Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 4th, 2014
"1968, I was twelve years old. A lot happened that year. Dennis McLain won 31 games, The Mod Squad hit the air, and I graduated from Hillcrest Elementary and entered junior high school...but we'll get to that. There's no pretty way to put this: I grew up in the suburbs. I guess most people think of the suburb as a place with all the disadvantages of the city, and none of the advantages of the country, and vice versa. But, in a way, those really were the wonder years for us there in the suburbs. It was kind of a golden age for kids."
With all of the television I've watched over the decades, it's more than a little surprising to me that I missed out on The Wonder Years.
Posted in: Super Round-Up by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2014
"I met him fifteen years ago; I was told there was nothing left; no reason, no conscience, no understanding; and even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, of good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized that what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil."
AnchorBay and Scream Factory have tapped into that pure evil. It's the collection we've waited years to see.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on October 30th, 2014
Free Fall just out on Blu-ray/DVD from Anchor Bay might be Malek Akkad's first feature film as a director. That doesn't mean he's exactly new to the business. You could say he was born to it. He's been officially part of the Halloween franchise since The Curse Of Michael Myers (Halloween VI). His father was along for the ride from the beginning. I got to talk to Malek about both Free Fall and Halloween. I was a bit envious to hear him talk about "running around the set of Halloween as a child". There's even some news on the next chapter to be found here. If you want to hear all of that, just bang it here to sit in on my chat with Malek Akkad.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 29th, 2014
"It was the gang that ran amok. You have people who were being extorted, who talked of having a shotgun barrel stuck in their mouths or machine guns pointed at their groin. Body bags were shown by Bulger as he shakes them down. It was absolute terror."
It amazes me that I really had very little idea who James J. Bulger was before I watched this film by director Joe Berlinger. How could I have missed this guy? On the run for over 16 years, Bulger was once #2 on the FBI's most wanted list. Who was #1? That was Osama Bin Laden. So who was this man that came in second only to the world's most infamous terrorist?
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2014
Our friends at Arc Entertainment have more than horror on their minds this October. The 28th sees the DVD release of Plastic. A very young gang of criminals runs against a mob boss who has an offer they can't refuse...or can they. They've got to come up with $2 million or else. Arc Entertainment gave us an offer we just couldn't refuse. We have 3 copies of Plastic on DVD and we're going to shoot them out to 3 lucky winners.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 27th, 2014
31 Nights Of Terror is coming to an end this week. We have one more giveaway make this the most prizes we've ever given in October. Oscillascope offers Whitewash staring Thomas Haden Church. "Hell can be a cold dark place". An accidental death leads to terror in this DVD. One lucky winner gets to find out for free.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2014
Most of you know Sarah Butler from her strong performance in I Spit On Your Grave. The remake might have gotten mixed reviews but Butler's strong showing has helped to create a promising career. In Free Fall she gets to work with Halloween producer Malek Akkad and screen legend Malcolm McDowell. I had a chance to chat with Sarah about the new film coming October 28th from Anchor Bay. She's got tons of energy and our time together was far too short to ask everything I had hoped. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Sarah Butler.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2014
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. Next year it will return, but only as a January mid-season replacement, a place many shows begin their lives. Fans' patience has worn thin, but at long last the show's producers discovered what we've known since the second season.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on October 22nd, 2014
Our friends down at Revolver Entertainment have really hit the target with a copy of the DVD About A Zombie. They’ve got a documentary crew following that Zombie Apocalypse we’ve all been hearing about. They’ve also given us a copys of the film on DVD to give away to you guys. Zombie Apocalypse and free stuff! It doesn’t get much better than that. Now that's a 31 Nights Of Terror we can all scream about.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Random Fun by Gino Sassani on October 21st, 2014
This last Friday night Upcomingdiscs was invited to attend the 10th annual scare fest at Busch Gardens in Tampa. They call it Howl-O-Scream, and what a scream it is, literally.
