Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2015
"When history looks back, I want people to know the Nazis weren’t able to kill millions of people and get away with it."
Those words were spoken by Simon Wiesenthal. Wiesenthal was an architect living in Poland in the 1930's. He was witness to the systematic persecution, isolation and eventual slaughter of the Jewish population of which he was a member when Germany's Nazi troops invaded Poland. He and his family ended up in a concentration camp and into forced labor. When Hitler instituted his "Final Solution" most of his family members were killed. He barely survived after an unsuccessful escape attempt; he would have surely been killed if not for a sudden turn in the Nazi forces
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
