JoeMama's Movie Reviews

The Housemaid Starring Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, Indiana Elle Directed by Paul Feig We all wear masks that disguise who we really are, and that's no different for the wealthy and elite. They live in lavish mansions, drive fancy cars, and wear the best designer dresses, and from the outside looking in it seems they have it all - but once the facade drops, you realize that things aren't always what they seem to be. Conversely, people who are desperate to pull themselves out of the depths they find themselves in will oftentimes consent to living in negative spaces as opposed to going back to where they came from, having to don their own mask of happiness while underneath they're emotionally crushed. Thus is the story of "The Housemaid," a movie that teetered on the edge of melodrama but offered exemplary performances and a pulled back story that never allowed itself to become ripe for parody. Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) is desperately loo...

Avatar: Fire and Ash Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin Directed by James Cameron I'm not one for roller coasters, but I get the appeal. Embarking on a fast-paced, dizzying ride for a few minutes is something that would be enjoyable to thrill-seekers of the like, but once its done there's not a lot to remember about it. The "Avatar" movies are the film equivalent: all spectacle, no substance. Yet that spectacle is rather...spectacular. The first movie revolutionized filmmaking and remains the highest grossing movie of all time, and the long-gestating sequel added to the narrative and is the third highest grossing movie of all time. Now, James Cameron returns to the well with "Avatar: Fire and Ash," and basically it's "The Way of Water" only with...well...fire. Not long after Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his new clan defended the water nation of the Metkayina - and losing his son in the process - the family is ...

Marty Supreme Starring Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary Directed by Josh Safdie In the MCU, Loki is Thor's brother, a trickster god, who is the franchise's best anti-hero. At times he's a villain, others a hero, but through it all he does what he does because he's "burdened with glorious purpose" that gives him an inflated sense of ego. What if this "glorious purpose" could be personified in a normal human being? You get a film like "Marty Supreme," a seemingly biopic about one man's quest to be the best table tennis player in the world - and a man who is burdened with his own sense of glorious purpose. In 1952 New York, Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet) works at a shoe store but plays table tennis on the side, wanting to escape the humdrum boring normalcy and become someone bigger than he is. He steals $700 and flies to the British Open, where he meets retired actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow). ...

Jay Kelly Starring George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup Directed by Noah Baumbach Pretty much everyone wishes they could be rich and famous, because it seems that they are living the life - money, popularity, love, luxurious houses and cars, celebrities have it all - or at least that's what we think through our rose colored glasses. We don't see the sacrifices they make for their art, the lives that are left unlived, the paths not taken. "Jay Kelly" is a movie that sheds light on an actor's fading glory, and the mistakes he's made along the way, concerned that it's far too late to fix it. Jay Kelly (George Clooney) is a famous actor that's lost contact with his older daughter, but hopes to spend the summer with his younger daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) before she goes to college. After completing his latest movie, however, he learns Daisy is going to Northern Italy with friends before school, and he realizes the life he's missed ...

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Starring Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Matthew Lillard Directed by Emma Tammi In 2023, "Five Nights at Freddy's" surpassed even the highest expectations and became Blumhouse's most profitable movie to date, despite the fact that the game it's based off of is as dusty and unused as Freddy Fazbear's restaurant itself. The PG-13 rating brought in the fans young and old, and for those who never played the game (or, in my case, lightly played til I got bored) it piqued our interest to see how Jim Henson's Creature Shop could bring the animatronic Chuck-E-Cheese wannabe characters to life. The result was a movie that didn't make a lot of sense, that underutilized what people came to see, and lackluster scares and gore to please the younger audience. Yet, despite this, they printed money so of course a sequel was greenlit and finally came out this year. While the story is more compact, the animatronics take a more...

Fackham Hall Starring Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Damian Lewis, Katherine Waterston Directed by Jim O'Hanlon For a while it seemed the spoof genre was dead with duds like "Epic Movie," "Date Movie," "Dance Movie," and the like that littered the 2000s landscape. Classics like "Airplane!" and "Spaceballs" were considered old relics of a bygone era, and it seemed nothing would re-vitalize the subgenre. Then Liam Neeson remade the classic "Naked Gun" movie and, against all odds, brought new life back to the subgenre, offering a surprisingly hilarious outing every part as equal as the original trilogy. Now "Fackham Hall" hopes to capitalize on this new wave of spoof movies, and while it wasn't as epically funny as the new "Naked Gun," it has its own charms and humor that made for a delightful viewing experience and demands second watch to catch all the jokes missed because you were laughing at othe...

Rental Family Starring Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman Directed by Hikari Sentimental movies toe the line between becoming something exploitative and forcing your tear ducts to flow, and offering a tender, raw, emotional film that'll have you naturally feeling some sort of way. When I saw the trailer for "Rental Family" I knew this would be one of those movies - would it force me to cry, or would it occur naturally? Fortunately, with Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser at the helm and acclaimed Japanese director Hikari, "Rental Family" was a tour-de-force film, small in scope but large in heart, showing the world a unique perspective into a country's strange practices that seem manipulative, but ultimately becomes cathartic.  Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser) is a washed-up actor living in Japan and doing commercials and small films, but struggles to find work. Needing money, he takes a job given to him by Shinji (Takehiro Hira...

Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution Starring Jun'ya Enoki, Shigeru Chiba, Yuma Uchida, Wataru Hatano Directed by Shouta Goshozono & Yosuke Takada 2025 has been a stellar year for anime shows on the big screen. "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" became one of the most profitable anime films of all time. "Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc" furthered the franchise. Now, "Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution" will further add to the franchise's longevity, opening the world for the upcoming third season. As someone who never got into anime, I have many friends that are, and they've introduced me to their beloved franchises through these movies. While I was fascinated and awe-inspired with "Demon Slayer's" animation and action sequences, and intrigued by "Chainsaw Man's" story, I found myself more perplexed with "Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution," even as one of my best friends whispered to me cliff notes during the movie. The animation was every par...

Zootopia 2 Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster Directed by Jared Bush & Byron Howard In 2016, "Zootopia" became a surprise hit for Disney, an original movie that grossed over $1 billion dollars worldwide and earned the movie an Academy Award for Best Animated Film. The exploits of cop Judy Hopps and con artist Nick Wilde was endearing to audiences, with deep emotional subject matter that adults could relate to with lavish, wonderful animation that made children's eyeballs glued to the screen. It was what an animated film needed to be on every level, and a sequel was all but guaranteed. Then the years passed one after another, and it seemed that a second adventure was all but forgotten - until now, almost ten years later, with a return trip to Zootopia. Proving time has no detriment to pure talent, the sequel far exceeded even the highest expectations and shattered worldwide records, earning over $1 billion dollars in just a few shor...

  Jimmy and Stiggs Starring Joe Begos, Matt Mercer Directed by Joe Begos What I appreciate the most about the horror genre is how filmmakers are able to transform their most unique ideas into a film and it be accepted by the genre masses. My buddy has a movie idea where a turtle follows you and if it catches you, you die (like "It Follows"), and honestly that could be something that could be made with a relatively small budget. If you got money, talent, and a dream, you can make a horror movie happen - but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be good. Horror is a niche market, and some fringe movies do not appeal to the masses, but the small select few who find hidden gems like this to be undeniably great, which would normally leave general moviegoers leaving in disgust. While this isn't a perfect film, the heart, passion, and desire behind the scenes shows in every frame, utilizing the small budget to grand effect, and giving an undeniable quality that can't b...

Roofman Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelsohn, Peter Dinklage Directed by Derek Cianfrance Essentially there's stories that are deemed "too good to be true," or sometimes "too wild to be true" - and sometimes one story crosses both ideals. "Roofman" is one such movie, a story about a real person that both seems too good to be too and also too wild to be true, but it absolutely is. While the movie runs a bit long, it's cemented by Channing Tatum's effortless charm that allows you to enjoy the experience from start to finish, even if it's not something you'd probably ever re-visit.  In 2004, Jeffrey Mancester (Channing Tatum), a former US Army Reserve officer, has turned to crime to be able to buy things for his young daughter, but he does so in a charming way. He breaks into fast food restaurants through the roof and holds the workers at gunpoint, but does so in a way that endears him to his captives (even offering his c...

  Worst2First:  My Most Anticipated Films of Winter 2025-2026 December, January and February are the darkest months of the year, but the cinema will be glowing with fantastic offerings for everyone - anticipated horror sequels, big-budget spectacles, Oscar-worthy performances, and steamy romances will dominate the cinematic landscape in the chilly winter months, and here are the ten I'm most excited for. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS*** **DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE** #10 Wuthering Heights February 13 Emerald Fennell has proven herself an exceptional director, as her previous work "Saltburn" and "Promising Young Woman" (which earned her a Best Director Oscar nod) have proven. Now she tackles the iconic Emily Bronte tale "Wuthering Heights" and makes it her own, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi (fresh off his fantastic performance in "Frankenstein") as the ill-fated lovers Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff. Far from the proper poise of Bronte...

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Starring Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin Directed by Rian Johnson I think we can all agree that Rian Johnson is a masterclass writer and director of the "Knives Out" franchise (his work in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" might be more debatable), and "Wake Up Dead Man" is possibly his best work to date. He effortlessly spins the current narrative into a worthwhile murder mystery that, by all intents and purposes, seems impossible. Therein lies the mystery, and seeing it unravel is as captivating as it is awe-inspiring, seeing Daniel Craig return as the lovable, Southern detective Benoit Blanc is only icing on this tasty, multi-layered cake. Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) is sent to a small church upstate after getting into a fistfight with a deacon at his old church, as he keeps running from a dark past that led him to the cloth. This church is run with a vengeful hand by the Monsigno...

Worst2First:  My Top Ten Romantic Christmas Films Tis the season for love and romance, and Hollywood has no shortage of films to enjoy with that special someone. Be it straight up drama, romantic comedy, or even the offbeat love story, there's something for every couple this holiday season. Here are my personal top ten favorite romantic Christmas films. There will be no spoilers. #10   Surviving Christmas Proving you can find love no matter how big of a jerk you are, "Surviving Christmas" features Ben Affleck playing a wealthy, lonely advertising executive with no one to spend Christmas with, so he pays the family of his former childhood home to spend the holidays with them and do whatever he wants. When their daughter (played by Christina Applegate) arrives, she refuses to go along with the arrangement and finds Drew obnoxious, but as the holidays progress they find common ground and possibly even love. Streaming on Paramount+ #9 The Holiday In a little spin of  The Prin...