What to see this week

7 films to see on the week of August 10-August 16, 2018

The Meg

THE CREW of a deep-sea submersible is trapped under the deepest trench in the Pacific after an attack by a massive creature. Rescue diver Jonas Taylor is recruited to save the crew from the threat of the Megalodon, a historic 75-foot-long shark. The film — based on Steve Alten’s novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror — is directed by Jon Turteltaub, it stars Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Winston Chao, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, and Page Kennedy. “The movie is the kind of brainless summer blockbuster you have been hoping for. The action sequences are over-the-top but glorious in its execution, and the violence is wild, silly and most importantly, fun. Although we were hoping to see more blood, we also understand the need to reach out to a larger crowd to make more moolah,” writes GeeCulture’s John Li.
MTRCB Rating: PG

Down a Dark Hall

HOT HEADED Kit is sent to boarding school by her mother. There Kit meets the headmistress and the other students. While exploring the campus, Kit and her classmates come across a old secret. Directed by Rodrigo Cortés, it stars AnnaSophia Robb, Isabelle Fhurman, Kirsty Mitchell, Victoria Moroles, and Rosie Day. Movie Nation’s Roger More writes, “Down a Dark Hall gets one huge thing right that’s a common failing of most horror — pathos. It makes you care and makes you feel, even though what you’re watching is just a clever mash-up of ghost story tropes, a ‘genre picture’ in every sense of the word.”
MTRCB Rating: R-13

The Little Mermaid

AN ENCHANTING creature — believed to be a real mermaid — is discovered by a young reporter and his niece. Directed by Blake Harris and Chris Bouchard, the film stars William Moseley, Poppy Drayton, Shirley MacLaine, Armando Gutierrez, Loreto Peralta, and Gina Gershon.
MTRCB Rating: PG

Kuntilanak (The Chanting)

WITH THE goal of winning a reality show contest, a group of kids explore an abandoned house in search for the kuntilanak, a ghost based on Malay mythology. The creature begins to haunt them when it emerges from an old mirror. This Indonesian film is directed by Rizal Mantovani, and stars Sandrinna Michelle, Aurélie Moeremans, Fero Walandouw, and Nena Rosier.
MTRCB Rating: R-13

The Wife

AN EXPLORATION of a 40-year-marriage as the husband is about to receive a Nobel Prize. Directed by Bjorn Runge, it starts Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce. “[Glenn Close] is a marvel of twisty understatement here, delivering emotions that conceal as much as they reveal, and offering onion-like layers that invite repeat viewings in light of some of the film’s later revelations,” writes Variety’s Andrew Barker.
MTRCB Rating: R-13

Dito Lang Ako

NELIA WAITS for Delfin — whom she lost 40 years ago — outside a store in Timog, Quezon City every day, hoping that he would return. She refuses to forget their romance and recalls their story, which is set in Quezon City in the 1970s. Directed by Roderick P. Lindayag, it stars Michelle Vito, Jon Lucas, and Akihiro Blanco.
MTRCB Rating: G

Unfriended: The Dark Web

WHEN A young man finds a hidden cache of files in his new laptop, he and his friends find themselves entering the dark web — but they are not aware that they are being watched. Written and directed by Stephen Susco, the film stars Colin Woodell, Andrew Lees, Betty Gabriel, and Rebecca Rittenhouse. Amy Nicholson of Variety writes: “Dark Web skates by on saturated nastiness, one terrific kill, and the audience’s engagement in seeing if the filmmakers can pull off the stunt. Barely, but it’s fun to watch them try.”
MTRCB Rating: R-16