Movie reviews of Jeremy Lebens

Nia DaCosta's Candyman (2021) is meticulously shot, with each frame feeling like an elaborate attempt to make you squirm in your seat and ultimately feel uncomfortable as her retelling of the classic character feels updated and modern, yet true to its folktale roots. This version of Candyman is surely going to give you nightmares and have you leaving the theater with more on your mind than most mainstream horror flicks.

Clay Tarver's Vacation Friends is another comedic standout for wrestler-turned-actor John Cena, capitalizing on his ability for R-rated over-the-top comedy and his chemistry with co-stars Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji and Meredith Hagner. Think Blockers meets Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates only with more cocaine.

Lisa Joy's Reminiscence is a promising full-length feature debut, grappling with time in the form of an addiction that will destroy you if you let it. Hugh Jackman is leading man material in this rainy noire set in a post-apocalyptic future. Reminiscence isn't perfect, but it's a daring first stab at the silver screen for Lisa Joy.

Martin Campbell's The Protege is a by-the-numbers action flick, featuring cliche revenge movie motives, wrapped in a bloody R-rated skin. Maggie Q and Micheal Keaton share decent enough on-screen chemistry, while Samuel L. Jackson collects a paycheck. The Protege has more in common with Taken than John Wick.

Rodo Sayagues' Don't Breathe 2 is peculiar sequel, attempting to flip the script on Stephen Lang's Blind Man, only to end up in a similar spot. Don't Breathe 2 is a bloody and battered revenge flick that's mean-spirited and nasty from start-to-finish.

I don't normally like describing movies as cute and harmless, but Free Guy was very cute and harmless in the sense that it's full of likable characters facing familiar challenges. Think The LEGO Movie meets Ready Player One, only less memorable as you'll likely forget all about it come tomorrow morning.

Wild, gory and loads of inappropriate fun, James Gunn has managed to make one of the best DC movies to date with The Suicide Squad. This take on Task Force X is full of murder and mayhem, with Gunn delivering shock and awe around almost every corner.

Jaume Collet-Serra's Jungle Cruise is an absolute blast from start-to-finish. It's directed with a creative burst of energy that makes the entire film feel like a ride that's fun for all ages, but never insults or doubts your intelligence. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are the perfect pairing of beauty, brawn and comedy, landing each and every joke, making the entire experience a treat that isn't to be missed this summer.

Old isn't director M. Night Shyamalan's sharpest or most twisted film to date, but with the right perspective, most should find enough to warrant a viewing as it's an interesting take on time and just how precious of a commodity it truly is.

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions reeks of sequel as it struggles to continue the narrative in a way that isn't setting up for yet another installment. The rooms are bigger and more inventive, but the plot is thinner and the characters aren't nearly as memorable.

Suspenseful and well performed, Till Death leverages a simple plot and one primary location to make for a thrilling slice of horror. Megan Fox has proven yet again that she has no problem leading a film with the needed dramatic weight.

Marvel does a fantastic job making Black Widow feel special, despite lacking any real urgency and landing about 10 years too late. They accomplish this by giving us fun interactions between solid characters played by great actors, including Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz.

No Sudden Move is familiar Soderbergh in the sense that it's a well-acted crime caper that's full of twists and turns, not to mention a stylistic vision that cannot be matched. Soderbergh has yet again proven that he knows how to make a genre film like no other.

Director Justin Lin returns to the Fast & Furious franchise for F9: The Fast Saga, which is familiar in plotting, but constantly upping itself in terms of pure cinematic insanity. This is hands down the most over-the-top installment yet, providing longtime fans with enough pure popcorn entertainment to bring them back for more. F9 rotates the tires and realigns the characters to make for grade-A escapism cinema.

Christopher MacBride's Flashback is a trippy deep into how we perceive time in order to make for a thrilling piece of uneven sci-fi. Think of it as the love child between The Butterfly Effect and Synchronic, but with less structure and more wild imagery.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It lacks the organic and skillful direction of James Wan, but director Michael Chaves makes a solid streamlined sequel installment that captures the scares and progresses the characters of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

Robert Connolly's The Dry is a seedy Outback thriller that unravels with steady build up and a satisfying climax. Eric Bana gives a fantastic performance, layered with guilt and nuance. The Dry is one of the better movies of this year that nobody is talking about.

A Quiet Place Part II is an improvement over the first film in the sense that it expands the mythos and gives the viewer more of just about everything. There's more backstory, more characters, more locations and more monsters creeping around in the background. Emily Blunt is joined by Cillian Murphy this time around, which makes for a unique dynamic and a big enough departure from the first film to warrant its existence.

Those Who Wish Me Dead is minor Taylor Sheridan work in the sense that he gets strong performances out of his more-than-capable cast, but the film is lessened because of an under-cooked script that never escapes from mediocrity. Even Angelina Jolie and Jon Bernthal can't elevate material meant for a middle grounds thriller.

Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead is about 30 minutes too long and 50 million dollars short of the perfect budget. Still, the talented visual director manages to stuff the film full of action and endless bouts with the undead that never seem to grow boring or stale in this heist hybrid/shoot-em-up action flick. I'd say Netflix hit jackpot with this one.

Darren Lynn Bousman's Spiral is without a doubt "same old Saw", but with a fresh coat of paint. Star Chris Rock elevates the material to levels the series has never reached before. The kills are gory, sick and inventive, which more than makes up for the lacking twist ending. If this is Lionsgate's attempt at rebooting the franchise, then by all means, please continue!

Timur Bekmambetov's Profile lacks the urgency needed to make this "shot on a laptop" thriller anything but repetitive and overdone. The editing forces the film to skip tension and character progression in favor of staying "true" to the presentation of the gimmick, which is far more effective in other films that Bekmambetov himself had a producing hand in.

Jason Statham delivers his most terrifying and brutal performance yet in Guy Ritchie's Wrath of Man, which is part heist movie and part revenge flick as Statham wages a one-man war on many with disturbing precision and ultra-violent clarity.

Nikole Beckwith's Together Together is a touching and emotional film that is anchored by undeniable chemistry between its two leads, Ed Helms and Patti Harrison. Together (together ha!), the two bring charm and sincerity to their organic on-screen relationship, which feels wasted and unfulfilled once the film reaches its abrupt ending.