Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 20th, 2018
"Some say that in life, there are no second chances. Experience tells me that this is true. But we can only look forward. We have to be torchbearers, casting the light so we may see our path to lasting peace. We will continue exploring, discovering new worlds, new civilizations. Yes - that is the United Federation of Planets. Yes, that is Starfleet. Yes, that is who we are. And who we will always be."
I should confess from the beginning that I am a very dedicated Star Trek fan.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 20th, 2018
If you were a child in the 1960's or 1970's, you were around at the golden age of the Christmas television special. We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and there were a ton of holiday charms that came and went each year. But there were a handful that became classics and found their way to the airwaves every year in December. Of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas became one of these, and it is indeed among the best. It was not the only special to become beloved by generations of viewers. Now Dreamworks has brought together seven of the most memorable of these classics. This was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me, as it will be for millions of children of all ages who looked forward to these event broadcasts each and every year. Now you can watch them whenever you want. And they might not be just for Christmas anymore
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 19th, 2018
"The wizarding and non-wizarding worlds have been at peace for over a century. Grindelwald wants to see that peace destroyed."
Back in the early days of the internet before videos went "viral", there was a Thanksgiving cartoon about a chef who needed to serve too many people with a small turkey. So to compensate, he kept stuffing that sucker until it eventually exploded. Watching the latest entry in the J.K. Rowling Wizarding World, I was very much reminded of that early video. There's an attempt to make the running time a bit leaner than we've typically seen with these films. It's just barely over two hours, making it one of the shortest running times in the series when you include the Harry Potter films.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 18th, 2018
Steve McQueen has established himself as a rather talented director. 12 Years A Slave was one of the better films of 2013 and one of the few times I happened to agree with the Oscars’ choice for Best Picture. When he tackled the heist format I expected something unique, and I wasn't at all disappointed. McQueen managed to put a clever spin on a tired genre and provide us with a superior and inspired cast. It wasn't all completely his idea, of course. The film is based on a Canadian miniseries that goes back to the 1980's. That doesn't mean he hasn't found a way to imprint the material with his own style and bold choices. There's a lot to love about Widows, but I have pretty low expectations for this film at the box office. More on that later. Let's get down to it, shall we?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 14th, 2018
"This could get worse before it gets better."
That's the perfect story line for the sixth and almost final season of CBS's modern Sherlock Holmes take, Elementary. After the fifth season ended, CBS was one of the first networks to renew a great number of their dramas. They kept more returning shows than any other network last year. And for good reason. The NCIS franchise ranks among the most watched shows in the world. That's not quite the case for Elementary. The fifth season showed declining viewership even though the series contains a very loyal core audience. It was most certainly on the bubble. Finally, the show was brought back for a limited 13-episode run but not at its traditional spot in the fall with all of the other returning major shows.
Posted in: Tribute by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2018
We stopped doing these memorials a couple of years ago. It's hard to take the time away from our lives and other work here at Upcomingdiscs. But sometimes we'll lose one of the great ones. This isn't a tribute to Stan Lee. He'll get plenty of those. These are just my own private thoughts. I want to say things many of you would like to say. I have a forum, so I'm going to use it. If immortality can be measured by the impact you leave behind or how many people continue to remember you and for how long after your gone. Then there's only one thing we can say about Stan Lee: "Face it, Tiger. You just hit the jackpot."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 12th, 2018
MacGyver (v) to act in an extremely resourceful manner. To utilize everyday items in unconventional ways to achieve a difficult task. I predict it will not be long before you can open your trusty copy of Webster’s and find this character has officially entered our lexicon. There is little doubt but that it is an unofficial part of it now. Crossing over from the realm of pop culture and into our language is a phenomenal achievement for a television show.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 12th, 2018
"We are the protectors of the innocent. We are The Charmed Ones."
It's no coincidence that both the original shows of Charmed and MacGyver are starting to be released on the Blu-ray format. Both shows have been rebooted for television, and that means they're counting on fans of the original to become the foundation for a new base of fans. The best way to do that is to remind you why it is that you loved the shows in the first place. The best way to remind you is to dangle a little bait. That bait is the release of both shows on Blu-ray starting with their first seasons. Will it last? I don't know.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 11th, 2018
Bigger is not always better, and more is not always better. If the holiday season release of Dr. Seuss's The Grinch is a testament to anything, it is that those two ideas are absolutely true. The Grinch has everything that the 1966 How The Grinch Stole Christmas could never hoped to have had. The film delivers on some of the best computer-generated animation that Hollywood studio money can buy. It had a $75 million budget. It will get a wide release with millions of more dollars put into a global marketing campaign. And it will make a ton of money. After all, the Grinch is the modern age Scrooge from Dickens' classic story. These are the kind of stories that are timeless and popular. Still, the one thing this film doesn't have over the 1966 television short is that it's heart is two sizes too small.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2018
"If anyone wants to clap, now is the time to do it."
If he were alive today, A.A. Milne would likely find a reason to smile these days. Perhaps he is. Winnie the Pooh has made quite a bit of a comeback in recent years. Last year we saw the impact the creation had on his son, the real Christopher Robin, in the sentimental Goodbye, Christopher Robin. This year Disney continues its recent trend of bringing many of its classical animated features back for live-action remakes using the wonderful world of computer-generated f/x and motion capture performances. The recent Jungle Book release was a wonder to behold and one of the best films of that year. This year it's the world of Winnie the Pooh, and to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, Disney releases Christopher Robin, and you're not going to want to miss it. All of your favorite characters from both the classic books and the Disney cartoons are back, and it couldn't have been a moment too soon.
