JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Grandma Starring Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer Directed by Paul Weitz The Story: Elle (Lily Tomlin) is an aging feminist lesbian who lost the love of her life a while ago, and just broke up with much younger Olivia (Judy Greer), cut up her credit cards, and hardly has a dime to her name, despite her once being one of the most popular feminist writers.  Then her granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) arrives with news - she's pregnant, and needs $600 for an abortion.  She can't go to her mother Judy (Marcia Gay Haden) because their relationship is already strained. Since she also doesn't have money, Elle takes Sage on a trek through her past by interacting with friends, former lovers, and anyone else they can find to get the money before the procedure is set to take place.  Along the way, the two bond and we learn why Elle is such a tough person by examining the rough past she faced. The Synopsis: Lily Tomlin gives a stellar performan...

Major Theatrical Releases April 2016 April is the month before the big summer blockbusters hit, and typically it's a very low-key month with the arrival of usually one big hit (last year it was "Furious 7," and this year it was "Batman v Superman" at the end of March) that holds the #1 spot for the entire month.  I don't see any of these releases dethroning "BvS" this month, gearing up for a huge "Civil War" opening the beginning of May. That being said, here is the list of films being released nationally for the month of April, 2016. April 1 God's Not Dead 2 Starring Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe, Robin Givens, Ray Wise Directed by Harold Cronk Synopsis (imdb.com): When a high school teacher is asked a question in class about Jesus, her reasoned response lands her in deep trouble and could expel God from the public square once and for all. Thoughts: After the surprise hit that was "God's ...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg Directed by Zack Snyder The Story: Superman (Henry Cavill) is seen as either a god-like figure or someone to be feared.  Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) sees Superman as an adversary and sets out to defeat him, while Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) has his own nefarious purposes for both Superman and Batman, who must set aside their differences to fight a greater foe. The Synopsis: "Batman v Superman" is one of the most maligned movies in recent memory.  When it was first announced, fans were excited to see these two DC titans going at it, and all was well.  Then they decided to make this film the springboard for a "Justice League" series, and decided to throw in Wonder Woman and other Justice League members as cameos, and the film seemed doomed to become an over-bloated wannabe "Avengers" film. Each trailer that was released only solidified the skepti...

Worst2First: My Top Ten Religious Movies With Easter approaching, I decided to make my next list some movies you might want to check out that has a religious theme to it.  I mean, it's only appropriate. Here are my personal top ten favorite religious movies, Worst2First. **There will be no spoilers.** #10 The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything Yes, I am a grown man, and yes, I am unashamed to say I love Veggietales.  I sing it at work, I sing it in the shower, and I'm terrible at it.  One of my favorite songs is "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," and the French peas are the most amazing things ever.  #unashamed. #9 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian The somewhat underwhelming sequel to the classic children's novel (even though this, as well, is also a novel, it's nowhere near as famous) features some great PG-style action sequences, a heartwarming family story at the center, and a charismatic leading man in Ben B...

Mockingbird Starring Todd Stashwick, Audrey Marie Anderson, Alexandra Lydon, Barak Hardley Directed by Bryan Bertino The Story: "Mockingbird" revolves around three different characters, each of whom receives a camcorder as a prize they entered previously.  Couple Tom (Todd Stashwick) and Emmy (Audrey Marie Anderson) are enjoying filming their family.  Single woman Beth (Alexandra Lydon) sees this as an opportunity to do something different.  Mother's boy Leonard (Barak Hardley) views this as a chance to win $10,000 and get his own place. Soon, however, their fun turns to fear as they discover there's a deadly cost of the camera - they must keep rolling, or they'll die.  They're taunted by unseen forces and eventually converse on a mysterious house with thousands of red balloons, where their games come to a deadly end. The Synopsis: Bryan Bertino directed the acclaimed psychological thriller "The Strangers" starring Liv Tyler, so anti...

Trainwreck Starring Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, LeBron James, Brie Larson Directed by Judd Apatow The Story: A father teaches his two young daughters why he and their mother are getting a divorce - because monogamy isn't realistic.  Twenty-three years later, Amy (Amy Schumer) takes that advice to heart as she has fling after fling with no emotional attachments, and never spending the night.  Meanwhile, her younger sister Kim (Brie Larson) is married with a stepson and a child on the way.  The two women couldn't be any more opposite, especially concerning their father (Colin Quinn) who has multiple sclerosis and has to go to a retirement home - Amy wants the best, Kim wants the cheapest. Amy works for a men's magazine led by no-nonsense Dianna (Tilda Swinton in an utterly unrecognizable role), and she's tasked with writing a story about sports medicine doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), to which Amy has some trepidation - she knows nothing about sports nor does ...

Worst2First: My Top Ten Batman/Superman Films On March 25th, two superheroes will come to blows with the highly anticipated Zack Snyder release "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."  Superhero nerds all around the world have been eagerly awaiting the titanic battle between Gotham's son and the Man of Steel, and there's no doubt it will be a huge hit. There has been several films featuring Batman and Superman in the past, and here are my personal top ten favorite Batman and Superman films, Worst2First. **There will be no spoilers.** #10 Superman Returns Christopher Reeve delivered an impeccable performance as the Man of Steel, but all good series must come to an end, and that happened with the abysmal back-to-back disasters that were Parts III and IV.  From 1987-2006, Superman was relegated to animated programs on television, until Bryan Singer took the Superman mantle and brought him back to the big screen.  He cast relative unknown Brandon Routh...

10 Cloverfield Lane Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg The Story: Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is involved in a car accident, and when she comes to, she's shackled to a pipe in a bunker, under the watchful eye of Howard (John Goodman), who tells her there's been a chemical attack, and everyone above ground is dead.  Howard's neighbor, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) is also in the bunker, and Michelle begins to wonder if she's a captive, someone who was rescued by a genuinely nice man, or something in-between, and whether or not the world she knew is gone forever. The Synopsis: Back in 2008, producer J.J. Abrams released "Cloverfield," which was a first-person shaky-cam view of New York City thrown into turmoil after an attack from an unknown creature.  It was an incredibly action-packed thrill ride with a cast of relative unknowns and palpable energy and excitement. For years, audie...

The Finest Hours Starring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger Directed by Craig Gillespie The Story: The date is February 18, 1952.  The place is Chatham, Massachusetts.  A major storm has come, and off in the ocean, two huge oil tankers had both been split in half.  While one oil tanker was able to release a distress call, the other wasn't.  On board is 33 men, including chief engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck), who rallies the other seamen to run their half of the ship aground and wait for rescue. Meanwhile, back at the mainland, Coast Guard crewman Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) has fallen in love with local girl Miriam Pentinen (Holliday Grainger), and needs permission from his Chief Warrant Officer (Eric Bana).  While he's at the Coast Guard office, news reaches of the stranded seamen, and Webber is ordered to go out and rescue the men - in what seems to be a suicidal effort, due to the storm and the extremely rough waters. ...

London Has Fallen Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett Directed by Babak Najafi The Story: Three years after the terrorist attack at the White House, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is still protecting President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart), but now he's about to be a family man as his wife Leah (Radha Mitchell) is pregnant.  As he contemplates leaving the Service, word spreads about the unexpected death of Britain's Prime Minister, and foreign leaders throughout the world travel to London to attend the services. Even though there's an insane amount of security, terrorists - led by vengeful Aamir Barkawi (Alon Aboutboul), out for revenge after a drone attack two years prior - manage to assassinate most of the foreign dignitaries, and forcing Banning and Asher into hiding.  As they traverse the streets of London, Vice President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) watches from D.C.  Barkawi has an ultimate plan f...

The Monuments Men Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman Directed by George Clooney The Story: Near the end of World War II, Lieutenant Frank Stokes (George Clooney) amasses a band of seven museum directors, curators, and art historians to find stolen art and return them to their owners. These men included Lieutenant James Granger (Matt Damon), Sergeant Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), Sergeant Walter Garfield (John Goodman), Second Lieutenant Jean-Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin), Private Prestor Savitz (Bob Balaban) and Second Lieutenant Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville). When they arrive in Europe, they're split up to go to different countries and retrieve the stolen art, and along the way they come into contact with evil Germans, hot-headed generals, and French curator/spy Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett).  As they try to find the valuable artwork before they're destroyed forever, an important question is raised - is finding and preserving...