“The Meg 2: The Trench”

7.2

It’s a 2 hour ripoff of the JAWS trilogy, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t entertaining. Good to know the formula still works. Also of note, you can’t go wrong with Jason Statham doing a barrel roll on a jet ski before harpooning megs one by one. It’s badass factor far outweighs the lunacy of this narrative.

From the score to the shots composing this two hour behemoth… if you liked JAWS, you’ll like this. Don’t dig as deep as they dive. Turn your brain off, and watch the sharks and surprise guest creature wreak havoc before they meet their match.

“Talk to Me”

6.2

Meh…

The premise had promise, but the execution was excruciating. Not enough delving into the “further” rip-off to really flesh it out. Just enough to fuel the cheap jump scares. A24 is better than this. But alas, an occasional misfire on the horror front. Some good moments, but overall unfulfilling.

Bonus track – a sleeper KISS hit by the same name!

“Barbie”

7.5

Yes, I completed the “Barbemheimer” opening night double feature. It was a truly wild ride.

Like “Oppenheimer,” this film also surprised me. The pendulum swings both ways, and actually finds much more common ground than I anticipated during the first five minutes of the runtime. The opening act essentially spells out that women working together and living in peace, empowering each other is… a fantasy land? The message of this movie depends on how deeply you dive into the narrative.

First and foremost, it’s a brilliant marketing move by Mattel. For a movie that lectures in multiple points about the evils of capitalism… it’s a cog in the machine, man.

The story does a great job of showing how both sides can overcorrect in the face of adversity, leading to an unnecessary breakdown in society, when things become disingenuous and performative… and actually lands on a high note of everyone growing as characters and a fairly positive outlook towards the future that I did not see coming.

Stylistically, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The set design is amazing, as expected, and everything is over the top. As with “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie” is also perfectly cast, and that cast is firing on all cylinders.

“Oppenheimer”

8.9

In one word – haunting.

It was everything and nothing I expected at the same time. After listening to the source material, “American Prometheus,” (which I highly recommend) every second of this three hour runtime had an amplified impact for me. The message, the nuance, the attention to detail. All incredible.

The film is perfectly cast, and everyone turns in a career best performance. No matter how small the part, everyone brought their A-game.

The beauty contained in each frame was awe inspiring. Of course, I saw this in IMAX, on film. It’s a true blessing to have Celebration! Cinema in your backyard here in West Michigan. For this, and many other reasons. The place was packed, and I don’t think most were ready for what they were about to experience. Nolan at the height of his powers, and everyone glued to the edge of their seat.

Strap in, and enjoy the complex tale of brilliance, guilt, politics, and scientific discovery. They went a lot of places I didn’t expect them to, and ended on a much more powerful note than I anticipated. Well worth the hype!

“No Hard Feelings”

8.1

This was definitely one of those “I can’t believe they made this” movies. I will also say that I don’t think it works with anyone else as the leads. It’s perfectly cast.

The story, the music, the surprisingly touching love story… all culminated to leave me flabbergasted by the time the credits rolled. I honestly did not see this movie being this good. Funny? Sure. But actually substantive? No way. But, here we are…

Definitely not a kid’s movie and probably not a great first date movie, but the couple I met in my showing thoroughly enjoyed it as a date night. Romantically raunchy… that’s what we’ll call it. And the piano accompaniment serenade of “Maneater” is *chef’s kiss*