Deal: The World's End 4K / UHD for $6.99

Wait out this apocalypse with a deal on The World's End, the classic Edger Wright film.  This is the third film in the Cornetto Trilogy, which stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (the other two being Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz).  Right now you can get this one for $6.99, and it is Movie Anywhere compatible so it will port to your linked accounts.  I loved it when I saw it in theaters and imagine it will be just as entertaining in quarantine!  Make sure to pick "UHD" when buying so you get it in the highest quality!

The World's End (4K / UHD) - VUDU - $6.99

What to Watch: David's top 5 movies so far

Now that summer is over, we thought that it would be fun to pick out our five favorite movies of 2013 so far. These are purely subjective and likely to change once the Fall and Oscar-hopeful movies come out, but here are the films that we think everyone should see! The criteria is that we have to have seen them in a screening this year, thus Starbuck being on my list despite it being a 2012 Canadian film.

David:

Short Term 12 – It’s rare to see a movie and not want to change a single thing about it, but Short Term 12 has it all: great acting, a heart-wrenching and heart-warming story, and some truly interesting characters brought to life by amazing writing. It’s a movie that everyone should see.

Kings of Summer – A genuinely great indie coming of age movie. This summer had multiple indie coming of age movies come out, but Kings of Summer was my favorite. If you have to choose one, then this is the movie to see, but honestly check them all out.

Don Jon – Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s writing and directorial debut is a confident, smart, and, most importantly, genuine romantic comedy. It’s a guy’s romantic comedy that both mocks traditional romantic comedies while managing to follow the formula closely. The content will probably be too explicit for many viewers, but those that stick around will find that between the cringes and laughs, there is a touching story.

The World’s End – The third movie in the Cornetto trilogy, The World's End is a really good movie. It has a story that is funny but also deals with darker, more complex themes than the previous Cornetto movies, great acting, funny writing, and some excellent cinematography. Plus, it has plenty to enjoy for both fans of previous Simon Pegg / Nick Frost efforts and those who are new to the movies.

Starbuck – They’re remaking this movie as The Delivery Man starring Vince Vaughn but there is no reason to wait. The original Canadian (French-language) version is perfect as is. Great writing, very funny acting, and an interesting story make this one of my favorites of the year.

Honorable Mentions:

The Way, Way Back – Another great indie coming of age movie. I loved this one but I liked Kings of Summer slightly more.

Fast 6 – If you like Fast and Furious movies, then you can’t get much better than this movie. It has everything you’d want in a Fast and Furious sequel.

Weekend box office for August 23 - 25, 2013: The Mortal Instruments is not the next hit teen franchise

Three new major releases couldn't beat The Butler or We're the Millers. Mortal Instruments: City of Bones came closest, taking third with $9.3 million and accumulating $14 million since its Wednesday opening. It will do slightly better than fellow underperforming 2013 teen fantasy adaptation Heavenly Creatures, which took in $10.1 million in its first four days and finished with just under $20 million. The World's End only grossed $8.9 million, but that's the best opening of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright's comedy trilogy. With its somewhat limited number of theaters, it also had the highest per-theater average of the weekend's major releases (though its $5,700 average is less than Hot Fuzz's $7,000). 70% of Hot Fuzz's $80 worldwide total came from overseas, where TWE already has $16 million. You're Next was not the next home invasion sensation, taking seventh. I've heard its budget is less than a million, so it may make a minor profit, but Lionsgate probably hoped for a minor hit along the lines of similar films The Purge or 2008's The Strangers.

Blue Jasmine added over 1,000 screens and jumped into the top ten. The Butler and We're the Millers performances suffered minor losses, and will likely do well next weekend against Getaway. One Direction may open big, but I doubt their audiences overlap much. Kick-Ass 2 nearly fell out of the top ten and won't meet the minor $48 million success of the first. In America, Planes is holding out better than Elysium and may overtake it, in time. Despicable Me 2's $805 million worldwide total has beaten Fast 6's $780 million, though Iron Man 3's $1.2 billion appears untouchable by anything but The Hobbit sequel. The Grandmaster and Short Term 12 both performed well in less than 10 theaters. To see how other movies performed, click here.

Weekend box office estimates for August 23 - 25, 2013:

1. Lee Daniels' The Butler; $17,018,000; $52,275,000 total; -30.9%; 2nd weekend

2. We're the Millers; $13,500,000; $91,740,000 total; -24.9%; 3rd weekend

3. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones; $9,300,000; $14,051,000 total; opening weekend

4. The World's End; $8,942,000; opening weekend

5. Planes; $8,567,000; $59,591,000 total; -36.0%; 3rd weekend

6. Elysium; $7,100,000; $69,054,000 total; -48.1%; 3rd weekend

7. You're Next; $7,050,000; opening weekend

8. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters; $5,200,000; $48,346,000 total; -40.6%; 3rd weekend

9. Blue Jasmine; $4,300,000; $14,799,000 total; +87.7%; 5th weekend

10. Kick-Ass 2; $4,270,000; $22,423,000 total; -68.0%; 2nd weekend

What to Watch This Weekend: August 23, 2013

You may wonder why critics panned John Travolta and Robert De Niro's Killing Season, or be interested in how a group of Ukrainian Jews fled Nazis by living in caves in docudrama No Place on Earth, but we recommend one of this year's Best Picture Oscar nominees for the week's DVD.

In Theaters: The World's End

We really enjoyed the latest entry in Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright's comedy "trilogy" (preceded by Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz). On the surface, it looks like it's about old friends doing a long bar crawl, but unexpected events make their bar-hopping much more exciting and complicated. It's as funny as the aforementioned but features darker, more complex themes. The crazy story is held together by the cast's great chemistry.

On DVD: Amour

Michael Haneke's Amour focuses on an elderly couple whose relationship becomes incredibly challenging when the wife Anne suffers complications from a stroke and a subsequent surgery. Many felt that actress Emmanuelle Riva's Oscar-nominated performance as the sick wife was the standout of this year's Best Actress nominees. It sounds like a realistic look at the lives and troubles of the elderly and a beautiful, somewhat sad, depiction of a loving, but difficult, relationship.

Streaming (Netflix): Greenberg

Ben Stiller plays an unusually complex role as the title character of Greenberg, a dramedy about a troubled misanthrope who moves in with his more successful brother while trying to get his life back together. Popular indie actress Greta Gerwig plays the brother's assistant who connects with him during his stay. She must have made a good impression because she plays the title role in director Noah Baumbach's acclaimed follow-up Frances Ha.

Streaming (Netflix): Memento

Memento is a relic of director Christopher Nolan's early years before he became best known as the man behind The Dark Knight trilogy. The cult hit is a psychological thriller about a widower (Guy Pearce) who lost the ability to store new memories following an attack, a trait that leaves him vulnerable to manipulation and complicates his investigation of his wife's death. The scenes of the main plot are uniquely shown in reverse order, making the film an intriguing puzzle.

Review: The World's End

Release date: August 23, 2013
Running time: 109 minutes
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike, Martin Freeman
Who to see it with: A fan of Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz

David:

Although it is not a sequel to the previous Edgar Wright movies starring both Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, The World's End has a similar humor and a similar feel. The film follows five high school friends who return to their hometown to finally accomplish something that they failed at in their youth--to have a drink at twelve pubs throughout their town in a single night. However, when they get there, they realize that everything has changed, both figuratively and literally, mostly for the worst. 

Even though you would be forgiven for thinking that the World's End is a superfluous movie with silly drinking humor, if you thought that you'd be wrong. The movie has a pretty involved plot with many twists and turns that keep the audience entertained and guessing throughout the adventure. There are several subtle story lines and hints that are laced throughout the movie which will provide new details for viewers to notice during subsequent watches. And the themes that the movie deals with are much darker and more complex than the previous films; themes like dealing with growing up and disappointment. Of course there are call backs to the previous Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost movies, and any fan of their previous work will be delighted to see these. 

But, there are also plenty of new surprises and wonderful things in this movie. For one, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reverse their normal roles, with Pegg being the screw up and Frost being more straight-laced. It's fun to see this change and it introduces some new aspects to their already stellar on screen chemistry. And that chemistry is enhanced by the supporting cast, many of whom you'll recognize from previous Wright movies or from other British films. And, as with any drinking movie, there are going to be bar brawls, and the fights in the World's End are truly great. The actors did their own fights and choreography, so while the fights are meticulously created and choreographed perfectly, the fighting is less martial artsy and more bar brawl fight. Also, because the actors are fighting, they bring their enjoyable on-camera personalities into it. 

The cinematography is also splendid, with long shots, great camera angles, and wonderful sets. You truly get a sense that the actors and director love their work and it definitely shows through in the final product. And the writing is sharp and funny. The jokes work on multiple levels and references get repeated throughout the movie, helping the audience to follow along and feel like there is a sense of continuity in the story.

The World's End is a really good movie. It has a story that is funny but also deals with darker, more complex themes than you would expect, great acting, funny writing, and some excellent cinematography. It has plenty for fans of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz to enjoy while still being a great movie that new viewers can appreciate. Like any good ale, The World's End is much more complex than it appears and should be enjoyed over and over.

See it.