Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2016
"Lets go find you a fish."
I've been told enough times that it is often not a good idea to meet your heroes. It's too often impossible for anyone to live up to expectations, particularly when they are already up on a pedestal in our minds. All humans have their flaws, and Ernest Hemingway was no exception. I never met him. He killed himself around the time I was busy being born. I often joked to my writing professors that he feared my arrival. The truth is that he had so many demons. It isn't a secret today, and it wasn't then, at least not for anyone familiar with his work. But Denne Bart Petitclerc did meet Hemingway after writing him a bit of a fan letter in 1957. The result was that Petitclerc was invited into Hemingway's inner circle at a time in Hemingway's life where his demons were beginning to catch up with him. Place that encounter in the larger environment of Castro's rebel uprising in Cuba at the time, and you might have an interesting story. Petitclerc certainly thought that he did. He wrote a screenplay and shopped it around for decades even up to his own death in 2006. Unlike the many fish on Hemingway's line and tackle, no one bit. It's possible that Papa Hemingway In Cuba is the reason.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2016
“The countless lives we lost in the War Of '96 did not perish in vain. They inspire us to rise from the ashes as one people of one world. For 20 years the world has seen no armed conflict. Nations have put their petty differences aside. United, we rebuilt our families, our cities and our lives. The fusion of human and alien technology not only enabled us to defy gravity and travel at unimaginable speeds. It also made our planet finally safe again."
Not so fast there, cowboy. There would be no need for a sequel to the 1996 hit film Independence Day if the big bad aliens weren't coming back. Unfortunately, the aliens made the same mistake that Dean Devlin and Roland Emerich made with the film's sequel. They both waited too long.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2016
This will be our last giveaway for 31 Nights Of Terror. We saved the classic for last. We're giving away Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein on Blu-ray. Bela Lugosi returned to the role of Dracula for the 2nd and last time for this farce. It was also the final appearance of Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man. It marked the end of an era and it's going out to one lucky winner.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Random Fun by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2016
Most of the time we're telling you what we think here at Upcomingdiscs. I thought it would be nice to use 31 Nights Of Terror to let you hear what the filmmakers themselves have to say. We have talked to many of them over the years. Take some time to "chill" with some masters of horror.
Sara Karloff has been keeping the memory of her father alive for decades. Boris Karloff was one of the true masters of horror. Sara's a friend and it's always great to talk with her. Join us for one of those talks. Sara Karloff Interview
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 21st, 2016
You know, I miss James Gandolfini. I know that HBO misses him as well. When The Sopranos finished, Gandolfini signed a development deal with HBO. He would not only work in front of the camera but help find and produce material for the network. We all know what happened next. Gandolfini passed suddenly, just when it seems he was breaking out of his Tony Soprano typecast, and one gets the feeling that he was going to do great things. One solid indication of that promise comes in the HBO series The Night Of... which was one of those passion projects that the man never got to see through. It's one of the best things to come out of HBO in a few years, and that is saying something when you consider the strong programming that can be found there now. Game Of Thrones is a great show. The Night Of..., well... that's something special all to its own.
It all starts out with our introduction to Nasir "Naz" Kahn, played by Riz Ahmed. He's a straight-A college student from a solid working class Pakistani family. His family is Muslim and very conservative. He tutors basketball players but otherwise keeps to himself. He doesn't date, do drugs, or pretty much anything else fun. That is until he's invited to a team party and he wants to let loose just a little bit. He sneaks out of the house and borrows the taxi that his father owns with two other partners when he's stood up by his friend for a ride. The problem is that he does not know how to turn off the "On Duty" sign, and a young, troubled girl gets into his back seat. Andrea, played by Sofia Black-D'Elia, strikes a chord with Naz, and instead of making her leave the cab he drives her around and finally takes her home. What starts as a bizarre encounter ends up changing his life forever. Naz wakes to find that Andrea has been murdered savagely in her bed. What he does next is begin a chain of events that will ultimately lead to him virtually framing himself for her murder.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 21st, 2016
"The universe, a vast expanse of space and matter. It includes all that we see and all that we know. Since the beginning of time, we have wondered how it all came to be. A gloriously orchestrated plan? A chance series of events? Or something much, much dumber?"
Space really is the final frontier. It's where they send tired franchises to die. They sent Jason and Pinhead to space. They sent the Three Stooges into orbit. Abbott & Costello ended up in space. They even sent Machete into space. It's the filmatic version of jumping the shark. In Ice Age: Collision Course they send lovable Scrat into space. Maybe it's time to put this beloved animated franchise on ice for a little while. It's clear they've pretty much run out of ideas, and the box office is the proof in the pudding. What the heck does that mean, anyway? And this is from a reviewer who has been rather fond and kind to the Ice Age films up to this point. Need more proof for that pudding? Bang it Here for past Ice Age reviews.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2016
Do you know what scares me about this Halloween? It's all these prizes I'm going to be sending out in about a month. You could say The Devil made them do it. Our friends at Allied Vaughn have given us a copy of Lucifer: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray to give away. Now you can catch it all in high definition.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2016
We want to see something scary. Upcomingdiscs is inviting you to send us a photo of your Halloween decorations. The day after Halloween (11/1/16) we will post the photos we get and give our readers 2 weeks to vote on their favorite in the comments. The photo that gets the most votes will win a mysterious collection of horror films.
Here's how to enter:
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 15th, 2016
Even our buddies at History/ A&E are getting in on the 31 Nights Of Terror fright-wagon. The Curse Of Oak Island Season 2 is now out on DVD. We've got a copy of the release for one of our lucky Upcomingdiscs friends out there. Rick and Marty return to the mysterious Oak Island, and you're invited to join them. You're going to need more than a life jacket for this trip.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2016
To help us with this year’s 31 Nights Of Terror our very good friends over at Barron’s want to share some reading that’s to die for. Yes, we’re giving away a copy of their wonderful book: 101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die. We've reviewed 2 editions of their 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. It’s a perfect companion for your frightening book shelf. These Barron’s books are a ton of fun and are sure to start the debates flying when you share it with your friends.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions
![Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (Unrated) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/wrong-turn-4-bloody-beginnings-un-large.jpg)
