JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Avatar: The Way of Water Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang Directed by James Cameron A seemingly unstoppable killer relentlessly hunts down one particular person and stops at nothing to accomplish his goal. An outcast falls in love with royalty, who in turn falls in love with him. An expansive exploration of the underwater world results in the finding of tons of unique, beautiful, and deadly creatures. Aliens invade and it's up to a small group of people to stop them. While you might think these are "Terminator," "Titanic," "The Abyss," and "Aliens" respectively - and you wouldn't be wrong - they're also plots in James Cameron's long-long-long-long gestating sequel "Avatar: The Way of Water," which seems only fair since Cameon also directed those other films as well. Still, much like his 2009 revolutionary "Avatar" (which is essentially the story of "Dances With Wolves...

  Fire of Love Starring Maurice Krafft, Katia Krafft, Miranda Joy Directed by Sara Dosa "I prefer an intense and short life to a monotonous, long one," said volcanologist Maurice Krafft as he sat and witnessed one of nature's most beautiful and deadly events: a volcanic explosion. For so many of us, we trudge through life day to day doing the same ordinary things and feeling a sense that we're not fully living up to our potential, or that we're missing something extraordinary. Typically it's the fear of the unknown that keeps us at bay, keeps us in the same cycle, and keeps us safe. Others, however, see this fear as nothing more than an exciting adventure, and they march straight into it, and discover something truly wonderful about life. That's the story of Maurice and Katia Krafft, married volcanologists who were fearless and ventured to the literal gates of hell to get some of the most captivating and awe-inspiring shots that not only serve as a visuall...

  #Xmas Starring Clare Bowen, Brant Daughtery, Anna Van Hooft, Karen Kruper Directed by Heather Hawthorne-Doyle Going through the holiday season while maintaining the new tradition of watching three Hallmark Christmas movies is always an adventure, as I always turn off my critical mind and try to find something to enjoy about them, even though they're absolutely the same story told in different packaging every time. I have to hand it to them in their unique ability to churn out these movies time and time again while making each one a tad bit different than the others, even though they all follow the same formula. That being said, "#Xmas" is easily the worst Hallmark Christmas movie I've seen due to numerous factors that'll be discussed (but not in great length, because why waste time?) here. Jen (Clare Bowen) is a designer and co-owner of a local home and lifestyle store with her sister Ali (Anna Van Hooft), and she is rather jaded in the respect of life in genera...

Troll Starring Ine Marie Wilmann, Kim Falck, Mads Pettersen, Gard Eidsvold Directed by Roar Uthang Generally when we think of trolls we immediately go to those little lovable trolls with the long colored hair that had two semi-decent movies made, or the fable of the troll living under the bridge that threatens passers-by with complex riddles. Yet in the Scandinavian countries the troll is something else entirely - forces of nature, crafted from earth and stone, that have existed for centuries and doesn't like their homes disturbed. They were practically erased from existence by the introduction of Christianity, and they can smell the blood of Christians, leading to their demise. They can die by direct sunlight, and are hulking, massive creatures. It's a fascinating fairy tale that is steeped deep in Norse mythology and lore, so it's only fitting that Norway would provide two of the most fascinating troll-centric films: "Trollhunter," and "Troll." Growing...

  Causeway Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda Emond, Jayne Houdyshell Directed by Lila Neugebauer When people think of Jennifer Lawrence's first film, most will go to the wildly popular "Hunger Games" franchise, but they'd be wrong. While she had bit parts in forgettable films like "Garden Party," "The Poker House," and "The Burning Plain," she got her first major role in the small film "Winter's Bone," which earned the then-twenty-year old her first Academy Award nomination and propelled her into the national spotlight. The film focused on her character trying to protect her poverty stricken family from eviction, and showcased her talent with a bare-bones design that focused solely on her commanding presence. While she's become a major star since then appearing in several franchise films, her bread and butter are these smaller independent films that focus on her stellar acting abilities, and "Caus...

  Pinocchio Starring Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Gregory Mann, Christoph Waltz Directed by Guillermo del Toro Animated films are extremely difficult to pull off, even moreso than live-action, because you have so much more to do to make it believable, and stop-motion animation is by far the most difficult. Each set piece, every character, and every small nuanced movement is meticulously crafted by hand and painstakingly put to camera frame-by-frame, resulting in a surreal, otherworldly feel that is unparalleled and sheer magic. Films like "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Kubo and the Two Strings," "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "Coraline" have remained in the cultural zeitgeist for years after their release, and with good reason. Now it's Guillermo del Toro who tries his hand at stop-motion animation, and while it focuses on the story you think you know, he weaves a tale that's more true to the source material than anything Disney could ever ...

Enola Holmes 2 Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, David Thewlis, Louis Partridge Directed by Harry Bradbeer Who out there has never felt marginalized for who they are? Who has been looked down because they're too old, too young, too fat, too skinny, too female, too male? As the years go by I realize more and more that we're all unique and special, and no matter how we look on the outside, we have something wholly unique and valuable to offer to the world, even if the world doesn't see it that way. Maybe I'm thinking too much into it when it comes to this delightful sequel, but it seems that young Enola Holmes faces those same difficulties - and chooses to rise above them and prove everyone wrong on her own terms. After successfully solving her first case, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) is starting her own detective agency, but can't find clients because people think she's either the receptionist, too young, or wants the aid of her older, more establis...