Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 16th, 2016
There has been no shortage of medical dramas dating back to the infancy of television. Many have become classics. Most have dealt with the use of modern (at least for that time) advances and cutting-edge science. That's exactly what you get with The Knick. You get cutting-edge medical advancement... for 1902. The Knick is the fictional Knickerbocker hotel in 1900's New York. The hospital exists in a poverty-stricken neighborhood where few of the patients can pay for their care. This has been a problem the board has been trying to turn around. Now ground is being broken on a new location in a much more affluent part of New York City. It'll be an opportunity to finally turn a profit and also one of corruption for the man handling the new construction. But what of Dr. Thackery, played by Clive Owens?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 12th, 2016
"When people see that red cape, they expect to see a certain someone. Someone they know. But this isn't his story. It's mine."
Of course, that "someone" they know is Superman. This is the story of Supergirl. We've seen her story on both the big and small screen, as well. Helen Slater put on the tights and skirt in the Richard Donner film made during the Christopher Reeves Superman years and meant to tie into that filmactic universe. When television told the story of a young Clark Kent in Smallville, it was only natural that his famous cuz would show up there. This time it was Laura Vandervoort who played the Kryptonian.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 12th, 2016
James Spader is Raymond "Red" Reddington. If you have not yet watched an episode of The Blacklist I will tell you from the beginning that you just can't start here. Season 3 hits the ground running as the consequences of some major storylines from the previous year start to play out. I found myself having to take the time and catch up on Season 2 because we didn't get that year to review. It was clear to me from the start that there was no way to truly enjoy this release if I wasn't caught up. The trouble I go through to keep you guys informed. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. So, if you're not up to speed this is your chance to pick up all three seasons and do some serious binge watching.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on August 10th, 2016
HBO's groundbreaking medical drama, The Knick is set at the turn of the 20th century. One of the highlights of the series has to be the graphic depiction of surgical techniques from 1901. From the splitting of the first co-joined twins to the second season finale where Dr. Thackery performs surgery on himself. Justin Raleigh leads the team that delivers on these extraordinary makeup effects. His methods have even led to the medical community calling on the team to create materials for actual doctors in training. He's also the man behind the effects on Viral which John reviewed for us Here. I had a chance to talk with Justin for a few minutes. Now you have a chance to hear about these groundbreaking creations. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Justin Raleigh.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 9th, 2016
"Everything just feels so out of control. I don't remember who I am. Who I was. Whatever life I had is gone. Shattered into a million tiny pieces. Sometimes it's hard to breathe."
I have to credit Blindspot's creator Martin Gero with providing one of the more memorable moments on television with the opening minutes of the series. Unfortunately, by the time we saw the pilot that image was already ruined by the countless spots used to promote the show's premiere. We see a police officer in Times Square approach a bag with a sign on it that asks the FBI be alerted. The cop approaches the bag a bit frightened it might be a bomb and blow up on him at any time.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 3rd, 2016
“Our planet holds a kind of parallel universe. A place of wonder where giants roam free. For thousands of years, we could only wonder about humpback whales. Now, by exploring their world, we’re getting surprising glimpses into their lives.”
In 1986, Leonard Nimoy led Kirk, Spock and their mates back in time to collect a couple of humpback whales and bring them to the 23rd century where they are extinct. If the whales aren’t there to communicate with a deadly probe, Earth is in deep trouble.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on August 1st, 2016
We've got to have the cleanest cars in the country here at Upcomingdiscs. That's because we keep going back to the All American Bikini Car Wash. I think we're starting to lose a little of the paint. This time we stopped by to talk to Jason Lockhart who plays Vex in the film. Vex is kind of the free spirit who likely wants to be spending more time with those bikini girls and cars. Actually, Jason is also a writer and director with some impressive credits of his own. It appears he had a great time working on All American Bikini Car Wash and I had the chance to talk to him about that. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Jason Lockhart.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 28th, 2016
"We were born in space. They told us the ground was uninhabited, but they were wrong, and we've been fighting for our lives since the moment we landed. Some of us have been broken by it, but most of us are still here, trying to build something real and lasting out of the wilderness... a home."
You should know the setup by now. If not, you can check out our previous reviews: Season 1 & Season 2. The show is based on a new series of books from writer Kass Morgan. The crew here has a little bit more room to operate than do most shows based on book series.
Posted in: Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on July 25th, 2016
The first rule of Fight Club is you never talk about Fight Club. So it's a good thing we're talking about Fight Valley instead. I got to hang out on the phone with Rob Hawk who both wrote and directed Fight Valley and the upcoming Fight Valley 2: Lockdown and we had a lot to talk about. The New Jersey native gives us an idea of what it was like to grow up on the tough streets of Jersey. Fight Valley tells the story of one woman who enters the underground female fight game to find out how her sister died. It's lady's night at the fights. You talkin' to me? Rob Hawk did and it's all here. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Rob Hawk.
Posted in: Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on July 25th, 2016
That's right. We're heading back to The All American Bikini Car Wash once again. Seems my car keeps getting dirty these days. This time we're talking to the guy who started it all (in the film). Tom McLaren plays Professor Dugan. He's the one who offers the extra credit if Jack can turn a profit with his car wash. Obviously, the prof. wasn't expecting this... I had the opportunity to spend some time talking with Tom. He was also involved in the marketing which has driven this little title into the top 15 in home video sales. He talks about that and his many other projects. He's got a wonderful book out with classic continuity pictures from the Fox vaults. It's co-written with Angela Cartwright. You're going to want to hear this. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Tom McLaren
Want to learn more about Tom?
