Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 29th, 2014
“It’s been a long time getting from there to here.”
But it's finally arrived. We now have all four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise on high-definition Blu-ray collections. On the surface, this was the easiest show to release on Blu-ray. It's the only Trek series already in widescreen format, and it's the only one to have been filmed, at least partially, in high definition to begin with. There was a risk, however. The series has gotten some of the most mixed reviews of any of the shows in the franchise. The truth is, it's been getting kinder buzz in the years since it left the air. In fact, most people, myself included, feel that Enterprise was at its very best when it was taken off the air
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 27th, 2014
Just when you think you'd heard about everything there was to hear about World War II, the Smithsonian Channel offers some insight into a few "lesser-known” events of the war. Mix in a little conspiracy theory that's become all the rage since Dan Brown's novels hit the best seller list. What you end up with is a DVD like Secrets Of The Third Reich. The release cobbles together four episodes each telling a unique story that may or may not be completely true.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 26th, 2014
"The First World War shaped the 20th century. It sparked the Russian Revolution, and it launched America as a world power. The fault lines from its failed peace settlement led to a second terrible world war barely 20 years later. We all live with its unresolved consequences..."
The First World War long existed in the shadow of the second. When it was fought, the term World War was not yet in existence. Until after the Second World War, it was referred to mostly as The Great War. The footage from this war is far more rare.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on May 23rd, 2014
"You and I have a lot of catching up to do. What's the last thing you remember?"
In 2006 director Bryan Singer appeared to have turned his back on the film franchise he had brought to life. After two successful runs at the X-Men universe Singer was primed and ready for a third when a certain Man Of Steel caught his eye. At seemingly, the last minute Singer dropped out of the third X-Men film to direct the dubious return of Superman. I actually like Superman Returns better than most. I wonder how much of the film's hatred might have been directed at its director, considered a traitor by many fans. I never really looked at it quite that way. It's a business, after all, and people come and go.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 19th, 2014
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote crime fiction, and while many of his 100 or so works are unknown to most of us, he created a character who has become as identified with criminal lawyers as any other in fiction. It was in these crime novels that Perry Mason first faced a courtroom. He developed a style where he would investigate these terrible crimes his clients were on trial for. He would find the real killer, and in what has become a Hollywood cliché, reveal his findings in a crucial moment during the trial. While we may not remember the novels, we all remember the man in the persona of Raymond Burr.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 15th, 2014
"This is the story of a man who won by choosing love over fame, fortune and countless adventures..."
Danny McBride managed in inhabit the role of Kenny Powers to such an extent I do appear to have trouble keeping them separate. Now the countless adventures continue for McBride who is going to have to get us all to see him in a new light as he leaves troubled Powers behind and moves on to other things. For fans it's a bittersweet goodbye to Eastbound & Down. The final episodes have aired and now they are available on this 2-disc Blu-ray swansong.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 14th, 2014
"I was cast into being in the winter of 1795 a living corpse with a soul, stitched, jolted, bludgeoned back to life by a madman. Horrified by his creation, he tried to destroy me..."
We all know the story told by the young teen wife of a poet: Mary Shelley. Told to entertain guests on a stormy night, it has become the stuff of legend. Brought to life by Colin Clive's mad scientist in the shape of Boris Karloff in the Universal Golden Age of horror, the monster has had a face. Since that time studios from Hammer to Paramount have left their own marks and scars on the creature that often mistakenly bears the name of his mythic creator. The name of Frankenstein.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 13th, 2014
It's hard to review a series starting from the fourth season, which is exactly what I had to do when Rookie Blue arrived for review recently. In the early days of television, it wouldn't have been a problem. Most shows, cop shows in particular, had a full story with each episode and a continuity that didn't require you to see any episodes in any particular order. This was a must if a show were to find an afterlife in syndication where show orders were largely disregarded.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on May 13th, 2014
Our very good buddies over at Star Vista and Time Life Entertainment have a real classic treat for one lucky winner here at Upcomingdiscs. You're invited to spend 17 wonderful evenings with Dean and his pals as they roast some of the biggest names of the 70's and 80's. The Dean Martin Collector's Edition features uncut roasts of the likes of Redd Foxx, Betty White, George Burns, Ronald Reagan, Bette Davis and even George Washington. It's a timeless treasure, to be sure.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2014
If anything, the third part of the Godfather series of films is symbolic of when too many sequels are greenlighted, and consequently, the film is doomed to fail. More often than not, the reason why these films crash and burn is because of major studios acting like Adelphia executives and wanting more money, and in using the previous films’ successes as leverage, they lose sight of things like quality. It’s happened to other trilogies. And if you put together previous films with the reputation that the first two Godfather films have, the only question left to answer is whether or not the third film would be a minor or major letdown.
