‘Meg’ makes a splash; ‘Post’ is powerful
You gotta hand it to the “The Meg.” The trailer proudly waves a campy flag with its Syfy Channelesque plot about a prehistoric Megalodon (aka a humongous shark) doubledog-daring Jason Statham as he defends an imperiled underwater station. Those with Shark Week hangover will certainly want to sink their bicuspids into it. It’s based on a fast-paced novel.
Other new releases: “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” is a shake you-upper starring Chloe Grace Moretz as a teen whisked off to a gay-conversion camp just after she’s caught making out with a girl at a prom. The Sundance Film Festival award winner stays lowkey but powerful, benefitting from a superb performance from Moretz and a nails-on-chalkboard one from Jennifer Ehle as the godawful head of God’s Promise.
“Slender Man” seeks to conjure the spirit of “Candyman” and “The Boogeyman,” as a girl goes missing and a spooky evil spirit from the woods (we think) wreaks all sorts of R-rated mayhem.
“Never Goin’ Back” finds two restless and rebellious waitresses (Maia Mitchell and Cami Morrone) surviving in Dallas and plotting ways to make money so they can have some fun and hit the beach.
“Dog Days,” which opened Wednesday, plays fetch with an L.A.-set narrative about the plight of dog owners and their relationships with canines and humans.
“Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood” is a gossipy eyebrow-raiser about hush-hush gay Hollywood relationships and the actor who knew all those secrets and later spilled them. It’s fascinating, but a tad too long.
“Nico, 1988” tuckers you out with a painfully realized performance from Trine Dyrholm as Christa Paffgen, aka Nico, the onetime Andy Warhol superstar and singer for the Velvet Underground. We watch as her life spirals way down a rabbit hole of drugs and despair. It’s the epitome of a tough watch.
“The Island” emphasizes the kooky as a sad sack who’s pining to win the lottery and to connect with a co-worker gets stuck on an island with his colleagues.