JoeMama's Movie Reviews

At Eternity's Gate Starring Willem Dafoe, Oscar ISaac, Rupert Friend, Mads Mikkelsen Directed by Julian Schnabel The Story: Vincent van Gogh (Willem Dafoe) was always a highly intellectual and talented painter, but spent the last years of his life tormented by inner demons and loneliness.  Apart from his loving brother Theo (Rupert Friend) and his only friend Paul Gauguin (Oscar Isaac), Vincent spent the rest of his life alone, painting in nature because he feels that he can adequately express true nature to people who would never understand it.  His final years were plagued and showed the artist's truest talents - and truest madness. The Synopsis: I've never been a real art buff, but I do respect the talent it takes to make such eternal masterpieces.  I've heard all the big names, and Vincent van Gogh is one of the biggest, but not so much for his talent but rather his eccentric nature - typically, when you mention his name to non-artistic people, the on...

Miss Bala Starring Gina Rodriguez, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Anthony Mackie, Cristina Rodlo Directed by Catherine Hardwicke The Story: After moving to the States to work as a makeup artist, Gloria Fuentes (Gina Rodriguez) returns to her hometown of Tijuana to visit her best friend Suzu (Cristina Rodlo) as she enters the Miss Baja California pageant.  The two friends reconnect at a party when it's attacked by a drug cartel, and Suzu is taken. Gloria goes to the police, but finds herself taken captive herself by drug cartel leader Lino Esparza (Ismael Cruz Cordova), who keeps women prisoner for his own amusement.  He uses Gloria to blow up a DEA safe house, and when she escapes Lino she finds herself at the mercy of DEA officials, who threaten to put her in prison unless she infiltrates Lino's organization.  Trapped between a rock and a hard place and with no one to trust, Gloria must find the strength inside to make it out alive and save her friend in the proces...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Best Actor Oscar  Nominees That Didn't Win They say it's an honor to just be nominated, but in the heart of everyone who's nominated for an Academy Award, they desperately desire to win that golden statue.  While there can only be one winner per year, there's several nominees who easily could've taken the gold instead. Here are my personal top ten Best Actor Oscar nominees that didn't win, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10 Matt Damon Good Will Hunting How 'bout them apples?  Matt Damon rose to fame when he and lifelong friend Ben Affleck co-wrote the critically acclaimed "Good Will Hunting."  While they earned an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and Robin Williams earned a statue for his supporting actor role, Damon was shut out of winning the Best Actor Oscar over Jack Nicholson's performance in "As Good as It Gets." #9  Timothee Chalamet Call Me ...

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part Starring Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish Directed by Mike Mitchell The Story: When Bricksburg comes under attack, the citizens escape to the wastelands where they become hardened and bitter, except for Emmit (Chris Pratt), who maintains an "everything is awesome" outlook.  Five years later, they're attacked by an alien race, and Emmit's special friend Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett), and his other friends are taken captive.  He embarks on an adventure to the Systar System, where they're being held by Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (Tiffany Haddish), who wishes to unleash "ourmomageddon" on the LEGO world. The Synopsis: There's a few times in cinema where you think something that would never work somehow does.  When "The LEGO Movie" was released in 2014, there wasn't much hope that it would be a success - in fact, it sounded like a dumbfounded idea to beg...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Best Actress  Oscar Nominees That Didn't Win They say it's an honor to just be nominated, but in the heart of everyone who's nominated for an Academy Award, they desperately desire to win that golden statue.  While there can only be one winner per year, there's several nominees who easily could've taken the gold instead. Here are my personal top ten Best Actress Oscar nominees that didn't win, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10 Ellen Page Juno Ellen Page became a household name thanks to her memorable performance of Juno MacGuff in "Juno," where she played a young teenage girl who becomes pregnant and has to decide what to do next.  It was comedic and thoughtful, with a well-written script and solid performance, but she ultimately lost to Marion Cotillard in "La Vie En Rose." #9  Sigourney Weaver Aliens It's not too often you find an actress ge...

Serenity Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Djimon Hounsou, Jason Clarke Directed by Steven Knight The Story: After a stint in Iraq and becoming estranged from his first wife and child, Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey) moves to a small island named Plymouth where he works as a fisherman with his first mate Duke (Djimon Hounsou).  While he's been loosing money, he remains on the prowl for an elusive tuna fish that he's been hunting for awhile, calling it Justice. As his life continues to spiral downward, he's visited by the alluring and mysterious Karen (Anne Hathaway), who gives Baker an offer he seemingly can't refuse - take her husband Frank (Jason Clarke) - who's been abusing her and her son - on a fishing trip, get him drunk, and push him overboard for the sharks to eat.  Baker wrestles with his decision, and discovers that there's much more to this - and everything - than even he could've imagined. The Synopsis: I'm always...

The Friday Five:  Lucas Hedges Many general moviegoers probably have never heard of Lucas Hedges, but he's made a major name for himself in the more independent film circuit, earning himself an Academy Award nomination and several Golden Globe nominations in his short career. Here are my five personal favorite films of Lucas Hedges... *THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #5 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Hedges doesn't have a major role here, but the small time he's on screen are absolutely tremendous (as is the entire film).  Here he plays the son of Frances McDormand's Mildred, who's dealing with the tragic death of his sister as well as his mother seeking unorthodox methods to find her killer. #4  Lady Bird In this critically acclaimed comedy-drama, Lucas Hedges plays the boyfriend of Saoirse Ronan's titular character, who harbors a deep secret of his own.  Although his time was brief, he once again left a last...