The Meg franchise has been revived this summer for Meg 2: The Trench. The film follows Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) as he works with Jiuming Zhang (Wu Jing) at Juiming’s environmental foundation and also helps to raise his niece, Meiying (Sophia Cai). Together, along with a research team, they venture into Mariana’s Trench. Chaos ensues on multiple fronts as they encounter Megs and subterfuge from environmental naysayers, leading viewers on an action-packed ride.
Meg 2 is a nice mix of crowd-pleasing humor and action, lending itself as the perfect movie for a viewer hoping to duck into a movie theater to escape the summer’s heat to the disgruntled babysitter looking for an activity to keep the kids busy for the afternoon. Initially slow to kick off, the second half of The Meg 2 more than compensates for this with a whirlwind series of battles between Statham, Jing, their teammates, and the elements surrounding them that will have the rest of the moviegoer’s time flying by.
Viewers can look to DJ (played by Page Kennedy) to do most of the comedic lifting in the second half of the film. It is also advised to see the first movie in the Meg franchise, as there are several references to key plot points left over from the first film. Ultimately, Meg 2: The Trench is a movie best seen at home with friends and family, free to laugh not only with, but more importantly at the film, to your heart’s content.
After four long years, Marvel Studios has finally blessed us with a Black Panther sequel: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Having been released mere days ago, the film is already the highest grossing theatrical debut for the year and 13th highest opening weekend grossing film of all time. How do we suggest you see this top crossing film? On a Dolby screen, of course. And here’s why…
The Last Thing Mary Saw is an outstandingly haunting portrayal of a woman in 1843 New York who faces deadly (and supernatural) consequences for her affair with a maid. Stefanie Scott, who also stars in new Peacock series The Girl in the Woods, portrays Mary, who falls in love with Eleanor, played by Isabelle Fuhrman. Rory Culkin stars as a stranger who threatens to disrupt everything. Writer-director Edoardo Vitaletti was present at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival for the U.S. premiere. The film will be distributed by AMC+ and Shudder.
Family drama When I Consume You returned home to Brooklyn, where the film was shot, after premiering at Fantasia Film Festival earlier this year. Siblings Daphne (Libby Ewing) and Wilson Shaw (Evan Dumouchel) tackle their shared childhood traumas while warding off a demon stalker. Director Perry Blackshear told Variety that horror films are specifically designed to be watched in a dark theater: “It feels like when I watch a scary movie in the theater, it’s like going through a kind of timeless ritual where you die, you feel death,” Blackshear stated. “You get to undergo this intense pain and suffering and yet you survive, maybe stronger than when you began. This catharsis is my favorite part of the genre.”
Netflix’s Night Teeth was a crowd-pleaser with a sultry take on sexy vampires who secretly run L.A. We believe it! Debby Ryan and Lucy Fry play two BFFs who take driver Jorge Lendeborg Jr. on a very different type of ride. Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney have memorable cameos as queen vampires, while Alfie Allen and Alexander Ludwig round out the urban undead underworld. BHFF hosted the world premiere of Night Teeth, now streaming.
The Home Invasion shorts programs featured a slew of standout films, but two especially caught the attention of BFHH audiences: Still Together and Hazel. Christopher Piazza’s Still Together is at once horrifyingly claustrophobic as well as hilarious. A department store window designer falls in love with a Nordic warrior trapped inside a mannequin. The couple try to plan their escape, but will the other employees thwart their happily ever after? A funky score and a bloody kicker prove we are Still thinking about this off-beat take on horror.
Hazel, directed by Jordan Doig, is a memorable portrayal of postpartum depression. New mom Libby struggles to take care of her daughter, Hazel, especially when her husband Pat isn’t supportive. Libby’s downfall into psychosis has a sinister turn, and you have to watch to see how this short film ends. The horror genre is best when its uncovering the real horrific moments of reality, and Hazel does just that.
“French cinema has always been part of Anderson’s artistic heritage and the acclaimed auteur has picked some of his favorite French films to be screened for FI:AF audiences,” the site reads. “The series coincides with the highly anticipated release of Anderson’s star-studded film, ‘The French Dispatch.'”