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Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 23rd, 2010
Robert (Jakob Cedergren) is a Copenhagen police officer exiled from the big city for a misdeed that is initially mysterious. His new position is as marshal in a small town in the marshlands. Though it seems at first as if he won’t have much to do here, things are looking more than a little weird. The locals all have their assigned seats at the pub, and resent any deviation from the way things are done locally. Shoplifting kids are expected to be beaten. The bicycle merchant has disappeared, but no one seems interested. A little girl in a red coat pushes a squeaky pram through the streets at all hours of the night. Then there’s the girl’s mother, the extremely flirtatious wife of the local bully. Robert is attracted to her, wants to protect her from her husband’s beatings, and one night succumbs to temptation. The consequences are deadly.
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Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 23rd, 2010
Michel Gondry is a director whose work has been characterized by its originality and personal vision. The likes of Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep have marked him as a filmmaker with a distinct vision. Here he makes what must be his most personal film yet, as it is a documentary about his family. More precisely, it is about his aunt Suzette, a strong-willed, redoubtable matriarch who worked as a schoolteacher in some of the most remote regions of France. Gondry and crew follow Suzette as she revisits her former schools, working her way through the decades and chronicling her life, that of her family, and, along the way, that of France.
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Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 23rd, 2010
The biggest troublemakers at Beaver High (get it?) are sent to a remedial school for the summer. There (wait for it), they make life miserable for the principal while (you’re not gonna believe this) finding various ways to see the female students naked, not to mention getting it on with the (but of course!) sexy French teacher. It’s hijinx and nudity, 80s style.
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Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 23rd, 2010
Supermodel Joy (Claudia Udy) flits from man to man, never satisfied. There’s the photographer who loves her, but he, it seems, is too much of a boy. Far more intriguing for her is the older man (Gerard Antoine Huart) she falls for, and keeps returning to, moth to a flame, despite his refusal to give up the other woman in his life. The root of Joy’s problem seems to be twofold: she is haunted by the memory of having caught her parents in flagrante as a young child, and she is obsessed with her father, who left her when, again, she was very young.
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Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 22nd, 2010
A renowned street fighter’s brother is murdered, so he flees to a small town where his crippled father lives. While there he discovers an underground circuit of Mixed Martial Arts competitions and raw, street fighting prize matches. With the help of a former MMA champ (played by real-life UFC contender Michael Bisping), our hero fights his way up to the top of the underground action in order to pay off the gangster who slayed his brother, earn the respect he deserves, and what the heck…win a new love interest too.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 22nd, 2010
Wolverine and the X-Men is the fourth time Marvel Studios have decided to animated the Uncanny X-Men into a show. Despite the successful runs of Evolution and the Animated Series, this show didn’t quite fare so well. It only lasted the typical twenty six episodes that a lot of animated shows go through. However, Marvel has stayed true to the fans and released this sixth and final volume of the show chronicling the last three episodes.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 21st, 2010
Have you ever walked into a 2 hour movie with only half an hour left to go? It is not a picnic. The same can be said of a television show that is entering its fourth (and final) season and you haven’t watched a single episode. That’s the situation that presented myself with Ugly Betty. However, I have always found myself up to the challenge and we’ll step into this adventure with our head held high.
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Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 19th, 2010
Miley Cyrus is displaced from New York to spend the summer by the sea in Georgia with estranged father Greg Kinnear. While younger brother Bobby Coleman thinks the set-up is just keen (especially former composer dad’s work restoring the stain glass windows of a burned church), Cyrus stomps around in full Resentful Teenage Girl mode, until two things make her begin to open up: the need to protect a nest of sea turtles, and the attentions of the impossibly hunky Liam Hemsworth. Since this is a Nicholas Sparks story, true love and happiness will have to run the gauntlet of class snobbery, Disturbing Revelations ™, and the inevitable Third Act Fatal Illness That Brings Out The Best In Everyone (also a registered trademark).
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Contests by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2010
The good folks over at A&E Home Entertainment have given us 2 copies of Pawn Stars: Season Two on DVD to give away. You get all 32 episodes of the second season on 4 discs. The set streets on August 24th. To enter to win your copy, just follow these instructions:
- Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.
- Do not post your address as an actual comment! Tell us: What’s the most valuable item you ever discovered?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is open to residents of the U.S. & Canada only, and will conclude on Sunday, September 26th.
Please – only one contest entry per person!
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2010
“Tyger Tyger burning bright…”
The 1794 poem by English wordsmith William Blake provides the title and much of the inspiration in this modern thriller/man vs. nature film by director Carlos Brooks. It’s only the director’s second feature film. There is very little experience among the many writers of the story and screenplay. Excuse my jaded reviewer skepticism, but this was not a film I was particularly looking forward to seeing. I expected this to be on par with the beast-of-the week scenario that those made for television SyFy films have been putting out for years.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2010
There have been a ton of specials to come out over the last few years dealing with some of the planet’s extraordinary places and life. From The BBC to National Geographic, these specials have populated the science networks, and have even begun to shine in beautiful high definition. In just this last year I feel like I have been transported to some of the most spectacular sites on Earth and witnessed many of the most extraordinary creatures that inhabit this planet. Few of these places compare to the Great Barrier Reef that lies off the coast of Australia.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 18th, 2010
“I remember once going on a school trip to the top of the Empire State Building. When I looked down at the crowds of people on the street, they looked like ants. I pulled out a penny and some of us started talking about what would happen if I dropped it from up there and it landed on somebody’s head. Of course, I never crossed that line and actually dropped the penny. I don’t think Early Grayce even knew there was a line to cross.”
Kalifornia was never made for a mass audience, at least that’s how it appears to have played out.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 18th, 2010
In many ways Cougar Town appears to be Friends 20 or more years later. It’s not just the fact that the former Friends star Courtney Cox heads the call sheet on the new situation comedy. There are a ton of other elements that appear to tie the shows together. Like the old NBC show, the core of this show is a tight group of friends. They have a lot of the same kinds of adventures and conversations as the old gang used to have. The big difference here is that the adventures and the talk come from an older, if not more mature, perspective.
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 18th, 2010
Some of you are aware of this but my favorite movie of all time is Escape from New York. To me, John Carpenter and Kurt Russell represent the perfect director/actor combination. The director knows how to play the actor’s strengths (and minimize weaknesses) and the actor knows how to bring out the best in the direction. It is my sincere pleasure to cover this film on its first trip to the Blu-ray format.
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Podcasts by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2010
Last week I had the pleasure of talking to two new filmmakers. They’re the folks behind The Hanged Man, which we recently reviewed here on Upcomingdiscs. Join me for a chat with director Neil Weiss and writer/producer Glenn Hopper.
To hear the interview just bang it here: The Hanged Man Podcast
Then be sure to check out these websites:
Check out the Prequel material they talk about here: The Last Call Board
More info on the Prequel can be found here: Prequel Info
And check out some animated shorts here: Animation Projects
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 16th, 2010
Reviewing schlock in my tenure here at Upcomingdiscs has reached a level of passion. When I was a much younger pup here, I abhorred the concept. Eventually, as I was fed some of the worst movies on record (and most of them weren’t even romantic comedies), I started to actually enjoy some of these and look forward to writing reviews. Then I got a most gracious gift in my review pile, my first Roger Corman flic. Like a new father, I gave out cigars, asked the doctor for the extra stitch, unwrapped Galaxy of Terror and went straight to work.
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Contests by Gino Sassani on August 16th, 2010
We have a copy of Numb3ers The Final Season on DVD to give away.
To enter to win a copy of this ending drama, just follow these two steps…
- Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.
- Do not post your address as an actual comment! Instead- Pick a Number between 1 and 1,000. The winner will be selected from those who get closest to our lucky secret number.
Contest is open to residents of the U.S. & Canada only, and will conclude on Sunday, September 26th.
Please – only one contest entry per person!
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Random Fun by Gino Sassani on August 12th, 2010
Lionsgate is holding eBay charitable auctions for FIVE posters from THE EXPENDABLES signed at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con by actors Terry Crews, Steve Austin and Randy Couture, benefiting The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The winning bidders will receive studio certified posters signed by the cast along with a signed letter verifying their authenticity.Continue reading for the auction links.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 11th, 2010
“This documentary is about a website that engaged in the commercialization of bondage and sado-masochistic imagery and performances. It in no way represents bondage and sado-masochism as practiced by many adults in their private lives.”
In recent years the horror film industry has created the term torture porn. When you hear the term, it usually applies to that sub-genre of film where there are intense depictions of torture, mutilation, and most often death. Eli Roth’s Hostel films are likely the most cited examples,
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Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on August 11th, 2010
NHL 11 Microtransactions, Pinball Wizards, and Kinect Does Sign Language? – Welcome to the column that is the best in the world at what it does (which is?) known as Dare to Play the Game.
I think I have Lips fever. (It is like cowbell fever but with less clanging) I’ve been playing the Lips games quite a bit. For some reason, I have flashbacks of college when all I did was visit smoky bars and sing songs.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 10th, 2010
“Okay, first of all, let me get something straight. This is a journal, not a diary. Yeah, I know what it says on the cover. But, when my mom went out to buy this thing, I specifically told her not to buy one that said ‘diary’ on it. This just proves that Mom doesn’t understand anything about kids my age.”
I guess I missed out on the phenomenon. Apparently in 2007 a guy named Jeff Kinney created a sort of crude comic book. The figures are little better than stick men, and the wit is something from the sixth grade.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 10th, 2010
Do you believe that a numbers wizard can predict the most random of human actions with mathematical equations so accurately as to know where and when such a person will be? If so, then I suggest you put down that letter you are writing to Santa, finish eating that egg a bunny left for you, go to your pillow and pull together all of the loot you got from the tooth fairy, and plunk it down on season three of Numb3rs. No, that’s not a typo; apparently they believe that letters aren’t good enough to stand on their own, so they inserted a 3 where the e should be. Aren’t they so clever? Not. In the fairy-tale world of Numb3rs,
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Disc Reviews by David Annandale on August 10th, 2010
Jody Balaban (Leelee Sobieski) is a newly minted film school grad who, heady with the success her student film has brought her (an award presented by Garry Marshall!), heads off to Hollywood to find fame and fortune. Instead, she finds doors shut to the newcomer, the closest she can get to a major studio job being a stint directing traffic. But then she is offered a job as an editor. The only problem is, the studio in question is a porn outfit. Her dismay is all the greater since she has been put off sex due to the enormous childhood traumas of having been spanked
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Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 10th, 2010
After watching plenty of terrible horror movies in my life, I start to wonder if this is easiest thing in Hollywood to produce. Work with a small budget, come up with a scare and hire some shapely actors to play the ones in peril. Oh, and make sure you have plenty of fake blood. Our example today is Open House, a recent horror movie directed by Andrew Paquin.
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Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 9th, 2010
“There is a place, a mystical nexus, where this unholy relic can be destroyed. I only hope we can get there before Vellich.”
When you think of Edward Douglas, you really do not think about him as a film director or writer. He’s made a name for himself mostly in the music business. No, you aren’t going to see his videos on MTV, and it’s not likely that you’ll find his name on the charts. He’s become somewhat the poster child for specialized Halloween music. So, I guess it isn’t that large a leap to find him writing and helming his first film, obviously a horror film.
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