Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2017
"C'mon, you apes, you wanna live forever? I have only one rule. Everybody fights, no one quits. The bugs have breached Mars, and the Federation's fleet is too far to help. It's up to us to save the planet. On the bounce, Troopers! The only good bug is a dead bug! Oorah!"
Robert Heinlein wrote the Starship Troopers novel in 1959. Since that time it has taken on many forms from pulp fiction to comic books.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2017
Things are about to change in big ways for the Disney series Once Upon A Time. The sixth season is now out on Blu-ray, and the seventh season has just begun its run on ABC. If you try to go back and forth between these seasons, you might be puzzled more than usual. The show goes into a serious reboot this year. The economics of the show have been pulling it towards either cancellation or pulling in the purse strings. While the ratings aren't exactly blockbuster, it's been a clever way for the Mouse House to keep their properties buzzing as they continue to remake many of their fairy tales in live action these days.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 10th, 2017
I was first introduced to The Who through the original Tommy album. It was one of my mother's favorites when I was young, and she had actually written out by hand her interpretation of the story the rock opera appeared to tell. I can't remember those scribblings, and I'm not even sure if they're still tucked away in that Decca album I have around here somewhere. But the music always stayed with me. Now, I didn't ever become a huge fan of the band. I always liked them and collected a couple of their albums over the years. I did play a lot of pinball, however. I fell more in with the likes of Elton John. So you can imagine how excited I was in the summer of 1975 when my favorite musician was cast to play the Pinball Wizard
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 9th, 2017
"Welcome to The Vault, the most amazing library ever. An archive of the incredible. A repository of the impossible. A storehouse of secrets great and small. This is the untold history of America."
Things have not been going so well for Ichabod Crane and his fight against the supernatural. The show has had trouble finding an audience as well as a footing. Season Four marks the second time the show has been re-tooled in order to tweak whatever keeps it from completely catching on.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 8th, 2017
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. - Mark Twain"
Last year Leonardo DiCaprio walked away with an Oscar for his performance in the winter wilderness survival film The Revenant. The film also took statues for its amazing cinematography and also for direction. By the time I was finished screening The Mountain Between Us, I had already started to have flashbacks. Consider this movie to be a Revenant built for two. The film has a great many of the same strengths as last year's epic. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see at least nominations for Hany Abu-Assad for director in his first English-language film.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 7th, 2017
Okay, this one might appear to be a strange contest for our annual 31 Nights Of Terror. We're giving away a three-Blu-ray collection of the most beloved holiday specials in television history. It's the Peanuts Holiday Anniversary Collection. Yes, it has A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. But it also that Halloween classic It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. So get ready to guard those pumpkin patches and enter to win this high definition trip down memory lane.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 6th, 2017
"Turns out we've had a hellish night. Peyton, kidnapped by Seattle's criminal kingpin, saved by a new amnesiac version of Blaine, which doesn't seem to be sitting well with Ravi. Major, suffering because he promised a zombie named Natalie she'd wake up to a new and beautiful world. And now he can't find her. And poor Clive. 48 hours ago, he had no idea that zombies were a real thing. What I need to tell him may send him over the edge."
And by now you might be either over the edge or at the edge of your favorite television seat.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2017
"And now, folks, it's sock-it-to-you time."
Few television shows have had as much influence on the pop culture as did Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. The brainchild of George Schlatter the series has left behind a rich legacy. Even if you've never seen an episode of Laugh-In, you've heard the catch-phrases, or you've watched another show that was directly influenced by it. Lorne Michaels, who created the iconic Saturday Night Live, began as a writer on Laugh-In, and once you've seen Laugh-In, you are going to instantly recognize many of the same ideas. Shows like Hee Haw and the British Benny Hill have admitted to taking material directly from Laugh-In.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2017
31 Nights Of Terror continues with a third straight contest. Some folks like their horror a little on the wacky side. That describes the King Of Schlock Lloyd Kaufman quite well. Troma has delivered the best of the worst for decades. They don't come any worse than The Toxic Avenger, the film so bad they made a ton of sequels. We've got The Toxic Avenger Part III & The Toxic Avenger IV on Blu-ray for one lucky Upcomingdiscs follower. The discs include a ton of absurd extras. Just the thing for a Troma fan.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 3rd, 2017
We haven't forgotten the little ones this 31 Nights Of Terror. Disney knows how to make even the Halloween scares a little bit less frightening and a little more fun. They've given us a copy of Mickey Mouse Merry & Scary on DVD to help celebrate the spooky season. It's a mash-up of Christmas and Halloween You get The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktaular. Mickey tries to tell the ultimate scary story. You also get Duck The Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special. Donald is resisting the call to migrate south but he finds out shivering in December might not be all it's quacked up to be. You also get 5 bonus short features. It's a Holiday Collection extravaganza and one faithful Upcomingdiscs follower is going to get the goods.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
