JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Hugh Grant Directed by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daily Last year I saw the first trailer for "Dungeons & Dragons," and I said at the time that this would be one of the biggest flops of 2023, because I wasn't impressed at all with what I saw. After finally seeing the film, I'm not too proud to say that even I sometimes make mistakes, and while this is far from Oscar-worthy, "Honor Among Thieves" is a fun, funny, action-packed ride with a charismatic, charming cast that had me wishing I had a core group of friends who would play Dungeons and Dragons together consistently without bailing a few weeks in (not that that's ever happened before...twice...). Edgin (Chris Pine) is a bard who befriends barbarian Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), working together to create a team to steal the Tablet of Reawakening which would bring Edgin's wife back from...

Trinket Box Starring Augie Duke, Acorye White, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Cindy Hogan Directed by Acorye White & Patrycja Kepa They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I'm not entirely sure that applies to films that blatantly rip off other, better films to create their own Frankenstein monster of a movie. This happens time and again, and "Trinket Box" is no different - a film that takes ideas from "Get Out," "Evil Dead," and every demon possessed movie in the last fifty years and throws them into a blender, creating the worst-tasting thing you can imagine: a film totally devoid of anything symbolizing decency, or even mediocrity - and one that's not even worthy of parody, but rather one that should immediately sink into obscurity where it belongs. Married interracial couple Ava (Augie Duke) and Mike (Acorye White) Wilson move into a new home that was once the scene of an unspeakable race crime back in the 30s, and also has a creep...

Mafia Mamma Starring Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci, Rob Huebel, Sophia Nomvete Directed by Catherine Hardwicke I've said it before, but the comedy genre is one of my least favorites, because most of them center solely on crude humor just for the sake of being crude and not having it intertwine with anything involving a storyline. I'm all for crude funny humor when it has a point, but when your film is about how many times you can mention private parts, it loses its humor pretty quickly. Rarely there's a comedy that also has a heart to it, a film that'll have you rolling in laughter and also contemplate your own existence, and while "Mafia Mamma" isn't exactly entirely on that level, it does provide gut-busting humor with a deep emotional center thanks to the impeccable, underappreciated, and goddess-like Toni Collette. Kristin (Toni Collette) is a meek, mild-mannered mother who spends her time doting over her son who's heading to college, and being t...

Tetris Starring Taron Egerton, Nikita Efremov, Sofia Lebedeva, Anthony Boyle Directed by Jon S. Baird It's interesting to find out the behind-the-scenes events that leads to something revolutionary, even if it's just a little 8-bit game about stacking blocks in order to eliminate them and prevent them from filling the screen. Tetris was a revolutionary game for Nintendo back in the 80s, and is currently one of the mos sold games in video game history, and the story behind it is quite a fascinating one - but being Hollywood, "Tetris" itself isn't the entirely true story but a slightly fabricated one to elicit excitement, to which the founders of the game attested to (such as no actual car chases). Still, "Tetris" tries to turn into "The Social Network" by telling its story, and in doing so gets themselves stuck in repetitive dialogue and set pieces that make you feel like you're stuck in a continual loop. In 1988, Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton)...

Paint Starring Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root Directed by Brit McAdams A soft-spoken painter. Paintings of pristine landscapes. A wonderful fro. You'd be forgiven if you thought "Paint" was a biopic about Bob Ross, one of television's most iconic, endearing, and good-natured hosts - but you'd be mistaken. Instead, "Paint" is sort of a caricature of Ross, a man who, on the outside, embodies everything Ross stood for. But underneath is a man who uses his talent to take advantage of women, a man who yearns for the spotlight, and when his decades-long career is threatened, resorts to childish behavior all hidden under an unassuming monotone voice. Carl Nargle (Owen Wilson) has been the number one rated painting show in Vermont's PBS station for the last thirty years, and along the way his paintings have inspired people while making himself irresistible to women, especially Katherine (Michaela Watkins), whom had a relati...

Moving On Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Roundtree Directed by Paul Weitz One of the major components that will make or break a film is the chemistry between the cast, whether platonic or romantic. If the actors involved in a project aren't that close in real life, no matter how good of an actor they are, it shows in the product - but if you got actors who know each other so well, have worked together for decades, and can easily work off one another, you've got something truly special. Thus is the relationship between Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, who've been starring in films together since 1980's "9 to 5," and have even starred in the long-running Netflix comedy series "Grace and Frankie" where both women have earned countless award nominations for their performances. Earlier this year they also starred in the surprise comedy hit "80 for Brady," and now they get together again for "Moving On," a dramed...

John Wick: Chapter 4 Starring Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Ian McShane, Bill Skarsgard Directed by Chad Stahelski It all started with the tragic murder of a dog. Back in 2014, "John Wick" hit theaters with very little fanfare, starring a then-on-the-downswing of his career Keanu Reeves about a retired hitman who comes out of retirement to get revenge on the men who killed his puppy given to him by his late wife. The film earned $43 million dollars and re-invigorated Reeves' career, landing him some of his most well-known roles outside the classics like "Bill and Ted" and "Speed," while also creating a new series centering on his assassin character John Wick. Throughout the following sequels we dig deeper into Wick's past, learn that he's a wanted man from his former employers known as the High Table, and finds himself getting double-crossed by friends and foes alike. What made the film series such an entertaining and engaging one is Reeves' co...