JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Legend Starring Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Taron Edgerton, Christopher Eccleston Directed by Brian Helgeland The Story: In the late 1950s in London, twins Ron and Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy) are working their way up the criminal ladder by muscling in on local nightclubs and offering protection with the threat of violence.  Reggie is the more straight-laced of the duo, eventually marrying shy Frances Shea (Emily Browning).  Ron has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals, showcasing pathological violence and psychiatric instability.  As Reggie continues to climb, Ron keeps pulling him down, which leads to several confrontations between the twins over how to manage their criminal underground syndicate, all the while under the watchful eye of Scotland Yard, as they wait for the twins to mess up once so they can put them in jail for good. The Synopsis: "Legend" is one of those gangster films that's rather easily forgettable.  It doesn't have quite the effect ...

Risen Starring Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton, Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis Directed by Kevin Reynolds The Story: Roman tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) is tasked by Pontius (Peter Firth) to protect the tomb belonging to Yeshua (Cliff Curtis), because he fears that his followers will steal the body and claim he has risen from the dead, as he said he would do.  Clavius assigns two soldiers to the tomb, and in the morning they discover the stone rolled away, and the body gone. Clavius, with his partner Lucius (Tom Felton), investigate the disappearance by searching the tomb, questioning the guards, and finding anyone in town who talks about the resurrected Yeshua.  Their investigation leads them to Yeshua's disciples, and an event that Clavius cannot begin to understand, which shakes the very foundations of what he believes. The Synopsis: The story of Jesus has been set to film for decades.  From "The Passion of the Christ" to "The Robe" to "The Gre...

Last Shift Starring Juliana Harkavy, Joshua Mikel, J. LaRose, Natalie Victoria Directed by Anthony DiBlasi The Story: Jessica Loren (Juliana Harkavy) is starting her first day on the job - as a police officer.  She's assigned to watch the old police headquarters at night alone, and wait for a HAZMAT team to come collect some bio hazardous waste, since its the last thing left in the headquarters, since everything else has been moved to the new building. It seems like a quiet, boring night for Office Loren, but that's anything but true.  A deadly event took place at that building a year ago, and now the spirits left behind are tormenting Loren, causing her to lose sight of what is reality and what is in her mind - and what lies between. The Synopsis: There are literally hundreds of low-budget horror films out there, mostly because they're very easy to produce, doesn't require a lot of big-budget explosions or deep-seeded conflict, and can be done with any...

Worst2First:  Films Where the Supporting Actor Overshadowed the Lead There has been some amazing performances by leading actors and actresses.  From Marlon Brando ("On the Waterfront") to George C. Scott ("Patton") to Tom Hanks ("Forrest Gump"); from Vivian Leigh ("Gone With the Wind") to Meryl Streep ("Sophie's Choice") to Charlize Theron ("Monster").  Yet, for each actor and actress that showed they had what it took to have the lead, there's been supporting actors and actresses who show they got what it takes to not only stand next to the lead, but in many cases overshadow them. Here are ten films where the supporting actor/actress overshadowed the lead, Worst2First. **There will be no spoilers.** #10 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman Lead Actor Overshadowed: Henry Cavill/Ben Affleck Even though she only had 16 lines in the film, it was Wonder Woman that ever...

Almost Human Starring Graham Skipper, Josh Ethier, Vanessa Leigh, Susan Travers Directed by Joe Begos The Story: In 1987, Seth (Graham Skipper) and his friend Rob encounter a blue light, and Rob disappears.  Seth races to his friend Mark's (Josh Ethier) house, where he and his girlfriend Jen (Vanessa Leigh) lives.  At first Mark is suspicious of Seth's claim, but then the power goes out and the blue light appears, and Mark disappears. Two years later, Seth hasn't gotten over the incident, and Jen has moved on with a new home and new fiancee.  One day two hunters find Mark in the woods, but he's not the same.  As he makes his way back home, Mark is now more alien than human, and hopes to reunite with his former love and make her into who he is now. The Synopsis: There's a lot to make fun of with this film, so before I get to that, I'll discuss what was done right with this movie. It's 79 minutes long.  There's eight minutes of closing c...

The 5th Wave Starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Alex Roe, Liev Scbreiber Directed by J. Blakeson The Story: Cassie Sullivan (Chloe Grace Moretz) is your typical teenage girl living in suburban Ohio, going to parties with her friends and crushing on football star Ben Parish (Nick Robinson).  All is right with the world, and all she worries about are pop quizzes and soccer practice. Then one day a huge spaceship appears overhead, and Cassie learns it was the last normal day of her life.  At first the spaceship just sits there, but then it begins different waves on the planet. Wave #1: An electromagnetic pulse that takes out all electronics in the world Wave #2: A massive worldwide earthquake that causes huge tsunamis that decimate coastal regions Wave #3: A synthesized avian bird flu virus that kills millions Wave #4: Integration of the aliens on earth by inhabiting human hosts and controlling them Cassie, her father, and young brother Sam (Zackary A...

Grandma Starring Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer Directed by Paul Weitz The Story: Elle (Lily Tomlin) is an aging feminist lesbian who lost the love of her life a while ago, and just broke up with much younger Olivia (Judy Greer), cut up her credit cards, and hardly has a dime to her name, despite her once being one of the most popular feminist writers.  Then her granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) arrives with news - she's pregnant, and needs $600 for an abortion.  She can't go to her mother Judy (Marcia Gay Haden) because their relationship is already strained. Since she also doesn't have money, Elle takes Sage on a trek through her past by interacting with friends, former lovers, and anyone else they can find to get the money before the procedure is set to take place.  Along the way, the two bond and we learn why Elle is such a tough person by examining the rough past she faced. The Synopsis: Lily Tomlin gives a stellar performan...