The 7 Best Movie Duos of 2013

How can anyone resist a great movie duo? Whether they're romantic relationships, friendships, siblings, or bromances, no one can deny that these types of duos, when combined with great actor chemistry and great dialogue, can be what makes or breaks a movie. Movie duos can carry a movie, make us laugh, make us cry, connect with them, or just enjoy their banter. 

So, I've compiled a list of the seven best movie duos of 2013 that have been the most memorable. Once again, I admit to being indecisive, so they're in no particular order because no one is necessarily better than the other, though some might be dearer to my heart than others! 

Her - Theodore and Samantha (Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson) 

• Not many onscreen romantic couples can sway you with a few conversations like Theodore and Samantha did in Spike Jonze's film. Sure, Samantha's an artificially intelligent operating system, but their relationship is natural and full of witty and genuine moments that it's kind of hard not to like them.  

The Kings of Summer - Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio (Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias)

• Ok, so this is technically cheating because it's a trio and not a duo, but Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio wouldn't be anything without the other in some way. And so, I've gone and included all three of them. Initially, Joe and Patrick leave their parents and build a house in the middle of the woods, learn to be independent and grow. Biaggio doesn't so much tag along so much as he just kind of blends in. He's the middle man and weird persona who keeps the peace... and the humor. 

Philomena - Philomena Lee and Martin Sixsmith (Judi Dench, Steve Coogan)

• Judi Dench and Steve Coogan make for a great dynamic duo. Based on a true story, Martin Sixsmith helps Philomena search for her long, lost son who was adopted without her consent fifty years ago. Coogan and Dench have an easy relationship and although they seem to be polar opposites, their interactions are filled with witty banter and deep conversations. 

Rush - Niki Lauda and James Hunt  (Daniel Bruhl, Chris Hemsworth)

• Hollywood loves making sports movies, but it's been awhile since there's been one that makes you really feel for the characters. Ron Howard gets it right when he decided to make a film about the rivalry between Formula One racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Daniel Bruhl and Chris Hemsworth have an onscreen bitterness and hatred towards each other, but the duo respect the other underneath it all. Bruhl and Hemsworth prove that angry looks and quick-witted banter works regardless of the movie subject. 

The Spectacular Now - Sutter and Aimee (Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley)

• Rarely do teen films these days make any lasting impressions. Half the time, they make teens look stupid, shallow, and uninteresting. This film does the opposite and what makes the film even more special is the chemistry and relationship between Teller and Woodley. They have a natural and genuine relationship that builds on friendship before moving into romance. They make a great duo simply because they work really well together in all respects. 

Star Trek Into Darkness - Spock and James T. Kirk (Zachary Quinto, Chris Pine)

• Probably one of the most well-known and loved duos is the friendship between Spock and Kirk. That doesn't change in J.J. Abrams' reboot of the franchise nor in its sequel. Spock's logic vs. Kirk's emotionally-fueled decisions makes for a great balance and their constant banter makes for great entertainment all while keeping the momentum of the film going. 

White House Down - President Sawyer, Cale (Jaime Foxx, Channing Tatum)

• The White House took a double hit in 2013 with both this film and Olympus Has Fallen. But only a duo that includes Tatum and Foxx is worthy of any kind of respect. The film has drama mixed with humor, and a lot of it is thanks to them. If there was any doubt that Tatum's character wasn't qualified to protect the president, all doubt is removed when you see the two of them working side by side. 

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Channing Tatum fights the bad guy; Jamie Foxx loses the rocket launcher in two new clips from 'White House Down'

After Olympus Has Fallen, it'll be interesting to see what White House Down has to offer. The destruction of Washington, DC has never been more prevalent as it has this year. That's two movies in so many months that both seek to destroy the nation's capital. What are the odds?

Sony Pictures has released two new clips from White House Down. The first clip includes Channing Tatum fighting the bad guy and doing a nice table slide duck for cover. While Tatum fights for his life, Jamie Foxx, who plays the president, grabs a gun and attempts to also kick his assailant with his sneakers. Nice touch!

The second clip includes Tatum and Foxx on the run in a limo in which Foxx somehow manages to lose the rocket launcher.

Check out both clips below!

White House Down also stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jason Clarke. The film hits theaters June 28.

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*CLOSED* 'White House Down' Advance Screening

It's Channing Tatum to the rescue in Roland Emmerich's action thriller, White House Down, and we want you to see it before anybody else by attending an advance screening! Tatum stars as a DC cop who has just missed out on his dream job in the Secret Service, but is called into duty when terrorists attack the White House. It's up to him to rescue the President (Jamie Foxx) and save the day.

The event takes place at AMC Mazza on Tuesday June 25th at 7:00pm.  To qualify, you MUST be a fan of Punch Drunk Critics on Facebook, so if you haven't "Liked" us yet please go there and do so now. To win, simply leave a comment here with your name, favorite Channing Tatum movie, and a method of online contact (email, Facebook, Twitter). If we can't reach you, we'll move on to the next reader, so those of you on Twitter make sure you're following @punchycritic now. Twenty winners will be selected and notified on Saturday June 22nd.

White House Down opens on June 28th.

White House Down - Trailer No. 1

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New Extended Trailer for 'White House Down' with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx

After a blistering 2012 in which he had three $100M-grossing hits, plus a couple of well-regarded indie projects, Channing Tatum's 2013 has gotten off to a quieter start. He paired up with Steven Soderbergh for the third time in Side Effects, and basically passed the hero torch over to Dwayne Johnson in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. This summer, Tatum takes on his first solo blockbuster in White House Down, the latest film from Independence Day director, Roland Emmerich.

The latest trailer is basically a four-minute cut of the version released awhile ago, with all of the Emmerich-style spectacle you'd fully expect from the disaster movie maestro. Tatum plays John Cale, a DC cop and former soldier whose past transgressions get him rejected for a job in the Secret Service, but while touring the White House afterwards with is daughter, a paramilitary group storms the building and takes over. Jamie Foxx plays the President who is rescued by Cale and then, in buddy comedy fashion, they make an oddball pairing as they go on the offensive. This seems to be living up to its billing as "Die Hard in the White House", but will audiences care after sitting through the similar Olympus Has Fallen?

Co-starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Richard Jenkins, Joey King, and Jason Clarke, White House Down opens on June 28th.

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New posters for 'The World's End', 'White House Down', 'August: Osage County', and more

Edgar Wright has promised we'll be seeing the first trailer for The World's End in just a few days, but before that he's graced us with this new quad posture. The image is actually quite revealing, as a look beyond the astonished mugs of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are what look like glowing humanoid aliens. After a six year wait, the wrap up to the Three Flavours trilogy arrives on August 23rd, and follows five childhood friends attempting to recreate an epic pub crawl from 20 years ago. In the midst of their journey the come to realize that the real struggle is for the future of all humankind. Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike, Eddie Marsan, and Martin Freeman co-star.

So Channing Tatum's last attempt to save the world didn't work out so well in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but he'll give it another go in White House Down. The new trailer just hit the web a few days ago, and basically it clued us in to his character, a single dad having the worst job interview ever. Losing out on a gig to join the Secret Service, he nonetheless gets a shot to rescue the President (Jamie Foxx) when the White House is taken down by terrorists. The latest poster shows Tatum and Foxx walking through the fog of devastation, probably in slow motion, because that's what action heroes do. White House Down opens on June 28th.

The first poster for John Wells' adaptation of Tracy Letts' August: Osage County isn't much, but it does get across that this is going to be one heck of an acting showcase. Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Margo Martindale, Abigail Breslin, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, and Juliette Lewis lead a terrific ensemble in telling the story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, who have all gone their separate ways until a family tragedy brings them home to Oklahoma and under the roof of their alcoholic mother. The film has been positioned as a potential awards contender, hitting theaters on November 8th.

And finally, a rather terrible new poster for The Bling Ring, which is basically someone using MS Paint over a photo we've already seen. Emma Watson leads Sofia Coppola's latest look at celebrity culture, telling the true story of a group of Beverly Hills teens who rob the homes of famous people to fuel their lifestyle. The Bling Ring comes for your stuff on June 14th.

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Channing Tatum's pecs save the day in new trailer for 'White House Down'

Who says Hollywood is out of ideas? So what if White House Down is the second film in as many months to feature a buff Secret Service-type who must endure explosions, terrorists, and some really long hallways to rescue the kidnapped President? That doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a bad movie, just one that looks ridiculously predictable.

Directed with relish by Roland Emmerich, the latest trailer has arrived and it looks like he hasn't lost his touch for blowing up national monuments.The setup is both a little too cuddly and totally implausible, as Tatum plays a Dad who takes his kid to the White House while he interviews for a Secret Service gig. Turned down for the job, he gets another chance to prove himself when the building is overrun by group of heavily-armed insurgents, and Tatum must not only rescue the President but keep his daughter out of danger. Jamie Foxx plays what is probably the first President to ever fire a rocket launcher, and the tone in general is silly and over-the-top. At least in that way it differs greatly from the deadly serious Olympus Has Fallen. 

Co-starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Jason Clarke, Joey King, and Richard Jenkins, White House Down opens on June 28th.  

 

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Two new posters for 'White House Down' starring Channing Tatum

Is there room for two flag-waving action movies in the span of a few months where one guy has to infiltrate the White House and rescue the President from terrorists? We just saw Gerard Butler do his "Die Hard in DC" routine with Olympus Has Fallen, and now Channing Tatum gets his turn to save the day in Roland Emmerich's White House Down.

Two new posters have been released for the film, one which is pretty generic with Tatum walking away from a burning White House. Uh, shouldn't he be running towards it and trying to...I dunno...save some folks? He kinda looks like a coward.  Anyway, the other one is better and recalls Emmerich's memorable destruction of the building in Independence Day.

Starring Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods, Richard Jenkins and Jason Clarke, White House Down opens on June 28th. [IMPA]

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Channing Tatum is the USA's only hope in new trailer for 'White House Down'

Good Guys Walk Away from Explostions

One of these days I'll have to do some research about the odd 'Rule of Two' that Hollywood seems to adhere to. Dante's Peak and Volcano. Armageddon and Deep Impact. I could go on and on but every year there seems to be two of the same movie made. This year the topic is attacking the White House. Last weekend gave us the first of two films on defending the home of the world's most powerful leader in Olympus has Fallen. Next up is Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx in White House Down, which seems to be on a bit of a larger scope than Olympus and brings a bit more in the talent section than the Gerard Butler action thriller. Today we get our first live action look at what White House Down is all about in this new trailer. Should our wallets go to DEFCON 2 or should we be pre-ordering tickets?

Honestly, it's really, REALLY hard to tell from this trailer. There are some great moments like seeing Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx taking "The Beast" (code name for President Obama's limosine) on a high speed chase and into a pool. Then there are some moments that make you realize that this is a movie directed by Roland Emmerich who, while not the harbinger of crap that some make him out to be, is most certainly hit or very far miss. Of course those hits have been fewer and very far inbetween in the previous decade with his last big movies being the horribly recieved Anonymous, 10,000BC, and 2012. Wow, I guess he kind of is a crap harbinger.....still this film has potential to be a comeback to the glory days of Independence Day. Take a look and let us know what you think!

White House Down - Trailer No. 1

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