Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on August 25th, 2013
Aerosmith went to Japan and gave the fans a little bright spot after the natural disasters that have struck the country recently. They braved radiation scares to bring the nation some music. Casey Tebo was there with his documentary cameras and has put together a film to chronicle the milestone tour. The result was Eagle Rock's Blu-ray Aerosmith: Rock For The Rising Sun I had the chance to talk to Casey about the trip and the film. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Casey Tebo
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on August 25th, 2013
Our friends over at CBS want to help kick-off the upcoming season of NCIS: L.A. with a copy of NCIS:L.A. Season 4 for a lucky Upcomingdiscs reader. Get all caught up on the explosive action before new episodes start soon.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 23rd, 2013
“It’s been a long time getting from there to here.”
Thirty-five years to be exact. Enterprise is the fourth spinoff from the original 1960’s hopeful series. The Earth is finally ready to send its first starship to explore the vast galaxy. This first starship Enterprise is smaller than the ships we’ve become used to. There are no shields or photon torpedoes. The transporter has only been cleared for inanimate objects. Not that this stands in the way of its occasional “emergency” use. The ship is very much like the cramped spaces of today's submarines. It adds an even greater sense of reality to the show. The crew is composed of Captain Jonathan Archer (Bakula), First Officer and Vulcan High Command liaison, T’Pol (Blalock), Chief Engineer Charles (Trip) Tucker (Trinneer), Tactical Officer Malcolm Reed (Keating), Denobulan Dr. Phlox (Billingsly), Pilot Travis Mayweather (Montgomery) and Linguist/Communications Officer Hoshi Sato (Park).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2013
"Everybody's got guns."
Lately, you might have heard a lot of folks talking about getting home for a little Nucky. Well... it's not what you think. They're talking about Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi on HBO's latest gangland series, Boardwalk Empire.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2013
"There is a town in Maine where every storybook character you've ever known is trapped between two worlds, victims of a powerful curse. Only one knows the truth, and only one can break her spell."
ABC has had a very important asset going for it for years. It's one that the network has seldom taken any advantage of. That asset is its parent company. You see, ABC is part of the Walt Disney family. With the rich history of stories the studio has in its arsenal going back to the 1920's, it was only a matter of time before some clever people decided to find a way to use that rich history into a television series. That time has arrived, and the result is Once Upon A Time. It's the most clever and original series to hit the tube in a long time.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on August 16th, 2013
"There's no room for punks in suits. Just real heroes who can really kick ass."
You've heard me say many times in these pages that expectations kill. It's a rule I've found to be pretty solid when it comes to sequels. Like all good rules, there are exceptions. When it comes to Kick-Ass 2 it's the lack of expectations that will kill your enjoyment of the film. If you don't understand going in what to expect, you will more than likely hate this movie. If you already have a good idea what is going on here, be prepared to have a rip-roarin' time of your life.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 16th, 2013
"You know, there's been a heap of legends and tall tales about Robin Hood. All different, too. Well, we folks of the animal kingdom have our own version. It's the story of what really happened in Sherwood Forest."
It didn't even start as a Robin Hood story at all. Walt Disney had many ideas and plans for fables and fairy tales that he hoped to bring to life with a feature animation film. It's no surprise that most of these ideas and plans simply never went beyond the dreaming stage. A few were caught up in production struggles, and remnants of those efforts can still be found in the treasure trove that is the Disney Archives. Some of these projects, however, were reinvented and became something very different from what was originally planned.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 14th, 2013
When the show ended in 1966 it was still one of the most popular shows on television. Both Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore wanted to do something else. Both were made confident by the huge stardom the show provided them, but neither was ever able to reproduce the magic here. Of course, Mary Tyler Moore found great success with a different kind of show in The Mary Tyler Moore Show. That one would go on to become a classic in its own right. CBS didn't want the show to end and continued to run the reruns for another four years before offering them to syndication where they continue to be a hit. Now that final season of classic episodes is available on high-definition Blu-ray for the very first time.
When one thinks of The Dick Van Dyke Show it's hard not to think of its star Dick Van Dyke. After all, it's his name on the opening credits, and he does play the lead character in this groundbreaking television comedy. There's little question that the show became a wonderful vehicle for his many comedic talents. But the genius behind the show wasn't really Dick Van Dyke at all. It was Carl Reiner (yes, Meathead's father) who was the true brains behind the show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 9th, 2013
"If you want to achieve something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse. And we're all utterly sick of hearing excuses."
There are no excuses when it comes to Cinemax's Strike Back. Finding a way is exactly what this team does and what this series is about. These guys can shoot it out with about 200 terrorists and come out with barely a scratch. We're talking action of the highest order. And that was just season 1. Wait until you find out what these guys are up to in season 2. Regulars won't survive, and a lot of bad guys are going to get killed.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 8th, 2013
"With a name like Banshee how can you not be drawn in?"
Alan Ball got my attention in 2001 with HBO's black comedy Six Feet Under. It was one of the most original shows I had ever seen, and to this day I find it hard to characterize the series when asked to do so. It was there that he also introduced me to Michael C. Hall, who continues to amaze me in the role of Dexter over at Showtime. When Six Feet Under left the airwaves, Ball didn't waste very much time in bringing his quirky style back, this time to the horror genre. True Blood would put a rather strange twist on the lovesick vampire craze, and while that show has not kept up the same kind of clever writing and wickedly brilliant stories, Ball has lent his name and talents to another cable show. This time it's on Cinemax, and the series is Banshee. And while Ball is a producer and not the day-to-day runner of the series, it is nonetheless another pretty strange show that defies any particular genre or characterization.
