Candyman

In present day, a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, Anthony and his partner move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini. A chance encounter with an old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to use these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence.

I am not sure how to feel about this movie yet.  Like it wasn't bad.  It wasn't trash like a lot of recent horror movies have been.  But it was alot more talking and psychological than the original was.  I'm not saying that I am all for gore and stuff but sometimes movies are better with more style and less substance if that makes sense.   And I definitely feel like Candyman falls into that.   Like comparing the two I definitely enjoyed the original alot more because it was less talking and more scares even if it was more of slasher movie.   It doesn't translate as well in this psychological context even though there were some creepy visuals.

I would kind of recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see and if you do see just be expected a very different version of Candyman with more talking and psychological thrills as opposed to the slasher gore that made the first one so good.

Respect

Following the rise of Aretha Franklin's career -- from a child singing in her father's church choir to her international superstardom -- it's the remarkable true story of the music icon's journey to find her voice.

This movie was you typical autobiographical music.  Covers a lot of time and a lot of material with the acting being top notch across the board.  That being said - this movie was definitely way too long.  And you feel it.  Not to say that the movie was bad but it definitely dragged alot.  There was also a lot of alluding to things or glossing over things that probably should have gotten more attention even though the movie was already too long.  

I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this movie out.  It is not a must see by any means but it is a decent watch if you have the time.  

The Night House

Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth (Rebecca Hall) is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. She tries as best she can to keep together-but then the dreams come. Disturbing visions of a presence in the house call to her, beckoning with a ghostly allure. But the harsh light of day washes away any proof of a haunting. Against the advice of her friends, she begins digging into his belongings, yearning for answers.

Was this movie a decent arthouse kind of psychological thriller?  Yes.  Was that what it was hyped to be.  Not really.  The trailer and ads for this definitely had it set up to be more of a fearfest than it was.  I hate when studios do that.  If you are not proud enough of your movie to market it right than don't make one.  Again - the movie wasn't awful.  It was a decent watch.  It managed to keep your attention enough but when you keep looking for something that was advertised its hard to enjoy the movie.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this.  It's not bad but its not great either.  Definitely not worth money at a theater and can wait until it shows up on cable or a streaming service.  

The Protege

Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody, Anna is the world's most skilled contract killer. However, when Moody is brutally killed, she vows revenge for the man who taught her everything she knows. As Anna becomes entangled with an enigmatic killer, their confrontation turns deadly, and the loose ends of a life spent killing weave themselves ever tighter.

This was a pretty decent story with pretty good fight/action scenes but really didn't bring much else to the table.  It's basically your textbook August action release.  Something to watch but absolutely not a must watch by any means.

I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out.   I definitely wouldn't bother rushing to a theater and paying for it though.   Not worth that at all.  

Reminiscence

A scientist discovers a way to relive your past and uses the technology to search for his long lost love. Whilst a private investigator uncovers a conspiracy while helping his clients recover lost memories.

This movie was a pretty good watch.  I wouldn't say a great watch but I would say a pretty good watch.   The premise was great.  The cast was great and the pacing of it was pretty good.  My only issue is that they didn't completely hook the audience enough.  Like they got your attention and then just ran with it.  If they would have put a little more effort into really grabbing the viewer this movie could have actually been much better.  I know its not much details but its hard to talk about this movie without giving away spoilers.

I would still recommend people checking this movie out because it is a pretty good watch.  Just honestly could have been great.  

Don't Breathe 2

A blind veteran must use his military training to save a young orphan from a group of thugs who break into his home.

Honestly didn't even have to see this movie to write the review of it.  It's garbage.  Total garbage.  It's the definition of filming garbage and slapping a 2 on it.  Was anyone wanting a sequel to Don't Breathe?  Absolutely not.  And its not even a sequel.  It's a side character from the first movie that they decided more background was needed on it.  And in no universe was it.  It's a 90 minute total waste of time.

No I would absolutely not recommend anyone bothering with this.  The only reason I even watched it is because it showed up online and even then I started doing other things while watching it after about 7 minutes or so.

Free Guy

A bank teller called Guy realises he is a background character in an open world video game called Free City that will soon go offline.

This was a very enjoyable movie.   They did a great job of taking you into that world while massively mocking it at the same time.   It was an original summer popcorn movie which really is beyond a rarity these days.  Ryan Reynolds was himself which is honestly some of the best delivery of lines I have ever seen and there were TONS of laughs - especially after Dude showed up.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this one out.  It was a very enjoyable watch that you can just go along on the ride for.  

Joe Bell

The story of an Oregonian father who pays tribute to his gay teenage son, Jadin, embarking on a self-reflective walk across America to speak to heartland citizens about the real and terrifying costs of bullying.

Another really enjoyable character drama.  It was very weird watching this and Stillwater a day apart because there were so many similarities.  Mark Wahlberg did as good of a job as Matt Damon in playing a father dealing with massive regrets about their parenting or lack of.   This one was a lot more emotional considering the subject matter and you could very much tell how this was based on a true story because it felt incredibly honest and true.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It was a very good and eye opening watch.

Stillwater

An American oil-rig roughneck travels to Marseille, France, to visit his estranged daughter, in prison for a murder she claims she didn't commit. Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences and a complicated legal system, he soon builds a new life for himself as he makes it his personal mission to exonerate her.

This was a very enjoyable character drama.   Matt Damon really transformed into this character and kept you incredibly hooked to his journey and hoping that he would accomplish his goals after several speed bumps along the way.  It was also an incredible statement about American culture compared to other countries.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It was a surprisingly enjoyable watch.

The Green Knight

King Arthur's headstrong nephew embarks on a daring quest to confront the Green Knight, a mysterious giant who appears at Camelot. Risking his head, he sets off on an epic adventure to prove himself before his family and court.

This movie was incredibly disappointing for two reasons that kind of go hand in hand.  One - it was very falsely advertised.  It was made to look like an exciting fantasy kind of movie and it very much was not.  Like nothing about this movie was exciting in any way.  It was incredibly slow paced and was honestly an artsy movie not meant for mainstream audiences at all.  Two - this is one of those movies that was made more to be appreciated or respected from a filmmaking standpoint not for entertainment value.  Like you know you are watching a well made movie but you are honestly not enjoying it too much.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering with this movie unless those well done but not so much entertaining movies are you cup of tea.

Suicide Squad

The government sends the most dangerous supervillains in the world -- Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Harley Quinn and others -- to the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Armed with high-tech weapons, they trek through the dangerous jungle on a search-and-destroy mission, with only Col. Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave.

This movie is a shining example of what a difference direction makes.  This movie was so much more enjoyable and better in every aspect than the Suicide Squad from a few years back.  The pacing, the character development, the bantering, the action and the costumes were all much, much better.  Even Harley Quinn was better in this one and honestly I enjoyed the swipe out of Idris Elba's character for Will Smith's even though I really did like Will Smith in the first one.   That was my biggest concern going in to this one and Elba was absolutely great and his character development was top notch.  I would easily say that this is DC Universe's best movie to date (because the ending of Wonder Woman annoyed me so much) and is definitely the most rewatchable of their movies right off the bat.  My only issue would be the need for the villain in DC movies to be so large and over the top continues in this one even though it probably fits more here than any of the other prior DC movies.  

I would definitely recommend people checking this out.  It is definitely a very hard R rated comic book movie with ALOT of graphic violence, nudity and language throughout so be warned for younger comic book movie fans.  But it is a very enjoyable watch.