I also hope I can keep doing blogposts once I get to grad school next month, but who knows how that will go and how much free time I will have, especially since I'll be a graduate assistant in addition to being a student. But for now I do still have some free time, so here are my reviews of the June 2013 movies: The Purge, The Internship, This is the End, Man of Steel, Monsters University, World War Z, The Heat, and White House Down.
June 7th
Box Office
$34 million opening wknd
$63 million domestic total
$73 million worldwide total
Review: On the surface, The Purge looked like a horror movie that actually have relevant social commentary to develop. But when the credits rolled and the lights came up, that promise was unfulfilled. We were left with only the memories of a typical, cliched home-invasion thriller that was light on the scares and heavy on unintelligent, bumbling characters to stupid for us to care about their survival.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Maybe watch it on t.v. one day if you're bored.
Box Office
$17 million opening wknd
$42 million domestic total
$56 million worldwide total
Review: Perhaps if The Internship had been released back in 2005, it would have seemed much more relevant (The Onion certainly seems to think so), but in 2013 the idea of older folks struggling with the internet is definitely outdated. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson play their likable, charismatic selves, but their bff chemistry isn't enough to generate laugh-out-loud comedy. That being said, I went into The Internship with such low expectations, that it did end up being a bit better than I expected, so with that said...
The Final Word: 1/4: Maybe watch it on t.v. one day if you're bored.
June 12th
Box Office
$21 million opening wknd
$75 million domestic total
$77 million worldwide total
Review: The idea of a group of comedians playing themselves in a film about the end of the world is intriguing, but on its own is still simply a gimmick to get butts into theater seats. Fortunately for Seth Rogen and company, there are enough surprises and laughs in This is the End to keep those butts firmly planted for the whole two hours. Let me be clear, the film is filled with weed and penis jokes - as should be expected from this cast - so its really only bearable if you find those things funny (I must admit, the sophomoric side of me kinda does). The film does have its issues: the gang hides away in James Franco's house for far, far too long and the premise has some very faulty theology. But honestly, the last hilariously surprising 2 minutes of the film were going to make me leave smiling regardless of what I though about the events preceding it.
The Final Word: 2/4 - Wait to rent it.
June 14th
Box Office
$117 million opening wknd
$248 million domestic total
$520 million worldwide total
Review: I actually already did this one. You can check it out here!
The Final Word: 4/4 - Go buy a ticket, the poster, and the DVD.
June 21st
Box Office
$82 million opening wknd
$170 million domestic total
$300 million worldwide total
Review: Monsters University, Pixar's prequel to its 2001 hit, Monsters Inc., is funny and adorable, even if it is pretty much useless since we already know how the story will end. Pixar used to be known for its unprecedented innovation. But something has happened along the way - perhaps it was Disney's acquisition of the studio - that has begun to sacrifice originality for marketability. Cars 2, Brave, Monsters U, and the upcoming Finding Dory epitomize this unfortunate trend. It's not that Monsters U was bad, it was actually a decent kids movie, but its not what we should expect from Pixar.
The Final Word: 3/4 - Go buy a matinee ticket.
Box Office
$66 million opening wknd
$124 million domestic total
$259 million worldwide total
Review: A zombie movie is not your typical summer blockbuster. But put Brad Pitt in it and - BAM! - you've apparently got yourself a winner. Apparently plagued with production problems that required a number of re-shoots, all the turmoil and extra somehow paid off, because the final product showed no signs of trouble. In fact, WWZ is actually a very good entry into any zombie fan's collection as it goes beyond the typical "this-group-of-people-will-try-to-survive" plot of most undead thrillers and has Pitt attempting to track down the mysterious origin of this nightmare. The only grievances I would issue would be how computed generated the zombies looked when they amassed in hording thousands and that while quite engaging, there were fewer scares than I would have liked. But overall, WWZ was much better than I expected it to be.
The Final Word: 3.5/4 - Go buy a ticket.
June 28th
Box Office
$39 million opening wknd
$39 million domestic total
(Hasn't opened internationally yet)
Review: "Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy playing the same characters they always play. Great..." So went my thoughts watching the trailers for The Heat. But you know what? I was wrong. Well, not about their characters, they were in fact the usual characters for both women, but I was misplaced in my sarcasm that it would be "great." It actually was kinda great. Not outstanding or legendary, but it made me laugh and kept me interested. I only wish they had thrown in a climax that had a few more explosions and gunfights. But overall, definitely enjoyable.
The Final Word: 3/4 - Go buy a matinee ticket.
Box Office
$25 million opening wknd
$25 million domestic total
$32 million worldwide total
Review: Want proof that bigger isn't always better? Compare White House Down with 2013's other White House invasion film, Olympus Has Fallen. WHD signed bigger stars than Olympus, had literally twice the production budget, opened in 124 more theaters, had the benefit of a summer opening, and had a PG-13 rating compared to Olympus' audience-limiting R rating. Yet Olympus opened with $30 million and went on to net $161 million worldwide. WHD will be lucky to come close to that total. And the numbers sound about right to me. WHD was tonally messy - confused as to whether it was an action thriller like Die Hard or a buddy-cop type film like Lethal Weapon - and entirely predictable. Really, it was just kinda stupid.
The Final Word: 1/4 - Maybe watch it on t.v. one day if you're bored
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