JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Slanted Starring Shirley Chen, Mckenna Grace, Fang Du, Amelie Zilber Directed by Amy Wang The term "satire" uses humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to expose and criticize human vices, follies, abuses or shortcomings, with its goal to provoke thought, hold authority accountable, or inspire change. Typically, satire is so subtle that you don't notice it really happening and it burrows into your skin and stays there. However, when it's literally hit on your head repeatedly for 102 minutes, it looses its strength and leaves you both with a headache and a desire to never deal with it again. Thus is "Slanted," a somewhat body horror somewhat comedy movie that takes the worst of "Mean Girls," "The Substance" and "Carrie" and throws them into a blender, crafting something so dull and lifeless if it was Frankenstein's creature it'd stay on the gurney because not even the greatest strike of lightning could bring it to life. A...

The Bride! Starring Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Penelope Cruz Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal Mary Shelley's classic novel "Frankenstein" was written back in 1818 when she was just 18, during a time where women's voices weren't allowed to be heard. The novel was released anonymously until her name was attached in 1831, and she is hailed as a pioneer in the women's movement, a concept that Maggie Gyllenhaal uses to useful effect in her near-modern day re-imagining of "The Bride of Frankenstein," and even though Shelley never wrote a second novel about the Creature or his mate, her presence is felt deeply throughout this project, an anthem for women and the female equivalent of "Joker." In 1936 Chicago, Ida (Jessie Buckley) is a free-spirited woman who becomes possessed by the spirit of Mary Shelley, who wants to tell the story of the Bride of Frankenstein. Ida is soon murdered by two goons working for the crime lord Lupino...

Hoppers Starring Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy Directed by Daniel Chong Honestly I wasn't too excited when I saw the trailers for "Hoppers," mostly due to the fact that it reminded me too much of 2024's excellent "The Wild Robot," about a robot who finds herself out of her element and tasked with helping wildlife survive a possible extinction. That movie ended up in my top ten of the year and included beautiful animation and a touching, heartwarming story about motherhood. While I did see similarities between the two, I was equally moved during "Hoppers" with its beautiful animation and a touching, heartwarming story about our necessity for society and seeing the good in everyone. Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) is a 19-year-old college student still grieving the loss of her grandmother, who showed her the beauty of nature and love of animals at a young age. She learns that Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) is planning on building a...

Greenland 2: Migration Starring Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roman Griffin Davis, Amber Rose Revah Directed by Ric Roman Waugh The natural disaster subgenre has had some major hits in history - "The Day After Tomorrow," "Deep Impact," "Armageddon" and "Dante's Peak" being some of them - while others ("2012," "Moonfall") aren't as good. Yet there's something they all have in common: they don't do sequels. Usually, the destruction of the world is the definitive end, leaving no room for another go-around on the big screen. 2020's "Greenland" felt like one such disaster movie - it met its criteria, the survivors made it to their safe zone, and the comet hit...bing, bang, boom. A sequel wasn't needed, nor was it on anyone's minds, let alone six years later. Yet, "Greenland 2: Migration" is here, and while it's refreshing to see what happens to survivors after the world ends, it...

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Starring Rose Byrne, Conan O'Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Christian Slater Directed by Mary Bronstein I'll never know how it feels to be a mother, and hopefully never know how it feels to be a father either. Some people are born caregivers and parents, while others aren't, and I certainly fall into the "aren't" category. I can't imagine all the weight being a parent has on a person, let alone a mother who has really no one else to turn to. The weight seems unbearable, and when your child is dealing with a strange illness, it's even more unimaginable. That's what life is like for Linda in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," a rare tour-de-force performance by the generally comedic Rose Byrne in a once-in-a-career role. Linda (Rose Byrne) is juggling a lot right now. Her husband Charles (Christian Slater), a sea captain, is away for a several-month tour. Her daughter (Delaney Quinn) is consistently talking and bei...

The Secret Agent Starring Wagner Moura, Carlos Francisco, Tania Maria, Roberio Diogenes Directed by Kieber Mendonca Filho Some movies out there lead you by the hand in the direction they want you to go, while others craft an eloquent, subdued, sweeping story on its own terms and leaves it up to you to traverse the journey yourself. "The Secret Agent" is one such film, a sweeping, poignant, deeply character-driven epic set during the military dictatorship of Brazil in 1977, and one man's journey to bring his mother's legacy to life, reunite with his son, and also has a mysterious past that threatens to end his life. Armando Solimoes (Wagner Moura) arrives in Recife, the capital city of Pernambuco, Brazil and meets up with his contact, the elderly Dona Sebastiana (Tania Maria) where he stays in her complex with other political dissidents hiding from their pasts. She calls him "Marcelo" to hide his identity, and gets him a job at the city's identification c...