Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (Blu-ray) Criticize This! Pick of the Week – Set in a town where everything is fake, including the trees, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax follows a young boy (voice of Zac Efron) who ventures out to find a real tree for a girl he likes. On his journey outside of town he meets the Once-ler (voice of Ed Helms), a man who became rich selling a useless fashion accessory and then lost everything after he cut down all the trees required to make it. The Once-ler tells the boy about the Lorax, a mystical creature who had warned him about the outcome of his ways. After all the trees were gone, so was the Lorax, and neither has returned. While The Lorax has a great underlying message about saving the environment, it’s bright and colourful and is wildly entertaining for both kids and adults. The Blu-ray release sports a stunning image and 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix and is a must-have. Special features include three mini-movies, a deleted scene, games, and more. A regular DVD and digital copy of the film are included as well. Film **** Blu-ray ***** (out of 5 stars).
Marley (Blu-ray) - As a huge fan of Bob Marley’s music, I was drawn into Marley, a documentary on his entire life and all aspects of it, from the very beginning. And for the remaining 144 minutes after that I was glued to the screen. This could be one of the greatest documentaries about a musician ever made. It’s informative, engaging, has the support of his family, and doesn’t leave anything about the legend out. It also features performances of his along with rare interviews. If you’re a fan there is no doubt you need to pick this up today. The Blu-ray release has a crisp image and the 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix enhances the performance footage immensely. Special features include bonus interviews and footage. A regular DVD of the film is included as well. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
Moon Point – I’m quoted on the cover of the Moon Point DVD as saying it feels like ‘a mix between a John Hughes film and Napoleon Dynamite.’ After watching it a second time, I’d like to add it’s better than Napoleon Dynamite and even a few films Hughes made in his career. What makes Moon Point work so well, and sells it as one of the better coming-of-age films of recent memory, is the cast, especially Nick McKinlay and Kyle Mac as best friends travelling by way of a wheelchair and a wagon in order to find a girl. The dialogue between the two flows and is very witty and funny. The movie has also put director Sean Cisterna on our watchlist and we’re eager to see what’s next from him. Special features include bloopers, making-of featurettes, a music video, and audio commentary with the cast and crew. Film **** DVD *** (out of 5 stars).
Also out this week to Watch @ Home is the Blu-ray release of Clue, the complete first season of Grimm, and The Flowers of War, starring Christian Bale.
Top image: A scene from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. Courtesy Universal Home Entertainment.
