JoeMama's Movie Reviews

V/H/S/94 Starring Kimmy Choi, Nicolette Pearse, Thomas Mitchell, Dru Viergever Directed by Jennifer Reeder, Chloe Okuno, Simon Barrett, Timo Tjahianto, Ryan Prows More often than not, the found footage horror subgenre has been met with more groans than gory glee, due to its ability to produce something far cheaper than a big studio production has everyone and their mother bringing forth films where shaky camerawork tries to tell a story. Yet there are some that work, and the "V/H/S" franchise more often than not hits the mark (not mentioning the "V/H/S: Viral" mess). The concept for the series is simple - four smaller films shot on V/H/S format that are all tied together with a narrative that interconnects these seemingly untied stories together. It's been a few years since a "V/H/S" film hit the screens, but the pandemic was a great time to re-vitalize the franchise: by focusing on smaller stories, less actors, and good old-fashioned practical effects...

Worst2First: My Top Ten Werewolf Films Some may think the concept of a werewolf started back in the ole Hollywood era, but the idea of a werewolf (or lycanthrope) has existed in folklore way back in the year 60 AD by the author Petronius Arbiter. Hollywood changed the basic premise of a werewolf to it being a person who falls under a curse, most notably being bitten or scratched by another werewolf, and cursed with turning into the ravaging man-beast once the full moon rises. There's numerous films chronicling the idea of the werewolf, and here are my personal top ten favorites... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10 An American Werewolf in Paris Based on the fact that I really haven't seen a lot of werewolf movies, it's a surprise to see this clunker on my top ten, but here we are. Somewhat a sequel to the iconic "An American Werewolf in London," this film finds another hapless American visiting Europe and getting scratched by a werewolf, and having to deal with the...

Cinderella Starring Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel, Nicholas Galitzine, Billy Porter Directed by Kay Cannon By now everyone in the world has pretty much heard the story of Cinderella, or at least an iteration of her. The fabled poor girl living under the oppressive thumb of her evil stepmother and mean step-sisters who is forbidden to attend the ball where the prince will choose a suitor, who gets her chance when her Fairy Godmother transforms her into a beautiful woman who draws the prince's attention but has to flee before the clock strikes midnight, resulting in him searching for her and trying to find the foot that the glass slipper she wore fit. He finds her, they get married, and everyone lives happily ever after. While many attest that Cinderella started with Walt Disney's classic 1950 feature film of the same name, the story of Cinderella has existed a lot longer - in fact, it's a folk tale that's been told and revised several times throughout history, beginning w...

The Many Saints of Newark Starring Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., Vera Farmiga, Michael Gandolfini Directed by Alan Taylor The HBO series "The Sopranos" was unique, to stay the least. Spanning six seasons, the show earned numerous accolades and made household names out of the likes of James Gandolfini, and centered around Gandolfini's character Tony Soprano, a powerful mobster who must balance his dangerous occupation with protecting and caring for his family. After the series ended, talks of a movie were brought up almost immediately, but then James Gandolfini tragically passed away while on vacation in Rome in 2013, and all talks stalled because Gandolfini's Tony Soprano is a character that could never be recast, as his performance is still hailed as one of television's best performances. So talks moved to a prequel film idea, with original creator David Chase returning to co-write the script and serve as producer for the product. "The Many Saints of N...

No Time to Die Starring Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux, Lashana Lynch Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga There's a few iconic names in entertainment that have withstood the test of time, and one of them is James Bond, who first appeared in Sir Ian Fleming's 1953 novel Casino Royale before hitting the big screen in 1962's "Dr. No." Since then there's been fourteen books based on the MI6 spy, and now the twenty-fifth movie with "No Time to Die," and seven actors have played the memorable role: Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. The series has had it's ups and downs, and after the Pierce Brosnan era, it seemed that the franchise was on a deep downswing, until they cast Daniel Craig as the next James Bond and decided to start at the beginning with "Casino Royale," based on Fleming's first novel. The result was a re-vitalization of the franchise, and Daniel Craig ...

Wost2First: My Top Ten Animal Horror Films We share this planet with a wide array of animals, and even though we tend to think that we're the top of the evolutionary food chain, sometimes nature bites back. From killer sharks to formerly docile pets and even sheep, there's no shortage of animals out there that can bring about our destruction. Here are my personal top ten animal horror films, worst2first... **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** #10 Black Sheep Blending horror and humor, "Black Sheep" is a small independent movie out of New Zealand featuring practical effects from the Weta Workshop (the same company that did work for "The Lord of the Rings") that centers on a man named Henry who returns home to tend to his family's estate that includes a lot of sheep (that he has a phobia of). He finds out that his older brother has been experimenting on the sheep and turning them into vicious killing machines that turn people into were-sheep, and it's up to h...

Venom: Let There Be Carnage Starring Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris Directed by Andy Serkis Have you ever had a roommate that totally got on your nerves? Left the kitchen a mess, didn't pay their rent on time, or played their music too loud? Or a sibling that always stole your toys and tattled on you? An ex that was always clingy and demanded your entire attention? How would you feel if that person wasn't able to ever leave, someone who essentially and physically was a part of you? That's the premise for "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," an excellent superhero/comedy/"Odd Couple" pairing that serves a tight, lean product that doesn't overstay its welcome and provides just enough excitement and character development to keep things interesting. Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) has been living with the alien symbiote Venom for awhile now, and the two have started to get on each others' nerves. Eddie constantly tells Venom that he c...