I know I say this every time I do one of these lists but wow time flew! We are already in August, a month that some people kind of consider a “graveyard” for film releases, this time around there’s a lot of promise here. It’s a nice mix of some neat big and small titles that I’m pretty excited for and hopefully you are as well!
16. Eden – August 22nd (Theaters)
15. The Bad Guys 2 – August 1st (Theaters)
14. Hell House LLC: Lineage – August 20th (Theaters)
13. Eenie Meanie – August 22nd (Hulu)
12. Strange Harvest – August 8th (Theaters)
11. Lurker – August 22nd (Theaters)
10. The Naked Gun – August 1st (Theaters)
9. Splitsville – August 22nd (Limited Theaters) and September 5th (Wide Theaters)
8. East Of Wall – August 15th (Theaters)
7. Nobody 2 – August 15th (Theaters)
6. The Toxic Avenger – August 29th (Theaters)
5. Americana – August 15th (Theaters)
4. Honey Don’t – August 22nd (Theaters)
3. Highest 2 Lowest – August 22nd (Theaters) and September 5th (Apple TV+)
U.S. President Will Derringer and British Prime Minister Sam Clarke have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry. However, when Air Force One gets shot down over enemy territory, they find themselves on the run and working together to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world.
Heads Of State is directed by Ilya Naishuller director of Hardcore Henry (2015) and Nobody (2021).
Heads Of State is not as bad as you would think, that’s mainly due to the fun cast, the direction from Naishuller, some decently timed comedic scenes and even some fun action scenes. The movie unfortunately does fall apart due to the story not really being that investing and a bit formulaic, having that said there’s a lot to like here.
The performances are fun especially Idris Elba and John Cena who both play the buddy cop duo very well, they play off of each other and have fun little banters that keep the movie going at this solid pace. The two’s back and forth are great with fun dialogue that does end up giving the viewer a decent amount to laugh at, it helps that Cena and Elba have the charm to make it work.
The action scenes and the camerawork are actually decently effective here, you get some genuinely great shots during the action filled moments. This does not come to much of a surprise due to Naishuller who’s worked on two incredibly well shot and beautifully done films that ooze with the action film atmosphere, Heads Of State has some of the DNA from Hardcore Henry (2015) and Nobody (2021) although on a much lesser scale (which is not a surprise given that this went straight to streaming.) the film’s action scenes are not anywhere near as good as the previously mentioned films but Naishuller is clearly having a lot of fun and does everything he can with these scenes. For the most part it ends up being effective, taking whatever he can to make a straight to streaming action film work. From what’s presented here and considering what he had to work with, he does a pretty solid job here.
The main flaw with Heads Of State is mainly the writing, while it’s certainly not terrible. It’s not that investing and does land in the formulaic territory, the movie does admittedly get weaker as it goes on mainly due to its nearly 2 hour run time combined with the slow pacing (Cena and Elba can only do so much when it comes to moving the film along.)
With that said, Heads Of State is not a bad movie, it’s one that misses some marks but is a fun enough time that will satisfy most action movie fans.
Heads Of State is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Forensic accountant Christian Wolff teams up with his estranged but highly lethal brother to track down mysterious assassins
The Accountant 2 is directed by Gavin O’Connor director of Comfortably Numb (1995), Tumbleweeds (1999), Miracle (2004), Pride and Glory (2008), Warrior (2011), Jane Got A Gun (2015), The Accountant (2016) and The Way Back (2020). The film serves as a sequel to The Accountant (2016).
The Accountant (2016) was a pretty solid action thriller that actually became a hit at the box office which is always nice to see a mid-budget film do well. A sequel was quickly announced as expected and well it definitely was not a bad attempt at a sequel, there really is not a whole lot to comment on here. Some people stand by The Accountant 2 being an improvement over the first film, while others stand by this one being weaker and I definitely think I fall into the latter.
What does remain the same is the strong acting, Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal are both fantastic here. The two blend in with the film taking a more comedic approach this time around which actually does lead into some surprisingly charming moments, Affleck and Bernthal just work so incredibly well together to the point where even if you are not really into what’s going on in the film. You can at least how well done their chemistry really is and how much they carry this film.
The film takes much more of a comedic approach this time around, yes there are thrilling and action filled moments but those are clearly not the main focus. You will get a focus on this people trafificking/conspiracy plot (which admittedly is really not that interesting) and then the film focuses on Affleck and Bernthal having a grand ole time at the bar, dancing and chatting about their lives. It’s a bizarre switch in tone but it mostly works due to the film’s ability to transition from scene to scene well.
The final act is your traditional action filled section which is admittedly pretty neat, it’s not anything groundbreaking but there is the excitement factor that’s present and the build up is quite solid as well. The main criticism here is the running time, it goes on for way too long especially with a lot of scenes where you can really feel they are dragging it out for the sake of doing so.
Overall there is not much else to be said here, The Accountant 2 is a sequel that while fun in it’s own way. Just sort of exists because of how well the first film did, I am admittedly interested to see how the third film will be done (at the time of writing this the third film has been confirmed.) Definitely not a terrible film but not one I will ever go back to.
The Accountant 2 is available on all VOD Platforms.
When her father’s puppet samurai show gets ambushed by a notorious gang, Tornado vows to seek vengeance and forge her own destiny by stealing their ill-gotten gold.
Tornado is directed by John Maclean director of Slow West (2015).
Tornado has this interesting idea going on here where it combines samurai and western films, even if the story being told here does not have the full emotional firepower it needs to. There is still a decent amount to appreciate here that does end up help the film ultimately stand on its own.
The performances are great, Kōki gives a solid performance as Tornado. She absolutely carries the film even when it’s in some rough patches, she balances the action moments along with the quiet moments where she is just bonding with her father very well. The writing may not give her a whole lot to go in depth with, but she’s able to turn certain scenes into decently exciting ones from just being quite talented.
The supporting cast is fine here, the best by far has to be Tim Roth who’s just really great at playing a villain. His character Sugarman might be a very generic villain but Roth as an actor helps elevate the role into something a bit more (I’m being generous when I say that), we really do not get a whole lot of information about Sugarman as a character from the script. So it’s really Roth’s acting that does a lot of the talking.
When it comes to the technical aspects Tornado is quite great. The cinematography from Robbie Ryan has this atmospheric feel that you immediately get from a lot of samurai and western films, the decision to shoot on 35mm gave this film a very gorgeous look that actually helps standout well. It’s a smart creative choice and combined with the locations of the film, we get to see how effective this decision really was and how it benefits it in the long run. We get to see how the filming compliments the woods, trails, fields and such in this beautiful and striking detail.
The script is what is mainly holding this one back from being great, the story is a very typical revenge story that you can almost immediately guess what is going to happen. There’s just not a whole lot going on here with the characters, while the film does give some genuinely great character moments such as Tornado bonding with her father Fujin by doing a puppet show for the children. There’s not nearly enough of these moments to really say that the film gives the viewer a lot of emotional depth for the characters.
Overall I do think Tornado is a decent film, visually it’s quite fantastic. When it comes to the writing it drops the ball but it’s not a complete misfire, there’s just not a whole lot going on here narratively and with some writing adjustments this could have been much better.
Andy leads immortal warriors against a powerful enemy threatening their group. They grapple with the resurfacing of a long-lost immortal, complicating their mission to safeguard humanity.
The Old Guard 2 is directed by Victoria Mahoney director of Yelling to the Sky (2011). The film serves as a sequel to The Old Guard (2020).
The Old Guard 2 is one of the most disappointing films of 2025 so far and there’s definitely an argument to be made that it’s THE most disappointing. The Old Guard (2020) was a really great film that was fun and quite engaging, it came out at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and was one of the films that still gets talked about often (I feel like a lot of the films that went to streaming or were going to be released on streaming anyway during that period of time are often forgotten.) that’s mainly thanks to the great cast, fun action and the excellent direction from Gina Prince-Bythewood. A sequel was greenlit in January 2021 which given how great the first film was I was interested to see what they would do next.
Half a decade later The Old Guard 2 releases….and it’s quite a trainwreck, everything that the first film did so well at is just not present here. Instead it’s replaced with terrible dialogue that is actually quite baffling, unfocused direction (Bythewood did not return) and the feel of a straight to DVD sequel is brought in rather than this strong and fun feel from the first movie.
Charlize Theron is the one thing the movie has going for it and even then she can only do so much. When the rest of the cast either gets very little to do or are flat out not great there is not much a single actor can work with. How this movie does not go far enough with a face off between Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman is quite unbelievable and one of the several questions that the viewer is bound to ask after watching. What’s frustrating is the great supporting cast from the first film are wasted here particularly Chiwetel Ejiofor, with very little to work with due to such a shoddy script.
There are some decent hand to hand combat moments, but the action is still heavily downgraded from the first film. It’s nowhere near as thrilling, exciting or has the cinematic feel of the first. It feels very cheap and way too many quick cuts that make it hard to make out what exactly is going on.
The mythology from the first film now feels convoluted and confusing throwing in a bunch of immortality transfers and even more immortals quickly makes the viewer wonder “what exactly am I watching?” The movie never bothers with any sort of explanation or even deep dive as to why there is so much going on it’s all just sloppily put together. It doesn’t help that the movie bounces from subplot to subplot which again is thanks to poor editing and writing.
Within the first 10 minutes you can feel Gina Prince-Bythewood’s direction is missing, it’s a shame because she really brought this focused and thrilling direction that helped the first film find an identity. The Old Guard 2 never finds an identity in fact it does not come close to finding one, Mahoney’s direction settles for a very cringe (I hate using that term but when you hear some of the lines from this movie you will be saying the same thing) inducing script that tries to playoff like it’s trying to be something cool when in reality it’s embarrassing.
The cherry on top in all this mess is the movie ends on a cliffhanger that will absolutely piss off even casual viewers, I really hope that the potential third film was shot back to back with this one because otherwise it’s such a baffling decision when it took five years just to get this one out the door.
Overall The Old Guard 2 is a disaster, it’s the equivalent of those terrible straight to DVD sequels that are quickly forgotten about. This movie will face the same fate while its predecessor will still be looked at in an even more positive light.
Well June lasted for five minutes now didn’t it? Jokes aside I have to say June was a pretty excellent month for film, it was quite consistent with some really strong releases! Let’s see if July can be just as good!
14. Ziam – July 9th (Netflix)
13. Push – July 11th (Shudder)
12. Finally Dawn – July 18th (Theaters)
11. Daniela Forever – July 11th (Theaters) and July 22nd (VOD)
10. Ick – July 24th (Theaters)
9. The Old Guard 2 – Out Now (Netflix)
8. Oh, Hi – July 25th (Theaters)
7. I Know What You Did Last Summer – July 18th (Theaters)
6. Fantastic Four: First Steps – July 25th (Theaters)
5. Cloud – July 18th and July 25th (limited theaters) August 1st (expands theaters)
Two years after M3GAN’s rampage, her creator, Gemma, resorts to resurrecting her infamous creation in order to take down Amelia, the military-grade weapon who was built by a defense contractor who stole M3GAN’s underlying tech.
M3GAN 2.0 is directed by Gerard Johnstone director of Housebound (2014) and M3GAN (2022). M3GAN 2.0 is a serves as a sequel to M3GAN (2022).
M3GAN 2.0 is one of those sequels where they go in a completely different direction genre wise, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just something you have to make sure you execute it well, where as the first film was a campy horror movie that I actually quite like (I am not as high on it as I was back when it first released but still a solid movie.) M3GAN 2.0 is an action sci-fi film that goes for this Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) type of feel, which although the movie mostly lands there are some glaring issues.
The performances are fine enough, with the exception of Jenna Davis who once again does a really great job as the voice of M3GAN. Plus Ivanna Sakhno does great as AMELIA although the lines she is given are a bit basic she makes them work quite well, the action scenes involving Sakhno work mainly due to AMELIA as a character actually being quite interesting and fun. M3GAN as a character gets some nice development here, there’s this light theme of redemption going on here which I do think is actually some of the movie’s best moments. There’s some decent dialogue between M3GAN and Gemma (played by Allison Williams), it’s not anything special but it is admittedly quite fun.
Allison Williams and Violet McGraw unfortunately aren’t as good here as they were in the previous film and I honestly can’t exactly pinpoint why, maybe it’s because their characters worked a lot better in a traditional horror film or they never really match up to the chaos the script is asking for. Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps are given a lot more to do this time around, it’s nice to see them more involved but this still does not push their characters in the interesting territory. They fill their roles fine enough but that’s really where it ends.
As I said before this movie goes for a completely different direction from the first movie, if you loved the horror and the tension from the first movie you are going to be incredibly disappointed with this one. Because the horror just isn’t here with the tension being nonexistent, instead we have an action sci-fi film that has very light horror elements. The action scenes are actually pretty fun, there is not anything super impressive here but the fun factor is there. It’s quite neat to see M3GAN and AMELIA fight and I do like the use of the environments while these action scenes are occurring. The choreography is also quite well done which also helps these action scenes stand on their legs.
The writing is a mixed bag, while there is some commentary about AI it’s very surface level. The character writing unfortunately really does not go anywhere (M3GAN is the only one who actually gets some real meat from the writing) and the jokes are the definition of a hit or miss type of situation. There’s some jokes that I found decently funny while others just make you roll your eyes, there’s a lot of ideas that are interesting such as the commentary on AI and the theme of redemption. But they are done in this very surface level way that you ultimately forget about by the end.
Finally there’s the pacing combined with the runtime, this is one of those cases where you can really feel that the movie is dragging out and unfortunately it ends up costing the movie, which is a shame because I do think for the most part it’s a fun little ride.
Despite my problems with M3GAN 2.0 I do not think it’s necessarily a terrible movie, there’s a lot of fun to be had here and I do think M3GAN is a fun character. This is just a sequel that is a step down from the previous movie and not something that I think I will ever revisit, if you like action sci-fi movies you may like this one.
Trained in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma, Eve Macarro takes on an army of killers as she seeks revenge against those responsible for the death of her father.
Ballerina is directed by Len Wiseman director of Underworld (2003), Underworld: Evolution (2006), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Total Recall (2012). Ballerina is the fifth installment in the John Wick franchise, the film takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).
The John Wick franchise has proven to be quite a strong series of films, you always know what you are going to get with these films and they always deliver. Ballerina does not really do anything new in terms of world building or character writing (outside of Eve Macarro of course) but the film still manages to bring the atmosphere, action and electrifying energy of the franchise.
Ana de Armas fits perfectly in the world of the franchise, there’s some scenes (mostly at the beginning) that heavily rely on her performance and due to her fitting so well and her ability to have this fury behind her eyes they work. She’s able to connect with Eve Macarro very quickly of course the action filled moments are fantastic which Armas did most of her own stunts, but the character moments are also quite well done. There is not anything groundbreaking going on here with the character moments, but they still have just enough power and this dark atmospheric energy that makes them interesting. Armas’s performance alone keeps these moments afloat and ends up fully connecting with the film’s universe.
The rest of the performances are great, although there is not a whole lot to the characters it’s still quite neat to see them involved. Keanu Reeves is of course great to see as John Wick and Norman Reedus is quite fun for the short amount of time he is in the film. The late Lance Reddick also makes his final appearance in the franchise which is admittedly very sad to see (even if it’s a very brief appearance.)
The action scenes combined with the cinematography are absolutely well done, as I said before Ana de Armas did mostly her own stunts which is quite impressive given the action scenes that are in this film. The film’s use of a flamethrower is both jaw dropping but also quite suspenseful as well, it adds to the action filled chaos of the third act which keeps up the momentum of what the other films of the franchise brought with their third acts. The fight choreography is just as great as well, it’s up close and you feel the impact and movement of the camera. It’s fast editing combined with the film’s typical brutal action makes for some quite exciting scenes that truly do deliver and never fail to keep the viewer entertained.
Finally there’s the writing, while there is not anything new going on here. That does not make the film bad, the first act is admittedly a bit on the rough side at times. However the film quickly picks up and becomes a very entertaining ride from beginning to end. The character writing for Eve Macarro is strong enough to keep the film going and the atmosphere is able to do a lot of the talking during certain moments.
If you are a fan of the John Wick series you will love Ballerina it’s an incredibly fun film that knows what it wants to be and accomplishes that quite well!
A Viking raider, a ninja in feudal Japan, and a World War II pilot encounter a fierce intergalactic hunter.
Predator: Killer Of Killers is directed by Dan Trachtenberg director of 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and Prey (2022). Predator: Killer Of Killers is the sixth film and the eighth installment of the Predator franchise.
After Prey (2022) was released with large amounts of praise, there was no doubt that there would be another Predator film, first they announced Predator: Badlands which releases later this year in November. Predator Killer Of Killers was a secret film that Trachtenberg was working on and the film further shows that Trachtenberg is doing truly creative and exciting things with the Predator franchise.
The first thing you will notice is how beautifully animated the film really is, I could go on for hours of how wonderfully done each and every scene really is. The amount of attention to detail helps build each and every scene, the characters are expressive and finally we have action scenes which in a lot of ways do have this Saturday morning cartoon feel but not in a bad way. The action scenes do such a great job of moving this film along at such a nice pace that compliments the atmosphere which manage to be dark, fun and tense at the same time.
The characters are simple yet effective, there is not any groundbreaking character writing here. But that ultimately does not hurt the film since the characters work just fine on their own. Ursa, Kenji and John J. Torres all get their own segment which ultimately leads up the final segment of the film. Their stories are admittedly a bit of the same in terms of what exactly happens (which is why I chose not to talk about each segment individually), with that being said it is simply very neat to see the predator travel through different periods of time and combine that with some really strong action scenes. Plus there are some genuine moments here where you do want to see the main three character’s loved ones survive.
The final segment is especially really strong, a giant colosseum battle that is so pleasing to watch. The buildup the film has been setting up pays off incredibly well and goes all out, it helps that we also got some pretty effective world building that I do hope we get to see in future films. There is a lot going on during this giant battle that is filled to the brim with fun character moments, the predators speaking in their native language and of course more beautifully done scenes thanks to the animation.
Overall Predator: Killer Of Killers is a lot of fun and one of the best installments of the franchise, it is filled to the brim with creativity even when some segments result in the same outcome that ultimately does not hurt the film as the film is beautifully made, written and executed.
Ensnared in a death trap, an unconventional team of antiheroes — Yelena Belova, Bucky Barnes, Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster and John Walker — embarks on a dangerous mission that forces them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts.
Thunderbolts is directed by Jake Schreier director of Robot & Frank (2012) and Paper Towns (2015). Thunderbolts is the 36th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
To say Thunderbolts is a breath of fresh air for the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be a huge understatement, a lot of the flaws to some of the more recent installments of the universe are not present here. Instead we get a lot of genuinely beautiful moments mixed with the film tackling some themes that might not exactly be groundbreaking in execution but the way the film goes about executing them is quite great. Combine that with some really strong acting, action scenes and engaging dialogue and you have yourself one of the best installments to the MCU in quite a while.
The performances are all fantastic across the board, everyone here gets a chance to shine even when some have very limited time on screening. Florence Pugh is one of the major standouts, she carries a lot of the dramatic weight of the film and puts so much passion and power into Yelena as a character. The character moments we get from her is quite beautiful and even heartbreaking at times, there are moments here that actually make the viewer tear up a bit, Pugh is a powerhouse actress as I’ve said in the past and here is no exception. She’s able to really build this whole different look to Yelena that are different from her past appearances while also complimenting them as well, Pugh is also able to have this wonderful balance between her dramatic moments and her comedic ones. The humor is actually quite hilarious here so Pugh is able to take advantage of it and work her magic, lastly the action scenes with Pugh are fantastic and always a treat to watch due to how committed she really is.
Lewis Pullman who plays Bob or Sentry/Void is the other major standout, he delivers this complex and sympathetic character who is constantly at war with himself. At first he may not seem like much but as the film goes on we see the character building in action which quickly pushes Pullman to one of the film’s best assets, this where the theme of mental health kicks in and it is very well integrated into Bob’s character arc. There’s one particular moment that is a highlights this incredibly well, Pullman just overall gives a fantastic performance that is truly beautifully done. Much like Pugh, he’s able to have this balance of dramatic and comedic moments. The timing is especially well done and his facial acting combined with his character clearly struggling gets the viewer more and more invested as it goes on.
Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour are all quite great, they all work incredibly well together. The banter between them is fun and the team chemistry is filled to the brim with charm, even if some get more bigger moments than others you still are invested in these characters. All of their personalities all blend together very nicely and have this genuine connection, it helps that the writing actually does help build these characters.
Speaking of which the script from Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo is truly fascinating here, not only is it a very fun time with humor that is genuinely fun. But there is a lot of dramatic moments that help push these characters, these moments help build them into something the viewer can connect with and there’s a lot of successful moments like these throughout the film. The theme of mental health although not exactly groundbreaking (as I said before) still feels like it’s coming from a place of honesty and shows what people can go through when they are at war with themselves (obviously in a more comic book way with giant voids but you get the point.)
The action scenes are incredibly well done, they are very well detailed the stunt team seriously knocks it out of the park here with quite honestly some of the best we have seen from the MCU. The cinematography from cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo is beautifully done, pays a lot of attention detail and has this large in scale feel that really captures the world of the film. It is the epic massive beast of a picture that is striking and lets the viewer look around at many given opportunities.
Overall Thunderbolts is a huge step in the right direction for the MCU, the film has a lot of the spirit of what made the Guardians Of The Galaxy films so great and even does it’s own thing as well. Even apart from the MCU (the film does not really have any easter eggs) the film is still fantastic and is just an overall excellent film that is both fun and filled to the brim with heart.
Jerome Reviews... 