Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on May 1st, 2015
"It's called The Ultron Program."
Remember when you were a kid and one of your friends would come over and ask if you could come out and play? You would head for the door with a grin from ear to ear, because you knew you were about to have a blast. You might not have had any idea what it was you were going to do. Often you made it up as you went along. It didn't matter. You just knew fun times were on the other side of your front door. That's exactly how I felt going to catch The Avengers: Age Of Ultron. It was as if Joss Whedon had come to my house and asked me to come out and play. And it wasn't just Joss. He brought a whole bunch of his cool friends, and they brought a ton of really cool toys. From that point it didn't matter so much to me what was going to happen exactly. Phasers were set to good times, and I knew I was going to have fun. Age Of Ultron did it to me just like the many Marvel films before it. I didn't want it to end. I often joke that the only thing wrong with instant gratification is that it takes too long. Now I have to wait another year before most of these characters will assemble once again in Captain America: Civil War.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 30th, 2015
The Mentalist was once the highest rated drama on television. There was a lot to like here, as I'll discuss throughout this review. But I think most of us had gotten a little sick and tired of the Red John story. The show milked the single case for over five years, and the fan base had dissolved to the point that the once #1 show has been on the bubble for the last two seasons. Fans' patience had worn thin, but at long last the show's producers discovered what we've known since the second season. It was time to get Red John gone and move the show in another direction. If the show was going to survive, it was now or never. What you likely didn't see coming was a two-year jump in time and a retooling in the middle of an ongoing series. Alas, it was not enough, and The Mentalist finished its final season with just a dozen new episodes.
The CBI has been disbanded because of its corrupt leader, and our characters have all gone their separate ways. Rigsby (Yeoman) and Grace (Righetti) are married with kids and running their own security firm. They do return very briefly for the show's finale.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 29th, 2015
"You do know the combination, don't you?"
It's a Taken film, and the third one in the series. You should have the ingredients down by now. Let's run through the checklist, shall we? You've got your daring escapes, check. You have some awesome car chases with a lot of mashed-up metal, check. You've got some torture, of course. Waterboarding is in these days. You have the standard carnage level, check. And check. It's all there, but credit the folks behind the franchise for finding ways to deliver every last drop of the expected stuff and still turn the third part of a trilogy on its head enough to make it more interesting than the previous two films. Or were you expecting pretty much more of the same?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 27th, 2015
Beware The Ides Of March! For Julius Caesar it was a dire prophesy of death. For Bob Bergland (bass), Mike Borch (drums), Larry Millas (keys/guitars) and Jim Peterik, it was more like a harbinger of 50 years of rock and roll fame. The band started out as the Shon-Dels in Berwyn just outside of Chicago. The name turned out to be a conflict with another group, and it was changed to BattMann And The Boy Wonders. Of course, that didn't stick, but Bergland's penchant for paying attention in literature classes led them to The Ides Of March. The lads were only around 15 at the time. Fifty years later, the band is out performing the old hits and still writing new songs.
To be fair, the band wasn't really together all of that time. Jim Peterik went on to have a pretty strong career with the band Survivor. He was the chief writer in Ides Of March and filled that role in Survivor, penning hits like The Search Is Over and Eye Of The Tiger for a Rocky film. He also wrote hits for the band .38 Special like Hang On Loosely. From the mid 70's until the early 90’s, Ides Of March was pretty much inactive. Reuniting for a local festival that wanted to pay tribute to them, the band slipped into the old groove and has been touring and recording ever since.
Posted in: Site News by Gino Sassani on April 24th, 2015
Please join me in welcoming our latest member of the Upcomingdiscs family.
Dan Holland has been writing reviews for film festivals. Now he'll be sharing those insights with you.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on April 13th, 2015
Our friends at ARC Entertainment want you to know about their latest release. It's called John Doe: Vigilante and it stars Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber. The film asks some serious questions about justice and taking the law into your own hands. ARC has given us 3 copies to give away to lucky Upcomingdiscs readers. You can also listen to my interview with Jamie Bamber.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on April 11th, 2015
Lion Ark is an unusual film. It documents the efforts of Animal Defenders International as they work to save African lions from abuse in traveling circuses in Bolivia. You'll see undercover footage of the abuse and watch their efforts to get them safe. Tim Phillips and Jan Creamer are at the forefront of this cause. The work didn't end in Bolivia. Now they're in Peru rescuing more animals. They took a short break in their work to talk to me about the movie and their efforts. You'll be amazed at what they have to say. Bang it here to listen in on my talk with Tim And Jan
You can help by going to ADI
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on April 10th, 2015
Most of you know Jamie Bamber as Apollo from the reincarnation of Battlestar Galactica. He's kept himself busy since the series went off the air. His latest is a pretty good thriller out on Tuesday from Arc Entertainment. It's called John Doe:Vigilante and Bamber has the starring role of John Doe. The film certainly asks some tough questions. I got the chance to ask Jamie a few questions of my own. Now you can hear what he had to say. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Jamie Bamber
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 10th, 2015
"There's something I need to tell you. We're building a weapon. It's not like any weapon the world's ever seen. It draws its energy from a fast-neutron chain reaction. It releases the power of an ancient star. If it works, and it's going to work, it will be the more destructive than all the bombs dropped in all the wars in history put together. It'll bring armies to their knees. Cities will disappear in the blink of an eye. The world will be united in peace by the most just and noble country in the history of mankind or it will burn to the ground. Whoever builds it first, there's the endgame. So it has to be us, whatever it costs."
It's one of those dramatic stories where mankind is altered forever. If it weren't absolutely true, someone would have had to make it up. Every child in schools around the world knows about the atomic bombs that ended World War II. We've all seen the terrible destruction that exceeded even the expectations of the scientists and engineers who designed and built these bombs. We all live in the aftermath of these events. Yet little is known about the people who devoted their lives to making it a reality, not only those directly involved, but their families and the support network necessary to bring them all together. Enter WGN America, and the tale is finally told. Now the first season of Manhattan, spelled as Manh(a)ttan, is available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 9th, 2015
There was a new cowboy in Dallas, and he wasn’t throwing touchdown passes. But Walker was almost gone before he could really get started. After just four episodes, the show’s production company suffered financial collapse, and the show was rescued at the last minute by CBS Productions, who would continue to run the show for its nearly decade-long run. For nine years Norris brought us the ultimate Texas Ranger in a formula cops-and-robbers show. The show often became a parody of itself, but maintained a solid viewership throughout. Hell, Norris even sings the theme song. Truthfully, what started as a one-man show (it was originally called Chuck Norris Is Walker, Texas Ranger) had become a good working ensemble that probably kept the train going for so long. Walker (Norris) is a tough-guy Texas Ranger. He is partnered with Sydney Cooke (Peebles) and Jimmy Trivetti (Gilyard) who’s an ex-jock with a brain. Walker had a love interest and eventual wife in the local assistant district attorney Alex Cahill (later Walker) Together they fight the evils that come to the high plains of Texas armed with their fists, six-shooters, and Stetsons.
Fans of Norris were never disappointed in what they got here. The requisite martial arts and tough-guy talk are present pretty much in every episode. There’s a popular T-shirt design that lauds their hero in epic fashion. One of my favorites is : “McGyver can build a plane out of gum and paper clips, but Chuck Norris can kill him and take the plane.” Another brags: “Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas”. And there’s the humorous: “Chuck Norris knows what Willis is talkin’ about”.
