JoeMama's Movie Reviews

The Breadwinner Starring Nate Bargatze, Mandy Moore, Will Forte, Kumail Nanjiani Directed by Eric Appel There's a reason I find comedies the least enjoyable of the genres - it has no originality, no vibrancy, and seems stuck in the past, with only rare exceptions stepping out of the mold. "The Breadwinner," sadly, doesn't break that mold but instead settles nicely into a plot that's reminiscent of the Michael Keaton-led 1983 film "Mr. Mom" where the husband and wife switches roles where the husband goes from a successful businessman to a stay-at-home dad and the mother goes from her mommy duties to the corporate world. Comedian Nate Bargatze obviously took liberties from this classic for this film that's based on his more wholesome stand-up comedy routine (kudos to him for being actually funny on stage without resorting to crude humor), but as always, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as Oscar Wilde said, but no one mentions the second half...

GOAT Starring Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Aaron Pierre, David Harbour Directed by Tyree Dillihay Being not a big fan of sports, even I know what it means to be the G.O.A.T. - the Greatest Of All Time. There's been a lot of debate especially in the basketball world over who is the true G.O.A.T. - Michael Jordan or LeBron James - and I absolutely have no opinion on it. Getting back to the movie, it could be titled either GOAT or G.O.A.T. since it has two different characters who embody those terms: a literal goat, and a panther wishing to be the G.O.A.T. in an animal-like version of basketball. While the animation is top notch, and the characters are expertly voiced, it's still a basic story of an underdog team rising the ranks to become the best. Ever since he was young, Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin), an American Pygmy goat, wishes to join the Vineland Thorns roarball team, and become the G.O.A.T. after idolizing longtime player and all-star Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Unio...

Passenger Starring Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, Melissa Leo, Joseph Lopez Directed by Andre Ovredal Back in the day when gas was under $2 a gallon, my friends and I would drive around in my van in the middle of the night just to drive. I remember one night I stopped in the middle of a dark, deserted road filled with trees and no lamps and turned off the lights, and the ambiance was very creepy and eerie. There's nothing more terrifying than driving down a dark road alone, because you feel like someone is watching you. "Passenger" offers that sense of dread but proves someone - or something - actually  is  watching you, and if you don't obey the rules of the road you'll find yourself another victim of the road's unyielding power. Tyler (Jacob Scipio) and his girlfriend Maddie (Lou Llobell) decide to give up the big city living and spend time roaming the backroads of America in their souped up van that doubles as a mobile home. At first they're both excited at...

Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Starring Pedo Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Blum Directed by Jon Favreau  I've never been a huge "Star Wars" fan, having seen Episodes I-III before I saw the original trilogy. Then I saw the three Disney-led trilogy along with "Rogue One" and "Solo," and then I never saw any of the shows on Disney+ because it seemed like an extremely tedious task: "The Mandalorian," "The Book of Boba Fett," "Obi-Wan Kenobi," "Andor," "Ahsoka," "The Acolyte" and "Skeleton Crew" (not to mention the even more numerous animated shows) weighed down the franchise and made something that was once a spectacle into a shrug and "well, it's a Friday." That's the nature going into "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu," which is essentially a new season of "The Mandalorian" set to the big screen and with the same amo...

Is God Is Starring Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox Directed by Aleshea Harris There's no more classic tale than a revenge tale. It's something that comes to mind when we've been wronged by someone, no matter how passive we might be - all peace and love go out the window when we're hurt in a tremendous way by someone else. What matters is how you get that revenge, and whether or not it changes you on the inside. That's the dilemma facing twin sisters as they embark on a "mission from God" to get the revenge they've been denied, but also something that could tear them apart. After their father (Sterling K. Brown) burns their mother (Vivica A. Fox) and themselves at a young age, now-adult twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) receive a letter from their long-forgotten mother. Having been disfigured by the fire themselves (especially Anaia, who wears the scars on her face), the sisters visit their dying mother ...

Obsession Starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless Directed by Curry Baker If you had one wish, what would it be? The answer is different for each person, and for anyone who's seen any movie that has this as a topic, you'd know that said wish comes with unintended consequences. Want a billion dollars? Your closest loved one left that much in their will and died suddenly. Want world peace? An apocalyptic event occurs that wipes out humanity. Yet one of the most common "wishes" people have is for their unrequited love to feel the same for them - and as you know, wishes like that can be quite dangerous. For YouTube star Curry Baker, his second feature film "Obsession" focuses on that wish and the unintended consequences of it - but does so in a way that is fresh, new, and hip for today's generation.  Bear (Michael Johnston) is a shy, timid man who's had a crush on his longtime friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) for awhile,...