Moving Pictures Opening This Weekend: A ‘Ballerina,’ Sharks and Father Al Pacino

It’s summer blockbuster season, friends! There are lots of films to see this weekend in the theaters if you need a break from the beautiful weather.

The biggie is “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” the latest installment in the John Wick franchise. Ana de Armas will carry the torch from Keanu Reeves as the franchise’s protagonist. The film’s plot is as follows: There will be violence, vengeance, insane stunts and people will die horrible deaths and it will be awesome! 

The reviews are in and they are pretty good. “Ballerina” is rated 72% fresh on rotten tomatoes with an audience score of 94%. Looks like the torch has been passed, successfully. 

Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” opens this weekend an stars Benecio Del Toro, who plays a wealthy businessman who appoints his daughter — a nun — as the heir to his estate as they avoid scammers.

Joining Del Toro in the cast are Michael Cera and Wisconsinite Willem Dafoe. The film has Anderson’s usual visual appeal and quirkiness and the reviews are pretty good. The caper film is pulling a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 73% from audiences. 

It’s summer, so sharks are in season when it comes to movies. But how about sharks with serial killers? I mean seriously, serial killers are always in style, cinematical speaking.

Another big release this weekend is “Dangerous Animals” and yes, it is a story about a surfer who is abducted by a serial killer obsessed with sharks! A hostage, shark, serial killer movie — that is some serious plot shoehorning, actually kind of admirable and apparently well executed as it’s pulling an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

And finally, if you’re in the mood for an exorcism … or Al Pacino, check out “The Ritual,” a film where two priests, played by Pacino and Dan Stevens, with different backgrounds, join forces to save a young girl with a series of exorcisms. Yes, a series.

The reviews are in and they are absolutely horrible. Not only is “The Ritual” not fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s pulling a zero, as in 0 percent. We’re talking John Belushi’s Bluto in “Animal House” GPA of 0.0. That takes a lot of collaborative effort to make a zero! 

So do yourself a favor and head to the great indoors for some fabulous movie time this weekend. Let’s go to the movies!

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6. to 8 p .m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.