Pads & Panels

#9 Mortal Kombat (PS3, 360)

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment – Developer: NetherRealm Studios

Who would have thought that all this franchise needed to return to the top was to take things back to its roots? The ninth iteration of the notorious franchise ditched the comic crossovers and the gimmicky create-a-character modes and returned to form in spectacular fashion . The fighting returns to a 2D space, the fatalities are even bloodier and more over the top than in recent memory, the graphics are better than ever, but more importantly, the controls are rock solid and have that easy-to-pick-up, hard-to-master feel for which the series was once known. (more…)

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Best of 2011 – Matt’s Music Picks

The Best

Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials (Island)

Not to be simply lost in Adele’s shadow, UK sensation Florence + The Machine released a strong follow-up to 2009′s Lungs. Florence Welsh’s voice is still as haunting as ever, and sounds as if, at times, she’s channeling Tori Amos at her best. Her talents lead the album down a more imaginative path than its simply raw and powerful predecessor. Producer Paul Epworth is in no small part responsible for providing Welsh with her canvas, and does a fine job of keeping The Machine focused. The epic scale of horns and strings interlaced with a driving voice makes any track a good fit for a movie soundtrack. (more…)

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Best of 2011 – Eric’s Music Picks

The Best

Devin Townsend Project – Deconstruction (HevyDevy/InsideOut Music)

To describe Deconstruction in a nutshell is an impossible thing to do, as it is one of the most bizarre metal albums of the year, and likely the most avant-garde piece of music that Devin Townsend has released yet. Throwing together everything plus the kitchen sink, all forms of metal show their faces in this showing, from progressive to black to death and everything in between, not to mention the backing of the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as guest vocals by some of the greatest vocalists in extreme metal. It’s not for everyone, but it more than proves that Townsend’s creative wellspring is far from run dry. (more…)

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Title: Green Lantern

Format: Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy

Directed by: Martin Campbell

Written by: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, Michael Goldenberg

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong

Studio: Warner Bros.

Film Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

For the original review of the theatrical release of Green Lantern, click padsandpanels.com/?p=13877

The Blu-ray

Green Lantern has landed among the lower echelon of superhero films in recent years, reverting back to cheesy humor, overreliance on special effects and so forth. And the additional Blu-ray content does very little to add substance to the formula. (more…)

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Title: Green Lantern: Emerald Knights

Format: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

Directed by: Chris Berkeley, Lauren Montgomery, Jay Oliva

Written by: Alan Burnett, Michael Green, Eddie Berganza, Todd Casey, Dave Gibbons, Marc Guggenheim, Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Jason Isaacs, Elisabeth Moss, Henry Rollins, Kelly Hu, Roddy Piper, Arnold Vosloo

Studio: Warner Bros.

Feature Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Feature

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Green Lantern character or comics, but I’ve got to admire what DC Comics and Warner Bros. have done with the latest stellar home video animated feature they’ve released, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. It adds to the already fantastic lineup of animated home videos the companies have released together, and does a great job of using a format similar to that of television recap episodes to tell a bunch of tales in one. (more…)

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Title: Horrible Bosses

Format: Totally Inappropriate Edition Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

Directed by: Seth Gordon

Written by: Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein

Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Foxx

Studio: Warner Bros.

Film Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

Horrible Bosses is a comedy that took me by surprise when it hit theaters earlier this year. While I loved the cast and the idea (and held out hope that it would be good), the trailers did little to capture my attention and reassure me leading up to its release. Luckily, my fears were all for naught, as Horrible Bosses still rates as one of my favorite comedies this year. (more…)

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Title: Arthur

Format: Blu-ray+DVD+Digial Copy

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Directed by: Jason Winer

Written by: Peter Baynham

Starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Luis Guzman, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Garner

Studio: Warner Bros.

Film Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

It has been a long while since I’ve seen a movie quite as bad as Arthur. Imagine, for a moment, a drunkenly obnoxious friend who for cannot be begged for one moment to stop his antics. Stretch that out to a 110-minute feature film, and give that friend infinite wealth and take away half of his brain and you’ve got Arthur, the latest remake atrocity from Warner Bros.

Based on a 1981 film of the same name, Arthur tells the tale of its titular character (Russell Brand), who is a millionaire playboy, who, much like many of the famous children inheriting wealth nowadays, constantly finds himself in the public eye, embarrassing his family with his antics. And this is not good for business, with investors worried about getting involved with a company that Arthur is anywhere near. (more…)

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Title: AC/DC: Let There Be Rock

Format: DVD

Studio: Warner Bros.

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

Take one of the greatest rock bands in the world and capture the energy and excitement on film during a Paris performance that turned out to be the last filmed show AC/DC front man Bon Scott performed, with classic songs like “Highway to Hell,” “Whole Lot of Rosie” and “Let There Be Rock,” and that should be a recipe for immense success. The thing is, the Let There Be Rock release accomplishes just that, but still finds a way to muck it up bit.

First and foremost are the interview segments that are used to divide the show and create a concert film, rather than just a live video release. But the questions are absolutely ridiculous, and while it does serve as a snapshot of the band, it provides very little insight. It’s throwaway material, or in terms rock stars might understand but be hurt to hear – filler. And along with a silly filmed segment it simply detracts from the brilliant performance that can stand just fine on its own. (more…)

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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…)

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Title: Green Lantern

Directed by: Martin Campbell

Written by: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim, Michael Goldenberg

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong

Studio: Warner Bros.

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

In a summer movie season that already saw the surprisingly good debut of Thor, and the unexpected resurgence of X-Men in First Class — both coming out of the Marvel camp — Green Lantern, DC Comics and Warner Bros. had their work cut out for them. But even if it were not for the high standards set by its summer predecessors, Green Lantern would be a letdown, whether the viewer is coming in as just a casual moviegoer or hardcore fan of the comics.

Green Lantern tells the tale of Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), a test pilot who is granted the power to physically manifest anything he can see in his mind with the power of a green ring that chooses him after an alien crash lands on Earth. The ring gets its power from a titular green lantern, which derives its power from will, which is depicted in the color green. (more…)

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