JoeMama's Movie Reviews

  We Live in Time Starring Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Adam James, Marama Corlett Directed by John Crowley Many times when we see a bad movie, we say that the actors did a decent job with the limited script they were given. They gave it their all but in the end the movie just wasn't that good. I'm not saying "We Live in Time" isn't good, but the script could've devolved into sappy Hallmark style romance with manipulative tugs at your heartstrings when the other shoe drops. However, when you get two of this generation's most acclaimed and naturally talented actors - and the script that doesn't follow the generic linear narrative - you've got a movie that doesn't deserve to be so good, but it is. One night, Tobias Durand (Andrew Garfield) is hit by a car on the road, and while in the hospital he meets the driver, Almut Bruhl (Florence Pugh). The two strike up a friendship which eventually leads to romance, and the two fall deeply in love with

Here Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly Directed by Robert Zemeckis There's many times where I think about a place and wonder about its history. What existed there before? What will be in the future? I think about this a lot thinking about the place I grew up, and all the memories I had there - the good, the bad, and the mundane. What existed in this space before we built our home here? What will be here once we go? What are the memories we'll carry on? In a way, "Here" is a film that we see on screen about made-up characters living in one space in time in the past, present, and future - but in another way, it's a reflective look inside ourselves and the memories we have in the places we've lived in. After the meteorite destroys the dinosaurs, and the Native Americans lived on the land, the home of Benjamin Franklin's illegitimate son William is constructed. Later, a house is built across from it, and it becomes inhabited by numer

Anora Starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian Directed by Sean Baker Every year there's "that" movie, the film that everyone praises and hypes up beyond conception, a film that is said to earn all the awards and will make a household name out of its lead. More often than not they're right, but there's other films that garner this much praise but falls short of the high expectations placed upon it. "Anora" is no such film. It's more than deserving of the accolades it's been receiving, and while Mikey Madison was already a somewhat established name, this film takes her talent to the stratosphere and easily creates a new leading lady rivaling the likes of Florence Pugh and Saoirse Ronan. Anora "Ani" Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) is a high-priced stripper working at a well-established club in New York City, when she's told by her boss to cater to a young Russian man because of her knowledge of the language.

Your Monster Starring Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster Directed by Caroline Lindy Everyone knows "Beauty and the Beast," the classic fairy tale-turned Disney animated movie-turned Disney live action movie about a young girl who falls in love with the titular beast and her love brings him back to humanity. It's sweet, emotional, and heartfelt, and of course that concept has been remade for the modern area again and again, and "Your Monster" is one such film, a movie that follows in the iconic film's footsteps but provides modern wit and humor while maintaining the heart. Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera) is a girl struggling to live. She's been diagnosed with cancer, and her longtime boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donovan) - who's a playwright and whom she helped pen his latest play - dumps her in the middle of it. Her only friend Mazie (Kayla Foster) is oftentimes absent, and she's resorted to moving into her mother's old home

Don't Move Starring Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Moray Treadwell, Daniel Francis Directed by Adam Schindler & Brian Netto If a woman is paralyzed in the woods and chased by a killer falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound? While in real life this sort of scenario is terrifying and haunting, "Don't Move" takes away any tension, dread, suspense or excitement and replaces it with mundane, generic moments that you've seen in numerous films like this, where all of a sudden everyone and their mother makes the stupidest mistakes possible (and other people will use the excuse that this would happen in real life too, and I call BS on that). It's surprising that this by-the-books film wasn't just directed by two people, but written by two people as well - it's like the running gag with Beyonce's "Run the World (Girls)" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," where Beyonce's song involving repetitious words was

Saturday Night Starring Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cooper Hoffman, Willem Dafoe Directed by Jason Reitman "Saturday Night Live" has been a television staple for nearly fifty years, and it's hard to imagine the television landscape without it - but it almost never came to fruition. It took a lot of luck and skill to make it happen, and only through the revolutionary lens of Lorne Michaels was it able to be achieved, even by the skin of his teeth. On October 11, 1975, Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) arrives at the NBC building to prepare for his show, "Saturday Night," which would air in ninety minutes. A live sketch comedy act, the show seemed a mess from the start - the actors run amok, there's no script, the sets appear unsafe, and everyone is running around like crazy. Michaels tries to maintain control with his boss Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman) who tells him that NBC wants them to fail because they make more money airing reruns of Johnny Carson, b

Conclave Starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto Directed by Edward Berger To say the Catholic Church has had a rough go for awhile would be an understatement, as accusations have abounded about child abuse at the hands of clergy and, equally as alarming, the Church's attempt to cover them up. Pope Francis has been able to resolve some of those issues and has bridged a gap between the more conventional, stoic Church of the past and incorporating modern views for a new generation, but there's still a lot of work to do. The Catholic Church is still steeped in old traditions, and the overall concept itself seems against religious teachings. The Pope is supposed to be protected from error when he speaks of matters of faith and morals, the human connection to God, which is something Jesus Himself is supposed to be, the bridge between God and man. "Conclave" takes a fictionalized look inside the mysterious practice of electing a new Pope, and

Venom: The Last Dance Starring Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans Directed by Kelly Marcel The Sony Spider-Man Universe is, to say the least, not doing well. For a cinematic universe that has the title of the main character who hasn't appeared in any films thus far, it only adds to the lack of excitement these films carry. Essentially it's a Spider-Man Adjacent Cinematic Universe that features Spider-Man villains (or antiheroes) as opposed to the Web Slinger himself. The results haven't been generous, with the likes of "Morbius" and "Madam Web" getting eviscerated by critics and general movie-going audiences alike.  The only films that have somewhat escaped this dour fate is Tom Hardy's "Venom" series, but even they have things lacking (most notably "Venom: Let There be Carnage," which wastes one of Marvel's biggest, scariest villains in a PG-13 humdrum of a movie who's short runtime lacks any deep charac

Wolfs Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams Directed by Jon Watts Sometimes you can hold the weight of a film solely on the performances, especially with actors who've worked so much together that they're best friends in the real world, and doesn't feel like acting anymore. Two of these actors are George Clooney and Brad Pitt, who've appeared together in seven films and are well-known buddies outside the movie set, and both are good natured pranksters who's rapport with each other is effortless and seamless. So when they come together for a generic, by-the-books caper movie, it elevates it beyond mediocrity due to their charismatic performances. When Manhattan District Attorney Margaret (Amy Ryan) brings a young man (Austin Abrams) to her hotel room, she's shocked when he accidentally dies. Not wanting to draw attention to the fact, she calls a mysterious number, and a Man (George Clooney) arrives to clean up the mess. He works alone, and p

The Mouse Trap Starring Simon Phillips, Sophie McIntosh, Mackenzie Mills, Madeline Kelman Directed by Jamie Bailey Lately the beloved classics have entered the public domain, most notably Winnie the Pooh, meaning their characters can be used for free without paying royalties to the owner. The result, as everyone now knows, is turning our beloved childhood icons into killing machines, again most notably Winnie the Pooh in two horror movies, and being the center of the upcoming Poohniverse cinematic universe. Not wanting to be left out on the gory fun, Mickey Mouse has also become public domain (well, at least his Steamboat Willie iteration from 1928), and literally the day that happened the trailer for the then-titled "Mickey Mouse Trap" came out. Renaming it "The Mouse Trap," the film itself is a dull, uninspired mess of a movie with the worst acting possible, the most nonsensical story, and the lamest, tamest kills you could imagine. It's almost Alex's (Sop

Woman of the Hour Starring Anna Kendrick, Daniel Zovatto, Nicolette Robinson, Tony Hale Directed by Anna Kendrick I'm a huge true crime fan, and I've heard the story of "The Dating Game Killer" Rodney Alcala, who went on the classic game show in 1978 despite already having murdered numerous women. He would go on to win that show and score a date with Cheryl Bradshaw, but fortunately for her she never followed through with their vacation, leading Rodney feeling rejected and continuing his murder spree until he was eventually caught and imprisoned for his crimes - even though he was only charged with eight confirmed deaths when he could've been responsible for up to 130. First-time director Anna Kendrick tackles the story in "Woman of the Hour," but also touches on misogyny both then and now, and how women aren't usually heard like they're supposed to. Throughout the 1970s, Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto) went on a string of murders, killing women i

Smile 2 Starring Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley Directed by Parker Finn I don't know what it is about "Smile" that people really enjoy. Even after reading reviews and such, it just boggles my mind, as the film itself is nothing more than a mix of "The Ring" and "It Follows" with more jump scares than actual plot. Sure, Sosie Bacon does a terrific job with the material she's been given, and the cinematography is sometimes decent, but overall the first film had my smile turned upside down. So with the sequel, I already had a preconceived notion as to how much I wouldn't like it, and by golly did it deliver on that aspect. Yet again this is nothing more than jump scare central with a great female lead and some decent cinematography, and yet again - for some odd reason - people are eating it up. Maybe I'm too cynical. Or maybe I've seen more messed up movies than most. Either way, the only smiles I had duri

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a

Mr. Crocket Starring Jerrika Hinton, Ayden Gavin, Kristolyn Lloyd, Elvis Nolasco Directed by Brandon Epsy Everyone knows their names - Mr. Rogers, Pee Wee Herman - wholesome performers (well, at least Mr. Rogers) who graced our screens when we were children teaching us important lessons about life, love, and being a good person. Sometimes, these role models served as the only parents kids ever knew, since their own family lives were tumultuous and volatile, and the boob tube served as the perfect babysitter. "Mr. Crocket" takes this approach and turns it on its head, providing a horror film with impressive practical effects, an alluring villain, but ultimately a script that can't quite reach the credits. In 1994, Summer (Jerrika Hinton) has just lost her husband, and her only son Major (Ayden Gavin) is being a major thorn in her side. He's unruly and unresponsive, acting out on the daily and causing Summer all kinds of headaches, ultimately declaring that she's do

Terrifier 3 Starring Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Antonella Rose Directed by Damien Leone We all know the Mount Rushmore of horror icons: Freddy, Jason, Michael, Leatherface...icons that have withstood the test of time, as decades pass and people still don their costumes every Halloween. They're the ones who don't necessarily strike fear in our hearts, but ones we have an odd fondness for, villains we oftentimes root for against horny teenagers or unruly youth who invade their property - of course that's not always the case, but as you get older you start feeling more for these villains than their victims in most situations. Since Jigsaw in "Saw" there hasn't been an iconic villain of this caliber, until now. Now we get Art the Clown, this generation's prolific horror icon that's now slayed his way through three major motion pictures and a few shorts that has cemented his legacy in the pantheon of villains, all without saying a

Piece by Piece Starring Pharrell Williams, Morgan Neville, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg Directed by Morgan Neville Musical biopics are bland, stale, and really don't tell anything more than what you can find from a Wikipedia search, and yet they keep churning them out for some inexplicable reason. 2024 alone has three of them - Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, and now Pharrell Williams - but at least one of them is unique in a sense. Pharrell Williams' "Piece by Piece" is a blend of musical biopic and documentary and is shot using Legos instead of live action, which helps the visual aesthetic but fails to produce anything more than what you'd come to expect, and the medium itself is puzzling in finding its target audience. Chronicling his life from childhood to superstardom, Pharrell Williams shares his experiences from growing up in the ghetto of Virginia, finding faith in church, family, and friends, and exploring his many hobbies, especially music. He forms the group The

  Never Let Go Starring Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins, Matthew Kevin Anderson Directed by Alexandre Aja Upon seeing the trailer for "Never Let Go," I got vibes from different movies like "A Quiet Place" and "Bird Box," and I was mostly right in that regard - it's got the same feel as those movies, but there's something different with "Never Let Go" that those other films didn't have, and that's a sense of continuity. It's a film that leaves too many questions open-ended, and throws away its own rules by the third act for reasons unknown, which is a shame because up to that point I was really invested in the story and the surprises along the way, but ultimately I was left with questions with no answers, no matter where I looked: and while some movies work that way, this one left me more annoyed than intrigued. Living in a shack in the middle of the woods, Momma (Halle Berry) and her twin sons Nolan (Percy Dagg

Transformers One Starring Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree-Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key Directed by Josh Cooley As a child of the 80s "Transformers" was one of my favorite cartoon shows, and the original animated movie is still highly regarded in my opinion (with the best soundtrack ever), and through my adult years Michael Bay has systematically tried to kill my love for the franchise with his abysmal live-action films (fortunately "Bumblebee" righted many of those wrongs). So when I heard they were making an animated prequel movie that essentially came across as a buddy adventure comedy, I was highly skeptical - and while the film itself didn't move me to tears or make me want to see it again, I could appreciate the message it told and found myself entertained by it all. On Cybertron, there's two classes of robots - ones that have a cog and are able to transform, and ones without, who cannot transform and are relegated to the mines to dig up E