JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Major Theatrical Releases March 2016  March is the beginnings of Spring, the melting of the months-long snowfall, and an odd time for movies.  There's an interesting mixture of comedy, action and religious-themed films being released, along with one that should've been more suited for a summer release, and a slew of sequels. That being said, here is the list of films being released nationally for the month of March, 2016. March 4 London Has Fallen Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Radha Mitchell Directed by Babak Najafi Synopsis (imdb.com): In London for the Prime Minister's funeral, Mike Banning discovers a plot to assassinate all the attending world leaders. Thoughts: "Olympus Has Fallen" was a major hit, and a non-stop action thrill ride.  "London Has Fallen" seems to follow the same formula, even having Morgan Freeman's character in an almost identical-looking conference room.  Might not fare as well s...

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Starring James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Max Martini, Dominic Fumusa Directed by Michael Bay The Story: After overthrowing their tyrannical leader Muammar Gaddafi, the country of Libya has been listed as one of the most dangerous places in the world, due to civil unrest, and Benghazi is one of the most deadly towns.  Most countries pulled out their embassies from the town, except for the United States, who also has an undisclosed CIA outpost a mile away known as "The Annex," which is guarded by a group of former special ops known as the Global Response Staff. New to the staff is former Navy SEAL Jack Da Silva (John Krasinski), who works close with his friend Tyrone Woods (James Badge Dale) as soon as he arrives.  In early September 2012, ambassador Chris Stevens (Matt Letscher) arrives in hopes to maintain diplomatic connections with the country, and much to the chagrin of the GRS, he wants to stay at the embassy, whic...

Inner Demons Starring Lara Vosburgh, Morgan McClellan, Kate Whitney, Brian Flaherty Directed by Seth Grossman The Story: Carson Morris (Lara Vosburgh) used to be a straight-A student who memorized the Bible, but now is a drug addict who thinks she's possessed.  Her parents - religious Beth (Colleen McGrann) and former alcoholic Steve (Christopher Parker) enlist the help of an "Intervention" style reality show to hopefully rid Carson of her addiction, led by producer Suzanne Tully (Kate Whitney), cameraman Tim (Brian Flaherty), and newcomer Jason (Morgan McClellan). Their intervention leads Carson to accept treatment at a local detox center, but once she's off the drugs, things only turn worse, and it may turn out Carson was right - that she's really possessed by a demon.  However, the clinic, her parents, and the production crew don't believe it, except for Jason.  He tries to help her, but it might already be too late for them all. The Synopsi...

Contracted: Phase II Starring Matt Mercer, Marianna Palka, Morgan Peter Brown, Anna Lore Directed by Josh Forbes The Story: Picking up where the original left off, Riley (Matt Mercer) is beginning to experience symptoms of a deadly zombie virus after having sexual intercourse with carrier Samantha.  He searches for a cure as Detective Crystal Young (Marianna Palka) investigates the supposed Patient Zero, BJ (Morgan Peter Brown), who had sex with Samantha and infected her with the virus.  Meanwhile, BJ stalks Riley and his motive for why he's doing what he's doing slowly comes to light. The Synopsis: The first "Contracted" was an interesting film with an intriguing premise, but had a weak, unsympathetic female lead.  With "Phase II," the premise is gone, the mystery is solved, and the main character is just as unsympathetic (maybe even moreso) than the original. I'm not sure if this was originally supposed to be a trilogy ("Phase III...

Pod Starring Lauren Ashley Carter, Dean Cates, Brian Morvant, Lary Fessenden Directed by Mickey Keating The Story: Siblings Ed (Dean Cates), Lyla (Lauren Ashley Carter) and Martin (Brian Morvant) have buried their parents within the past year, and it's affected them in different ways.  Ed is a psychiatrist and a family man, Lyla is addicted to alcohol and drugs, and Martin was dishonorably discharged from the army and has suffered severe PTSD. Ed gets a message from Martin, and he seems to be in trouble.  He and Lyla travel to Martin's desolate cabin in the woods to find him living in squalor, ranting about government experiments and saying he's got a pod in the basement, a creature that followed him to the cabin and attacked him and his dog.  Ed doesn't believe him, and Lyla is on the fence.  Things escalate quickly as the real truth comes out, and threatens the lives of the siblings. The Synopsis: There are certain things wrong with "Pod,"  b...

2016 Oscar Predictions The Oscars are, to me, as big as the Super Bowl for others.  Yes, it's basically just rich people congratulating other rich people, but these rich people give us something amazing.  They use their talents to shine on the screen as well as behind the scenes, they give it their all, and they should be awarded for the work they do. Here is what and who I think will take Oscar gold this Sunday.  For some, I have absolutely no idea.  For others, I got a pretty good feeling. Short Film (Animated) Bear Story Prologue Sanjay's Super Team We Can't Live Without Cosmos World of Tomorrow This is one of those categories I have no clue about, as I have never heard of any of these short films, but by title alone I'll go with World of Tomorrow. Predicted Winner: World of Tomorrow  Short Film (Live Action) Ave Maria Day One Everything Will Be Okay Shok Shutterer Once again, no clue.  Going by cool title ...

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension Starring Chris Murray, Brit Shaw, Dan Gill, Ivy George Directed by Gregory Plotkin The Story: Ryan (Chris Murray), his wife Emily (Brit Shaw) and young daughter Leila (Ivy George) have just moved into a huge, expansive house.  His brother Mike (Dan Gill) and Emily's sister Skyler (Olivia Taylor Dudley) come to visit for the holidays, and Mike finds an old camera in a box, along with some VHS tapes. Ryan and Mike soon find out the camera has been rigged to be able to see what happens in the ghost dimension, and soon they begin to see a demon haunting the house - and Leila in particular.  She becomes distant and strange, and as they look through the old VHS tapes, they discover the house they're living in was the house built on the ground of a burned down house that Katie and Kristi, two girls raised in a cult, had lived in previously.  They learn the demon, named Toby, wants Leila and it was foretold decades before s...