Pads & Panels

Title: John Carter

Format: Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Directed by: Andrew Stanton

Written by: Andrew Stanton, Mark Andrews, Michael Chabon

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Willem Dafoe

Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Film Rating:

Blu-ray 3D Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

John Carter may be best known in retrospect as a bad business decision. One that saw a lot of money spent and not nearly as much made. And that comes, I think, primarily from its source material.

John Carter is the kind of fiction that has attained a certain cult status – an incredibly loyal contingent of followers staunchly stand by the Edgar Rice Burroughs sci-fi adventure – but may be entirely unfamiliar to general audiences. And ultimately what happened is a group of those loyal followers pushed to get this made, and the mass audiences just weren’t there.

But that doesn’t necessarily speak to the quality of the film. Financial success doesn’t always speak to quality, of course, but in this case there does seem to be a connection. What John Carter struggles with most is finding, or creating, an identity for itself. By the end of 132 minutes, we’ve all seen a lot of fantastic things but are left caring about very little of it. (more…)

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Title: The Incredibles

Format: 4 Disc Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy

Directed by: Brad Bird

Written by: Brad Bird

Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee, Sarah Vowell

Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Feature Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review: Bill Jones

The Film

The Incredibles may be the best animated superhero feature around (it may be one of the best superhero features, period), and it earns that distinction for two very important reasons. First and foremost, it comes from the fantastic folks at Pixar, who constantly reset the bar for what animation can achieve as a medium. And second, it takes the conventions and clichés of the superhero genre, turns them on their heads, making the mundane exciting, the exciting fantastic, all with the trademark Pixar touch of charm. (more…)

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Title: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Format: Blu-ray + DVD

Directed by: Jon Turteltaub

Written by: Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal, Matt Lopez, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci

Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Film Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice immediately brings to mind images and sounds of Mickey Mouse conjuring to life brooms and other cleaning supplies in an effort to save himself some work with his chores. But then things go seriously awry, with the inanimate objects taking on life of their own, and in their zeal turn things into much more of a mess than the Mouse could have ever expected.

That scene helped define Walt Disney’s experimental project Fantasia, and made one of the world’s most iconic characters in the process. In retrospect, it is a perfect example of the character’s playfully mischievous traits, and is an expression of pure fun. In many ways, that would be a great way to describe Disney’s latest live-action extravaganza, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, if only the plot and the actors didn’t sometimes get in the way. (more…)

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2010 Holiday Gift Guide – For the Home Video Fan…

By P&P Staff

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Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy [Blu-ray]

Ever since Greedo shot first, Back to the Future has been promoted to the official definitive geek trilogy. Finally released on Blu-ray, this version is bursting with special features, including a screen test for Eric Stoltz, the original actor cast as Marty McFly. Early adoptors will even be treated to a download code for a chapter of the soon-to-be-released BTTF video game from Telltale Games. (more…)

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Title: Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Written by: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes

Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Feature Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

A Christmas Carol has been adapted countless times in various formats by various artists. Disney’s latest attempt at keeping the Charles Dickens classic relevant for modern audiences may be the most technologically advanced of the bunch, but despite its visual prowess and stellar performances by its actors, the elements don’t do the story service, and fail to reinvigorate the tale to justify the latest attempt. (more…)

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Title: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Format: Blu-ray

MPAA: PG-13

Directed by: Mike Newell

Written by: Boaz Yakin, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina

Producer: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Film Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

For Bill’s review of the film, originally published May 28, 2010, click here.

The Blu-ray

No matter what anyone thinks about the film itself, it’s hard to deny that Disney is putting out some of the best hi-def packages right now. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time comes as a three-disc combo pack, containing a Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy. (more…)

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