The Sunday Drive 8/12/12

3. The Bourne Legacy
How does one go about continuing a franchise without the franchise star?  If you're series scribe turned director, Tony Gilroy, the answer is you up the intrigue, raise the stakes, and shift the focus to an equally compelling figure. Jeremy Renner's no Matt Damon, bringing a different energy and ensuring the 'Bourne' legacy will continue to be a rich one.
2. The Campaign
I'm not the biggest fan of either Will Ferrell or Zach Galifianakis, but they make for a hilarious tandem when skewering our ridiculous political system. Directed with savvy by Jay Roach, who knows a thing or two about ripping electoral candidates, The Campaign works because it's surprisingly sharp, surprisingly current, and surprisingly merciless.
1. Celeste and Jesse Forever
What happens when perfect friends make for a not so perfect marriage? Can the friendship survive? Should it? A story we've seen played out hundreds of times gets a fresh coat of paint as Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones explore the harsh reality of the fairy tale ending.

DVD Pick of the Week:  Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
Adapting the imaginative, colorful world of Dr. Seuss for the big screen has been a mixed bag to say the least. The folks at Illumination have taken the author's cautionary tale of ecological responsibility and spruced it up with amazing visuals and vivid characters. Sometimes being taught a valuable lesson can be fun, too.

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Punch Drunk DVD's

Here are your Punch Drunk DVD releases for Tuesday, August 7th 2012

 The Lorax: The latest adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax, delivers an environmentally conscious story against a beautiful backdrop. I really dug this flick, it's beautiful to look at, it's funny, it has great voice acting, and it manages to deliver it's message in a way that you leave feeling entertained and not scolded. In my opinion the best of the Dr. Seuss adapted movies.

Rental for everyone. 

Parents: BUY BUY BUY, a must have for your children's video library

 Marley: As far as musical icons go I would say that Bob Marley has had the largest impact while remaining somewhat mysterious. Everyone knows the songs, but not many really know the man..outside of the jamaican accent and rasta stereotypes. Kevin MacDonald really gets deep into the soul of the person behind the influx of reggae with No woman, no cry, I shot the Sheriff, Could You be Loved, Buffalo Soldier, and too many more songs to list. If you ever listened to Bob Marley than you know that his songs come with a palpable emotion that you don't find with many artists. This documentary looks into what made that emotion possible. 

BUY

New to Blu-Ray
Well, it looks like my checking account is going to be hurting after this weeks Blu-Ray releases. I'm pretty sure every single one of these is getting purchased from the Punch Drunk Critics Cinematic Superstore. In case you didn't feel old today I should probably include that most of these are 25th and 15th anniversary editions.

Click on the image to be taken directly to our Amazon store!

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Tops at the Box Office: 'The Hunger Games' earns 3rd highest opening in box office history!

1. The Hunger Games- $155M
Unlike Harry Potter or Twilight, The Hunger Games only has three books from which to draw from, meaning the window of opportunity to connect with audiences is considerably smaller. It appears that Lionsgate, director Gary Ross, and author Suzanne Collins have made all the right moves because the much hyped film opened with the third best weekend in movie history. Just a shade under The Dark Knight's $158M, The Hunger Games pleased not only fans but those sucked in by all the buzz, registering an "A" Cinemascore and drawing just as many men as females. That was perhaps Lionsgate's wisest move, targeting the trailers and TV spots in a way that appealed to everybody, making guys feel secure in buying a ticket to the event without having their Man Card pulled.

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Tops at the Box Office: '21 Jump Street' is head of the class

1. 21 Jump Street- $35M
How much name recognition does a movie like 21 Jump Street carry along with it? Probably not a lot. Most people under the age of 30 probably could care less about the 1980s TV series except as a footnote in the career of Johnny Depp, or as a punchline in the career of Richard Grieco. No, what likely drew people to the unexpectedly awesome remake was the combination of comedy star Jonah Hill, fresh off his Oscar nomination for Moneyball, and the hunkiness of Channing Tatum. Tatum in particular seems to be the biggest pull, as he's proven to be a box office draw on his own, as in this year's hit romance, The Vow. Plus we've never really seen him do comedy on this sort of level. Sony's smart marketing campaign was also a plus, feature the two stars as well as emphasizing the Superbad vibe. A ton of good reviews, including mine, also couldn't have hurt.

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Tops at the Box Office: 'The Lorax' buries 'John Carter'

1. The Lorax- $39.1M/$122M
Slipping a mere 44% from last week, The Lorax continues to (supposedly) turn America's kids against planet destroying corporations at an incredible pace. With not much to steal away the family audience for a few weeks(The Hunger Games doesn't really count), Universal could be looking at almost a month of strong returns.

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PDC Live ep. 132: Project X; The Lorax; We Need to Talk About Kevin

Could there be two more different movies to talk about on this week's show? First is the animated eco-morality tale, The Lorax, based on the classic children's story by Dr. Seuss. And then there's Project X, the Todd Phillips produced found footage party flick that is more interested in destroying the environment than saving it. This should be fun!

Plus we'll spend a few minutes discussing the merits of corporal punishment in our review of We Need to Talk About Kevin, from director Lynne Ramsay. All this and the box office, news, and we'll talk the latest trailer for The Avengers!

Join us in the chat room and make your voice heard, tonight at 7pm eastern courtesy of Blogtalkradio!

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Tops at the Box Office: 'The Lorax' shuts the 'Project X' party down early

1. The Lorax- $70.7M
The Lorax was by no means a sure thing for Universal or Illumination Entertainment. While there was little in the way of family entertainment this season, we're still talking about one of Dr. Seuss' more message heavy novels, which may have turned some parents off who...I guess don't want their kids to learn a thing or two? Whatever, the fact remains the gamble paid off big time, as The Lorax became the biggest opener this year, crushing the $41M debut of The Vow. It also became the highest opening film yet for Universal's animated division, surpassing Despicable Me's $56M. This was probably the best possible time to release the film, as it should have many weeks without any direct competition.While some of these numbers can be attributed to IMAX and 3D screenings, this is a huge win for Universal and it's probably gonna make some right wing idiots cry with fear over children becoming eco-terrorists or something.

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The Sunday Drive: 3/4/12

3. The Secret World of Arrietty
You're running out of time to catch up with the latest visual, heartwarming masterpiece from Studio Ghibli. Following a family of inch-high "Borrowers" who live in the homes of regular sized people, their lives are turned upside down with the arrival of a curious new human boy looking for a taste of adventure.

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Review: 'The Lorax', featuring Zac Efron and Taylor Swift

Adapting the timeless works of Dr. Seuss into feature films has proven to be a lucrative, if not always creatively successful venture. The problem has always been in finding a style that can adequately capture the author's unique style. Live-action movies like How the Grinch Stole Christmas were hamstrung by leaving the animated format, and The Cat in the Hat suffered a similar fate made worse by Mike Meyers' inability to be funny. A CGI version of Horton Hears a Who! better interpreted Seuss' daffy visual style, and that model is employed yet again with equal vibrancy in The Lorax, a film that shows the author's cautionary tale is as vital today as ever.

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Trailer Time: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, voiced by Danny DeVito and Ed Helms

Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, the duo who wrote the only good recent Dr. Seuss adaptation in Horton Hears a Who!, appear to be on the right track when it comes to The Lorax. For one, director Chris Renaud(Despicable Me) has made lush and beautiful the world dreamed up by the children's author. Also, I like some of the changes that have been made to the story, such as turning the novel's mostly unseen villain, the Once-ler(Ed Helms) into a man, the better to make clear man's responsibility to protecting the environment. I take some issue with DeVito's voice being used for the grumpy Lorax, as it doesn't seem to quite fit, but it's something that can be lived with.

The latest trailer for The Lorax confirms my excitement, looking like a charming little fable kids and adults should be able to enjoy. Check it out below, then look out for The Lorax when it arrives on March 2nd....

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Trailer Time: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Even though the live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat may have earned their share of coin, it was pretty clear to me that Dr. Seuss' works are best presented in animated form. The cartoons are beloved, and even Horton Hears a Who! turned out to be pretty good. Somebody finally figured that out, and was smart enough to get the talented folks at Illumination(Despicable Me, Hop) to beautifully adapt Seuss' environmental fable, The Lorax.

Directed by Chris Renaud, based on a script by Ken Daurio, the story takes place in a world where industrialism has completely taken over. A boy(voiced by Zac Efron) seeks to impress the girl of his dreams(Taylor Swift) by finding her one of the last remaining trees. To do so he must learn the story of the Lorax(Danny Devito), a grumpy creature who serves as nature's protector, and also the Once-Ler(Ed Helms) who may be the cause of the way things are. Check out the gorgeous, and kinda sweet, trailer for The Lorax below...

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1st look at the Once-ler in Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Illumination Entertainment has decided to do things a little differently with their animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "controversial" children's tale, The Lorax. Considered the author's most political story, it's basically a fable detailing the dangerous effects of industry on nature. The Lorax is a creature of indeterminate origin whose sole purpose is to protect the wildlife, the forests, and to essentially speak for nature. His "nemesis" was The Once-Ler, a basic personification of the super industry, needlessly chopping down the trees and leaving disaster in his wake. In Seuss' book, the Once-Ler is never actually seen except for his arms and legs, so his shape was unclear. Was he a monster? A rather friendly looking creature like The Lorax? Not according to this new image courtesy of EW...

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An early look at the trailer for The Lorax

Who knows how long this'll stay up, so best check it out now while it's still around. What appears to be a leaked trailer for the unfinished film version of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax has hit the 'net, and it looks pretty good, which should be expected considering it's from Illumination, the folks behind the beautiful Despicable Me, and terribly unfunny but gorgeous Hop.

Directed by Chris Renaud(Despicable Me) and co-writer Ken Daurio, the film centers on a boy named Ted who becomes friends with The Lorax, a creature dedicated to the protection of the environment. The book has sparked debate, with some claiming the book presents too political of a message for kids to understand. They just don't like having those evil corporations portrayed as...well, evil.  Zac Efron, Rob Riggle, Betty White, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, and Danny DeVito lend their voices to the film. I haven't really enjoyed any of the other Dr. Seuss adaptations we've seen because they seem to lack the author's spirit. Here's hoping The Lorax is different....

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