The Big Reviewski – The Top 5 Films in this week’s Irish Box Office (19/7 – 21/7)

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 (19/7 - 21/7) with thanks to Magnet.

Mike and Sully take first place honours in their search for First Class honours in Monsters University, as they successfully scare off all of their Box Office opponents.

Because they're monsters you see.

1. Monsters University  How much of your lovely money they took: €700, 808 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBzPioph8CI 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. Despicable Me 2  How much of your lovely money they took: €2, 620, 004 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM9sKpQOuEw 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."   3. The World's End  How much of your lovely money they took: €101, 252 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFo7eJR2cvc Following on from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the much-anticipated final installment of Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy is finally here. The World’s End tells the tale of a group of 5 boozing best buddies who are attempting to relive an epic pub crawl from their youth – 12 pubs. 12 pints. Meeting up again 20 years later, their attempts to better their youthful feats are slightly scuppered by the fact that there has been an alien invasion in the meantime. That would put a sci-fi spanner in the works alright. Wright’s Spaced stalwarts Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are back of course, along with Martin ‘Bilbo’ Freeman, Paddy Considine and the much-funnier-than-expected Eddie Marsan, as well as a whole host of welcome supporting faces – “hello Brian” (Mark Heap). We're huge fans of Pegg, Frost and Wright here at JOE, so expectations were through the roof for this particular film. As with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz though, it feels like The World's End will work best with repeated viewings. Essentially that means that we're going to watch it until we love it. Another round please... Enjoy responsibly. You should also check out JOE's interview with the film's stars and director here, because we said so.   4. Pacific Rim  How much of your lovely money they took: €386, 730 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5guMumPFBag 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.   5. Now You See Me How much of your lovely money they took: €618, 607 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W06xCG55yyk 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...   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 23rd July 2013.