JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Scrambled Starring Leah McKendrick, Ego Nwodim, Andrew Santino, Laura Ceron Directed by Lean McKendrick Being a guy, and also someone who never, ever, ever, ever...ever...wants kids, "Scrambled" is one of those films that didn't necessarily speak to me on any real level. I didn't know much about it going into it, and I was genuinely surprised about how funny and also heartfelt it was. Doing digging afterward I found that Leah McKendrick - who directed, wrote, and starred in the film - based this movie on her real life struggles to freeze her eggs in 2021, which made it all the more personal. She used her own comedic timing that allowed you to let your guard down with laughter before hitting you in the gut with real-life truths that women face: unlike men, when women hit a certain age, their eggs hit an expiration date. While men can father children well into their 70s or 80s, women have a difficult time after 35, which the film graciously and hilariously points out on...

Ezra Starring Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, William Fitzgerald Directed by Tony Goldwyn The term "autism" was coined by psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1908, who used it to describe a schizophrenic patient who had withdrawn into his own world. The Greek word "autos" meant self, and Bleuler used it to mean morbid self-admiration and withdrawal within self. I've never had a child with autism, but I have friends that do, and I give them all the credit in the world. It's not an easy thing, and what I can appreciate about autistic people is, like Max says in the film, that they have no filter. They'll tell it like it is, when most of us tiptoe around the truth or use colorful language to get the point across. "Ezra" is a film that seems like a true story, because its resonance hits close to home for parents living with an autistic child and the unique trials - and even more unique successes -  they contain. It's a heartwarming tale ...

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke Directed by George Miller Back in 1979, George Miller brought to the world "Mad Max," a movie set in a dystopian future where a man goes on a quest for revenge against those who killed his wife and child in a barren wasteland where wars wage for water, food, and, most importantly, gas. The film was praised for its visuals and it catapulted Mel Gibson into national stardom, and the following two sequels further told the story of the Wasteland and the eclectic group of people who lived in it. Believing the franchise done with "Beyond Thunderdome" in 1985, the world was shocked when Miller - then 70 years old - released "Mad Max: Fury Road" in 2015. Not only was it a commercial success, it garnered six Academy Award wins and also nominations for Miller for Best Director and the film for Best Picture. It also introduced us to Charlize Theron's fierce warrior Imperato...

The Strangers: Chapter 1 Starring Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Matus Lajcak, Olivia Kreutzova Directed by Renny Harlin 2008's "The Strangers" was a simple film with a simple premise delivered with impeccable talent. The story of a couple vacationing in a remote home who find themselves under attack from three masked intruders is terrifying at its core, mostly because we never get the motive for why they're doing it (other than the now-iconic line: "because you're home"), but also because it's something that many people fear: home invasion. When you have a killer with motive, it makes it a little less frightening, because you know in your everyday life you don't have a serial killer brother, or have a vengeful family hunting you down after you survived a murder attempt by one of their own. This is terror just because the killers enjoyed it. No motive, no reason, no understanding - just pure animalistic desire for carnage. So when director Ren...

IF Starring Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carell, John Krasinski Directed by John Krasinski The story centers around a group of imaginary friends who were once beloved by their children, but once they got older they forgot about their imaginary friends, leaving them to live in a retirement home of sorts before they're taken in by another child and the process starts all over again. It's main imaginary friend is named Bloo. There's an imaginary friend that's big and purple. You might be thinking this is "IF," and you're right...sorta. It's also "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," a much better thought-out show that's essentially the same exact thing as this. While it might be billed as something original, it's anything but - yet it still manages to craft some magic of its own. Bea (Cailey Fleming) grew up with an imagination and a loving family, and then her mother passed away from cancer, and now her father (John Krasins...

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Starring Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon Directed by Wes Ball An outlier of cinematic achievement, "The Planet of the Apes" franchise has been one that not only found strength in its original 1968 iconic classic featuring Charlton Heston, but the four sequels that followed it. Then, even more shocking, it found resurgence with the trilogy prequel films "Rise," "Dawn" and "War" that came out over forty years later that somehow elevated the franchise to new heights as it showed how mankind fell and the apes rose, and the story of ape leader Caesar and his pacifist stance on no murdering fellow apes. Then, even more more shocking, a new trilogy has started with "Kingdom" that again makes for a great continuation of this now-fifty year franchise in shocking and surprising ways, proving that sometimes you can make a franchise amazing if you have the talent in front of and behind the camer...

Out of Darkness Starring Safia Oakley-Green, Chuku Modu, Kit Young, Iola Evans Directed by Andrew Cumming There's hardly a film out there that centers around events that took place back in the Old Stone Age, and with good reason - most people don't really seem to care about it, or have a lot of knowledge about it. People probably think dinosaurs still roamed the earth - they didn't. Instead it was one of the first advancements of human ingenuity, as they invented stone tools to better their lives. While it's rare to see a film like this, it's even rarer to see a horror film taking place during this time. "Out of Darkness" is one such film, an outlier that introduces us to a whole new language, and six clan members trying to survive in a harsh new condition while being hunted down by a hidden monster. Arriving on the shores of an unknown land, six people - leader Adem (Chuku Modu), his pregnant wife Ave (Iola Evans), their young son Heron (Luna Mwezi), Adem...

Freud's Last Session Starring Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Goode, Liv Lisa Fries, Jodi Balfour Directed by Matthew Brown I'm a big fan of films that feel like plays, centering on one location and focusing on a few characters as they battle wits and emotions. Some examples include "Fences" and "The Two Popes," where both feature strong, stellar performances that are grounded in a gritty reality that is so captivating you can't take your eyes off the screen, as verbal jabs feel like epic battles and auditory agreements feel like you're witnessing some of the most awe-inspiring truces. So a film like "Freud's Last Session" should be a slam dunk: take history's most prolific psychoanalyst and the world's most renown theologian and put them in a room together to discuss everything from war to religion to psychology, and witness greatness on screen. Sadly the film meanders on the fringes and never hits the meat and potatoes of the matter,...

Sasquatch Sunset Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, Nathan Zellner Directed by The Zellner Brothers There's something people have been talking about a lot lately - the lack of originality in movies. The majority of big screens are occupied by sequels, prequels, movies based off other mediums, and superhero movies. There doesn't seem to be a lot of original content out there, and when there is, they're hardly seen because many of the people who complain that there's no originality won't go see them because they're something they're not used to, and are worried about spending their money on something they know nothing about. "Sasquatch Sunset" is one such unique film, a movie that's clearly not for everyone, and even I found myself wondering why I was watching it, because it seemed that not a lot happens. However, even days after seeing it, it's been living in my head rent free, and since then I've grown to ap...

Unsung Hero Starring Daisy Betts, Joel Smallbone, Kirrilee Berger, Jonathan Jackson Directed by Richard Ramsey & Joel Smallbone Back in the 90s and 2000s I was heavily involved in the church, and especially the music associated with it. Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Switchfoot, Skillet, Third Day, Newsboys, dc Talk, Jars and Clay and Audio Adrenaline were all artists I listened to on the regular, along with Rebecca St. James. Although I'm not as active in the church as I once was, I still find myself listening to the songs and having a sense of calming peace associated with it. One of the most famous Christian bands out there now is For King and Country, and I had no idea who they were, until I heard Luke Smallbone singing on Rebecca St. James's album on a song called "Dawn." When I looked it up I was shocked to learn that Luke and Joel Smallbone - who make up For King and Country - is Rebecca St. James's younger brothers. Talent clearly runs in the...

Tarot Starring Harriet Slater, Jacob Batalon, Avantika, Adain Bradley Directed by Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg "Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got - I'm still, I'm still Jenny from the block." Jennifer Lopez's famous song tells her story that although she's rich and famous now, she's still just Jenny from the block (which, by the way, no one believes). You'd think a song so personal would've been written by Lopez herself, but instead the song was written by Lopez, Troy Oliver, Mr. Deyo, Samuel Barnes and Jean Claude Olivier. What does this have to do with "Tarot?" Well, at the end of this by-the-numbers, totally bland, non-scary, jump-scare riddled, stereotypical character trait film, I literally gasped out loud finding that it was written by TWO people...TWO people actually needed to put their brains together to craft a film that could've been done by a monkey randomly drawing cards with generic scenarios on them. Peter ...

The Fall Guy Starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham Directed by David Leitch The Academy Awards honors actors, films, directors, producers, cinematographers, costume designers, makeup artists, musicians and sound designers, but there's a group of people who, without them, would prove disastrous for the film industry: stunt performers. They're the unsung heroes, the ones who get little to no recognition as they literally risk their lives to pull off the outstanding stunts that we get to witness on screen. They're a unique breed, fearless and bold, and they deserve as much recognition and respect as anyone else in the industry. Harry O'Connor, Art Scholl, Paolo Rigon, Kun Liu, Chris Lamon and numerous other stunt performers have died while performing their stunts, and unlike those who grace the big screen that we know, they get little to no coverage. It's a sad state of affairs, and director David Leitch knows this all too well - a...

Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small ...

Worst2First: My Most Anticipated Films of Summer 2024  Summertime brings the big budget blockbusters to the big screen, and is the time of the year where cinemas see their highest profits. These ten films look to have audiences' butts in theater seats from May through August, and these are the ones I'm most excited to see. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE** #10 A Quiet Place: Day One June 28 John Krasinski shocked audiences with 2018's "A Quiet Place" which he directed, starred, and co-wrote the screenplay for. Earning a whopping $341 million dollars, the film was an instant hit and its sequel did equally as well. Now the "Quiet Place" universe is expanding with "A Quiet Place: Day One," which will be the most daring outing yet, as it's not directed by Krasinski and doesn't star him, his real-life wife Emily Blunt, or their children in the film. Instead it focuses on the beginning of the alien invasion thro...