JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Until Dawn Starring Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A'zion, J-young Yoo Directed by David F. Sandberg Back in 2015, a horror game called "Until Dawn" came on Playstation, and I had to wait an excruciatingly long time before I was able to play it because I didn't own the PlayStation. After purchasing the system the first game I bought was "Until Dawn," and I played the heck out of it. I loved the concept - a horror movie where I made the decisions that either led to the deaths or survival of the characters - led by stellar performances by Hayden Panettiere, future Oscar-winner Rami Malek, Peter Stormare and others. It was an exciting (and sometimes frustrating, such as one play-through where everyone survived until the last moments and I accidentally got one killed because I didn't do a quicktime fast enough...not that that moment has dwelled in my mind or anything) game, so when word a movie was being made, I was apprehensive. We already have a movie ...

Marshmallow Starring Kue Lawrence, Kai Cech, Max Malas, Winston Vengapally Directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio The 80s were big on summer camp slashers, the big three being "Friday the 13th," "The Burning" and "Sleepaway Camp" that made children terrified to go to summer camp in real life with fears of a masked killer stalking them. That particular subgenre seemed to disappear by the 2020s, but now Daniel DelPurgatorio and writer Andy Greskoviak made summer camps terrifying again with their uniquely-named "Marshmallow," a movie that seems to follow the traditional tropes of the 80s before throwing an absolute curveball in the final act that is both inspiring and a little frustrating in its execution, but a welcome relief nonetheless. Morgan (Kue Lawrence) is a young boy who's sheltered and quiet, the kid everyone picks on in school. He's haunted by nightmares of drowning and is afraid to get in water, so when his parents sign him up for summ...

Nickel Boys Starring Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Hamish Linklater Directed by RaMell Ross The term "Oscar bait" is a term used to describe movies that are made to get nominated or win Academy Awards. More often than not, they're not even included in the proceedings because of their blatant soulless endeavor (such as "Amsterdam," "The Son," "Hillbilly Elegy" and "Cats"). Others (like "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Green Book" and "The Darkest Hour") end up winning some awards and aren't as soulless as those that didn't make the list. One tried and true Oscar bait deals with slavery and the struggle of the Black community in American history, which seems from the outside what "Nickel Boys" was supposed to be - another soulless Oscar bait film focusing on the trails of the Black community. However, that's the farthest thing from the truth, as the film itself is a haun...

  The Amateur Starring Rami Malek, Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe Directed by James Hawes Jason Bourne. John Wick. James Bond. Charlie Heller. One of these names doesn't fit with the others, and it's obvious who that is. "The Amateur" is amateurish in every possible way, centering on a CIA cryptographer who wants to learn a basic set of skills to avenge the death of his wife, and in the process provides an extremely dull, boring, lifeless outing that doesn't even allow me to muster up any intellectual misgivings because, honestly, I don't care to. Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is a CIA cryptographer who is madly in love with his wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) and has an intellectual mind for technology and electronics that is seemingly unparalleled. However, when Sarah is taken hostage during a terrorist attack in London and killed, he blackmails his superiors to get him training to be a CIA vigilante as he desires to kill those who killed ...

Sinners Starring Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku Directed by Ryan Coogler There has been a lot of hype behind "Sinners" after its release, calling it one of the best films of the year, Ryan Coogler's magnum opus, and Michael B. Jordan's finest work to date. To add to the praise was a near-100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and garnering an A score on Cinemascore, the first horror movie to accomplish that ever, and among the pantheon of great horror films, that's as a rousing endorsement as anything. So going into it my expectations were nearly through the barn roof, and while it failed a bit to meet that unreasonable expectation, the film deserves all the praise it's been receiving and more, if not for one particular scene in the movie that will be studied in film school classes for decades to come, not to mention the performances, cinematography, and...alright, pretty much everything. In the height of the Jim Crow Law-era south, tw...

Death of a Unicorn Starring Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Tea Leoni Directed by Alex Scharfman Unicorns have existed throughout history in stories, artwork, and verbal history passed down from generation to generation, and it's even mentioned in the Bible (the Hebrew word for "re'em" that's nowadays translated as "oxen" actually means "unicorn" or "horned animal"), yet no one has ever found one in the wild. A horse-like creature with a horn in its head isn't something unheard of, as rhinoceros and narwhals have that same appendage, but it's the myth behind unicorns that is more dubious: that their blood can cure all disease and they're magical. If anything, they're just another breed of animal not yet discovered, which does take away from the wonder of it all, but it doesn't stop us from living the dream. First-time director Alex Scharfman delivers this concept in "Death of a Unicorn" that not on...

Drop Starring Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson Directed by Christopher Landon There's times where I wonder why so many people like certain movies, one of which is 2020's "The Invisible Man" which is critically hailed as a fantastic horror film, but personally it was one with so many plot holes I wondered how it got so much acclaim. Elisabeth Moss was excellent and the story of a battered woman being gaslit into believing she's crazy is a tough theme to tackle and they did do that well, but when it came to the overall way it told the story it had a lot to be desired in my mind, as one point it seemed too simple while other times it was overly complicated and exaggerated. "Drop" is another film - one that's gotten critical acclaim but I don't see why. Like "The Invisible Man" it deals with spousal battery but this time its the peripheral story, with the main thrust being a first date going terribly wrong. While...