JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Scrambled Starring Leah McKendrick, Ego Nwodim, Andrew Santino, Laura Ceron Directed by Lean McKendrick Being a guy, and also someone who never, ever, ever, ever...ever...wants kids, "Scrambled" is one of those films that didn't necessarily speak to me on any real level. I didn't know much about it going into it, and I was genuinely surprised about how funny and also heartfelt it was. Doing digging afterward I found that Leah McKendrick - who directed, wrote, and starred in the film - based this movie on her real life struggles to freeze her eggs in 2021, which made it all the more personal. She used her own comedic timing that allowed you to let your guard down with laughter before hitting you in the gut with real-life truths that women face: unlike men, when women hit a certain age, their eggs hit an expiration date. While men can father children well into their 70s or 80s, women have a difficult time after 35, which the film graciously and hilariously points out on...

Ezra Starring Bobby Cannavale, Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, William Fitzgerald Directed by Tony Goldwyn The term "autism" was coined by psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1908, who used it to describe a schizophrenic patient who had withdrawn into his own world. The Greek word "autos" meant self, and Bleuler used it to mean morbid self-admiration and withdrawal within self. I've never had a child with autism, but I have friends that do, and I give them all the credit in the world. It's not an easy thing, and what I can appreciate about autistic people is, like Max says in the film, that they have no filter. They'll tell it like it is, when most of us tiptoe around the truth or use colorful language to get the point across. "Ezra" is a film that seems like a true story, because its resonance hits close to home for parents living with an autistic child and the unique trials - and even more unique successes -  they contain. It's a heartwarming tale ...

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke Directed by George Miller Back in 1979, George Miller brought to the world "Mad Max," a movie set in a dystopian future where a man goes on a quest for revenge against those who killed his wife and child in a barren wasteland where wars wage for water, food, and, most importantly, gas. The film was praised for its visuals and it catapulted Mel Gibson into national stardom, and the following two sequels further told the story of the Wasteland and the eclectic group of people who lived in it. Believing the franchise done with "Beyond Thunderdome" in 1985, the world was shocked when Miller - then 70 years old - released "Mad Max: Fury Road" in 2015. Not only was it a commercial success, it garnered six Academy Award wins and also nominations for Miller for Best Director and the film for Best Picture. It also introduced us to Charlize Theron's fierce warrior Imperato...

The Strangers: Chapter 1 Starring Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutierrez, Matus Lajcak, Olivia Kreutzova Directed by Renny Harlin 2008's "The Strangers" was a simple film with a simple premise delivered with impeccable talent. The story of a couple vacationing in a remote home who find themselves under attack from three masked intruders is terrifying at its core, mostly because we never get the motive for why they're doing it (other than the now-iconic line: "because you're home"), but also because it's something that many people fear: home invasion. When you have a killer with motive, it makes it a little less frightening, because you know in your everyday life you don't have a serial killer brother, or have a vengeful family hunting you down after you survived a murder attempt by one of their own. This is terror just because the killers enjoyed it. No motive, no reason, no understanding - just pure animalistic desire for carnage. So when director Ren...

IF Starring Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carell, John Krasinski Directed by John Krasinski The story centers around a group of imaginary friends who were once beloved by their children, but once they got older they forgot about their imaginary friends, leaving them to live in a retirement home of sorts before they're taken in by another child and the process starts all over again. It's main imaginary friend is named Bloo. There's an imaginary friend that's big and purple. You might be thinking this is "IF," and you're right...sorta. It's also "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," a much better thought-out show that's essentially the same exact thing as this. While it might be billed as something original, it's anything but - yet it still manages to craft some magic of its own. Bea (Cailey Fleming) grew up with an imagination and a loving family, and then her mother passed away from cancer, and now her father (John Krasins...

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Starring Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon Directed by Wes Ball An outlier of cinematic achievement, "The Planet of the Apes" franchise has been one that not only found strength in its original 1968 iconic classic featuring Charlton Heston, but the four sequels that followed it. Then, even more shocking, it found resurgence with the trilogy prequel films "Rise," "Dawn" and "War" that came out over forty years later that somehow elevated the franchise to new heights as it showed how mankind fell and the apes rose, and the story of ape leader Caesar and his pacifist stance on no murdering fellow apes. Then, even more more shocking, a new trilogy has started with "Kingdom" that again makes for a great continuation of this now-fifty year franchise in shocking and surprising ways, proving that sometimes you can make a franchise amazing if you have the talent in front of and behind the camer...

Out of Darkness Starring Safia Oakley-Green, Chuku Modu, Kit Young, Iola Evans Directed by Andrew Cumming There's hardly a film out there that centers around events that took place back in the Old Stone Age, and with good reason - most people don't really seem to care about it, or have a lot of knowledge about it. People probably think dinosaurs still roamed the earth - they didn't. Instead it was one of the first advancements of human ingenuity, as they invented stone tools to better their lives. While it's rare to see a film like this, it's even rarer to see a horror film taking place during this time. "Out of Darkness" is one such film, an outlier that introduces us to a whole new language, and six clan members trying to survive in a harsh new condition while being hunted down by a hidden monster. Arriving on the shores of an unknown land, six people - leader Adem (Chuku Modu), his pregnant wife Ave (Iola Evans), their young son Heron (Luna Mwezi), Adem...