Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2016
"His imperfections were unsettling. But Frank Sinatra was a genuine artist, and his work will endure as long as men and women can hear and ponder and feel. In the end, that's all that really matters."
He was The Beatles before The Beatles were The Beatles. His voice would make women swoon and men want to be him. He romanced some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood history, and he sat at tables with kings, princesses and presidents. He was The Voice. The Chairman Of The Board. He was Old Blue Eyes. His name was Francis Albert Sinatra, but we all called him Frank.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2016
"You know this story..."
At least you think that you do. Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is one of the best known novels of all time. But thanks in part to Hollywood, it is also one of the most misrepresented stories of all time. I'm a fan of both the novel and the series of Universal and Hammer films going all the way back to 1931 when Boris Karloff played The Monster and Colin Clive played the mad Dr. Frankenstein. Missing from both the original novel and the James Whale Universal film is any mention of a character named Igor. There isn't even an assistant at all in the book, and in the 1931 film the hunchbacked lab assistant was named Fritz and was played by Dwight Frye. The character of Igor, spelled Ygor then, didn't arrive until the third film in the Universal series. Ygor was not a hunchback but rather had a serious neck issue from a botched hanging. He was played by Bela Lugosi, long sought for the Monster in the first film, and it's my favorite Lugosi character of his career. Ygor can be found in both Son Of Frankenstein and Ghost Of Frankenstein. He would actually inhabit the Monster through his brain in Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman. The point is that Lugosi made such an impact in the role that our collective conscience appears to forever link him as the default mad scientist assistant. That's where the film Victor Frankenstein comes in. Daniel Radcliffe plays Igor to James McAvoy's title character Victor Frankenstein.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 1st, 2016
The Original Christmas Classics Anniversary Collector’s Edition. This time it's on Blu-ray. The collection features some of the biggest Christmas Classics from the vintage days of the television specials. In one collection you’re going to get 7 all-time classic specials. We’re talking Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty The Snowman. Those are two of the best there ever was. The set also includes the rare Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. In this day of super heroes this is one of the earliest. It’s Santa’s origin story told in wonderful stop-motion. I haven’t seen it since I was a kid. What a blast to share it with my family. The set also includes The Little Drummer Boy, Cricket On The Hearth which stars Roddy McDowall and Danny Thomas, Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol and Frosty Returns. You want this collection on your shelf before the next Christmas season rolls around. Now you can win it on DVD thanks to our Christmas buddies at Dreamworks.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 31st, 2015
Roger Corman's cult classic Bucket Of Blood and Vincent Price in The Bat. These classic horror tales come to you in high definition on Blu-ray. You've read about them in our gift guide now you have a chance to have them on us and the friendly folks over at Film Detective. It's a Halloween Christmas and you get the treats. No tricks.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 30th, 2015
My Favorite Martian The Complete Series. This is quite the little treasure we have here. MPI has put together an impressive list of extras and every episode of the Bill Bixby / Ray Waltson classic. Long before The Avengers Bixby was The Incredible Hulk. (Okay, he was Banner and Lou Ferrigno was the big green guy). Long before Mork arrived from Ork Uncle Martin arrived from Mars and into the life of newspaper reporter Tim O'Hara. We're talking hours of memories here that you really want on your video shelf. This might well be one of my favorite giveaways.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 29th, 2015
We have some great friends over at Time Life and Star Vista. They’re you’re friends, too. This time it’s season 4 of The Wonder Years. Take a trip back in time to what it was like to be a kid in the 1960?s. Plus there’s Joe Cocker’s version of A Little Help From My Friends. It’s all here for a lucky Upcomingdiscs winner. 'Tis the season for some wonder.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 28th, 2015
CPO Sharkey The Best Of Season One. It's Don Rickles as Sharkey. His job is to make everyone's life miserable. But our friends at Time-Life and StarVista want to add a little laughter to help kick off your 2016. We've got a 6-episode Greatest Hits disc from the show's first season. It's going to an Upcomingdiscs follower.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 27th, 2015
If you didn't have a large enough Christmas library to share with that special someone, Hallmark wants to hook you up for next time. We've got a collection of 4 Holiday films on DVD: Christmas At The Cartwrights , A Cookie Cutter Christmas, Best Christmas Party Ever and Ice Sculpture Christmas. It's hours of romance for the Holidays. We want to help extend that Christmas season for a lucky Upcomingdiscs follower.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 26th, 2015
They'll quack you up. It's the Robertson Clan and they could be coming to your house as a late Christmas gift. Those busy little elves over at Lionsgate have sent us A&E's Duck Dynasty Seasons 4-6 on DVD. It's an 8-disc collection that delivers three full seasons of Duck Dynasty fun and games. It's going out to a lucky Upcomingdiscs follower. We already know if these guys have been naughty or nice. How about you?
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 25th, 2015
It's back. Upcomingdiscs proudly presents our 12 Days Of Christmas Giveaways. We're running a new contest for each of the 12 Days Of Christmas.
The Original Christmas Classics Anniversary Collector's Edition. This DVD collection features some of the biggest Christmas Classics from the vintage days of the television specials. In one collection you're going to get 7 all-time classic specials. We're talking Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty The Snowman. Those are two of the best there ever was. The set also includes the rare Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. In this day of super heroes this is one of the earliest. It's Santa's origin story told in wonderful stop-motion. I haven't seen it since I was a kid. What a blast to share it with my family. The set also includes The Little Drummer Boy, Cricket On The Hearth which stars Roddy McDowall and Danny Thomas, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol and Frosty Returns. You want this collection on your shelf before the next Christmas season rolls around. Now you can win it on DVD thanks to our Christmas buddies at Dreamworks.
