Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 1st, 2018
"Is this the real life or is this just fantasy?"
I think even Queen's biggest fans might have trouble distinguishing between the two in the Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. And that's absolutely okay. If you look at the film's trailers, the movie looks less like a bio-film and more like a celebration, and that's exactly the kind of experience you're going to have from beginning to end. I'm sure that a lot of film and Queen fans shared more than a little skepticism over the project. I know that I certainly did. But all of that magically disappeared when the first trailer hit the internet and we all watched in amazement as actor Rami Malek appears to be channeling the manic spirit of Queen front man Freddie Mercury down to the smallest of detail. Suddenly I believed that everything was going to be okay. But just as our hopes and expectations were about to hit the ceiling, the film started gathering controversy after controversy like a snowball rolling down a steep hill in the winter. Everyone already had an opinion before the film was even finished. For months the web has been filled with issue after issue, and it all seemed to threaten the buzz we all got from the trailers. We're going to talk about those issues, to be sure. If you let any of that filtercrap keep you from checking out Bohemian Rhapsody, you're going to be missing the next best thing to actually seeing Freddie and the boys live in concert. Since that's not going to happen, this is where you want to be.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2018
"It's alive!"
After nearly 90 years the Universal Horror cycle stands as one of the most enduring collection of horror movies today. Their influence on modern horror is unmistakable. There have been literally thousands of incarnations of Dracula, The Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster, but the first image that comes to your mind will always be the nightmare creations of those Universal films. Studio head Carl Laemmle, Jr. was trying to break away from his father's control and create a studio culture of his own. The results would start in 1931 when an unknown Hungarian actor named Bela Lugosi jumped from the stage to the screen in Dracula directed by Tod Browning. Laemmle's niece, Carla Laemmle, is the girl in the coach headed for Borgo Pass as the film opens to the musical strains from Swan Lake. She is reading a travel brochure about vampires and thus speaks the very first lines ever spoken in a horror film in the era of sound. Lugosi was mesmerizing, and the film was a hit. There was a depression on, but that didn't stop crowds from lining up around theater blocks to be hypnotized by Lugosi's Dracula.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2018
The Matrix (1999) was a landmark film in the Sci-Fi genre. While its box office intake was dwarfed by Episode 1, it was The Matrix that had people talking. Andy and Larry Wachowski’s story of a post-apocalyptic world where humans serve as biological generators of energy for the machines that rule the planet challenged people’s perceptions of what reality was. Computer hacker extraordinaire Neo (Reeves) has this gut feeling that life isn’t all that it seems to be. Turns out he’s right in a big way. A group of revolutionaries led by the thought-to-be-mythical Morpheus (Fishburne) open his eyes to the Matrix.
The Matrix, it turns out, is nothing more than an elaborate computer-generated reality intended to mollify humanity who are in reality nothing more than sheep, or in this case a renewable energy source, to feed the machines that have inherited the Earth. Morpheus believes Neo is “The One”, a prophesized savior who can bend the Matrix to his own will, who will eventually lead humanity out of slavery. What follows is enough eye candy to give an army of Swiss chocolate factory workers diabetes.
Posted in: Super Round Up by Gino Sassani on October 30th, 2018
Howdy, Partners. Johnny's working down at the bunkhouse today, so here I am to let you know what might be causing a stampede down at your video store. We're heading into the final hours of our 31 Nights Of Terror and it's been a howling good time here on the Upcomingdiscs ranch. Here's a couple of titles you should look for this week at Upcomingdiscs. Warner Brothers has chosen The Matrix Trilogy for the UHD/4K treatment this week. RLJE Films sends Nicholis Cage to the Devil in Mandy out on Blu-ray. Shout Factory wants just the facts in the feature film version of Jack Webb's Dragnet on Blu-ray with Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroid. In theaters this weekend get caught up in the landslide with the Queen/Freddie Mercury Bio-pic Bohemian Rhapsody from 20th Century Fox. If you're feeling like a little Italian, we'll be reviewing the new version of Dario Agento's spaghetti nightmare classic Suspiria from Amazon Studios.
And, Partners, don't forget. If you'll be making that video withdrawal from Amazon, lasso yourself one of our many links to get there. It helps keep us going here on the Upcomingdiscs ranch. Until next week, share some light with someone this week... television light, that is.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on October 29th, 2018
You can buy blockbuster films on disc from almost anywhere these days. But if you're looking for classic and vintage stuff, it gets a little bit harder. If you're looking for obscure or foreign horror and science fiction titles, it can get near impossible. I say near impossible because there's a place online that is staffed by the same kind of film fans that we are. They have the largest supply of niche films I've ever encountered, and they've supplied our staff at Upcomingdiscs many times with that special hard-to-get title. I often get emails asking me where to find some unknown title. I always give the same answer. If you can't find it at Diabolik DVD, I don't like your chances finding it anywhere. Help out some folks who are there to help us out. Put them to the test. Tell them Gino sent ya. You can click on the graphic ad to your right, or just bang it here to check out our friends at Diabolik DVD.
Posted in: Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2018
We usually reserve our gift guides for the Christmas shopping season but we have a couple of folks we want to bring to your attention during haunting season. The first of these is Mill Creek Entertainment. The folks over at Mill Creek Entertainment specialize in bringing classic television and films back to life for your home theatre. You'll find plenty of classic films and shows on DVD and even Blu-ray. We'll be talking about that closer to Christmas. They also have a few sweet horror titles for you to check out. This is not a paid advertisement.
Strait Jacket & Berserk Double Feature: (Blu-ray)
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2018
"When someone is shooting at you, you know their intentions."
Submarines have had their own fascinations since Leonardo da Vinci first designed one. Jules Verne took us 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and used a fantastical submarine to inspire and dazzle readers for centuries. Even television has gotten into the act as Irwin Allen took us on a Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. But it's the cinema that truly captured the idea of submarine warfare, from the German classic Das Boot to the equally classic Run Silent Run Deep. Modern films like Crimson Tide and The Hunt For Red October took advantage of modern f/x technologies to bring us even closer to the perilous depths. But things have improved significantly since then. Now with computer-generated images able to show us anything the mind can imagine, submarines are positioned to go to the next level. It's all of that that I took with me when I went to see Hunter Killer. I got some of it before. But I can't quite escape the feeling that I've seen all of this many times.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2018
"You are about to witness the strength of snake knowledge."
That's me. In addition to being the senior writer here at Upcomingdiscs, I also have been a snake breeder for an even longer period of crimes. So, when a box arrived from our friends at Lionsgate with a rubber snake, a couple of syringe pens, and a movie called Snake Outta Compton, I knew this was one I was going to tackle. The snake in the box was rubber and caused no fright here. The syringe pens on the other hand... Let's not talk about those. Snake Outta Compton attempts to bring the world of Snakes On A Plane to Straight Outta Compton. It's a giant cold-blooded snake vs. some cold-blooded rapper wannabes. The result is a modern schlock-fest that looks like it escaped directly from the SyFy Network. This one is not for the weak. By that I mean the folks who walk out of bad movies. You might not even let your DVD player get warm.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2018
"My father told me about these men, about their natures. All I knew were the stories I was told of monsters and the valiant men sworn to slay them. I fear the stories I've heard may have been clouded, the truth more than clouded. It would seem these monsters are men, sons, brothers, fathers. And it would seem these men face their own monsters..."
Move over, Captain Jack Sparrow. There are some tougher pirates on the block, and they sail into our living rooms from Lionsgate on Blu-ray in Starz’ Black Sails. The high seas adventure series combines historical people and places with the fictional characters of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island. I am a little disturbed that Stevenson gets no mention in the credits for having created many of these characters. What's up with that, Starz? Likely the material is in public domain, but credit where credit's due, yes? They certainly acknowledge him in the extras.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on October 24th, 2018
Black Sails fans rejoice. 31 Nights Of Terror takes you on-board a pirate ship with the infamous Captain Flint. I had an opportunity to chat with Toby Stephens who plays Captain Flint on the show. He had some insightful things to say. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Toby Stephens. It's all to celebrate the release of Black Sails: The Complete Series on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.
