Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 6th, 2010
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest was the first movie I ever saw on HBO. These were the very early days of the cable network. It was before the dawn of any real home video. It was at my Aunt Shirley's house that several members of the extended family gathered in dining room chairs around a 19-inch television to watch a movie uncut and without commercial interruption for the first time in our lives. A lot has changed since that 1970's afternoon at my aunt's house. Today we have hundreds of such choices on our television dials. I've seen a huge wave of home video technologies since that day that have included CED video discs, VHS/Beta, laserdisc, DVD, and now high-definition Blu-ray and movies on demand. The entire game has changed since that gathering 35 or so years ago. One thing has not changed a bit. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest was a dynamic and compelling film that day. It remains so today.
R.P. McMurphy (Nicholson) is a repeat criminal who has caused more than his share of trouble in the system. He is sent to the Oregon State Hospital to have his sanity evaluated. There the head psychiatrist Dr. Spivey (Brooks) doesn't really think he's crazy. But McMurphy is held over for observation. He's placed inside a general population ward where he comes into contact with the resident "crazies" of the hospital. He takes a particular liking to Billy (Dourif) who is a sexually repressed teenager who stutters and lacks any kind of self-confidence. In a big way, he is the opposite of McMurphy himself, who is quite the extrovert and borders on manic most of the time. There is an Indian man who is about as big as a mountain who the staff and inmates simply call Chief (Sampson). At first Chief is the subject of mockery from McMurphy, but the allegedly deaf and dumb Indian soon earns McMurphy's respect, something we quickly understand is a rarity for McMurphy. Other patients include the childish Cheswick (Lassick), the shy and naive Martini (DeVito), the borderline psychotic Taber (Lloyd), and Harding (Redfield) who was pretty much the crew's unofficial leader before McMurphy came along. In charge of the ward is the indominable Nurse Ratched (Fletcher). A battle of wills soon develops between McMurphy and the cold nurse. What McMurphy doesn't know is that she has the power to keep him even after his original jail sentence has expired.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 6th, 2010
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 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.
He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown: Snoopy’s driving the neighborhood crazy, and they want Charlie Brown to do something about it. That means back to The Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for everyone’s favorite flying-ace beagle, and obedience school. But along the way to the farm Charlie Brown discovers just how much he loves Snoopy, just the way that he is.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2010
The good folks over at Anchor Bay have given us yet another copy of Hatchet on high definition Blu-ray to give away. This 2006 slasher film will be presented in an unrated director’s cut. Features an all-new audio commentary with writer/director ADAM GREEN and Victor Crowley himself – KANE HODDER!
To celebrate 31 Nights Of Terror we're giving you a second chance to win this high definition prize.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2010
"1.2 billion TV viewers saw the home-made autopsy film in 1995. Experts have been divided over its authenticity ever since ... until now."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2010
"General George S. Patton. His bold attacks are legendary. See the war the way he saw it and ride along with his hard-fighting troops as they battle their way through World War II. On this 360-degree battlefield, Patton's enemies could be anywhere and everywhere. There's nowhere to run, when the war is all around you."
Patton 360 does for the European theatre of World War II what Battle 360 did for the fight in the Pacific. Just as in that earlier program, we are brought into somewhat intimate contact with one of the most prolific and successful fighting corps in that part of the war. Patton was a larger-than-life general who often got into his own way more than the enemy ever did. He was nicknamed Old Blood & Guts based on a standard speech he delivered when addressing the troops. He was the most successful general in the European war. From Normandy he pushed across France and into Germany liberating towns along the way. The French citizens loved him and considered him a hero. His troops respected him and drew confidence from him, even if they did not necessarily love the man himself. He didn't suffer what he considered foolish behavior very well. He found himself suspended and out of the war for nearly a year when he slapped two battle-fatigued soldiers with whom he had lost patience. However, it would be impossible to discuss the Great War without spending some significant time on George S. Patton. This series does just that ... and with a certain flair.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 4th, 2010
It's a classic moment in holiday cinema history. Ralphie, Flick, and Swartz are gathered around a flagpole in the dead of winter. Flick is scoffing at the idea that your tongue will stick to a metal surface under these extreme cold conditions. So Swartz commits a small violation of etiquette when he goes right for the triple dog dare. There isn't any way out for our friend Flick. The results are predictable, but nonetheless hilarious. I wish I could say the same for the teen angst film Triple Dog. For me, there truly was no way out. You, my gentle reader, might yet save yourself.
Eve (Fast) is having a birthday sleepover. The guests include her best friend Chapin (Robertson), who is a bit of a loudmouthed troublemaker. She's carrying a pretty dark secret that is causing her to act out and behave in a self-destructive manner. There's also Liz (Taylor-Compton) who is the dark school outcast. She's nicknamed "rat girl" because she carries a pet rat in her backpack. She and Chapin really do not like each other. Liz wasn't really invited, but their mothers are friends and she's pushed into the sleepover party. Cecily (Parish) is the rich girl in the group. Her father owns a local store. She's also the proper class president and academian in the group. Sarah (Tennant) is a strait-laced Catholic girl who is the uptight do-gooder in the group. Finally there is Nina (McKillip), who is the typical dumb blonde girl in the group.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2010
Our friends over at Midnight Syndicate have given us a couple of their haunting Halloween music CD's to give away. We recently talked to Midnight Syndicate mastermind Edward Douglas in a podcast interview. (check that out Here) Now you can experience the sounds of the season direct from The Midnight Syndicate. We're giving away two CD's to one lucky winner: Halloween Music Collection and The 13 Hour. You've heard their music on television and at your favorite haunted house event. To win these spooktaclular CD's, follow these instructions.
Contest is now closed Winner is Johnna
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 1st, 2010
Our good friends over at Diabolik DVD have volunteered to kick-start this year's 31 Nights Of Terror. They are giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to 4 lucky readers here at Upcomingdiscs. If you haven't already, you really need to check these guys out. They specialize in DVD's and Blu-ray titles from all over the globe. They have an incredible catalogue of horror titles, including rare and hard to find films.
You can visit them by clicking on their ad to your right or follow this link and see what they have to offer today: Diabolik DVD
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 30th, 2010
We all remember Ed O'Neill as Al Bundy from Married With Children. It's an iconic role that he'll never be able to shake no matter what he does for the rest of his life. After that series ended its 11-year run, he even attempted to get out of comedy and take more dramatic roles. I'm sure there was a deliberate intent to try to distance himself from Al. It's not that he likely didn't love playing the role. He just wanted to avoid getting forever typecast in the mold. Those efforts weren't all that successful. But now he's back where he belongs again in a pretty solid sit-com. He's not playing Al Bundy anymore, although you won't have to look very hard to find some of Bundy in Jay from Modern Family.
I have become somewhat frustrated over the television comedy genre for a lot of years. It seems that they all take the same path no matter what the show's actual concept might be. It's usually the same jokes, just in a different environment. I don't have children, but I expect that it must be near impossible to sit down and watch a comedy with your family any more. If I were a stranger visiting this planet for the first time, I would quickly come to the conclusion that sex is about the only thing that's funny here. Thank God that once in a while something fresh comes along and swims against the current tide of innuendo and toilet humor. Modern Family is the kind of show you can enjoy with the entire family. And guess what? It's pretty darn funny on top of it all.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 30th, 2010
"For centuries the prophecies of Nostradamus have been part of the historic record. While highly speculative and controversial, their author's legacy endures."
![Hatchet [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/hatchet-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Patton 360: The Complete Season 1 [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/patton-360-the-complete-season-1--large.jpg)
![Triple Dog [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/triple-dog-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Modern Family: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/modern-family-the-complete-first-s-large.jpg)
![Nostradamus 2012 [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/nostradamus-2012-blu-ray-large.jpg)
