JoeMama's Movie Reviews

The Iron Claw Starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Holt McCallany Directed by Sean Durkin Does familial curses really exist? Are some families just destined to live their lives filled with sadness, loss, grief, and pain? Is there some higher power that looks down on some families and decide that they get to live a hard life, or is the concept of familial curses just that: a concept? Coincidences, fate, luck, destiny - I personally don't believe in familial curses but that we decide our own fate and rely on a higher power to dictate our direction. "The Iron Claw" looks at this idea of familial curses through the lens of the most popular and influential wrestling families ever, and while they received acclaim and success, it came at a deadly cost. Jack "Fritz" Von Erich (Holt McCallany) was a successful wrestler who never was able to win the coveted heavyweight champion of the world. He retired from wrestling and began training three of his fo...

Leave the World Behind Starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la Directed by Sam Esmail There's been numerous "end of the world" films where we see what's happening through the eyes of survivors who have at least a rudimentary knowledge of what's going on or - more often than not - are heavily involved in the proceedings. There's hardly a film like this where the characters are helpless and know nothing about what's going on, because that's a harder story to tell - how do you amp the excitement and tension when you have a film that essentially takes place in one isolated location where no one is the wiser as to what's happening? For a viewer it could be frustrating, but that frustration can also be a useful tool because you're drawn deeper into the story because you resonate with the characters: they're frustrated as well because they too don't know what's happening. Looking to get away from society that she d...

  Maestro Starring Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Vincenzo Amato Directed by Bradley Cooper Generally actors stick to what they're good at - acting. However, others branch out into different forms of entertainment, most notably behind the director's chair. Numerous actors have proven their worth when it comes to directing memorable films, including Clint Eastwood, John Krasinski, Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig and Ben Affleck - and another name to add to that list is Bradley Cooper. His first turn in the director's chair was the multiple-Oscar nominated film "A Star is Born," and now he returns with what'll easily be another multi-celebrated picture, "Maestro." This biopic tells the story of the fabled composer Leonard Bernstein, and while it does fall into the traps of generic biopics, Cooper's steady direction makes it more entertaining than most. In 1943, Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) gets his big break when he's asked to co...

Anatomy of a Fall Starring Sandra Huller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado Graner, Antoine Reinartz Directed by Justine Trient The murder mystery subgenre is all the rage nowadays, as millions of people are hooked to television networks like Investigation Discovery and salivate over the most recent murder mystery. So when this concept is put to the big screen in a fictitious manner, it's bound to get its fans who want to pick apart every scene to deduce for themselves whether the person is guilty or not, and that's at the heart of "Anatomy of a Fall." The film is a procedural courtroom drama but, more importantly, a study of the slow deterioration of a couple who once fell in love but now sleep in separate beds and live separate lives - until one ends up dead, and the other is accused of their murder. But does a failing marriage equate cold-blooded homicide? Successful writer Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) lives in an isolated cabin in the mountains with her husband Samuel (...

 Saltburn Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant Directed by Emerald Fennell The trope of seeing how the wealthy live is something that's been done in movies for decades, but "Saltburn" is different in that it skewers them like none other, done through the eyes of the Oscar-winning writer and director of 2020's "Promising Young Woman," Emerald Fennell. She shines an unflinching spotlight on the wealthy in a way that provides no room for shadows, where you strip away any sense of decency and you see the pure malice the wealthy has for anyone lower than them. Yet, somehow, these aren't truly the bad guys in this film, as it centers on a toxic obsession of one man who desires to have everything that he doesn't have, and his sociopath tendencies explode to the surface in shocking and vile ways. Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) is a scholarship student at Oxford University who doesn't fit in with anyone due to his quiet, ecc...

Past Lives Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Ji Hye Yoon Directed by Celine Song Growing up in the Western world I haven't been afforded the different viewpoints of life, death, and rebirth that the Eastern world believes in, and feels like something totally foreign to me because of it. The concept of reincarnation and past lives is something normal over there while here it's looked down upon as fringe thought, no matter how thought-out the concept is. "Past Lives" is one of those films that delves deep into the idea of past lives through a naturalistic lens told through the lives of two star-crossed lovers who seem destined for one another - at least they would in a different life. As children living in South Korea, Na Young (Seung Ah Moon) and Hae Sung (Seung Min Yim) are the best of friends who show a bit of flirtatious romance between the two of them, but once Na Young's parents reveal they're moving to Canada for a better life, these two friends a...

  Trolls: Band Together Starring Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Eric Andre, Camila Cabello Directed by Walt Dohrn The "Trolls" franchise has been a very popular and lucrative deal for Dreamworks, and the train keeps rolling down the tracks with a third installment in the film series. It seems that the company at first didn't have enough faith in the film because as each movie is released more information comes out regarding the Trolls that should've been known beforehand - like in the second film, where they find out there's other Trolls and other types of music out there, which seems like something they should've known already. Now it's about hidden family, which given the different movies, short films, television specials and television series, you'd think again at least someone would've known this already - that Branch was a part of the biggest boy band ever, or that Poppy had a secret sister. Yet none of this came to light until "Band T...

Never Been Chris'd Starring Janel Parrish, Tyler Hynes, Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, Linda Ko Directed by Jeff Beesley It's a rivalry as old as time. Rocky versus Apollo. Professor X versus Magneto. Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird. When two people want the same thing they'll stop at nothing to make sure that their goal is the one that's met, even if it threatens a lifelong friendship. Now it's Naomi versus Liz, two lifelong friends who return to their small hometown for the holidays and find that their shared childhood crush still lives in town and both still harbor romantic feelings for him. In what was supposed to be the bought for the ages, "Never Been Chris'd" looked prime to be the ultimate showdown for the affections of one attractive yet stuck in his hometown man - but instead it pivots so wildly that you could hear Ross shouting it in the background. Naomi (Janel Parrish) and Liz (Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes) are successful best friends who started a datin...

Wish Starring Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral Directed by Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn Disney has been in existence for 100 years, since 1923, and I feel that they were expecting something more joyous for their 100th anniversary. Instead 2023 wasn't kind to the Mouse in any sense of the word, as countless movie bombs made this one of their least profitable years in...well...years. Hopes were high that "Wish" - an original Disney animated movie that celebrates the company's anniversary - would turn the tide and provide the classic feel-goods that made them such a juggernaut in the film industry: but instead it's a soulless cash grab venture that hints at the company's previous films and sadly is devoid of any magic that the company is known for. In the land of Rosas, King Magnifico (Chris Pine) holds the citizens' wishes in special orbs that encircle his castle - wishes that were given to him by the people who immediately forg...

  The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Starring Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage Directed by Francis Lawrence At the height of the young adult novel-to-film adaptation craze, "The Hunger Games" sat supreme. Launching the career of Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, the four films earned over three billion dollars worldwide, and was essentially a "Battle Royale" story set in America. In the near desolate future, the country is split into twelve districts, and each year one boy and one girl from each district is selected to compete in the Hunger Games, where they fight to the death until one remains, and the winner receives food for their impoverished district. The first two films were stellar, while the third and fourth lacked charm and dragged since it was basically the last novel split into two movies, but there's no denying its popularity. Now the Hunger Games are back in a prequel story, this time serving as an origin story...

  Wonka Starring Timothee Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph Directed by Paul King Director Paul King gifted the world with two perfect family films: "Paddington" and "Paddington 2," both telling the story of the beloved blue duffle-coat wearing marmalade eating bear who spreads love and joy near and far. Paddington was originally created in 1958 by Michael Bond, and both the film adaptions are pure delights. The visuals are fluid and beautiful, the animation is lovely, and the acting is top-notch. So of course it'd be on no one other than King to bring back to the big screen the iconic chocolate maker Willy Wonka in his own origin story, another beloved children's character created by the famed author Roald Dahl in 1964. While not as perfect as his "Paddington" films, King once again brings his A-game to the process, providing a beautiful, brilliant, and breezy film that is highlighted by Timothee Chalamet's infectious p...

A Biltmore Christmas Starring Bethany Joy Lenz, Kristoffer Polaha, A.K. Benninghofen, Jonathan Frakes Directed by John Putch It's been a yearly tradition that my friend personally chooses two Hallmark Christmas movies for me to watch and review, and she has a criteria for them: one she thinks is really good, and she thinks is the "typical" Hallmark Christmas movie. "A Biltmore Christmas" is the one she thought was really good, and for a Hallmark Christmas movie, I have to agree. That's not to say I think this is a cinematic masterpiece - none of them are - but I review these movies under a different lens than a general movie critic viewpoint. And from all the Hallmark Christmas movies I've been forced to sit through, I can say assuredly that this one is the best of them all - probably because it has to do with movies. Lucy Hardgrove (Bethany Joy Lenz) is a screenwriter who gains the opportunity to write a remake of the beloved holiday classic "His M...

  Godzilla Minus One Starring Ryuonsuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki Directed by Takashi Yamazaki Godzilla has existed since 1954, and coming up on its seventy years of existence the Japanese film "Godzilla Minus One" was released in America. While many Western audiences know Godzilla as a sort of antihero who wants to help humanity but more often than not fails, that's not how his original iteration was formed. Created as a representation of Japanese fears about the rise of nuclear weapons after the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Godzilla was more of a force of nature than anything - a sort of deity that exists purely for carnage as opposed to being a helpful being. "Godzilla Minus One" focuses on this Godzilla, one that most Americans haven't seen, and the result is nothing short of horrific in the most wonderful way. More than just a Kaiju movie, "Minus One" is instead a deep retrospective about the hero's journey, ...

  Silent Night Starring Joel Kinnaman, Scott Mescudi, Harold Torres, Catalina Sandino Moreno Directed by John Woo John Woo is an acclaimed action director who's gifted us with the likes of "Face/Off," "Broken Arrow," "Mission: Impossible 2," and "Windtalkers," as well as numerous international action films. Without him we'd never have the likes of "John Wick" or "Nobody," and now he's back in American cinemas since 2003's "Paycheck" with "Silent Night," a film that blends the modern day aesthetics with the classic action Woo is known for. He doesn't change who he is to fit in with the times, and "Silent Night" feels like a 90s action film in 2023. On Christmas Eve in 2001, family man Brian Godlock (Joel Kinnaman) and his wife Saya (Cataline Sandino Moreno) undergo the worst tragedy a family could endure: their young son is gunned down by a gang war. Brian goes in search for the...

  The Holdovers Starring Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da-Vine Joy Randolph, Carrie Preston Directed by Alexander Payne Ian Maclaren said "be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" is this statement personified, as the film centers on three characters who are each fighting their own unique battles and they learn from one another to be kind to each other despite their hard outer exteriors. It's a unique character study on grief, pain, and the regrets of the past illuminated in stunning performances from one acclaimed actor, one up-and-coming actress, and one young actor in his major film debut who proves that he'll be a force to be reckoned with in the decades to come. At the prestigious Barton Academy, the students who attend are the wealthy elite who'll eventually go on to Harvard, Brown or Yale, and who pretty much all have chips on their shoulders for being wealthy and elite. Paul Hunham (Paul Gi...