JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher Directed by J.J. Abrams The Story: Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a rag-tag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance. (from imdb.com) The Synopsis: I didn't want to give too much away in the story, so I just included what it said from imdb.com. Before I begin, I just want to make it clear that I'm not a Star Wars "fanatic."  I never saw the original films until after I saw Episodes I-III, so I went in having no preconceived notions on how I would feel about it, whether good or bad. That being said, "The Force Awakens" definitely falls within the top-tier levels of the "Star Wars" saga. What makes it such a great film?  I'll discuss this by focusing on the following areas: Casting, Mood, Direction, Action...

Worst2First: My Ten Most Anticipated Movies of 2016 As the year 2015 draws to a close, it's time to look at the movies that will grace the big screen in 2016.  There's several movies that show a lot of promise - "Alice Through the Looking Glass," "Now You See Me 2," "The Conjuring 2" and more, but there are ten films that I am most excited to see, and here they are...Worst2First. **There will be no spoilers since, you know, the films aren't actually released yet. Also, the release dates are subject to change.** #10 Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice Release Date: March 25 For a comic book movie geek as myself, even I find it surprising to find this so low on my list.  However, it's because it seems that this film has everything wrong going for it from the start.  From the casting to the story, to the effects and the cameos, this feels like a muddled mess. First the casting.  Ben Affleck as Batman?  I seriously...

Golden Globe 2016 Predictions It's getting near to the most wonderful time of the year.  No, not Christmas, Halloween, or Jessica Alba's birthday (April 28, not that I knew that offhand), but it's almost time for Awards season.  That wonderful time of year when Hollywood's richest and most famous get together to honor Hollywood's richest and most famous. I'm going to share my thoughts and predictions on the 2016 Golden Globe nominations...or, as I like to call it, the Oscars' red headed stepchild. I'll begin with the television categories. Just kidding.  I don't really care about the television categories.  Sure, there's a lot of great television out there, but once again the Globes snubbed the best show in the history of ever, of course I'm referring to The Walking Dead.  Not only did they shut out one of the highest rated shows in cable, they also snubbed two of its great actresses for the acting and/or swordfighting categories. So let...

Goodnight Mommy Starring Susanne Wuest, Elias Schwarz, Lukas Schwarz Directed by Severin Fiala & Veronika Franz The Story: After undergoing cosmetic surgery, Mother (Susanne Wuest) comes to her isolated home, where her young twin sons Elias (Elias Schwarz) and Lukas (Lukas Schwarz) are eagerly awaiting her arrival.  However, when she comes home, she's not the Mother they remember.  She's mean, irritated, cold, distant, and full of rage.  This leads the twins to believe that this isn't their real Mother, but an impostor, and they will stop at nothing to find out the truth. The Synopsis: "Goodnight Mommy" is an Austrian film that is full of poetic imagery to be considered just another horror film.  Unfortunately, this imagery goes out the window in the last half, and it becomes another cut-and-paste philosophy of torture porn franchises such as "Saw" and "Hostel," that take away from the almost other-worldly feel of the film an...

War Room Starring Priscilla Shirer, T.C. Stallings, Karen Abercrombie, Alena Pitts Directed by Alex Kendrick The Story: Real estate employee Elizabeth (Priscilla Shirer) and her pharmaceutical salesman husband Tony (T.C. Stallings) have a beautiful daughter Danielle (Alena Pitts), a big house, and a lot of money.  However, their marriage is slowly falling apart, and Elizabeth is at a loss about what to do. Then she meets elderly Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie), who is trying to sell her home.  She is full of love and friendliness, and shows Elizabeth her most favorite room in her house - her War Room.  An empty closet where she spends a lot of time in prayer.  She agrees to help Elizabeth with her marriage through the power of prayer, and having God be the defender and fight for her. As Elizabeth delves deeper into her faith, her struggles begin to disappear and her marriage begins to come together, and everyone around her - and Miss Clara - are chang...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Christmas Films of All Time Tis the season for some heartwarming Christmas movies.  Christmas is my most favorite time of the year, and it's the only time I really watch Christmas movies, because who really wants to watch them in May? I compiled a list of ten Christmas movies that are my favorites, and they span the gambit of styles.  Here they are, Worst2First. **There could be spoilers throughout, so read at your own risk!** #10 Black Christmas Of course, I would have to include at least one horror-themed movie in the list.  "Black Christmas" (also known as "Silent Night Evil Night") is said to be one of the earliest slasher films, predating "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" and centers around a group of sorority sisters who stay on campus during Christmas break, and are stalked and killed by an unknown killer.  Unlike most horror films, this one garnered critical acclaim for its use of music and...

The Last Witch Hunter Starring Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood, Michael Caine Directed by Breck Eisner The Story: During the Dark Ages, the Black Plague was unleashed upon the world by the evil Witch Queen, until the warrior Kaulder (Vin Diesel) killed her.  However, in the process, she placed a curse on him, granting him immortality. Eight hundred years later, in modern day New York, Kaulder works for a shadow Catholic agency known as The Axe and Cross, and his recent Dolan priest (Michael Caine) plans retirement.  He is then attacked by a witch and it's up to Kaulder, his new Dolan (Elijah Wood), and witch Chloe (Rose Leslie) to find the witch that cursed the old Dolan and prevent the Witch Queen from being resurrected. The Synopsis: "The Last Witch Hunter" was a film that was completed back in 2003, but Summit Entertainment kept it under wraps on the shelf, because no one had really heard the name Vin Diesel then.  One night, a cleaning guy accide...