Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on February 28th, 2016
”We recognize that it is our responsibility to help ensure that casting decisions reflect the diversity and culture of the time periods portrayed. In this instance we failed to live up to our own standards of sensitivity and diversity, for which we sincerely apologize. Lionsgate is deeply committed to making films that reflect the diversity of our audiences. We have, can, and will continue to do better...”
It's a bad sign when a studio issues a public apology months before the film ever hits the screens. Gods Of Egypt will likely be remembered, if it's remembered at all, as having some of the worst timing of any film ever.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on February 26th, 2016
Our good friends at Mill Creek want you to spend some time in the slammer. That's right. One lucky Upcomingdiscs follower is going to be sentenced to 6... 6 prison films, that is. It's the Tales From The Prison Yard DVD collection from Mill Creek. You'll get Convicted with Glen Ford. Spend some time in Cell 2455, Death Row with William Campbell. Attempt an Escape From San Quentin with Johnny Desmond. Visit City Of Fear with Vince Edwards. Read The Valachi Papers with Charles Bronson. Finally, take care of The Last Detail with Jack Nicholson and Randy Quaid. Now this is what I call serving time.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 25th, 2016
The premise itself is relatively simple and requires no real past knowledge to get on board. Unit 15 is the elite unit of an unnamed Canadian metropolitan police force. The unit is led by Staff Sergeant Oliver Shaw (Gordon). Each episode begins with his roll call. Apparently in Canada it's called parade. He does the usual job of giving out riding partners and assignments and providing the general "hot" information for the shift turn-out. The show focuses on a group of rookie cops assigned here. This is where it gets tricky.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 24th, 2016
If there is a television series in the history of the industry as American or timeless as The Andy Griffith Show, I haven't seen it. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone with strong negative feelings about the series. It was one of those organic and comfortable productions that reached deep into the core of rural America. Even if we lived in a bustling city, there were aspects of the show that still rang true. It was populated with the kind of familiar faces that it wasn't hard for anyone in the audience to smile in remembrance of a character they've known in real life.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2016
“Let’s go get those stinkin’ hyenas.”
For many years The Lion King was the highest grossing animated film of all time. It remains one of the most beloved films in history. It marked the last of the Disney classic animation triumphs. Combined with the Elton John and Tim Rice songs, it is one of those generational films. While there has never been a feature film follow-up at the box office, there have been a few attempts to keep the franchise alive, and why not?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 22nd, 2016
“Peering out from the dark shadows of America’s death row are the faces of evil. The faces of murderers. Men and women who commot the most heinous of crimes. Some elude capture for years, even decades. But eventually, these lowest forms of humanity find themselves on death row awaiting their final fate… execution.”
There appears to be a lot of controversy when it comes to the death penalty in the United States. I say appears, because even with all of the debate the polls show that Americans overwhelmingly support capital punishment. In fact, only 37% of Americans were opposed in the Gallup 2015 poll.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 18th, 2016
“Take hope from the heart of a man, and you make him a beast or prey. And the beast eats away at you if you’re not careful. The beast will eat it all, and you will have nothing, and you are nothing.”
Patrick Swayze stars as Charles Barker, an FBI undercover specialist. He handles the deep cover missions, the kind that require a total commitment to the mission. He’s the kind of agent whoknows where the line is so that he knows where to cross it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 17th, 2016
"Will you follow me, one last time?"
It's time to say goodbye to Middle Earth, at least from a cinematic perspective. The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies marks the last time we shall see Peter Jackson's version of Middle Earth. Sure, Ian McKellen has told us he wouldn't be surprised to see some kind of a return. I would. There is certainly enough work from Tolkien to support future adventures, but the rights to anything beyond these books belongs to the Tolkien estate.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 17th, 2016
"I will talk to you of Art, for there is nothing else to talk about, for there is nothing else... Life is an obscure hobo bumming a ride on the omnibus of Art. Burn gas, buggies, and whip your sour cream of circumstance and hope, and go ahead and sleep your bloody heads off. Creation is, all else is not."
Enter The Film Detective. Founded by Philip Hopkins, the organization has made it something of a mission to re-master old cult favorite films for broadcast and the high-definition video market. They have a working library of about 3,000 titles.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 17th, 2016
On the surface MI-5 looks to be a mundane direct-to-video film attempting to cash in on a couple of things. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is the fifth in the series and often referred to as MI:5. The new James Bond film has a plot involving the head of MI-5 attempting to take down the MI-6 department and our beloved 007. None of these would contribute to the fortuitous name. Rather it’s the difference in racial sensitivity between Britain and the United States. MI-5 is actually a feature-film version of the long-running British series Spooks. The film’s original title happens to be Spooks: The Greater Good.