Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 23rd, 2019
In the 1970's Pat Morita was pretty much a staple of the American television landscape. It's fair to say he often got work in a less politically correct era as a token Asian on situation comedies. He landed iconic recurring roles as Arnold, who owned the burger hangout in Happy Days, and Ah Chew, the target of Redd Foxx's bigoted antics on Sanford And Son. His is a long career in the annals of 70's television. While he did appear in a few feature films, none of these appearances had the lasting fame or adoration that he experienced as Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid franchise. The role would define him for the remainder of his days. When Karate Kid appeared in 1984, it delivered a modest return at the box office but found some enduring returns in the young home video market. It was enough to score a sequel in 1986 that would become the best moneymaker of the franchise's original collection of four films. It pulled in enough scratch to warrant a third film, and that's pretty much where it all went downhill faster than a speeding bullet which might have mercifully ended the movies on a high note.
Mill Creek released the first two films on Blu-ray some time ago, and it was pretty much expected that they would complete the set with the release of The Karate Kid Part III & The Next Karate Kid. Of course, they haven't been given any kind of re-master or additional features. Both films reside on a single disc and got the attention to detail they both deserved...not much. So this is a cheap opportunity to have the collection for the purposes of a complete collection. And so a modest price gives you bragging rights. Perhaps the disc should come with one of those amusement park staples, a tee shirt that brags: "I survived The Karate Kid Part III and The Next Karate Kid".
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 17th, 2019
"Our Milky Way Galaxy is just one among billions of galaxies in the universe. In every way an ordinary galaxy. It's 100,000 light years across. There are hundreds of billions of stars here. Lost inside this huge swarm is one average-sized star. As stars go, it's quite unremarkable. Nevertheless, it's the most special place in all the cosmos. Orbiting this star is the only place we know in all the universe to harbor life."
Of course, that place is Earth, and while we can't say for certain, it is truly unlikely to be the only place in this vast universe or even this galaxy to contain life. We might one day have to rethink exactly what that term means one day. But for now, Earth is the only place we know that supports life.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 17th, 2019
"I always knew he'd come back. In this town, Michael Myers is a myth. He's the Boogeyman. A ghost story to scare kids. But this Boogeyman is real. An evil like his never stops; it just grows older. Darker. More determined. Forty years ago, he came to my home to kill. He killed my friends, and now he's back to finish what he started, with me. The one person who's ready to stop him."
I was 17 years old when John Carpenter released The Shape, aka Michael Myers, on the world in 1978. It was a milestone film. Of course we didn't know we were watching something that would become so culturally huge. We were the target audience. Teens who were looking for some extra thrill in our films. These so-called slasher films became great escapes of fantasy to bring a date along. For a late-teen, there's no better way to spend an evening with a date than a film that might have her jump right into your lap. Great times. But the reason Halloween stands out from the crowded genre is because John Carpenter knew something about anticipation. He knew how to build towards a scare. And he understood how to use music, shadow, and pacing to truly immerse his audience into a film. I didn't watch Halloween in 1978. I experienced Halloween in 1978.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 10th, 2019
"The list is an absolute good. The list is life."
It had been nearly 20 years since I had seen Schindler's List. I believe this was only the second time I've watched it since seeing it in the theaters back in 1993. It's one of those films that doesn't lend itself to repeated viewings. It clocks in at over three hours, and the material is emotionally draining. That doesn't mean the film shouldn't be on everyone's shelf. It should. It should, because it tells a brutal story that civilization must never forget. It's clear that while the event remains in our collective memories, the reality of the Holocaust has been lost on too many people. Watch this film, and you will be completely amazed that anyone could throw words like Hitler or Nazi to describe anything that could be happening in American politics today. I'm convinced that the people who use those descriptions need to sit down for three hours and watch Schindler's List, maybe for the first time. It belittles this horrific moment in history to throw it about as a political hit or hate speech. There is nothing in our current American landscape that comes close to the reality of what happened to the Jews in World War II. Saying that there is shows amazing ignorance, an ignorance that this film goes a long way in dispelling.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 5th, 2019
Miami Vice: Season One on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment. It's been a heck of a holiday run here at Upcomingdiscs. We're not finished yet. Look for a couple of new contests within a few weeks. We've also got some things up our sleeves here. It's going to be a big year here, and we hope you all stick around to see what's coming.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2019
Quantum Leap: The Complete Series on DVD. Before he was Captain Archer on Enterprise and before he was Pride on NCIS, Scott Bakula was Sam on Quantum Leap. He played a scientist who jumped through the past into the bodies of others where he was expected to right some wrong before he could "leap" to another and hopefully home. You get 18 discs containing the entire classic series in one package. It's all thanks to those wonderful elves over at Mill Creek Entertainment.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2019
Starsky & Hutch: The Complete Series. Once more we dip into the bag sent by the elves at Mill Creek Entertainment. One of the most iconic shows of the 1970's has to be Starsky & Hutch. David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser pretty much invented the buddy cop genre that led to films like Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours. Now you can find it all in one place, and that can be on your film shelf if you're the lucky winner.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2019
IMAX films are the perfect source material to show off the capabilities of the UHD Blu-ray/4K format. Most of the films we watch in theaters today have been shot around 2.8 K and mastered at just 2K. A 35mm film actually shot on film has a native resolution of 4K. The IMAX film format uses 65mm and 70mm film that increases its native resolution well beyond our 4K televisions and players. They are relatively short and have a ton of bandwidth to deliver the best possible image and audio. Shout Factory discovered this as soon as the format was launched, and Upcomingdiscs was there to check them out. Now there's a new player in the IMAX UHD business, and it's Mill Creek Entertainment. They get it, and so now you can expect a few of those gems coming your way from Mill Creek. The first one that I've had a chance to see is Journey To The South Pacific, and it's sweet.
The film takes us to a local village in West Papua. We get some wonderful shots of the residents living their lives that depend so much on the sea. It's the only real resource they have left. Because of overfishing and other obstacles, the big fish the natives so rely on are disappearing, and the health of the reef has been getting critical.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2019
The Sissi Collection on Blu-ray. This four-film collection brings you the complete collection of Sissi films. You get Sissi (1955), Sissi: The Young Empress (1956) and Sissi: The Fateful Years Of An Empress (1957). You also get the bonus film Victoria In Dover (1954), where actress Romy Schneider plays Queen Victoria just one year before she takes on the role of Princess Elisabeth of Austria, or better known to film fans: Sissi. It’s all from Film Movement and they’ve given us three copies to give away this holiday season.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 1st, 2019
Rescue Me The Complete Series on Blu-ray. Our pals at Mill Creek Entertainment have been very generous this year with Holiday prizes for us to give away. This is one of the hottest Winter prizes you're ever going to find. You get all 93 scorching episodes. All 7 seasons of the hit firefighter drama Rescue Me on Blu-ray. There are plenty of bonus features here. Now we know why Santa's wearing that bright red suit.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
