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Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week.

Aftermath (Netflix)
Starring: Ashley Greene and Shawn Ashmore
Synopsis: This one centers on a couple (Greene and Ashmore) who are going through a rough patch. She had an affair, he's distant and the solution they settle on is buying a house where a murder took place. As you might guess, it's not smooth sailing. This is a weird premise and a weird film. It also takes a turn at the end that feels like a creepier and more unsettling version of Parasite. That aside, there's not a lot I enjoyed about this film. It can be safely skipped.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: One star out of four

All My Life (HBO Max)
Starring: Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum, Jr.
Synopsis: This one is based on a true story, chronicling the love affair between Jenn Carter (Rothe) and Solomon Chau (Shum, Jr.). They meet and fall in love. He crafts a dynamic proposal and they're set to get married and begin life together when he gets a cancer diagnosis. If you're familiar with the true story or have any sense of where films like this are going, you know how it is going to end. Rothe gives a good performance and Shum is fine, too. The story is OK and the production is a bit flat, but it's brisk in arriving where you know it's heading. It's OK and a nice tribute to the real life couple.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for brief language.
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Annette (Amazon Prime)
Starring: Adam Drive and Marion Cotillard
Synopsis: This is an incredibly creative film that releases on Amazon Prime on Friday, August 20. It's also an incredibly uneven film. It comes from director Leos Carax and based on a script from Ron and Russell Mael, the Sparks Brothers. It's a musical that tells a tale of a comedian (Driver) and an opera star (Cotillard) who fall in love. This is an interesting film. I LOVED the opening of the film and the first number, in fact the whole first hour is solid and engrossing. But there is a twist in the middle that will define how you feel about the film. For me, it didn't quite work and the rest of the movie became a strange experience. So, I have mixed feelings. I loved it at times and was confused at times. Driver and Cotillard are great, with Driver in particular delivering a striking performance. It's worth checking out but the twist will likely determine how you ultimately feel about the film.
Rating: Rated R for sexual content including some nudity, and for language.
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Beckett (Netflix)
Starring: John David Washington, Alicia Vikander, Boyd Holbrook, and Vicky Krieps
Synopsis: This new thriller comes from director Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, focusing on a couple (Washington and Vikander) on holiday in Greece. After an accident while driving on a rural road, Beckett (Washington) finds himself caught up in a political scheme with men hunting him. He soon has to go on the run, unsure of who to trust, in an effort to clear his name. Washington is a good actor and he carries much of the narrative here. Vikander, Holbrook and Krieps do well in their supporting roles as they come-and-go, but overall the story plays out a bit dry. It's fine and at times interesting but it fails to rise to the level of compelling despite the cast and the potential of the premise.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Free Guy (Theaters)
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery, and Taika Waititi
Synopsis: This was probably the last great blockbuster of the summer season, a fun action-comedy featuring Reynolds as Guy, a character in a game who encounters a mysterious player (Comer) and has his world change. This one has a good blend of action and comedy, it also had some good visuals. Director Shawn Levy does a nice job pacing the film and putting it together. I thought Comer was delightful in the role and I enjoyed seeing Keery in something fun outside of Stranger Things. This was a fun ride and a film that I enjoyed more than I expected.
Rating: Rated PG-13 for strong fantasy violence throughout, language and crude/suggestive references.
Verdict: Three stars out of four

Habit (On Demand August 20)
Starring: Bella Thorne, Libby Mintz, Gavin Rossdale, and Paris Jackson
Synopsis: This new film from Lionsgate releases on Demand on Friday, August 20. It's not good. It focuses on a group of girls who are struggling for money, turn to drugs, lose the drugs then try to avoid being murdered. One of them, Mads (Thorne), also has a strange affinity for Jesus. This is the worst film I've seen so far this year and one of the worst films I've seen in a long time. It's a weird, gross and incredibly blasphemous train wreck. It's best to skip this one. The dialogue, story and performances are all horrific.
Rating: Rated R for strong drug content, pervasive language, sexual content, some bloody violence, and brief nudity.
Verdict: Zero stars out of four

The Last Mercenary (Netflix)
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme
Synopsis: This French action-comedy centers on a mercenary (Van Damme) who is called out of hiding and back into action to protect his son. Hilarity and mis-adventures ensue. Much of the film is in French, but Netflix also offers a dubbed version if you prefer. Van Damme is a decent action star with some comedy chops, and I hoped this film might capitalize on that, but it didn't work for me. It felt weird and mostly boring. It's a miss.
Rating: TV-MA
Verdict: One star out of four

The Last Thing Mary Saw (VOD)
Starring: Stefanie Scott, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Rory Culkin
Synopsis: Writer/director Edoardo Vitaletti sets his tale in 1843 in New York, focusing on an uber-religious sect. Mary (Scott) is in love with her family's servant (Fuhrman), which leads to much consternation from her family. They try various methods to correct the girls, bring them back to the Lord and move on, but something darker may be at play here. This one has a good period look and feel, and I enjoyed the performances. The story is a little strange and I had a some issues with the final act. Still the set up and production here works decently well. This one debuted Sunday at a film festival and is moving to on demand. Vitaletti has a nice cinematic eye and I'm looking forward to seeing something from him with a bit more of a complete story.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Queen of the Beach (VOD)
Synopsis: This documentary film from Christopher McDonell, also known as Cleetche, centers on a young girl named Shilpa who is carving out a living hawking wares on the beach in a resort town in India. McDonell stumbled upon her during a vacation and was inspired to make a film about her life. She was just 9-years-old at the time. But that wouldn't be the end of their journey. Over the course of eight years and four visits, McDonell not only captured Shilpa's story, but made a life-long friend and helped her to better her life and achieve her dream of getting an education. This is a beautiful and inspiring story, one that is now available on VOD. If you appreciate documentaries and want to learn more about a tenacious girl that refused to give up, be sure to check this out.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Three stars out of four

The Resort (Hulu)
Starring: Bianca Haase, Brock O'Hurn, and Michelle Randolph
Synopsis: This one centers on some young people who decided to visit an abandoned resort on an abandoned Hawaiian Island which is said to be haunted. And people died there. But these four think they'll be fine and it will make for good material on the 'Gram. Anyway, they aren't fine and it doesn't make for good material. Instead, they mostly end up dying horribly. I felt for them, and actually felt like them watching this sad attempt at a film that has poor performances, poor production values and too many cliches. This one is terrible.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Zero stars out of four

Silk Road (Hulu)
Starring: Jason Clarke, Nick Robinson, Alexandra Shipp, and Katie Aselton
Synopsis: This one is a based on a true story about Silk Road, a website created by Ross Ulbricht (Robinson) that took drug sales into the 21st Century. It also follows a DEA Agent (Clarke) who is old school but trying to crack one last case and gets on to Ulbricht's trail. This one chronicles the story of the two and the real life events. It is a decent drama that has decent performances. I didn't think it was incredible but I enjoyed the story and thought it shed some light on a story I knew little about.
Rating: Rated R for pervasive language, and drug content.
Verdict: Two stars out of four

Spontaneous (Amazon Prime/Hulu)
Starring: Katherine Langford and Charlie Plummer
Synopsis: This horror comedy focuses on a group of small-town high school seniors who are facing some challenges. The main challenge is, at random, members of the class explode. It freaks out the seniors and their families, leading the government to try and get to the bottom of things before its too late. In the midst of this two loners, Mara (Langford) and Dylan (Plummer), fall in love. But can it last? This one has a good cast and a creative story. It's over-the-top gory at times, but there is also a lot of heart. In fact, the third act was surprisingly emotional and got me right in the feels. Writer/director Brian Duffield does a nice job telling this story, and I really loved Langford in the lead role. She was incredibly powerful in 13 Reasons Why on Netflix, and I hope she gets more roles. This one caught me by surprise, but it was a lot of fun.
Rating: Rated R for teen drug and alcohol use, language and bloody images throughout.
Verdict: Three stars out of four

Together Together (Hulu)
Starring: Ed Helms and Patti Harrison
Synopsis: This one from writer/director Nikole Beckwith focuses on a pair of lonely souls who come together in the most unique way. Matt (Helms) is single in his 40s, having created a popular App that set him up financially. Anna (Harrison) is a 20-something who is aimless and looking for direction. When Matt hires Anna as his surrogate, it ends up changing both their lives profoundly. I enjoyed the performances from Helms and Harrison here quite a bit and the story was interesting. But I felt like it ended in a spot where I wanted a bit more resolution. I liked the dialogue and pacing from Beckwith, and I think this one was interesting, just didn't quite nail the ending for me.
Rating: Rated R for some sexual references and language.
Verdict: Two stars out of four

When I'm A Moth (VOD on August 27)
Starring: Addison Timlin and TJ Kayama
Synopsis: This is a different kind of film. It comes from directors Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak, based on a script from Cotler. It's a parable or possibly an "un-biopic" of Hillary Rodham set in 1969 Alaska. We meet Hilary (Timlin), an affluent young woman with big dreams who is spending the summer working with the common man in a fishery in Alaska. There she meets a man (Kayama) and has a fling. It's supposed to fill in the unexplored year in Hilary's biopic, but it's vague enough to not assert itself as factual. Timlin is interesting in the role, and some of the dialogue, while pretentious, is also interesting. And yet, this was just a strange watch and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to take from it. I liked the look, and it moved at a good pace, but it was very strange. It releases on streaming August 27.
Rating: NA
Verdict: Two stars out of four