Meat at the Movies: James McAvoy Goes Insane, The XXX Franchise Returns

There's a little something for everybody at the box office this weekend.

The most intriguing movie opening this weekend is Split, the new horror movie from director M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan's name has become a joke in recent years, both because of a string of terrible movies and an over-reliance on twist endings, but he's on the verge of a comeback. His last movie, the low-budget horror-comedy The Visit, was actually pretty good, and Split looks a lot more ambitious and completely insane. James McAvoy plays a man with multiple personality disorder who kidnaps three girls and keeps them in a bunker. The character allows McAvoy to show off his full range as an actor, and critics are saying he gives a terrific performance (or rather, performances). Reviews also indicate that the movie is intense throughout and that the final twist is one of Shyamalan's best.

Also out this weekend is The Founder, which stars Michael Keaton as Ray Croc, the founder of McDonald's. While this could have been just a feature-length commercial for cheeseburgers, it looks more like a fast-food version of The Social Network. The movie details how Croc essentially stole the company from the McDonald brothers, and goes into all the pettiness and backdoor business deals that built an empire. The movie is getting pretty good reviews, and was going to be positioned to try to win some Oscars, though it seems to be getting lost in the shuffle with all of the other competition.

But you know what? Neither of those movies feature Vin Diesel defying all laws of physics by riding a motorcycle on the ocean. xXx: Return of Xander Cage is coming out this weekend, marking Diesel's return to a franchise which has laid dormant for more than a decade. For those unfamiliar, 2002's xXx starred the actor as Xander Cage in essentially an extreme-sports version of a James Bond story. Diesel left but the franchise tried to keep going, and in 2005, Ice Cube starred in the sequel xXx: State of the Union. That movie bombed and it seemed like all was lost for xXx fans. But now that Diesel is riding high on the success Fast and Furious and Guardians of the Galaxy, he pretty much has the ability to do anything he want, including reviving this dead franchise. The trailer looks gloriously insane, and boasts a great cast, which includes Samuel L. Jackson (who was in the first two movies), Donnie Yen, Ruby Rose, and more. Reviews indicate it's not as good as the recent Fast and Furious movies, but there's a lot to enjoy here for fans of over-the-top action.

Of the movies opening up this weekend, I'd say Split is probably the one to go see, but you can't go wrong with any of these choices. Until next time, we'll Meat at the Movies!