Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like Jingle Bell Heist:
Play Dirty
Play Dirty is the latest in Prime Video’s conveyor belt of glossy but weightless action titles. You can feel the intentions are different this time, since Shane Black aims for a straighter crime caper rather than the snarky crackle of The Nice Guys or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. On paper, the package looks sturdy. Mark Wahlberg plays Parker, LaKeith Stanfield plays Grofield, and Rosa Salazar plays Zen, a trio of professional thieves drawn into a job that pits them against the New York mob and the president of Zen’s South American home country. In practice the movie is mostly table setting that never pays off.
The Pickup
I’ll admit I had more fun with The Pickup (2025) than I expected. Prime Video has been churning out a steady stream of C-tier action comedies, and most of them vanish from memory the moment the credits roll. I figured this would be another one of those forgettable titles, but to my surprise, it has just enough charm and comedic energy to make for a breezy, if uneven, watch.
The Thursday Murder Club
It’s difficult to figure out what The Thursday Murder Club (2025) is actually trying to be. On paper, the setup suggests a witty, modern spin on the classic whodunit—something in the vein of Clue, Knives Out, or an Agatha Christie mystery. In execution, though, it’s a surprisingly flat and meandering adaptation that never delivers the intrigue, tension, or even the breezy fun that the genre thrives on. Instead of feeling like an event film, Chris Columbus’ direction leaves it playing more like a disposable mid-week Netflix watch than the foundation of a new mystery franchise.
Ballerina
Considering the rocky production history behind it, Ballerina emerges as a competent entry in the John Wick universe—though one that never quite matches the highs of the mainline films. At its center, Ana de Armas delivers a strong performance as Eve, bringing physicality and grit to a role that demands both, while the action—particularly in the second half—benefits greatly from the influence of Chad Stahelski, who stepped in alongside Keanu Reeves to help reshape much of the film after original director Len Wiseman’s version assumingly faltered.
Another Simple Favor
Another Simple Favor isn’t just a misfire—it’s a symptom of the growing problem with streaming-era content. What once felt like an opportunity to tell smaller, riskier stories has increasingly become a dumping ground for shallow IP extensions that lack any creative spark. This is not a thriller. It’s not even really a movie. It’s plain, dull, and disposable “content.”
Zola
Zola is an A24 film that fully embraces the chaotic, anything-goes energy of its source material—a viral Twitter thread detailing a Florida road trip gone terribly wrong. Directed by Janicza Bravo, the film blends Scorsese-like brashness with Sean Baker-style realism, offering a flashy, unfiltered look at the underground world of sex work. At times, it’s as glamorous as it is grimy, a fever dream that refuses to look away from its characters’ choices, even when things spiral out of control.
Trap
There is some fun to be had with M. Night Shyamalan‘s Trap, but it’s hard to tell how intentionally awkward and cheeky much of the script is. Josh Hartnett is the quirky glue that kinda holds it together, but the plot unfolds in a clunky fashion and morphs into something completely different in the third act. A middling Shyamalan movie.
Juror #2
Warner Bros. initially sidelined Clint Eastwood‘s courtroom drama Juror #2. Despite critical acclaim for the 94-year-old director’s latest work, the studio only pursued an awards campaign after the film gained praise. The movie had a limited theatrical release by Warner Bros., a decision that was widely criticized. After watching Juror #2, I share the frustration of those who missed the chance to experience this procedural drama on the big screen.
The Instigators
The Instigators features an occasionally entertaining set piece and an ensemble cast of industry mainstays (headlined by Matt Damon and Casey Affleck), but this Apple TV+ streamer has all the common tropes and vibes of streaming content, best enjoyed passively and without thinking critically.
The Last Stop in Yuma County
Francis Galluppi’s The Last Stop in Yuma County probably won’t reinvent the wheel, but hopefully it’s a sign that we’ve found a new director that’ll do his best to keep slick, low-budget genre exercises alive. These down-the-middle genre movies (excluding horror) are hard to come by nowadays.
READ MORE: Jingle Bell Heist (2025)
