FPcast for December 5 2016: Moana!

This week we review Disney's Moana! Plus Sully, some crazy Hallmark Christmas movies, we talk trailers, Battlefield 1, and Westworld! It's like Christmas every week!

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And be sure to SUBSCRIBE to us on iTunes because we do this every week! And join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group! And you can now get bonus episodes by subscribing/supporting us on Patreon!

The Book Was Better Episode 161: Rescuers Down Under (with guest host Jacinta)

This week we experience the unparalleled joy of learning how nineties America interpreted Australia when we read the novelization of Disney's Rescuers Down Under. Joining me is fellow Australian Jacinta as we attempt to discover what being "down under" or "out back" is really about! Blood... pressure... rising...

Downunderload here! (click to stream, right-click to save it out back)

Or why not subscribe to us on iTunes and join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group! And you can now get bonus content by subscribing/supporting us on Patreon!

FPcast for March 7 2016: Zootopia!

This week we review Disney's Zootopia, plus Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. We weigh in on the Ghostbusters all female trailer, and invent a new ice cream. There's heaps more too, I swear it!

Download here! (click to stream, right-click to save)

And be sure to SUBSCRIBE to us on iTunes because we do this every week! And join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group! And you can now get bonus episodes by subscribing/supporting us on Patreon!

The Book Was Better Episode 154: The Black Hole (with guest host Courtney Coulson)!

This week we brave the novelization of Disney's 1979 not-so-successful Star Wars wannabe The Black Hole, written by Book Was Better favourite Alan Dean Foster! And piloting this episode for the first time is frequent guest and science enthusiast Courtney Coulson who actually read the book! We ask all the big questions about this forgotten non-classic like: "Doesn't that robot look like Cartman?"

Download here! (Click to stream, right-click to save)

Or why not subscribe to us on iTunes and join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group! And you can now get bonus content by subscribing/supporting us on Patreon!

The Book Was Better Episode 152: Enchanted (with guest host Paris)

This week we switch from 2D to 3D as we enter the magical, romantic, creepily insane world of Andalasia  when we read the junior novelization of Enchanted! Joining me on the quest to find True Love's Kiss or something or other is enchanting guest host Paris! We're going to ask all the tough questions like: why do the people in the real world act less realistically and crazier than those in the cartoon world? Listen to this one before the 12th dong!

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Or why not subscribe to us on iTunes and join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group! And you can now get bonus content by subscribing/supporting us on Patreon!

FPcast for June 8th 2015! Inside Out!

This week we deliver an early review of Pixar's very thoughtful Inside Out,  and Cameron Crowe's completely baffling Aloha! Plus we chat Han Solo's first wife, watch a whole bunch of movie trailers, discuss vidja games, and catch up on Game of Thrones!

Download here! (click to stream, right-click to save)

And be sure to SUBSCRIBE to us on iTunes because we do this every week! And join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group! And you can now get bonus episodes by subscribing/supporting us on Patreon!

The Book Was Better Podcast Episode 118: Super Buddies (with guest host Suzanne)!

This week we recklessly read the junior novelization of dogs-turned-superheroes-battling-aliens-and-a-monkey modern classic Super Buddies! And joining me as a special guest is late substitution Suzanne! She didn't get time to read the book or watch the film, but boy am I going to tell her all about my new favourite movie!

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Or why not subscribe to us on iTunes and join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group!

The Book Was Better Episode 103: Maleficent (with guest host Sabrina!)

This week evil, flying, baby-tormenting terrorists get twisted into heroes as we read the novelization of Disney's Maleficent! Now with even more shoehorned backstory than the film! And joining me on this thorny adventure is long absent guest host Sabrina, who has been released from captivity to share her thoughts! We'll put a spell on you! Well... at least inside your ears!

You can download it right now from the official site!

Or why not subscribe to us on iTunes and join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group!

The Book Was Better Episode 98: Prom (with guest host Lauren!)

This week I learn all about the strange, arcane rituals of America's proudest tradition, The Prom, when we read the novelization of the Disney movie you've never even heard of, aptly titled: Prom! And who better to teach me than an actual real-life American, the lovely Lauren who was kind enough to accept my promposal and be my date! Join us as our two great countries collide for a rollicking epic new episode of BWB!

You can download it right now from the official site!

Or why not subscribe to us on iTunes and join the discussion in our friendly Facebook group!

Frozen Review!

Still have a few days left to catch a holiday film? My top recommendation is Frozen.

A story about sisters, snowmen and growing up. Elsa has magical powers that create ice and snow but finds it difficult to control these them. After accidentally hurting her sister Anna as a child she must withdraw and hide her powers. Anna misses her sister and hopes desperately to have her best friend back. When Elsa accidentally condemns the town to an eternal winter, Anna teams up with an ice trader and his pet reindeer to find her sister and bring back summer.

For more on the best Disney film of the new era follow me under the cut!

FPcast! The Fruitless Pursuits Podcast for December 16th 2013! Go Go Zilla!

This week we pull apart the new Godzilla, Terminator 5, The Legend of Hercules, Edge of Tomorrow, Disney's Descendants and a weird book where you get to colour in Channing Tatum. Plus bonus Storytime where Courtney tells us all about the multi-eyed hierarchy of angels! Shove it in your face!

Download here! (Click to save, right-click to stream).

Or subscribe to us on iTunes!

Review: Disney Infinity (Xbox)!

The initial temptation is to dismiss Disney Infinity as a cynical, cash-in Skylanders clone, which may be true if you only glance at the surface - both games do require you to purchase separate collectible figures to unlock characters and content within the game. But dig deeper and there’s far more lurking underneath Infinity’s skin. Part Minecraft, part Little Big Planet, sometimes a shooter, sometimes a racer, sometimes a weird Tony Hawk hybrid, it really has unlimited options for play, thereby living up to the Infinity name.

This also means there’s a lot to unravel, and I’m not sure that Disney has done the best job at communicating what this game actually entails. So I’m going to tell you all about it... after the jump!

Thursday Threesome: Three Favourite Musical Moments in Movies!

It’s time for a Thursday Threesome again, and today it is I who has the honour of writing passionately about three random, trivial things from my pop culture past! I have spun our mighty custom-made wheel and settled on the subject of my favourite Musical Moments in Movies! However, please don’t be so foolhardy to think that I am implying that these are necessarily the very best songs. Oh no, foolish reader, I’m talking about those perfect moments where both the sound and visuals suddenly blend together in a memorable and meaningful way. It’s synergy, folks!

Sing along with me... after the jump!

Star Wars Episode VII Speculation: “You and Leia Turn Out Fine. It's Your Kids, Han, Something Has Got to be Done About Your Kids!”

Although Disney has remained tight-lipped about it, over the past weeks Lucas himself has confirmed that Star Wars Episode VII would see the return of an older original cast, and I imagine that Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are doing a lot of sit-ups right about now. This appears to confirm that Episode VII will be set some 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and seeing as how Disney isn’t likely to centre a sci-fi fantasy trilogy around a trio of actors in their fifties and seventies, the focus will indubitably shift to the next generation of Star Wars characters. Is it time to talk about the kids?

WTF is this noise?

Most speculators jump instantly to expanded universe sources (mostly novels) assuming that these new films will at least pay tribute to the characters, if not the stories themselves. So you may be reading many assumptions about Jacen, Jaina and Anakin Solo, and Ben Skywalker. Well I’m here to tell you that those people who think that are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.

I’ll tell you why they’re wrong, and what sort of thing we should expect... after the jump!

Thank GIF it's Friday

I love a good Haters Gonna Hate Disney gif.

Paperman Is 6 Minutes Of Animated Perfection

Paperman is a beautifully written story about chance, love, and fate... all packed into a quick 6 minute Disney animated short film. It was featured in the prime slot just before Wreck-It Ralph during it's theater run, and before Wreck-It Ralph even had a chance to win us over, Paperman blew us away.

This is such an uplifting little film. Even if you've seen it before, it's bound to brighten your day a little.

Nerdcraft: Etsy Disney roundup

Oh my lord, has there ever been a barrel of worms like a Disney Etsy trawl. I was initially a little disheartened by the pages upon pages of Mickey silhouettes, but switching to searching for movie titles made a big difference. And by a big difference, I mean a will-I-ever-be-clean-again difference.

Brace yourself for fan art, mermaid sex and crochet! (Marginal NSFW - depending on your company policy towards cross-species sexual acts)

Star Wars Episode VII Speculation: Here's What I Would Do...

After last week’s massive Star Wars/Disney announcement I’ve followed up with a couple of articles, firstly about the challenges that an Episode VII must overcome, and then about who I would cast as Luke, Leia, Han and Lando (assuming the story goes down that path).

But what would these characters actually be doing? How would the core group move forward during the reforming of the republic and the crumbling of the empire? We have expanded universe novels that provide their own take on the post Return of the Jedi universe but they have never been a very satisfying solution for me, particularly when it comes to character growth.

So if I’m so smart, then what would I would do with these characters if given the chance? Find out exactly that after the jump.

I Think I Need to Start Watching Gravity Falls

Dueling Analogs posted two clips from the Disney Channel cartoon series Gravity Falls earlier this week, and this is really a pitch-perfect 16-bit fighting game parody. Super impressed - and apparently this was done by the same people who were responsible for the Scott Pilgrim game that came out last year. Good stuff!

Wreck it Ralph

A new 3d animated film from Disney but is this really a Disney film?

"Wreck-It Ralph is the 9-foot-tall, 643-pound villain of an arcade video game named Fix-It Felix Jr., in which the game's titular hero fixes buildings that Ralph destroys. For thirty years, Ralph has been doing the same job over and over and has become tired of being the bad guy. Wanting to prove he can be a good guy and not just a villain, Ralph escapes his game through the power cord and lands in Hero's Duty, a first-person shooter where he helps the game's hero, Sergeant Calhoun, battle against "Cy-Bugs", the game's alien invaders. He later enters Sugar Rush, a kart racing game set on tracks made of candies, cookies and other sweets. There, Ralph meets Vanellope von Schweetz, one of the game's characters, who has learned that her game is faced with a dire threat that could affect the entire arcade, and one that Ralph may have inadvertently started"


more details and opinions after the jump