JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Dark Waters Starring Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp Directed by Todd Haynes There's countless movies about the little guy who stands up against the big giant and wins easily, those type of films where we have an underdog to root for and who manages to overcome seemingly impossible odds to end up on top.  These are great movies to cheer on, especially when it's based on a real life underdog who takes on an unstoppable giant - even if it proves that real lives don't always have happy endings. Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) is an attorney who represents major corporations, and one of them is the DuPont chemical company.  He's living the high life, just being promoted by his head boss Tom Terp (Tim Robbins), and his wife Sarah (Anne Hathaway) just delivered a baby boy.  All is going well for him until he's visited by a West Virginian farmer named Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), who believes that DuPont is poisoning the water supply and kill...

Marriage Story Starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda Directed by Noah Baumbach Divorce is never easy, and it's something that permanently fractures the lives of everyone involved, no matter how well-meaning they might mean.  "Marriage Story" is a deeply personal film written and directed by Noah Baumbach (based off his divorce from Jennifer Jason-Leigh), delivered by acclaimed actors who elevate their performances to career-defining greatness, and is unparalleled in the humanity of divorce and the realistic portrayal of what it can do, while never offering a full-fledged villain. Charlie Barber (Adam Driver) is a driven New York City theater director whose latest play will be performed on Broadway, but he's also a bit narcissistic and demanding, a man who seemingly only looks out for himself, yet he's also remarkably creative and talented.  Nicole Barber (Scarlett Johansson) once had a career in Hollywood before giving it u...

Honey Boy Starring Shia LaBeouf, Noah Jupe, Lucas Hedges, FKA Twigs Directed by Alma Har'el Child actors have had a very rough go at it in the world.  Most of them were forced at an early age to participate in a job that they never signed up for, nor did they fully understand the grand scope of it.  While some have gone on to lead normal lives both in the private sector as well as the big screen, others have spiraled into a world of depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and unfortunately even suicide.  For Shia LaBeouf, it appeared at first that he was going to get through his child actor phase unscathed, moving from his stint in the hit television series "Even Stevens" to grown-up roles in blockbusters like "Transformers" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."  Then he started going off the rails, and ended up under arrest for public intoxication in 2017, where he was ordered to attend a rehab program, during which time he ...

The Mistletoe Secret Starring Kellie Pickler, Tyler Hynes, Christopher Russell, Patrick Duffy Directed by Terry Ingram "The Mistletoe Secret" is the second Hallmark Channel Christmas movie I've seen, and already I've picked up on a couple things that they all seem to have in common: -a dead mother -a father who still believes in the power of love -a blonde leading actress -bright, cheery, colorful decorations and designs -none of the actors' breath is seen when they're standing outside -the set designs are supposed to make you believe it's Christmastime, but you can clearly see that it's summer Also I've been told that most Hallmark Christmas movies are the same: a big city woman makes her way back to her small town where she runs into an old flame that's as country bumpkin as they get, and eventually falls in love with him instead of her big city d-bag boyfriend.  Thankfully my friend who recommended me the three Hallmark ...

3 From Hell Starring Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig, Richard Brake Directed by Rob Zombie  At one point in time Rob Zombie was best known for being the leader of the heavy metal band White Zombie, but in 2003 he turned to another passion of his: directing.  2003 brought his "House of 1,000 Corpses," and horror cinema found its new voice.  The film was unnerving to say the least, a movie that stuck with you in the worst ways possible but also showed why it was a horror masterpiece.  The movie introduced the world to the wicked, depraved Firefly family led by Otis (Bill Moseley), his psychotic sister Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie), and killer clown Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig), and Rob Zombie made each one despicable and deplorable, but also yet gave them a sense of appeal in the strangest ways.  Their story continued in 2005's "The Devil's Rejects," where it seemed that their journey came to an end - at least for the next fourteen years. ...

High Life Starring Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Andre Benjamin, Mia Goth Directed by Claire Denis Non-linear films are very polarizing to the moviegoing public, as they serve to do more than just offer a simplistic, simple escape from reality - it forces us to think about what we're seeing in a way that makes it become all the more personal, and all the more profound.  "High Life" is one of those films: it opens with a father lovingly doting on his infant daughter, which is shot to make it look like this is happening in any suburban home, until you see the father outside the spaceship doing some maintenance work.  Then you see him jettison several bodies from the ship, and the title screen finally appears, and what follows is a wild, nauseating, unflinching, and downright unnerving thrill ride that got us to this quiet, serene moment. The film follows a group of convicts including Monte (Robert Pattinson), Dibbs (Juliette Binoche), Tchnery (Andre Benjam...

Queen & Slim Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloe Sevigny Directed by Melina Matsoukas "Thank you for this journey, no matter how it ends," are the words spoken by Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) as she offers a prayer during a dinner with Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) and two kind-hearted Southerners who took them in.  Truer words were never spoken, as the journey we get to experience with these two characters are filled with tension, suspense, fear, isolation and desperation - but also filled with love, caring, nurturing, unity, and righteous justice.  This journey is epic in the smallest scale, a story that's more timely than ever, and sheds light on the injustices that minorities still face in America decades after the Civil Rights Act. When we first meet the aforementioned Queen and Slim (whose real names aren't revealed until near the end, and they're actually never even called Queen and Slim in the film), they're on th...