JOE brings you the run-down, the low-down and the ups and downs of the top 5 films in this week’s Irish Box Office (12/7 – 14/7) with thanks to Magnet.
Mike and Sully take first place honours in their search for First Class honours in Monsters University.
1. Monsters University 
How much of your lovely money they took: €234, 698
We’ve had Disney Pixar sequels before, both good (Toy Story 2/3) and bad (Cars 2). Monsters University, however, marks the first time that the pioneering studio has ever released a prequel to one of its films.
Here at JOE, we’re delighted they did.
Set in the years before Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. ‘Sulley’ Sullivan (John Goodman) became the best buds we know and love in Monsters, Inc. (2001), the two young scarer wannabees didn’t quite see, literally, eyes to eye when they first met on the campus of Monsters University.
The film follows the pair as they struggle to get along, try to pass their scare exams and their attempts to sign up to the local campus fraternities which are filled with hilarious new soon-to-be-favourites monsters.
Oh, and it’s got more Pixar in-jokes than you could throw a bouncing Luxo ball at. Keep your eyes peeled for the many Easter Eggs on show and, whatever you do, make sure you hang about for a completely worth it post-credits sequence too.
While the latest film doesn’t reach the incredible heights of Monsters, Inc. (not many films do, animated or otherwise), Monsters University is still lots and lots of fun and, as with any of the films from this excellent studio, packs enough funnies and important messages for the big kids and small kids alike.
We just miss Boo is all. Sad face.
2. Pacific Rim 
How much of your lovely money they took: €161, 124
It’s here. Finally. Another Guillermo del Toro allegory on the struggle of Nationalists and Republicans during the Spanish civil war?
No.
Just lots of giant robots and giant aliens beating the absolute bejaysus out of each other.
Pacific Rim is a very familiar story but told in a very beautiful-looking way. Set in the 2020s (where everyone has the gift of great hindsight), Earth is under constant attack by giant Kaiju, colossal monsters that emerge from a mysterious portal in the Pacific Ocean. To combat the creatures and, in Idris Elba’s inspiring words, effectively cancel the Apocalypse, humanity has created the Jaeger Program, where teams of two pilots mind-meld to control giant weaponised robots.
Coincidentally, ‘Jaeger Program’ is also the name we give to our Saturday nights out.
JOE went on a Pacific Rim job of epic proportions recently when we travelled to meet the film’s cast (Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Rinko Kikuchi) and director Guillermo del Toro.
3. Despicable Me 2
How much of your lovely money they took: €2, 339,423
The animated sequel to 2010’s incredibly popular Despicable Me has arrived just in time for the end of school term so you can safely lock your kids/nieces/nephews/people you just don’t like in the cinema for the foreseeable future.
Steve Carell voices Gru, the ex-super-villain turned father to three adopted daughters. He’s forced to come out of retirement though when Agent Wilde (the always funny Kristen Wiig) and the Anti-Villain League need him to get to the bottom of a mysterious lab theft.
This film is all about the hilarious Minions though and, because they’re one of the main reasons the 2010 film did so well first time round, they’ll actually be getting their own spin-off movie next year.
Just look how widdle and cute they are. Everybody say “Awwwwwwwwwwww.”
4. Now You See Me
How much of your lovely money they took: €426,856
Now You See Me tells the tale of four amazingly talented magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and cheaper-than-James-Franco-knockoff Dave Franco) whose goal it is to balance the scales of justice by using their magic to steal from the rich and give back to the swindled – thier audiences.
This silly but fun film is the sexiest bit of onscreen magic you’ve seen since beautiful assistant Debbie McGee looked after Paul Daniel’s wand.
Magic is all about misdirection though and the main problem with Now You See Me is that it’s often misdirected by its helmer Louis Leterrier. As Morgan Freeman says in his obligatory voice over at the the beginning of the trailer, “come in close, because the more you think you see, the easier it will be to fool you.” That’s the thing with the film though, don’t look too close or pay too much attention because that’s exactly what will take the fun out of it.
On the plus side though it does have a scene where a grizzled, no-nonsense cop gets to say the line: “Abracadabra, you’re off the case.” Amazing.
Check out JOE’s interview with the star of the film, Jesse Eisenberg, where the world’s most famous Mark Zuckerberg impersonator goes on to name-drop Irish Mentalist of the Year Keith Barry and even compliments us on our impeccable fashion sense, all because we just happen to dress amazingly like him.
We knew it was a good idea to steal clothes from his luggage the night before…
5. The Internship 
How much of your lovely money they took: €282,895
Why did you go and see this film? Why?
The once always watchable Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughan team up again for The Internship, eight years after the excellent Wedding Crashers. Unfortunately though, this time round the same magic just hasn’t happened so it’s best you give this latest film a miss.
The two lads lose their jobs slap-bang in the middle of the recession and so have to search for a new line of work. They’re out of ideas until it hits them, why not apply for the titular Internship at Google or, as it’s referred to constantly in the film, “the greatest place to work on Earth.”
Essentially a two hour ad for the one of the biggest Internet giants in the world, The Internship is unfunny and unnecessary. Plus Wilson and Vaughan just look so old and unhealthy. In fact, we’re pretty worried about their well-being so we’re off to phone the doctor to go check in on them. It’s never good when the actors look like a Madam Tussaud’s wax work version of themselves.
Folks, all you really have to do is Google this film and you’ll see how bad the reviews are. Don’t bother.
There you have it folks. If you want to find out more about any of the movie mentioned above make sure you have the best broadband in town when you’re doing it. The lads over at Magnet should be able to help thanks to their 70mb fatpipe broadband.
Source: Irish Film Board and Rentrak. Correct as of 9th July 2013.
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