Meat at the Movies: December is for Epics

Now that we've powered through last week's sorry films, we will be rewarded these next few weeks with films that people actually want to see. This week I look forward to 'Exodus: Gods and Kings' and 'Top Five.'

First, the lesser rated of the two is of course the one I want to see the most. From director of one of my favorite movies of all time, 'Gladiator' comes 'Exodus: Gods and Kings.' Of course since this is Ridley Scott, it's going to look epic and wonderful and all that jazz. However critics aren't as nearly as excited as I am. Starring the likes of Christian Bale , Joel Edgerton, John Turturro, Aaron Paul, and Ben Kingsley this film brings the Biblical tale of Moses (Bale) battle to free his people from the rule of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Edgerton). With only a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes and 55 on Metacritic, critics are saying that Scott was not able to create the energy for the human side of the story; instead it concentrated too much on the cinematic. Why is it always the movie I want to see with the poor ratings?

And for the film to top the box office this weekend, 'Top Five.' Starring Chris Rock and Rosario Dawson, 'Top Five' follows action-comedy movie star Andre Allen (Rock) as he spends a day around New York City with writer Chelsea (Dawson). After spending the day and opening up, he realizes he wants to go back to his first love, stand-up comedy. Critics are rating this very well, 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and 94 on Metacritc. Rock steps up in his director role as well as acting role and makes an entertaining movie that isn't just about a celebrity playing a celebrity but also something from the heart.

As always, take a look at the trailers below and until next week, we'll MEAT at the movies!