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 (21/6 – 23/6) with thanks to Magnet.
Forget Superman, there’s a new hero in town and his name is Gru. And he’s got lots and lots and lots of minions. Lots of them.
1. Despicable Me 2 
How much of your lovely money they took: €1, 168,711
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.”
2. World War Z
How much of your lovely money they took: €890,441
Based on the Max “son of Mel” Brooks 2006 book of the same name, World War Z (Zed?/Zee?/text speak for multiple World Warz?) is the Brad Pitt zombie apocalypse action thriller that has been absolutely dogged by production problems and numerous re-writes.
A Messianic Pitt is Gerry Lane, a former UN operative who specialises in crisis management. With greasy hair.
Happily living at home with his wife Karen (Mireille Enos) and two kids, Gerry is called out of his self-imposed retirement to try and save the day when a huge zombie pandemic ferociously spirals out of control and threatens to engulf the planet by turning everyone into the nasty, unfriendly undead.
We’re pretty sure that qualifies as a crisis that needs to be managed alright.
Although horror purists will cry foul at the physics-defying zombies, World War Z is a decent mix of well-executed action and suspense, with director Marc Forster doing a good job of proving that a can of soda pop rolling across a floor menacingly can be a million more times scarier than 1000 zombies sprinting towards you.
Then again, the can of soda pop won’t try to bite your eyes out. So, pros and cons really.
World War Z is by no means the best zombie/action/Brad Pitt film ever but it is an entertaining trip to the cinema and, although it has been noticably affected by its production development troubles, it certainly hasn’t been ruined by it.
3. This Is The End 
How much of your lovely money they took: €180, 385
Based on a 2007 short film written by and starring Seth Rogen and real-life best pal Jay Baruchel, This Is The End is an apocalyptic comedy that brilliantly plays on the personas of the two leads, as well as the personas of their fellow Hollywood celebrities.
James Franco, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill and scene-stealer supremo Craig Robinson join the two original lads to lampoon the complete shit out of all things La La Land, all while simultaneously trying to survive the mysterious end of the world event that has them holed up together in Franco’s luxurious gaff.
Take a bow Rihanna, Emma Watson and Michael Cera in particular, who all give brilliantly hilarious cameo accounts of themselves in the flick.
A big part of enjoying this overtly silly production is embracing just how ridiculous it is. The “characters” may be the actors actually playing themselves, but it’s very much a piss-take. Expecting anything resembling a smart, linear narrative is pointless – this has more dick jokes than a bunch of clowns in a sauna.
Rogen and his other best bud Evan Goldberg do a solid job for their first feature directing, both not afraid to take calculated comedic risks and push the boundaries of crassness.
But there’s actually a sweet story and its core and that sweetness underlines this very funny comedy all the way through.
When a new release reminds you of films like Ghostbusters and other classic comedies of the 80s, then you know you’re on to a guaranteed winner so go and fu*kin’ see this film. Please.
4. Man of Steel 
How much of your lovely money they took: €2,251,799
Only seven years after Superman returned in, ahmm, Superman Returns, he’s returned once again in Zach Snyder’s Man of Steel.
Featuring an all-star cast including the vacuous Henry Cavill as the titular hero (complete with his 90 million gazillion abs just so you feel inadequate), Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Amy Adams, Lauerence Fishbourne and Michael Shannon (this generation’s Gary Busey) are all on board as Superman has to try and save the Earth from the evil machinations of General Zod.
Following a number of absolutely belter trailers, the film itself doesn’t quite live up to the exciting early hype and lacks the charm of Richard Donner’s 1978 original. In saying that, Man of Steel is still a sci-fi superhero spectacle that’s worth checking out.
BREAKING: The rumors are that a brand new reboot of the Superman film franchise is already in the works, just days after the release of this latest incarnation.
Nah, wise up.
5. The Hangover Part III 
How much of your lovely money they took: €2, 177,691
“The End” the tagline said. “Thank God” the audience said.
After the first Hangover film was lauded as the greatest comedy of all time by people who had only seen 2 films in their life and by other people who are blind, the 2011 sequel was rightly panned by critics and audiences alike.
Because it was pants.
The Hangover Part III sees the Wolfpack return to Las Vegas as an intervention-gone-wrong for Alan (Zach Galifianakis) sees Doug (Justin ‘cushiest gig in Hollywood’ Bartha) kidnapped by the villainous gangster Marshall (an underused John Goodman).
Marshall’s on the hunt for his nemesis Mr Chow (Ken Jeong), and it’s up to Phil (a bored looking Oscar-nominated Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed ‘the sensible one’ Helms) and Alan to track him down before it’s too late for Doug and he’s… well, we don’t really care to be honest.
There’s a bunch of unecessary cameos, a lot of it just isn’t that funny and the biggest mistake is making Mr Chow, the most annoying character from the first two films, the focal point of the third. Bad move Todd Phillips.
On the other hand, the film does open with Hanson’s MMMBop so it’s already a gazillion times better than the second, but just doesn’t quite reach the not-so-dizzy heights of the first film.
As ever though, the best is saved right until the very end so, if you do go (and you probably will), make sure you stay to watch the very funny end credits.
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 2nd July 2013.
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