What to Watch This Weekend: November 1, 2013

This weekend, check out a quirky British romantic comedy, a prequel to one of the most beloved Pixar movies of all time, or two "Thor" related streaming movies!

In Theaters: About Time

About Time tells a wonderful love story following two unlikely lovers, Tim and Mary. All the men in Tim's family have the ability to travel back in time, and Tim uses it to try and control all aspects of his life.  Eventually, Tim learns how much of life is simply beyond your control. It has a great British charm, clever writing, and an endearing story. 

On DVD: Monsters University

Monsters U is a very good movie. It's not better than the original, but that’s expected when the source material is so good. However, Monsters U is a fun, charming prequel that achieves what so many other prequels fail to do: tell a meaningful, entertaining, and interesting tale while filling in the back-story of the characters and world that you love.

Streaming (Netflix and Amazon): Thor

Thor: The Dark World comes out next week, so make sure you've got the back story of this Avenger before seeing the sequel. It's available on both Netflix and Amazon and tells the story of Thor, the god of Asgard who is cast out and forced to live among mortals on earth. 
Netflix Link: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Thor/70141586
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Thor-Natalie-Portman/dp/B005H9B2CE

Streaming (Netflix): Kon-Tiki

Continuing the Thor related movie recommendations, Kon-Tiki tells the story of explorer Thor Heyerdahl's epic 4,300-mile crossing of the Pacific on a balsawood raft in 1947, in an effort to prove that it was possible for South Americans to settle in Polynesia in pre-Columbian times. Kon-Tiki was nominated for best foreign language film at the 85th Oscars so make sure to check it out for free this weekend.
Netflix Link: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Kon-Tiki/70260989?trkid=2361637

Weekend box office for June 28 - 30, 2013; White House Down roasted by The Heat

Monsters University topped the box office again with $46 million. The Heat was a close second, beating expectations with $40 million and further proving Melissa McCarthy's appeal. The big news is that White House Down only managed to debut in fourth place, also beaten my World War Z. Its $25 million opening is slightly less than fellow White House action flick Olympus Has Fallen's $30 million March opening. (Last year, also during June's last weekend, audiences spent $39.1 million on another Channing Tatum film, Magic Mike.) While a $25 - 30 million first weekend was fine for the moderately budgeted OHF, WHD was a blockbuster $150 million investment, an amount that likely won't be reached in America. I'm going to give WHD some credit and attribute its performance to tough, surprisingly robust competition. Many viewers received the film more warmly than critics, similar to director Roland Emmerich hits 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow.

Monsters U, Now You See Me and This is the End all had modest drops. Disney may not be very concerned about Despicable Me 2's impending opening because, back in 2011, Toy Story 3.continued to bring in decent bucks following the arrival of the original DM. DM2 has already grossed over $50 million after a few international openings. After Earth is an afterthought in America, but it's taken in over $130 million elsewhere so it may not be a total bust. See more information about the top 10 movies here.

Weekend Box Office for June 21 - 23, 2013; Monsters U graduates with honors, World War Z passes too

Monsters U scared its way to the top of the box office with $82 million, Pixar's second-highest opening behind Toy Story 3's massive $110 million. World War Z's $66 million beat lowered expectations related to its troubled production, and has surprisingly become Brad Pitt's biggest opening ever (previously Mr and Mrs. Smith with $50.3 million). It's also the the second-highest 2nd place opening of all time. Like the weekend when both Fast 6 and Hangover Part III opened, two strong debuts and the continued success of other recent releases made this one of the biggest box office weekends ever. This summer seems to feature a lot of smart pairings of all-audience films with more targeted releases, like next weekend's White House Down and female-powered The Heat or the following week's Despicable Me 2 and the incredibly big budget The Lone Ranger.

Man of Steel has already become the highest-grossing Superman movie ever made, but its second weekend drop was slightly higher than that of similar movies. It's expected to beat $300 million in America, which is good but not spectacular when compared to the success of recent Batman, Iron Man and Spider-Man films. This is the End debuted much lower than Hangover, but is retaining more of its audience. Now You See Me and Fast 6 are hanging on, unlike the rapidly disappearing After Earth. The Internship has beaten Vince Vaughn's 2012's disappointing The Watch, but will likely do little better than 2011's similarly disappointing The Dilemma and its $48 million total. Epic is looking like Blue Sky's lowest-grossing production yet. Bling Ring and Much Ado About Nothing both went nationwide. Read more about the box office here and see how other movies performed here.

What to Watch This Weekend: June 21, 2013

 

It's another theater heavy weekend with plenty of great movies for you to see. The weather is also looking to be beautiful so get out and see some films!

In Theaters: Monsters University

Monsters University is a fun, charming prequel that achieves what so many other prequels fail to do: tell a meaningful, entertaining, and interesting tale while filling in the back-story of the characters and world that you love. If you have any interest in Pixar or Monsters, Inc., you should definitely see it this weekend.

In Theaters: Much Ado About Nothing

Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing is a fresh take on a Shakespearean classic. It keeps the heart of the play while updating the aesthetics to the modern era. Although it was officially released a few weeks ago, it gets a broader release this weekend and should definitely be seen.

On DVD: 21 & Over

Maybe you want to just see a stupid comedy this weekend. Well, the 21 & Over is the movie for you. It's not a great movie, but it is funny and much better than I expected it would be. We recommended a rental a few months ago so now is your chance to check it out.

Streaming (HBO Go): Chronicle

Chronicle is an interesting, though slightly over the top movie with the same shooting style as Cloverfield. It's taken from the perspective of a hand camera that is passed around the characters as they discover and hone superpowers. It also stars Michael B. Jordan, one of my favorite young actors.

Streaming (Netflix): TEDTalks: Life Hack

This TEDTalks collection reveals simple tricks that can transform your life. Learn how your body language shapes who you are, how to start a movement, the secret to better work and much more. It has a 4.1 star Netflix rating and looks really interesting. 

Trailer: Monsters University Final Trailer

Disney Pixar has scared up a final trailer for Monsters University, the prequel for 2001's amazing animated movie, Monsters, Inc. Monsters U follows Mike and Sully as they attend college, learn about scaring, and develop into the friends we saw in Monsters, Inc. The trailer highlights some of the initial tension between Mike and Sully and shows some of the new characters we meet at the University. We reviewed this movie last month and loved it. You should definitely plan on seeing this one when it comes out on June 21, 2013!

Review: Monsters University

Release Date:  June 21, 2013

Running Time: About 110 minutes

Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi

Who to see it with: Any animation fan

David:

Monsters U is Pixar’s prequel to the wonderful Monsters, Inc. This installment follows Mike Wazowski and Sully during their college years at Monsters University. The film is directed by Dan Scanlon and written by Robert L. Baird (who contributed content for Monsters, Inc). Being a prequel and coming twelve years after the original, I was worried that this film would not live up to the high expectations set by the original. And while it doesn't quite reach its predecessor’s level, Monsters U is a charming, entertaining, and worthy prequel that should not be missed.

The plot follows Sully and Mike’s antics during their college years. The story is well done with plenty of references to the first film while also capturing some of what is great (and not so great) about college. These college references can at times 

be cliche, but many of them are great and laugh out loud funny. The story also holds plenty of surprises. There were several moments when I thought the movie was becoming predictable only to have it take an unexpected and delightful turn. Along the way, you will meet a good cast of new characters and have plenty of cameos from your Monsters, Inc. favorites. 

This is a Pixar film so the animation is gorgeous. Every movie of theirs is more beautiful than the previous effort and Monsters U is no exception. Pixar does an amazing job of creating a believable university environment with a monsters twist. Speaking of monsters, the animators clearly put a great deal of effort into making the monsters more monstrous. The fur and slime effects are particularly beautiful as is movement for the various types of legs, tentacles, wings, and everything in between. They also managed to create some incredible depth of field and stellar lighting effects. This lighting is especially noticeable during “scare” scenes as it does a great job of setting the mood and building tension. 

As with the animation, sound and voice acting are excellent. Monsters University comes alive with the sounds of a typical college—well a typical monster’s college. The sounds of class, of the quad, of parties, and other aspects of college life help to bring you into this wonderfully created world.  The expected college stereotypes—jocks, nerds, frat guys, etc.—are here and their voice acting is funny and well delivered. Although you can recognize some of the voice actors, they are not distracting and never pull you out of the movie. 

Monsters U is a very good movie. It's not better than the original, but that’s expected when the source material is so good. However, Monsters U is a fun, charming prequel that achieves what so many other prequels fail to do: tell a meaningful, entertaining, and interesting tale while filling in the back-story of the characters and world that you love. 

See it.