Meat at the Movies: It’s Kingsman vs Ninjago At The Box Office

So the movie I'm looking to go see this weekend is Kingsman: The Golden Circle. This is the sequel to Kingsman: The Secret Service, which came out in 2015 and turned into kind of a surprise hit. I'm a big fan of the original, which plays around with the tropes of classic James Bond movies from the 70s and 80s, but really ramps up the violence, the sex, and the vulgarity. Everything I'm hearing about this sequel is that it really doubles down on that aspect of the original, and reviews this time around have been pretty split. Some people are on board for wherever this movie is willing go go, others are upset and bewildered that the movie exists at all. My guess is that if you like the original, you'll at least find something to enjoy here - most of the cast of the original is back, including Colin Firth, plus it expands the world by adding an American version of the Kingsmen called Statesmen, which includes actors like Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum and Halle Berry. Julianne Moore plays the movie's villain and Elton John also plays a role in this movie and from what I hear, his role is insane.

Also out this weekend is The Lego Ninjago Movie, which I'm sure you'll end up seeing if you have kids. This is based on a line of Lego toys were all the characters are secret ninja warriors or something - I'm not exactly sure, Ninjago was after my time. If you've seen the other Lego movies, you probably already know what you're in for, though the reviews for this haven't been as strong as those ones. It's got a great cast though, which includes Dave Franco in the lead, Olivia Munn, Fred Armisen, Kumail Nanjiani, and Jackie Chan.

Finally, this weekend also sees the release of Stronger, which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany and is based on the true story of a man who was injured during the Boston Marathon bombing. This has been getting phenomenal reviews across the board, I've been hearing about this for a few months as it's been playing at festivals, and word is that it subverts and transcends inspirational drama cliches to become something incredibly powerful in its own right.

So there's a little something for everyone this weekend - Stronger is probably your best bet, but if you're looking for mindless action or a way to distract your kids, Kingsman and Ninjago have got you covered. I'm Meat Sandwich and until next time, we'll Meat at the Movies.