JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Creed Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad Directed by Ryan Coolger The Story: In 1998, young Adonis Johnson was an orphan, moving from foster home to foster home, and getting into a lot of fist fights.  One day he's approached by Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), who tells the young child that he is the late Apollo Creed's son, and she was his former wife.  She wants to take him home and give him a good life. In 2015, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) is still a fighter, but he's more grounded than when he was a child.  He quits his desk job in hopes of being a boxer, but not take the Creed name.  He moves to Philadelphia, where he finds Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), Apollo's friend and fellow boxer, to train him. At first Rocky is resistant, but he finally relents to help train Adonis and keep his secret, so he can make a name for himself.  Along the way, Adonis meets and falls in love with aspiring sin...

The Final Girls Starring Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Alexander Ludwig, Nina Dobrev Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson The Story: Amanda (Malin Akerman) was an 80s scream queen, best known for her role in the campy B-rated horror flick "Camp Bloodbath", but she hasn't been able to get much work.  Her daughter, Max (Taissa Farmiga) is always encouraging her and trying to be helpful, but after a sudden car accident claims Amanda's life, Max spirals into a depression that lasts three years later. On the eve of the anniversary of her death, "Camp Bloodbath" enthusiast Duncan (Thomas Middleditch) is hosting a screening of the film and its sequel at the local theater, and wants Max to appear since she's Amanda's daughter.  She is at first reluctant, but obliges and goes with her best friend (and Duncan's step sister) Gertie (Alia Shawkat), hunky football player Chris (Alexander Ludwig), and Chris's ex-girlfriend, the snooty Vicki (Ni...

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland Directed by Francis Lawrence The Story: After the rebels rescued Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from President Snow (Donald Sutherland), his Hunger Games ally Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) was overjoyed - until he tried to kill her.  He had fallen under a powerful mind control from the Capitol, and now he believes Katniss is the enemy and needs to die. Meanwhile, the leader of the Resistance, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), is planning an attack on District 2 in order to destroy the Capitol's weapons.  Katniss volunteers to lead the team, and it doesn't end as well as expected.  Now depressed, Katniss pleads to Coin to let her go and kill Snow herself, but she denies Katniss's request.  Katniss sneaks off in order to achieve her goal nonetheless, and joins Commander Boggs and other members of the rebels. As they near the Capitol, the Gamemakers turn ...

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Julianne Moore Directed by Francis Lawrence The Story: Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is now living at District 13 after President Snow (Donald Sutherland) blew up her old district.  Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Johanna (Jena Malone) are prisoners of Snow's at the Capitol, and the resistance - led by President Coin (Julianne Moore) - wants Katniss to be their Mockingjay: a beacon of hope for all the Districts to band together in one final attempt to take over the Capitol. At first Katniss is reluctant, but after visiting her old home and seeing Peeta on the Capitol TV, she agrees to do it.  She films a series of propaganda material which unites the other Districts, as they begin guerrilla warfare against the Capitol.  Meanwhile, she worries about Peeta and what Snow is doing to him, so a mission to rescue him begins. The Synopsis: "Harry Potter," "Twilight,...

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Jena Malone Directed by Francis Lawrence The Story: One year after surviving the Hunger Games, Katness (Jennifer Lawrence) shows signs of PTSD, as well as a mild depression.  She's forced to go on tour with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and pretend that they're a happy couple because President Snow (Donald Sutherland) threatened Katness that he'll go after her family if she didn't, because an uprising has begun after their Hunger Games win. After their tour, the rebellion has persisted, and Snow desires to see Katness dead.  To do this in a way to not make her a martyr, he changes the rules of the Hunger Games.  Since it's the 75th anniversary and the third Quarter Quell, he announces that the tributes from each District would be previous Hunger Games participants, guaranteeing Katness going back in since she's the only female winner from District 12.  Peeta then...

The Hunger Games Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks Directed by Gary Ross The Story: As punishment for a past rebellion, the country of Panem has split everyone into twelve different districts.  Each year the districts select one male and one female of teenage years to compete in the Hunger Games - where they fight to the death, and only one makes it out alive.  For District 12, it was Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Primrose Everdeen (Willow Shields) who were selected by random draw by Capitol official Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks).  Primrose's older sister, Katness (Jennifer Lawrence), volunteers as tribute to take Primrose's place in the Hunger Games in order to protect her. Peeta and Katness are taken to the Capitol, where they undergo rigorous training - including fighting, public appearances, and counseling - before the Hunger Games begin.  Katness is first seen by their mentor Haymitch Abernathy (...

The Martian Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig Directed by Ridley Scott The Story: In 2035, a manned team has landed on Mars to conduct experiments for 31 Martian days (sols), led by Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain).  On the eighteenth day, they encounter a massive Martian storm and decide to leave.  During the escape, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is injured and presumed dead.  With the rest of her crew's lives at risk, Lewis decides to leave. Mark wakes up later - injured, but alive.  He tries to contact NASA to no avail, and sets out to find a way to survive.  He finally contacts NASA, and learns that they're planning to come rescue him - but it won't be for four years, and he has enough food to only last almost a year.  Having a Master's degree in botany, Mark sets out to make food grow on a planet where it cannot, as well as try to maintain his own sanity and morale as he waits for rescue on a far away planet whe...

Everest Starring Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes Directed by Baltasar Kormakur The Story: Up to 1996, nineteen people had lost their lives climbing Mount Everest.  In 1996, expedition group leader Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) rounded up a group of people including doctor Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin) and mailman Doug Hansen (John Hawkes) to do a seemingly routine climb up Mount Everest.  After a month of training, they began their death-defying excursion up the mountain in hopes of reaching the summit. All was going well, until an unexpected storm hit the mountain, causing the climbers to scramble and struggle to survive in the harsh realities of Everest, which not all of them would survive. The Synopsis: "Everest" is based on the real life account of the group Rob Hall took to the mountain in 1996.  Unfortunately, not everyone survived the ordeal, and the film is very careful to portray all the characters as normal, everyday people and n...

The Peanuts Movie Starring Noah Strapp, Bill Melendez, Mariel Sheets, Noah Johnston Directed by Steve Martino The Story: Charlie Brown deals with the struggles of childhood - trying to fly a kite, getting homework done, and learning to dance.  He feels rather invisible and unexceptional, so when a new girl moves into town, he feels this is his chance to create a whole new self - if he only had the guts to actually talk to the girl. Meanwhile, his most trustworthy friend and dog Snoopy and his loyal sidekick Woodstock writes a love story of his own - starring himself as the World War Flying Ace who sets out to rescue Fifi from the dreaded Red Baron. The Synopsis: I remember growing up and reading the Peanuts comic strip.  I remember every year (even to this day) seeing The Great Pumpkin on Halloween and A Charlie Brown Christmas on Christmas.  Charlie Brown has been an icon of the public eye for the last 50 years, so when news of a full-length feature film...

The Beast of XMoor Starring Melia Kreiling, Nick Blood, Mark Bonnar, Olivia Popicia Directed by Luke Hyams The Story: In England, there is a beast known to terrorize the woods, known as a giant panther.  For American crypto-enthusiasts Georgia (Melia Kreiling) and Matt (Nick Blood), this is the perfect place to hunt him down and earn a bountiful prize.  With the help of local Fox (Mark Bonnar), the three set up camp in the woods. However, what they discover is far more deadly than a panther, as the spot they claim is also the place where a serial killer has hidden his "trophies."  Now they're determined to track down the killer before he strikes again. The Synopsis: There are several issues going against "The Beast of XMoor," but not a whole lot going right with it. -They couldn't even settle on a title.  It's either "The Beast of XMoor" or simply "XMoor." -Speaking of not being able to make up their minds, the film ...

Dead Rising: Watchtower Starring Jesse Metcalfe, Meghan Ory, Virginia Madsen, Rob Riggle Directed by Zach Lipovsky The Story: It's been ten years since zombies invaded the world, and things seem to be looking up.  There's a new drug called Zombrex that prevents people being bitten to turn into the undead, and it seems to be fairly well contained. A viral outbreak has begun in a small town in Oregon, and reporter Chase Carter (Jesse Metcalfe) is sent to investigate.  He soon discovers that the Zombrex has stopped working, leading to widespread panic and a walled-in quarantine area that he, Crystal (Meghan Ory), and Maggie (Virginia Madsen) are now trapped in.  Facing hordes of undead, a corrupt government and a gang of ruthless bikers, the three survivors have to use their wits to survive. The Synopsis: Movie adaptations to video games are often a tough sell.  "Super Mario Bros," "Tomb Raider," "Silent Hill" and "Resident Evil...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Comedy Films of All Time Since I've done mostly horror Top Tens, I figured I'd take a turn and go for the opposite end of the spectrum.  For me, Comedy is my least favorite genre, because it takes a lot for me to find something truly funny.  Maybe I'm too serious, or maybe I take my comedy too seriously, I don't know. Anyway, saying that, I found ten comedies that I found not only laugh-out-loud hilarious, but ones I could see multiple times and still find them downright hilarious. So these are my top ten comedy films of all time. From Worst2First. **There could be spoilers throughout, so read at your own risk!** #10 The Hangover Combining intelligent humor as well as low-brow comedy and a surprisingly decent storyline, "The Hangover" delivers the goods from start to finish.  The story of three friends trying to find their fourth friend after a drunken bender in Las Vegas through the use of extremely odd clues (...

Major Theatrical Releases November 2015 With November comes the addition of several family-friendly films, and the beginning rumblings of the Christmas season.  This November is no exception, as films from both subgenres abound, along with some strong dramatic pieces as well as the continuation (and in one case final) of two popular action franchises. Here is the list of films being released nationally for the month of November, 2015. November 6 Spectre Starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Monica Bellucci Directed by Sam Mendes  Synopsis (imdb.com): A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE. Thoughts: The James Bond film series has been in existence for over 50 years, and since Daniel Craig has taken over the titular role, they've nev...