JoeMama's Movie Reviews

The Plague Starring Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen, Joel Edgerton Directed by Charlie Polinger Sometimes you hear about a movie and think it's going to be something, but when you watch it you find it's something entirely different. Rarely does it help the movie, and with "The Plague," it definitely didn't for me. The trailer, word of mouth, and all of that seemed to point to a body horror movie and an intense psychological thriller, but instead it's a dark coming-of-age tale that has a hint of body horror but really just personifies what it feels like to be an outcast in the most formative time of your life. If you go into the movie expecting to see this type of movie, then you'll have a favorable outlook on it - for me, I was bored, waiting for the body horror or psychological thriller to take hold until it ended, and I was left wanting. Yet, if I knew what it was going in, I would've appreciated it so much more. Ben (Everett Blunck) is ...

The Drama Starring Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Alana Haim, Mamoudou Athie Directed by Kristoffer Borgli How well do you really know someone? Do you know their complete history, their ins-and-outs of what they've been through in their life that led them to this moment? What if you found out a deep, dark secret about your partner days before getting married? Would you still go through with it, or understand that the event is in the past and who they are now isn't who they were then - or are they? A24 tackles the romantic comedy subgenre with "The Drama," and in true A24 fashion it totally abandons the comedy part and instead centers on two flawed characters whose past comes back to haunt them in an unending unsettling film that raises important questions that aren't easy to answer. The day Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson) meets Emma Harwood (Zendaya) in a local coffee shop is the best day of Charlie's life - he pretends to have read the book Emma is reading in...

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black Directed by Aaron Horvath & Michal Jelenic Back in 2017, "The Greatest Showman" starring Hugh Jackman received a beating from the critics, giving the film just a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, chose not to listen to the critics and wanted to decide for themselves, and the results were historic: an 86% audience rating, an Oscar nomination, over $428 million worldwide, and a soundtrack that still thumps to this day. "The Greatest Showman" proved that critics aren't always right, and that rings true again for "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" - a film lambasted by critics but hailed by audiences, that does have its faults but it's so filled with nostalgia and lovely animation that in the end it doesn't really matter. As Bowser (Jack Black) remains miniaturized and under the watchful eyes of Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Princess Pe...

They Will Kill You Starring Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, Myha'la, Tom Felton Directed by Kirill Sokolov What happens when you throw in "Kill Bill," "Hotel Artemis," "Ready or Not," Quentin Tarantino and Sam Raimi into a blender? You get "They Will Kill You," a film that obviously takes license from the aforementioned films and directors but concocts its own story. While the screenplay itself will never earn an Academy Award, a film such as this doesn't need one to validate its existence. It's just a fun, bloody, action-filled movie with a commanding lead performance from Zazie Beetz and a welcome return for Patricia Arquette in a role like she's never played before. After getting out of prison, Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) applies to be a maid for a local apartment complex known as the Virgil, run by the superintendent Lily Woodhouse (Patricia Arquette). The first night there Asia wakes up to find a group of people in her room thr...

Reminders of Him Starring Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Lauren Graham, Bradley Whitford Directed by Vanessa Caswill Should one mistake dictate the rest of your life? This is the question haphazardly asked in the latest Colleen Hoover-written-to-film "Reminders of Him," where a woman who accidentally caused the death of her boyfriend spent years in prison only to get out and find that she can't get access to the child she had with him, and finds herself a pariah in her hometown because of said event. While this could've worked if the movie really focused on that, it instead tried to weave in a melodramatic romantic relationship where the two actors have as much chemistry as oil and water. Six years after accidentally causing the death of her boyfriend, Kenna Rowan (Maika Monroe) is let out of prison and returns to her hometown in Wyoming in hopes of connecting with the daughter she gave birth to while in prison who's now in the custody of her boyfriend ...

  Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Starring Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy Directed by Radio Silence 2019's surprise hit "Ready or Not" made a household name out of Samara Weaving, solidifying her legacy as a modern-day scream queen (with that exciting, unique shrill scream) and gave directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (also known as Radio Silence) the clout needed to go on to direct the newer outings of the long-running "Scream" franchise, "Scream" and "Scream VI," along with the underrated "Abigail." Everyone thought the movie was a one-and-done, as Grace accomplished what she set out to do, but there was more story to be told. Some fans (including myself) were worried that they over-extended their reach with "Ready or Not 2," but they managed to prove the sequel's need to exist by expanding the world, introducing new foes, and a new ally for Grace - her long-estrange...