JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Drive-Away Dolls Starring Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo Directed by Ethan Coen When you think of modern day neo-noir crime capers that blend intellectual humor and drama there's one duo that's on everyone's lists - brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. "Blood Simple," "Burn After Reading," "No Country for Old Men," "Fargo" and "Miller's Crossing" are just a few of their greatest hits, and the brothers have never done projects alone, until now. Ethan Coen directs and co-writes (along with his wife Tricia Cooke) "Drive-Away Dolls" which is like an appetizer before enjoying one of the brothers' more in-depth films - and that's not a bad thing. Short, simple, and to the point, "Drive-Away Dolls" is heightened by its strong cast, sharp-witted dialogue and cross country caper that the Coen brothers are best known for. In Philadelphia in 1999, proud outspoken lesbi...

Mea Culpa Starring Kelly Rowland, Trevante Rhodes, Nick Sagar, Sean Sagar Directed by Tyler Perry Mea culpa is a Latin term meaning "an acknowledgement of one's fault or error." It's fitting, then, that Tyler Perry would name his latest soap opera-esque quote endquote steamy erotic thriller "Mea Culpa." It's like he's already acknowledging his error in directing, writing and producing this film in the first place. And he should - this terrible excuse for the aforementioned subgenre film is as steamy as taking a bath in the Arctic, as erotic as putting on your shoes, and as thrilling as watching paint dry. Mea (Kelly Rowland) is a successful defense lawyer who's been carrying the burden of a marriage on the rocks as her husband Kal (Sean Sagar) lost his job due to drug use and doesn't want his mother or brother - District Attorney Ray Harper (Nick Sagar) - to know. Mea is belittled and taunted by Ray and their mother Azalia (Kerry O'Malley...

Madame Web Starring Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O'Connor Directed by S.J. Clarkson In honor of Opposite Day (which is probably not an actual day, but for the sake of this review it is), I'll be giving my glowing review of "Madame Web." If you want to find a REAL review, check out the numerous negative reviews out there - they're pretty much on point. Everything I'd say here would just be recycling their critiques, so I figured I'd do something different. Thirty years after her mother was murdered in the Peruvian jungle while searching for a mythical spider that can cure diseases, Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) is a paramedic and is good friends with fellow paramedic Ben Parker (Adam Scott) who's sister-in-law Mary (Emma Roberts) is about to give birth to a son. One day while rescuing a man trapped in his car over the edge of a bridge, Cassandra falls into the river and nearly dies, but during her near death experience she h...

Suncoast Starring Nico Parker, Laura Linney, Woody Harrelson, Ella Anderson Directed by Laura Chinn Death is a sensitive topic, and how one deals with death is equally sensitive. Some people cry, some laugh out of relief that their loved one is no longer in pain, some feel totally numb, and some harbor severe regret about the things said, and things not said - and those are just the tip of the emotional iceberg. When a death occurs suddenly without warning, it's jarring to the core; but when it's a death that's expected, it's almost a relief of sorts, at least for some. It gives you the time, knowing that it's about to end, to say what you always wanted to say, to spend the time needed with them, and see them off knowing they were surrounded by those they loved. "Suncoast" is one such film, a pseudo-biographical film from first-time director Laura Chinn who tells the story of how she lost her brother to brain cancer when she was younger through the eyes of...

Bob Marley: One Love Starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton, Tosin Cole Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green Ever since the success of musical biopics like "Straight Outta Compton" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," Hollywood has been clamoring to tell as many stories of famous musicians as they can in order to recapture that same profitability. What we get instead is a string of boring, bland, and Wikipedia-esque storytelling of famous musicians such as Whitney Houston, Tupac, Aretha Franklin and Billie Holiday to name a few. The cinema has become saturated with these formulaic films that don't get as much negative attention as superhero fatigue, mostly because hardly anyone sees them. Now you can add Bob Marley to this unfortunate list with "Bob Marley: One Love" - a film that's hollow, pointless, and doesn't offer any deep insights into the famous Jamaican who made Reggae music instrumental in his quest for peace. From 1976 to 1978 there...

Land of Bad Starring Liam Hemsworth, Milo Ventimiglia, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth Directed by William Eubank The rules of war have drastically changed in recent decades, especially with the advent of modern technology such as drones, which serve to help reduce casualties on the front lines by unleashing unholy hell on our enemies from the skies in aircraft piloted by men and women thousands of miles away and safe from harm. Yet this is just a tool that we use in war - we're still dependent on the brave men and women who stand on the front lines to bring peace and order to a world falling apart. "Land of Bad" focuses on both of these aspects of modern warfare that doesn't always end up perfectly, but provides enough tense excitement, character development, and intense action to keep your attention. When a U.S. Army Delta Force team infiltrates a compound in the Philippines to rescue a high value asset, they come under attack which leaves JTAC officer Kinney (Liam He...

Players Starring Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Tom Ellis, Joel Courtney Directed by Trish Sie I watched "Killers of the Flower Moon" twice. That movie is three and a half hours, and I sat through it twice. Not just sat through it, but absolutely enjoyed it both times. In fact, I could probably watch it again. The acting, the story, the cinematography, the score, everything about it is above reproach. Same with "Oppenheimer," which I've seen three times so far. Why did I start this review for "Players" with mentioning two Academy Award-nominated films? Because although "Players" is half the length of either of those films, I found myself feeling like I was watching paint dry for twenty-four hours, having been so bored I worried that I had missed a whole day of my life, and realized it was only an hour and forty-five minutes. Less with credits. And although I could sit through those three-something-hour epics again, I'd probably gouge m...

Society of the Snow Starring Enzo Vogrincic, Matias Recalt, Agustin Pardella, Tomas Wolf Directed by J.A. Bayona What would you do to stay alive? What are your morals, and how would they play into it? Your religious beliefs? Your sheer will to live? Thankfully many of us will never be tested in this way, but what if we were? Would we have the strength to survive, or would we just give up and let death take us? This was the question posed to a group of travelers in 1972 when their plane crashes on the unforgiving Andes Mountains. With their food dwindling, hope fading, and their friends dying, they resort to unspeakable acts to survive - but more than that, they rely on one another to get through it alive. In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force flight 571 crashes in the heart of the Andes Mountains. Out of the 45 passengers on board, only 16 manage to survive, and "Society of the Snow" tells their harrowing story and the lengths they go in order to survive. The Good: This is one of thos...

Lisa Frankenstein Starring Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Carla Gugino Directed by Zelda Williams The 80s was a great decade for film, as filmmakers expanded their horizons and let their imaginations soar to new heights that were never seen before. Films like "Ghostbusters," "Beetlejuice," "Brazil," "The Thing," "Little Monsters" and more pushed the envelope of normalcy and gave audiences something worth seeing. "Lisa Frankenstein" looks to capture that old feeling with a throwback 80s style with a story written by "Jennifer's Body" writer Diablo Cody, and the result is a loving ode to the decade, to the outcasts, and to true love. Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) is an outcast who dresses in Goth and spends her time at the local abandoned cemetery reading in front of a grave belonging to a man she doesn't know (Cole Sprouse), but feels a connection to - because she too wishes she was dead. When h...

American Fiction Starring Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown Directed by Cord Jefferson I'm a fan of riddles and one really resonates with me after seeing this film: "If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done?" This perfectly encapsulates "American Fiction," a film where a under-appreciated author wants to give the proverbial middle finger to society that wants to relieve their collective white guilt by praising the Black story - but only the stereotypical Black stories they know - and finds that instead of offending them, he finds that they fully embrace his shtick and leaves him trying to tread water with all the compounding lies he has to tell. Thelonius "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is an intellectual African American writer and professor, but while his books have received critical acclaim, they don't sell because they're not "black" enough. After attending a book convention where he attends...

The Zone of Interest Starring Christian Friedel, Sandra Huller, Ralph Herforth, Daniel Holzberg Directed by Jonathan Glazer The title "The Zone of Interest" comes from the German word "Interessengebiet," which was the term used to represent the the restricted zone around the Auschwitz concentration camp. It's fitting for this film because it takes place almost entirely there, but not in the way you'd expect. Most Holocaust films focus on the Jewish prisoners who faced unspeakable torment and brutal death at the hands of their Nazi rulers in the gas chamber, such as "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas." Here, however, things take a terrifying turn as we see the events take place through the eyes of the real-life diabolical monster Rudolf Hoss and his family who lived next to the camp. The juxtaposition is striking, horrifying, and unforgettable - due to how strikingly normal they seemed to be as the screams, gunshots, and smells of death permeate the ai...

Argylle Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Henry Cavill Directed by Matthew Vaughn A long, long, long, long time ago, I sat in a theater about to watch a movie who's name I cannot recall when the trailers started beforehand, and that was the first time I saw the trailer for "Argylle." I thought it was fun, exciting, and everything I'd expect from a Matthew Vaughn film (after all, he did re-ignite the spy subgenre with the excellent "Kingsman" films). Then I saw another movie and saw the trailer again. Then again. And again. And again. Even when I went to the theater with my friend on Tuesday, that dang trailer played. I could quote it verbatim. I was sick of it, and just wanted the trailer to end. And after seeing it, I can safely say that the film's biggest selling point and positive comment is that it's now out so I won't have to see that trailer again. Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a successful novelist who live...

Nyad Starring Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Karly Rothenberg Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi &  Jimmy Chin There's something about humanity that is downright amazing. The tenacity of the human spirit to overcome any obstacle, to achieve any dream, and to never give up even when it seems hopeless. We've seen this in documentary films like "Free Solo" and "Man on Wire," and in numerous biopics centering on the lives of people like Whitney Houston, Freddie Mercury and Elvis himself. Though the biopic genre has gotten rather stale as of late, they still manage to craft some truly incredible films - and "Nyad" is one of them. A stirring, powerful, and stand-up-and-cheer movie featuring two veteran actresses who prove that age ain't nothing but a number, and you can do anything as long as you have the drive to do it. After failing to swim the impossible - going from Cuba to Florida - 28-year-old Diana Nyad retired from swimming ...