Pads & Panels

Title: Hall Pass

Format: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy Enlarged Edition

MPAA Rating: R

Directed by: Peter and Bobby Farrelly

Written by: Pete Jones, Peter Farrelly, Kevin Barnett, Bobby Farrelly

Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Richard Jenkins, Christina Applegate

Studio: Warner Bros.

Film Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

It was hard not to go into Hall Pass with extremely low expectations. The trailers looked absolutely terrible and the Farrelly Brothers arguably haven’t had a real high-profile critical hit since 1998’s There’s Something About Mary. So it was easy for the film to overwhelm, and it’s true that Hall Pass actually isn’t an overtly terrible movie; it’s just not that funny.

Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) have been friends for years. They’ve also been married for years — it should be noted to characters played by the absolutely gorgeous Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate. But they both get caught looking, and what implausibly happens is their wives give them a “hall pass” from marriage for a week to do what they please, in hopes that in the aftermath they will have stronger marriages. (more…)

Title: Louie: The Complete First Season

Format: Blu-ray/DVD 2-Disc Set

Created by: Louis C.K.

Starring: Louis C.K., Hadley Delany, Nick DiPaolo

Studio: FX Network, 20th Century Fox

Season Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Season

As FX Network has risen in notoriety with a host of ballsy original programming for cable television, it both got lucky in scoring and helped to make Louis C.K. one of the biggest stars in comedy today. And though his debut season of Louie gets off to a slightly slow start, it quickly becomes a fascinating piece of not only comedy, but a serious expression of controversial ideas on television. And it’s hard not to see it as a sort of perfect blend of what Louis C.K. has to offer in the television format.

Throughout The Complete First Season, Louis C.K. splices together stage spots and sketches, though this reviewer would hesitate to call it all stand-up and sketch comedy. For much of the first season of Louie, the show can be hilariously funny, but it’s not all jokes. Louis C.K. tells some jokes and creates some comedic moments for sure, but he also takes time to develop his thoughts about issues such as the use of homosexual terminology in comedy, being middle aged and a divorced father, religion, dealing with opposing political beliefs, dating, and what it’s like to be a performer and actor. (more…)

Title: Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Making the Movie

Publisher: Titan Books

Writer: Commentary by Mark Millar, Contributions from Cast and Crew

Review by: Thomas Braaksma

Spoiler Alert! If the reader has not seen the movie or read the comic and does not want to know everything about it, hold off on Kick-Ass: Creating the Comic, Making the Movie. This book will give away a lot of the plot and the differences between the comic and the movie. With that being said, the question at hand is whether after the movie has been viewed is this companion book to the Kick-Ass franchise worth picking up? The answer to that could be yes or no depending on the reader’s commitment to the franchise and their concern for intricate details, down to costumes, the story’s origin, writers’ thoughts and actors’ takes on the material. Creating the Comic, Making the Movie is really for the most die-hard of fans. (more…)

Title: Kick-Ass Premiere Hardcover

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Mark Millar

Artist: John Romita Jr.

Rating:

Review by: Thomas Braaksma

These days most people watch movies and television to get their entertainment fix. Comic books usually get tossed to the side and at times mocked as an irrelevant form of media, at least until a movie is made about them. In the case of Kick-Ass, even though a movie was in mind from the conception of the book, it hardly seems necessary to have any other interpretation of this almost perfect comic book.

Reading Kick-Ass is a much better option than, say, renting Law Abiding Citizen or whatever number Saw movie studios are pumping out this year. Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. take a concept that every comic fan has at some time fantasized about – putting on a costume and pulling a Batman on some bad guys – and put together a truly inspired, truly original and highly entertaining book. (more…)

Title: ‘Splosion Man

Platform: XBLA

ESRB: E

Publisher: Twisted Pixel

Developer: Twisted Pixel

Rating:

Review by: John Gustafson

Twisted Pixel’s April Fools Day joke-turned fully-realized game ‘Splosion Man launched with the dubious honor of being the first title in this year’s Xbox Live “Summer of Arcade” program. As Twisted Pixel’s sophomore Xbox Live Arcade release after the well-received The Maw, ‘Splosion Man is an original side-scrolling platformer featuring a hysterical cast paired with addictively polished gameplay. (more…)

Title: Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party

Platform: Wii (Also on DS)

ESRB Rating: E10+

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft Paris

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

It is hard, nearly impossible, to flat-out hate a Rayman Raving Rabbids game. The brainchild of French developer Michael Ancel, the inane humor really takes over in the Raving Rabbids series, combining brilliant sight gags with great slapstick humor, all while playing to the Wii’s multiplayer party game strengths. Unfortunately, Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party proves it is possible to be a bit disappointed in a Rayman game.

The format is mixed up drastically in the third installment of the series. The premise is great. The Rabbids have taken control of a television network and create programming day in and day out through the mini-games players control. The style is even enhanced with advertising mini-mini-games that play into their longer counterparts. (more…)

Title: Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode 2

Platform: XBLA (Also PC, PSN)

ESRB Rating: M

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Hothead Games

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The first episode in the Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness series was an all-around hit. The gameplay wasn’t anything players hadn’t seen before – a fairly standard turn-based, three-character, real-time role-playing game – but it was about as solid as it gets in its simplified form. And let’s face it – very few people are likely playing Penny Arcade Adventures for the gameplay itself. (more…)