New on DVD & Blu-Ray: Lee Daniels' 'The Butler', 'Riddick', 'Enough Said'

Lee Daniels' The Butler - Cecil Gaines served eight presidents in his lifetime as the one of the butlers in the White House. He sees the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and other major American historical events through the inside of the president's walls. The film stars Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding, Jr., David Oyelowo, and also includes cameos by Alan Rickman, Liev Shrieber, James Marsden, John Cusack, and Robin Williams. 

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Riddick - Left for dead again on a sun-scorched planet, only this time he's up against a creepy predator, Riddick has to try to find a way out. An emergency beacon brings two ships, mercenaries out to kill him, and a man that knows about Riddick and his past. The film stars Vin Diesel, Jordi Molla, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, and Dave Bautista, with a cameo by Karl Urban.

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Enough Said - Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the late James Gandolfini are a great pair in this very intriguing tale about a masseuse who meets and begins to fall in love with a fellow divorcee only to discover that one of her clients is his ex-wife. Slowly, but surely, the information the ex tells Dreyfus about Gandolfini starts to taint her relationship with him. The film also stars Catherine Keener and Toni Collette. 

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Short Term 12 - This was probably one of the best, if not the best, film of 2013. It's understated and really powerful. Brie Larson plays a young woman who works at a foster care center where all the kids come from mostly bad families. She takes care of them and helps ease their hurt all while being forced to confront her own issues when she finds out a teenage girl is dealing with the same things she went through. The film also stars John Gallagher, Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Keith Stanfield, Rami Malek, and Frantz Turner. 

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Fruitvale Station - Michael B. Jordan stars as Oscar Grant as we are taken through the journey that ends up being the last day of his life on December 31, 2008. It's based on the true story of Grant, who was shot and killed by a San Francisco transportation security officer in a confrontation that got out of hand very fast. The film also stars Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ariana Neal, and Chad Michael Murray. 

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The Spectacular Now - Sutter lives life in the moment. With alcohol always there to get him through everything and makes life easier, his views on things change when he meets Aimee. Aimee has dreams for the future and a kind disposition while Sutter is a wrecking ball waiting to explode as he covers up his very low opinion of himself and finally meets the father who left him and sees what he might become. The film stars Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, and Kyle Chandler. 

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Carrie - This remake of the classic 1976 horror movie stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore follows the same story with a modern take on the original. Carrie is shy and extremely sheltered by her overly religious mother and unleashes her telekinetic powers on everyone when she's finally pushed too far.  

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You're Next - The Davison family is reuniting to celebrate their parents' anniversary. But things don't go as planned when a bunch of weapon-wielding masked intruders invade the house and start killing everyone off one by one. The film stars Sharni Vinson, Nicolas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, and AJ Bowen. 

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Box Office: 'Gravity' Soars with Record-Breaking $55M Debut

1. Gravity- $55.55M
It's one giant leap for Alfonso Cuaron's acclaimed sci-fi epic, Gravity, as the long-awaited film broke October records on the way to a $55M debut. The film has now surpassed Paranormal Activity's $52M to become the top all-time grosser for the month, fueled by overwhelming critical reviews that emphasized the need to catch it in more expensive IMAX theaters. The larger IMAX format accounted for $11M of the overall ticket sales, with roughly 80% of those also in 3D. It certainly didn't hurt to have stars like Sandra Bullock and George Clooney tackling a genre neither is really known for, and since both stars' movies tend to have long theatrical runs we can be looking at a massive blockbuster if attendance doesn't slip too quickly.
2. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2- $21.5M/$60.5M
Slipping only 37% from last week was Cloudy 2, making the most of being the only animated comedy available for the next few weeks.  That's basically identical to where the first film was after its second weekend.
3. Runner Runner- $7.6M
Despite Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake fronting the online gambling flick, Runner Runner, the film failed to flop the nuts at the box office. Marketing for the film was lousy to start, focusing on its star power rather than offering a compelling reason beyond that to see it. So it came across as a generic crime film that will turn up on pay cable in short order, which to be honest is exactly what it is. Affleck won't be hurt by this, but it's another example of Timberlake not quite being ready for prime time.Working in its favor is the $11M already earned overseas, so it should be able to make up for the $30M budget before too long.
4. Prisoners- $5.7M/$47.8M
5. Rush- $4.4M/$18M
6. Don Jon- $4.1M/$16M
Joseph Gordon-Levitt's $6M directorial debut held strong in its second weekend, dropping 52% and solidifying the film as a solid, small scale hit.
7. Baggage Claim- $4.1M/$15.1M
8.  Insidious Chapter 2- $3.8M/$74.7M
9. Pulling Strings- $2.5M
As the surprising Latino-themed smash Instructions Not Included exits the top 10, another one takes its place in Pulling Strings. The bilingual rom-com, which stars Jaime Camil, Laura Ramsey, and Stockard Channing; not exactly household names; opened at 387 theaters and pulled an impressive $6400 per site.
10. Enough Said- $2.1M/$5.3M
Driven by strong reviews and high praise for Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini in his final lead performance, Nicole Holofcener's Enough Said cracks the top 10 in its third week. Holofcener's brand of high-minded comedies have never been huge earners, 2006's Friends with Money topping the list at $13M, but Enough Said seems to be riding a wave of solid buzz that could carry it through the Oscar season.

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*CLOSED* 'Enough Said' Advance Screening

Sadly, Nicole Holofcener's Enough Said marks the final lead performance by James Gandolfini, and as someone who has seen the film it's one of the finest he's ever given. Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a rare big screen turn, the story follows a divorced single mom who meets and falls for a man in a similar situation. As their love begins to blossom, she unwittingly befriends his ex-wife who begins to poison her perceptions of him. We'd like for you to check out this wonderful film a little early by catching a free advance screening held at Landmark Bethesda Row on Thursday September 26th at 7:30pm.

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. Simply leave a comment here with your name, email address, and your favorite James Gandolfini film. We'll be using the Gofobo ticketing system for this one, so you'll need to register there as well. The contest end at noon on Wednesday September 25th.

Good luck!


"Enough Said" Trailer - starring James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus by thesevensees

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James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus Shine in Trailer for 'Enough Said'

The sudden passing of James Gandolfini has made every opportunity to see him in action all the more special. One of his final performances was in Enough Said, the latest insightful comedic look at love and relationships from writer/director Nicole Holofcener (Please Give, Lovely & Amazing) and starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a rare leading role. Ahead of its debut at TIFF next month, the first trailer has been released and not only does it look like a real charmer, but also one of Gandolfini's finest big screen roles.

Louis-Dreyfus stars as Eva, a divorced massage therapist, while Gandolfini is Albert, a funny everyman in a similar life situation. The two meet and begin to fall in love, but just as things are starting to go great, an unfortunate wrench is thrown into the works. It wouldn't be a Holofcener film without Catherine Keener nearby, and she turns up as Marianne, Eva's new client and Albert's ex-wife. As Marianne begins to reveal the ugly details of their relationship, her complaints begin to color Eva's opinion of Albert, making for an awkward situation when he notices the change.

Enough Said opens on September 20th and co-stars Ben Falcone and Toni Collette.

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