JoeMama's Movie Reviews

I Can Only Imagine 2 Starring John Michael Finley, Milo Ventimiglia, Sammy Dell, Trace Adkins Directed by Andrew Erwin & Brent McCorkle Music has the power to transform us and reach our innermost being, touching areas that remained locked through other means. Music is used in all types of situations - musicians rouse up millions of fans at concerts to jump, shout and dance; meditative music soothes our overthinking minds; even cults use chants to lull their followers into believing what they're told to; churches also use music to usher in the presence of God to the congregation (or, for those who are unbelievers, use music to manipulate a sense of other-worldliness). Music brings back memories and unites us through different countries, ages, and ethnicities. It's a beautiful thing, and Christian music is the music that touches the soul more than others. MercyMe is one of Christian music's most well-known bands, and its lead singer Bart Millard wrote "I Can Only Ima...

Cold Storage Starring Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Lesley Manville, Liam Neeson Directed by Jonny Campbell B-rated horror is a fantastic subgenre for anyone who wants to see a horror movie but not be scared by it. These films generally center around a creature or unstoppable force that everyday people come into contact with, giving a sense of urgency and hopelessness that blends well into the comedy. Roger Corman was a director best known for films like this, and "Cold Storage" is a modern day b-rated horror movie that doesn't take itself seriously, letting our guards down to enjoy the ride and serve as a decent introduction to horror for anyone too afraid to dip their toes into the more horrific. After the NASA space station Skylab crashed to Earth in 1979, scientists searched diligently for the remains, but something was left behind: a fungus that spreads quickly and, once it infects people, causes them to explode after spreading. Robert Quinn (Liam Neeson) and Trini R...

Crime 101 Starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Barry Keoghan Directed by Bart Layton We're all connected through invisible threads that we don't see, but there's a knowledge deep down that we can't deny. As much as we try to be individual and different, there's always a sameness at the center, uniting us in deeper ways, even if we never meet one another. A thief, a detective, and an insurance broker find themselves tied together in this phantom thread in the excellent "Crime 101" that hearkens back to iconic classics like "Heat," "Thief," and as mentioned in the movie, "Bullitt." An action caper that allows the characters to breathe and become fully developed, it's got some of the best actors in the business today that honors their skills and pays reverence to the source material. Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth) is a Los Angeles jewel thief who has a M.O. - he's never violent, and his capers all occur near...

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die   Starring Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Juno Temple, Zazie Beetz Directed by Gore Verbinski We've been warned time and again through movies about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence, yet it seems we haven't learned that lesson. "Terminator" taught us the Skynet will eventually lead to the rise of the machines, and now we're inundated with deepfake videos and doctored photos done by A.I. that directs our way of thinking in the world of politics. We see fake trailers online and think they're real. We hear voices from the dead that make it seem like they're still alive. A.I. is slowly taking over the world, and unfortunately we won't have anyone from the future coming back to warn us before it's too late - not like the hapless heroes in "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski's original work "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die." At a small diner in Los Angeles, an unnamed m...

Whistle Starring Dafne Keen, Sophie Nelisse, Sky Yang, Jhaleil Swaby Directed by Corin Hardy The horror cinematic landscape is littered with the corpses of films that center on a group of teenagers who are picked off one-by-one by a mysterious curse or entity, and most of them have fallen into obscurity. "Whistle" is going to be another one of those ill-fated films, a movie so formulaic, simplistic and by-the-books you'll forget it as you get into your car to drive home. That's not to say there's no redeeming qualities, but those qualities are very few and far between - ultimately, this is just another generic film with mediocre performances overlayed by unique if not overly CGI kills. Chrys Willet (Dafne Keen) is attending a new school after tragic events in her hometown, and is living with her cousin Rel Taylor (Sky Yang), a loner nerd who pines for pretty girl Grace Browning (Ali Skovbye) who's dating basketball star Dean Jackson (Jhaleil Swaby). At her fir...

Shelter Starring Jason Statham, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie Directed by Ric Roman Waugh Every year has events that you know are coming - your birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Super Bowl, and a Jason Statham-led action film that teeters the line of being decent and dull. 2023's "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre" was forgettable. 2024's "The Beekeeper" was one of his better outings and has earned a sequel for 2027. Last year's "A Working Man" falls somewhere in-between. "Shelter," sadly, is the worst of these middle-of-the-road films, a movie that relies heavily on tropes that it doesn't have a chance to form a cohesive story. Michael Mason (Jason Statham) is a former government assassin living a peaceful, lonely life with his dog at an abandoned lighthouse, and is only visited by young Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) and her uncle to deliver supplies, but he never speaks to them. One day Jessie confronts him ...