Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 21st, 2011
"Man, we'll die with you. Just don't ask us to do it twice."
Well... that's exactly what Sylvester Stallone is asking you to do. Many will look at this release as a simple case of a double-dip, and to a certain extent it is. But Sly isn't kidding when he tells us that it's a better film this way. At least I thought so. No question the studio wants to build buzz going into the second film, and this edition works as a sort of placeholder. It's still a tough decision, but let's look at the film again, just for argument's sake, shall we?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 20th, 2011
"In the farthest corner of America lies the nation's largest swamp. A hidden world where nature rules and man fights back. Welcome to the swamp."
Leave it to History to find yet another profession that they can deliver to our living rooms and home theaters so that we can be entertained by someone else's reality. When I first heard the title of Swamp People, I had something entirely different in mind than what I ended up with. I guess I was prepared for some hidden creature-folk who might be spotted between the swamp gas and the Spanish Moss Monster from an old Kolchak episode. Perhaps those are the images they intended for us to conjure, at least at first. But these swamp people are regular hard-working stiffs like the rest of us, only they make their living off of the swamp itself. It provides food, transportation, income, and entertainment. Much of their Cajun lifestyle has been handed down for centuries from generation to generation. And one of those traditions is gator hunting.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2011
You say you still have a ton of Christmas shopping to do?
A&E just might be able to help you to play Santa for that special home theater fan on your Christmas list. Here are some excellent suggestions from us here at Upcomingdiscs. This is not a paid advertisement. Each of these titles comes highly recommended. Continue reading to find out how A&E can help you out with those last-minute Christmas shopping needs. Don't forget to order through Amazon and help us at Upcomingdiscs to bring you another year of reviews and contests. Look for some incredible A&E giveaways for our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2011
I grew up on the Peanuts creations of Charles M. Schulz. Most of us have, in some way or another. His newspaper comic strip is one of the longest running and most successful strips of all time. The work has been translated into every language currently spoken on the planet. The images of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and the rest of the Peanuts gang have appeared on just about any kind of product imaginable. Our pop culture contains too many references to the strip to mention briefly. For me, it was the television specials starting in the mid 1960’s that brought the gang into my life. The classics are running annually, still after nearly 50 years. A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown are the most mentioned and certainly beloved by generations of children and adults. I thought I never missed an airing.
The characters have shown up in quite a few areas over the years. There have been other specials and a couple of regular cartoon television shows. One of those was The Charlie Brown And Snoopy Show. It lasted only 18 episodes, and it's that final episode that is featured here. In it Charlie Brown recounts a Christmas in a letter he's writing. Lucy's putting together another play, and Sally wants to help Linus raise money for the production.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2011
"Long ago in ancient China, the peacocks ruled over Gongmen City. They brought great joy and prosperity to the city, for they had invented fireworks. But their son, Lord Shen, saw darker power in the fireworks. What had brought color and joy could also bring darkness and destruction. Shen's troubled parents consulted a soothsayer. She foretold that if he continued down this dark path, he would be defeated by a warrior of black and white."
We all know who that warrior is, don't we?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2011
"He's a real monster. And he's not brooding or lovesick or noble. He's the shark from Jaws. He kills. He feeds. And he doesn't stop until everybody around him is dead."
Okay, there's going to be two schools of thought going on when it comes to this movie. There are going to be plenty of fans who, like myself, absolutely loved the original tongue-in-cheek 1980's film. It has endured over the years, and I have found it to be just as charming and chilling now as I did when I first saw it back in 1985. Chris Sarandon was wonderful as the vampire, and who couldn't love Roddy McDowall as the reluctant vampire hunter, Peter Vincent? The fact remains that Fright Night was and is still one of those films that will always be a part of our collective love affair with movies. So there is that school of thought out there that thinks we should leave these classics alone and to remake them is akin to hearsay of the strongest order. And no one has been more critical of the remake/reboot/reimagine/rehash mill than I have. But I'm going to speak just a touch of sacrilege to the brethren: If you haven't yet, give this new version of Fright Night a chance. It's actually a blood-well good time. More on the whole remake thing later.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 14th, 2011
"Within our lifetimes, we've marveled as biologists have managed to look at ever smaller and smaller things. And astronomers have looked further and further into the dark night sky, back in time and out in space. But maybe the most mysterious of all is neither the small nor the large: it's us, up close."
Another Earth has all the earmarks of a first feature film for director Mike Cahill. It's also quite obvious that the director is far more comfortable in the documentary style of filmmaking. This movie is shot with the same kind of cinema verite style, and while it does follow the story of these two broken people, it is always told from an intimate point of view of a close chronicler who has somehow gained access to the drama as it is unfolding. There isn't a sense that any of this is scripted. The dialog doesn't contain any of the practiced lines or delivery that you would find in most dramas out of Hollywood. In fact, there isn't anything "Hollywood" about the film. There lies its greatest strength and, perhaps its greatest weakness.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 13th, 2011
"'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...not even a mouse..."
The poem is a popular one. It was originally titled A Visit From St. Nick and has been a holiday staple since the 1820's. No one knows for sure who wrote it, and there are several schools of thought on its authorship. What is not in doubt is that the lines are about as familiar as Christmas itself. Over the years it has been lampooned and used as an inspiration for many films, plays and songs. In 1974 Rankin & Bass tackled the title, and it has since become a holiday staple. While not quite as popular as The Grinch Who Stole Christmas or A Charlie Brown Christmas, it remains one of those fond memories, particularly with those of us who were children in the 70's.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 13th, 2011
"There must have been some magic in that old straw hat they found..."
Wait a minute. That's not the way I remember the song. Well... it's not the same Frosty you remember, either. Frosty's Winter Wonderland was one of a few sequels that followed the 1969 classic animated special by Rankin & Bass. This one showed up in 1976 and just never did find the same magic that we all remember from the original special. There's even a good chance you've never heard of this one. It's a kind of Bride of Frankenstein version of the original story.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 12th, 2011
Baseball season is over and with Spring Training still a few months away A&E has decided to help us ease your baseball withdrawal. Now you can relive every play of all 7 games of the 2011 World Series. It's the St. Louis Cardinals defeating the Texas Rangers and all that action can be yours. Treat yourself to an early Christmas Gift. To win a copy of this 8 disc set on DVD, just follow these instructions.
Contest is open to residents of the U.S. & Canada only, and will conclude on Sunday, Jan. 1st, 2012.
Please - only one contest entry per person!
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!['Twas the Night Before Christmas (Deluxe Edition) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/twas-the-night-before-christmas-d-large.jpg)
