also transferred their comedic gross-out stunts to a younger generation. The upcoming "Jurassic World: Dominion" will reunite Ellie, Dr. Grant, and Ian Malcolm as they fight alongside the newer generation against the imminent dinosaur threat. And then there's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," which is the most lazily written of the bunch, a film that obviously tries to re-create a certain magic from a certain other film that brought back their legacy character for a n...