JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc Starring Kikunosuke Toya, Reina Ueda, Fairouz Ai, Tomori Kusunoki Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara 2025 has been the year television anime has exploded into the big screen, with "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" breaking records worldwide (especially in its home country of Japan), and the arrival of the new "Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution" in December. Between the two there's "Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc" which did something comparable to "Demon Slayer" - get a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating and brought fans of the franchise and newcomers alike to the theater to appreciate the grandiose story on the big screen. Coming from someone of the latter, I didn't have a deep understanding of the show beforehand, but it didn't take long to catch on what was happening, and the beautiful visionary work I was beholding.  Denji (Kikunosuke Toya) is a sixteen-year-old orphan who was betrayed and left for dead, bu...

Shelby Oaks Starring Camille Sullivan, Sarah Durn, Brendan Sexton III, Robin Bartlett Directed by Chris Stuckmann Back in 1999, "The Blair Witch Project" transformed the cinematic landscape and brought the found footage subgenre to the forefront with its impressive viral marketing campaign that was unlike anything done before, and the film itself was a unique story told through supposed found footage of three missing hikers thought dead in real life. Since then, imitators and inspirations have produced countless copies, and one such film is "Shelby Oaks" that takes the found footage subgenre and superimposes it with a natural story that, for the majority of the short runtime, pays off - but the ending takes a steep dive off a high cliff. While investigating an abandoned prison in the small town of Shelby Oaks, Ohio, the cast of the YouTube ghost hunting show Paranormal Paranoids go missing, including their host Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn). Not long after, the bodies ...

Vicious Starring Dakota Fanning, Kathryn Hunter, Mary McCormack, Rachel Blanchard Directed by Bryan Bertino Horror movies are at their best when they tell a story dealing with real-life issues in horrifying ways. "Talk to Me" looks at dealing with the death of a parent. "Bring Her Back" about the grief of losing a daughter. "The Babadook" about how not to deal with grief. The list goes on, but sometimes there's horror movies that take real-life issues and turn them into caricatures, almost a side thought to a movie that is instead riddled with jump scares, nonsensical plots, and stupid decisions made by the protagonist. Such is with "Vicious," a film written and directed by "The Strangers" writer/director Bryan Bertino, who seemed to be of two minds: director Bertino throwing in scares to hide the thin script writer Bertino wrote. Polly (Dakota Fanning) is a directionless 30-something with no children, no husband, and no job. She is...

  Bone Lake Starring Maddie Hasson, Alex Roe, Marco Pigossi, Andra Nechita Directed by Mercedes Bryce Morgan The idea of staying at an Airbnb has taken flight over the last few years, but it's something I really have never entertained, probably because I'm of an age that feels like I couldn't trust such a place to not have hidden cameras or secret rooms everywhere. Or since there's different listings on different websites, there's the danger of double-booking, where more than one couple gets the same place at the same time. This happened in a sense in 2022's "Barbarian" (one of modern horror's best outings), and happens again in "Bone Lake" - but unlike "Barbarian," "Bone Lake" is riddled with tropes and stupid decisions that made it difficult to care for any of the characters, and the generic story is devoid of any true twists that could've made the conclusion more exciting. Sage (Maddie Hasson) and Diego (Marco P...

Good Fortune Starring Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Keke Palmer, Keanu Reeves Directed by Aziz Ansari Everyone knows the timeless classic "It's a Wonderful Life" where a man down on his luck decides to end it all, but an angel shows him what the world would be without him. He discovers the value of life and the angel earns his wings. It's a Christmas staple, and one that's uplifted viewers for decades. What if that story happened in 2025? "Good Fortune" attempts to answer that question with an updated version of the story for the modern times, and let's just say the results aren't necessarily the same. Arj (Aziz Ansari) is a down on his luck man, working various jobs for a Doordash-style company founded by Jeff (Seth Rogen) as well as working at a hardware store where he meets and crushes on Elena (Keke Palmer), a young visionary who wishes to unionize the company for better benefits. One of Arj's tasks is cleaning Jeff's garage, and he's ...

Black Phone 2 Starring Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Demian Bichir Directed by Scott Derrickson Back in 2022, "The Black Phone" came out and honestly, I wasn't impressed. I found the premise to be too simple - a boy gets kidnapped, and receives phone calls from the spirits of the boys the Grabber killed previously, with hints on how to make it out alive. Not only that, but his sister was psychic and had dreams of the very house he was in. It was the world's simplest escape room with every hint available, and I berated the film for it. However, as the years have passed and I've re-watched it a few times, I've grown to appreciate the film for what it is, including the performances and effects, and I would bump my original C+ rating to an A- now. All that to say I was also nervous for "Black Phone 2," because it seemed the first was a one-and-done, where all loose ends were tied up, and I felt that this was just going to be a cash grab fo...

V/H/S/Halloween Starring David Haydn, Anna KcMelvie, Adam James Johnson, Eddie MacKenzie Directed by Bryan M. Ferguson, Anna Zlokovic, Paco Plaza, Casper Kelly, Alex Ross Perry, Micheline Pitt-Norman & R.H. Norman For us horror fans, Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year. A time to dress up, get candy, go to parties, attend haunted houses, and binge our eyes on all the horror movies we can feast on. In that sense the "V/H/S/" franchise has finally given us a series of short films that take place around October 31st - just in the for Halloween - and the result is one of the best in the long-running franchise. While not every short slaps, there's not a bad one in this bunch, and will have you giddy with excitement to celebrate the Halloween season. As with every "V/H/S/" entry, there's a wraparound story, and that's director Bryan M. Ferguson's "Diet Phantasma," which is a story about a company that plans on launching their new...

Tron: Ares Starring Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith Directed by Joachim Ronning Throughout cinematic history there's been sequels that no one's asked for. While some have turned out to be spectacular, most others proved the point made earlier - a sequel that didn't need to be made. "Tron: Ares" falls under that category, a film released fifteen years after "Tron: Legacy" (which, oddly enough, was another sequel no one asked for) and over forty years after the original (which, despite having its rabid fanbase, was never a huge hit to begin with). The writing was on the wall from the planning stages, but only exasperated itself when Jared Leto - a social pariah with numerous sexual assault allegations against him - was cast in the leading role. To no one's surprise, "Ares" fumbled at the box office, but is it as bad as people say? In a futuristic world, Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the CEO of Dillinger Systems, plans...

The Smashing Machine Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten Directed by Benny Safdie Biopics are a dime a dozen nowadays, with everyone seemingly getting their own superstar treatment on the big screen. From musical artists to actors to sports legends, there's no shortage of biopics to be seen, and most of them have the same generic flair: childhood upbringing, desire to achieve something more, finding that fame, dealing with their newfound fame and inner demons, surrendering to a spiraling downward trajectory, finding redemption and righting the ship around. It's so generic it's nauseating for the most part, with only a few remaining unscathed due to the actors, script, or approach to the material. "The Smashing Machine" is one such film, a wonderful pseudo-biopic that does have some of the cliches but generally stays away from them in favor of a more grounded approach, with a lead actor who is almost unrecognizable in the best ways possible...

One Battle After Another Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson When he was in film school, Paul Thomas Anderson was told by a professor that they should leave if they wanted to make a movie like "Terminator 2." Anderson thought the movie was cool, so he up and left film school - and the result is nothing short of extraordinary. Instead of terminating sequels, Anderson has brought us iconic gems like "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia," "The Master" and "There Will Be Blood" - movies that take deep dives into the human psyche and what makes society tick. "One Battle After Another" continues Anderson's impeccable legacy, giving a (lengthy, to be sure) story that is as timeless as it is impactful in today's society told through the lens of Oscar-worthy performances with breathtaking visuals, camera work, and sound and music design. Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) ...

Good Boy Starring Indy, Shane Jensen, Arielle Friedman, Larry Fessenden Directed by Ben Leonberg SPOILER ALERT: The dog does not die.  Anyone who's ever owned an animal has had those moments - where your dog or cat will stare at an empty space, or bark or meow at nothing in particular. You don't know what they're seeing, but ultimately their goal is to protect their owner at any cost - by things both seen and unseen (at least when it comes to dogs, cats honestly don't GAF). That's why dog is man's best friend, because they look out for them, and protect them even at the cost of their own lives. The horror genre gets a bad rap sometimes due to its repetitive nature (such as the numerous sequels of "Friday the 13th," "Halloween," etc.) but they also put forth some of the most refreshing, original ideas as well. Recent years saw movies that centered on our biggest childhood fears ("Skinamarink"), what happens when unwitting people get ...

The Home Starring Pete Davidson, John Glover, Bruce Altman, Ethan Phillips Directed by James DeMonaco There's a moment in this movie where Pete Davidson's Max yells out "what is going on?" and I have to say I agree with that question. "The Home" had a lot of potential - the mystery was intriguing, the setting was unsettling, and the cast - some of them anyway - really did well with their performances. However, once the reveal is...revealed...it turns into a head scratcher if I've ever seen one. It seemed like co-writers James DeMonaco and Adam Cantor wanted to act smarter than they are, providing a "unique" twist that'd blow audiences' minds - but instead it blew our 95 minutes we'll never get back. Max (Pete Davidson) is a thug who is acting out still years after his older brother's suicide, and has never gotten over it. He's arrested for vandalism and instead of prison time he's given community service at a local old f...

Hell of a Summer Starring Fred Hechinger, Abby Quinn, Billy Bryk, Finn Wolfhard Directed by Billy Bryk & Finn Wolfhard The summer camp slasher subgenre has existed for a long time, most notably Jason Voorhees and the "Friday the 13th" series, but there's countless other imitators and the like including "Sleepaway Camp," "The Burning," "Bloody Murder" and this year's "Marshmallow," where a group of counselors or kids get stalked by a masked killer. "Hell of a Summer" is among those movies, and doesn't deviate from its intended purpose - which is fine, considering its the directorial debut for both Billy Bryk and "Stranger Things" star Finn Wolfhard, and they prove themselves capable of handling a movie of this caliber that only shows they have room to grow and adapt as directors themselves. 24-year-old Jason Hochberg (Fred Hechinger) is excited to once again serve as head counselor at Camp Pineway, des...

Eleanor the Great Starring June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rita Zohar Directed by Scarlett Johansson June Squibb is a national treasure in all the best ways. She's been acting for decades and has been relegated to supporting roles which, thankfully, landed her an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress in "Nebraska." Still, she never received her full due as an actress until 2024's "Thelma," which finally saw her taking center stage as an elderly woman not ready to give up on life and embrace an adventure like her hero, Tom Cruise. Now, she gets to shine yet again in Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut "Eleanor the Great," a poignant movie about grief and loneliness that is also muddied by its story, but once again Squibb comes out flawless.  94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein (June Squibb) lives in Florida with her best friend Bessie Stern (Rita Zohar), and the two crotchety old women spend their days together making fun of other p...

The Strangers: Chapter 2 Starring Madelaine Petsch, Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath, Rachel Shenton Directed by Renny Harlan In 2008's "The Strangers," a young couple finds themselves under attack from three masked intruders who only chose them because "they were home." The movie was viscerally terrifying due to its premise, lack of music, and scares that felt natural. The sequel wasn't as great but still had some decent moments, and then director Renny Harlan decided to reboot the franchise by making a three-chapter movie centering on Maya, a survivor of the Strangers who endures their stalking. Chapter 1 came out last year and is essentially the Temu version of the original, a nearly shot-for-shot remake with two less-capable actors and jump scares that aren't earned, but groaned. There wasn't much hope for the second chapter, and to that end the movie delivered - it was a snoozefest, a boring meddling middle child movie that doesn't advance the sto...

Hot Milk Starring Emma Mackey, Vicky Krieps, Fiona Shaw, Vincent Perez Directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz There's been movies I've seen that I don't understand, but it's because it's so richly written and performed it was something marvelous to see. Other times there's movies I don't understand because its so convoluted and boring it couldn't keep my attention for more than twenty seconds. Sadly, "Hot Milk" is the latter. I watched it with my own two eyes, I saw scenes happening, heard characters talking but it was so boring it was almost wiped from my memory as the next scene began. Sofia (Emma Mackey) is a wayward woman working on her Master's but is forced to take care of her ailing mother Rose (Fiona Shaw) who's been confined to a wheelchair for twenty years, suffering from an ailment no doctor can decipher. So they travel to Spain to see Dr. Gomez (Vincent Perez), a man who might have what could cure Rose, or could be a charlatan. Sofi...