JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale Starring Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter Directed by Simon Curtis In 2010, "Downton Abbey" premiered on PBS, and history was made. Centering on the Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era in the fictional Yorkshire country estate known as Downton Abbey, the series went on for six seasons and won 49 awards out of 197 nominations. This was followed up with two cinematic movies, "Downton Abbey" which earned over $194 million worldwide and "Downton Abbey: A New Era" which earned over $92 million worldwide. Now, the dynasty that is "Downton Abbey" ends with the appropriately-titled "The Grand Finale," and it's as lavish, lovely, and epic as you'd expect. After the Stock Market crash of 1930, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) and his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) face hardships as construction at Downton Abbey go above budget, where they consider selli...

Him Starring Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker Directed by Justin Tipping There are movies that are heightened by their use of visuals that go beyond the normal, that accentuate the story being told in riveting, mysterious ways. When done right, they're unforgettable - but when they merely exist to try to make a dull, uninspired, seemingly unfinished story "pop," it moreso resembles arriving at a fireworks show at the finale: beautiful to see, but hollow and forgettable afterward. 2025 has had two films like this: The Weeknd's glory project "Hurry Up Tomorrow" and now Justin Tipping's "Him," but at least unlike "Hurry Up Tomorrow," "Him" at least had decent performances that elevated it ever so slightly above the dreaded negative range. Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) is the best quarterback in the football league, playing for the San Antonio Saviors for years, and young Cam Cade (Austin Pulliam) worships h...

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Starring Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka Directed by Haruo Sotozaki When I was in college my roommate made me watch the entirety (at that time) of the "Dragonball" series, and while I appreciated the art style, I was annoyed in the fact that it took like twenty episodes for one fight to finish, because it would keep going from the fighting to some backstories that developed the characters more, but how it was structured felt disjointed to me. I haven't watched anime since, and many friends love anime, especially "Demon Slayer," so I accompanied one of my friends to see it, and I was blown away. Not knowing anything about "Demon Slayer" I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up, but it was done in a way where even if you never saw an episode, you knew the basics of what was happening. The evil Muzan Kibutuji returns to his dimensional stronghold, the Infinity Castle, and traps the Demon Sl...

The Rule of Jenny Pen Starring John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, George Henare, Ian Mune Directed by James Ashcroft The issue of aging is truly a terrifying one for anyone getting older, because we all long for a long, healthy life - but very few attain it. The majority end up in nursing homes, where their loved ones barely visit, and as their bodies and minds slowly deteriorate, they become more asylums than nursing homes. It's against this terrifying backdrop that we get "The Rule of Jenny Pen" - a movie that focuses on these fears while also serving the male equivalent of the classic "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) is a respected judge who suffers a stroke while passing a sentence in court, and is confined to a care home until he becomes mobile again. He's crotchety, has no friends or family, and is overall annoying to employees and fellow residents alike, especially his former rugby player roommate Tony Garfield (George Hen...

The History of Sound Starring Paul Mescal, Josh O'Connor, Chris Cooper, Molly Price Directed by Oliver Hermanus Music is something that's memorable and undeniably haunting - it reinforces memories and creates them as well, uplifting your spirit and leaving indelible prints in your mind. It's something that unites people and brings them closer together, and touches the soul. To celebrate it is like celebrating an element all its own, and forgetting it is something akin to losing that which you love most. "The History of Sound" looks at how music can bring two men of polar opposite ends of the spectrum together, and how it can ultimately change their fates. In 1917,  Lionel Worthing (Paul Mescal) is attending the New England Conservatory for music after growing up literally seeing music, a savant with a remarkable talent for music even though he grew up impoverished on a dilapidated farm. One night at a pub he hears a folk song that he heard when he was a child, and...

The Long Walk Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Mark Hamill Directed by Francis Lawrence There's a simple question going into a movie like this: how can it be entertaining? The movie is essentially about a group of young men who walk, and once they drop below a certain speed they're given three warnings before they're killed, and the last one left walking wins. It's not a cerebral story, it doesn't jump from location to location, and you know the outcome pretty much from the starting point. So how can it be entertaining? By having a who's who of the hottest up-and-coming young talent, a thought-provoking script, compelling dialogue, and a tonal balance that's relatively unheard of: hope in the midst of certain death. After a second American Civil War has ravaged the country, the regime's leader The Major (Mark Hamill) hosts a yearly competition known as The Long Walk where one boy from each state is selected for a seemingly easy competit...

Spinal Tap II: The End Continues Starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner Directed by Rob Reiner Forty years ago, "This is Spinal Tap" hit the cinemas with barely a whisper, making a little over $5,000,000 worldwide, but since then it's become a cult classic - so much so, some people actually thought Spinal Tap was an actual band and the mockumentary was actually a documentary. No one expected anything else to happen after that first movie, but now - forty years later and in the wake of legacy sequel-itis - we get "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues." While not as endearing as the original (and probably won't be as big of a cult classic), it does what it does so well that only those who remembered and loved the first will see it - and to the film's credit, they know it, and don't fall into the pitfalls of other legacy sequels by trying to set up another long-running franchise. These men are ancient, and they're more tha...