This is Blog! 10 Most Anticipated ’12 Movies: #9

Last week, This is Blog! posted it’s #10 most anticipated movies for 2012, which included The Hunger Games, Casa de mi Padre and Prometheus. Read more about them here by clicking this ol’ link-a-roo.

Anyways, as is natural with countdown lists, #9 is next (Spoiler Alert: #8 will be next):

Kevin’s #9

The Lorax, March 2nd

There once was a time when a children’s movie wouldn’t have even come close to my Top 10, maybe not even Top 50, but with the sad state of movies these days, I’ve come to find that some of the children’s films are the best Hollywood has to offer lately. Also, I now have a 2-year old daughter so if I get a chance to go see a movie, odds are it will be with her in tow.

Which brings us to The Lorax. It’s probably a tie between The Lorax and Green Eggs & Ham as to which one is my favorite Dr. Seuss book of all-time but I don’t envision there being a Green Eggs & Ham movie anytime soon, then again … there is going to be a Battleship movie so what the hell do I know?

The Lorax tells the tale of a once fabulous land filled with truffula trees and brown barbaloots (running around in their barbaloot suits, of course) ruined by industrialism and greed and the grumpy little orange furry creature (the Lorax) who tried with all his might to save it. I’m sure the movie will have its own spin on the story and it looks as though it will expand on the boy character, who in the book is the audience to the narrator’s (the Oncler) retelling of the Lorax and his plight. But, in my mind the book offers enough of a plot for the film to remain fairly true to its origins … at least I hope.

Zach Efron voices the boy character while Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover) voices the Oncler and Danny DeVito is an all-too-literal interpretation of the title character, if you ask me. Which you didn’t.

I’m happy Hollywood ended its attempts to turn Dr. Seuss’ books into live-action films after the horrendous The Cat in the Hat movie, and enjoyed Horton Hears a Who quite a bit. I’d expect a similar if not better experience with The Lorax as it’s a story I’ve always loved. My only fear is considering the times we live in, it could be flooded with a political agenda that I’m not looking for from a kids’ movie (or any movie really), ala Cars 2.

The Lorax trailer:

Brian’s #9

The Cabin in the Woods, April 13

Without seeing a production photo or single frame of film, I had already written off The Cabin in the Woods as another “People Trapped In a Secluded House Having To Deal With The Elements And/Or A Violent Killer And/Or Some Sort Of Ghost” movie.  Immediately the Evil Dead trilogy came to mind, and while I do enjoy those classics dearly, another entry into this genre didn’t seem completely necessary, considering the past failure of such films as 2003’s Cabin Fever and the inevitable failure of the currently-in-development remake of the original Evil Dead.

However, my interest was firmly grabbed after early reviews of the trailer made note of its unexpected twist, as well as the knowledge that Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity, X-Men, Alien Resurrection) was producing said film.  Indeed, the trailer does start off presenting a film not at all unlike your typical slasher film, with the ragtag group of twentysomethings road-tripping their way out to a rural location for a night of debauchery (I Know What You Did Last Summer particularly came to mind), but it’s when they arrive at the cabin that things start to lean more towards a film like Resident Evil than a film like Scream.

A heavy sci-fi element appears to be vital to Cabin’s plot (it would appear the cabin is located above some high-tech facility that specializes in (cue dramatic music)…something sinister), and although the bulk of the trailer contains your typical fast-paced montage of tense scenes, it still manages to present itself as a movie possibly unlike any other in this genre.  Heck, it could very well be starting its own genre, though due to the secrecy surrounding Cabin’s premise I can’t tell you right now what that will be.  I’ll let you know upon the film’s release, if I feel like it.

The Cabin in the Woods trailer: