Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 7th, 2018
Sports movies have been something of a cliché for years now. And it's not really a recent phenomenon. Everybody remembers Ronald Reagan appearing in the Knute Rockne All American as the famous George Gipp. That was 1940, and Hollywood is still selling films that ask teams to "win one for The Gipper". That's exactly what you get in director Sean McNamara's The Miracle Season. Substitute high school volleyball for college football, and you likely already know the story before you even order your popcorn and soda. Of course, even with established Hollywood formula and a well-trodden story, things are never quite that simple. Somehow the better films still tend to touch an emotional nerve, and when it's all based on a true and inspiring story, well then, break out the Kleenex and try to keep the tears from diluting your already watered-down drink. Still, some of these films manage to stand out from a very crowded field. So what exactly does it take to do that, and does The Miracle Season have what it takes? That's a little bit complicated.
The film begins with the story of two best friends. Caroline and Kelly have that special kind of bond, as the opening narration explains. We are treated to a montage of the close friends from young girls to adolescents who eventually find themselves teammates on Iowa City West's volleyball team. In 2010 they took home the state championship, and hopes are high as the girls begin practices for the 2011 season. All of the hope and enthusiasm is delivered by Caroline "Line" (Yarosh). Her energy and drive are contagious, and it's quickly evident why she's the natural leader of the team and a favorite of Coach "Bres" Bresnahan (Hunt). Her cheerfulness is even more amazing when we learn that her mother is dying of cancer and unlikely to survive to see her daughter win a second championship. She still manages to stay positive and keep her mother and father smiling. She decorates her shoes to dedicate the new season to her mother and encourages her friend Kelly (Moriarty) into believing she can also be a team leader. With someone like Caroline pushing the team, that second championship appears in the bag.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on April 6th, 2018
You might call me jaded, but I am pretty disappointed by the state of horror movies. It's not just the last few years. The truth is I haven't seen 10 really good horror movies in over a decade. Now that I've had a chance to see A Quiet Place, that number isn't going up. A Quiet Place is not a really good horror movie. It ends up making a lot of the same mistakes that filmmakers think define a horror film in the modern age. It relies too heavily on jump scares and characters who do some of the most idiotic things, thus placing them in a somewhat self-created dangerous situation. But I will make the argument that A Quiet Place is still a pretty good horror film because of a rather clever and unique concept and a filming process that allows us care for these characters more than the usual horror film red shirt fodder that too often leaves me rooting for the monster in a Darwin-like weed-out-the-gene-pool kind of way.
The film takes place in a near-future that newspapers place at about 2020. It's now day 86. We are now in the familiar post-apocalyptic world of deserted streets and a family of characters scrounging through the derelict buildings for scraps on which to survive. The difference here is that this family, a husband and wife with three young kids, are going out of their way to remain as completely silent as possible. They communicate strictly through sign language and walk on bare feet to avoid the sounds of footsteps. Each move is carefully calculated to avoid even the careless sound of placing a pill container on a counter. Silence is golden, and before the title card is revealed, we discover the reason for all of this care. The Earth has been invaded by creatures that are blind but with heightened hearing ability. They hunt strictly by sound and move at lightning speed toward any sound and attack with razor-like appendages. These attacks are over in a second, and the viewer is left with graphic evidence that in this future world, silence isn't golden, it's survival.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2018
"And so we ran on. Into Summerland and the place they said did not exist. And all the while, wolves were at our heels. Black masks, boots and the one they called The Eye. We had come to do the work that must be done. To strip ourselves of the fog of life before."
If the first season of Legion was intended to lift any fog, it failed miserably. In fact, keeping you in a fog is series creator Noah Hawley’s superpower. He was also the creator of the television adaptation of Fargo, which was often more than a little confusing. But with Legion Hawley has taken these "skills" to the next level, and how you respond to the series will absolutely depend on how much you like your brain messed with while you're watching a show. If the answer is a lot, this is the perfect show for you.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 28th, 2018
"A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..."
It was exactly 40 years ago that we first saw those words flash across the screen. Star Wars was born, and it has become one of the most enduring franchises in film history. The franchise survived a long drought when it didn't seem likely we would ever see those words again. The franchise survived the throes of George Lucas, who created it all and then went a little rogue when he finally did follow up his iconic trilogy. If The Last Jedi and the two previous films are any measurement at all, the best thing George Lucas ever did for the universe he created was to give it up. Of course, I wouldn't necessarily call $4 billion quite giving it up. Since then he's been a bit critical of the path Disney has taken and feeling somewhat left out of the decision process and has openly shown concern for his child under the Disney flag. And after the soap opera that has become the Han Solo film, the fans were getting a little worried as well. It's still too early to know what will become of that particular journey, but that's next year's concern. For now just sit back and revel in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on March 25th, 2018
Upcomingdiscs was at the Tampa premier of Followers. I found the film to be quite good and a nice turn on the found footage format. Director Ryan Justice delivered and the home-field crowd stuck around to hear him and other cast and crew members. The house remained full even at 1:00 AM. The film still has the rest of the week to run in 10 cities across the nation. If you are in one of those towns I highly recommend you get yourself a seat. (Check below for a screen near you. Just click on the image to get a better view.) I'll be covering the film in more detail in the weeks to come. I was lucky enough to be invited to hang out with Ryan and film star Nishant Gogna over beer and iced tea while they prepared for the big night. Now you can sit in on some of my conversation with Ryan Justice. Just bang it right Here.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 22nd, 2018
After six seasons I don't really think of Major Crimes as a spinoff from The Closer. It has gone on to establish itself as a much better show than its former version ever was. We have become very comfortable with most of these characters, and the series isn't really looking over its shoulder anymore, if it ever did. This is one of those shows that's just easy to watch. There might not be anything groundbreaking going on here, but it feels like that old worn shirt that you love to wear because it just feels good having it on. That's the kind of thing that can go on for many years, and it did. But Major Crimes is shutting its doors with this sixth and final season now available on DVD from Warner Brothers.
Pretty much the rest of The Closer’s cast remained intact for its six years. The senior officer on the team is Lt. Provenza (Bailey), and he's become the field commander of the team over the years. There's Lt. Andy Flynn (Denison) finally getting married to Commander Sharon Raydor, who originally came from Internal Affairs and was not instantly beloved. But Mary McDonnell gave the role some life, and she became a bit of the show's emotional center. Lt. Tao (Chan) is still one of the tech experts, along with Buzz (Keene), who also serves as the videographer of the unit. Buzz gets a promotion to reserve officer, but he’s still pretty much the guy with the camera. Detective Sanchez (Cruz) is back after suffering a death in the family. He still loses his cool a little, but I found him an awkward character this season. The delivery has changed to an almost deliberate tight, calm cadence. He's obviously struggling to keep his temper under control. Dr. Morales (Del Arco) has a bit of a testy relationship with the police unit this season. It's nice to see some strain here. The unit also includes Kearran Giovanni as Detective Amy Sykes. Last season the show added the rather dry Detective Wes Nolan, played by Daniel di Tomasso. He fits in rather quickly as far as chemistry goes with the unit. Of course, as an undercover cop he was used to being pretty much on his own, so he's still learning the whole teamwork thing. This season we see the arrival of a new and interesting character. Detective Camille Page is brought over from Missing Persons because of her expertise in dealing with missing children cases. (More on that later.) She's played by Jessica Meraz and is a fiery detective not used to being a part of a team. She likes to finish other people's sentences and was mentored years ago by Provenza. The standout character has to be Lt. Provenza, played by M*A*S*H’s G.W.Bailey. The character is actually a lot like that show’s Rizzo. Just pretend that he finally got out of the Army and got into law enforcement. He’s always complaining and getting into trouble, but he’s smart, and his instincts are often dead-on.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on March 21st, 2018
Many of our followers know that Upcomingdiscs is headquartered in sunny Tampa, Florida. Except for the occasional hurricane, it's a pretty bright place to live. It looks like something dark is on the way and it isn't a storm. Tampa Bay filmmaker Ryan Justice and his crew have invaded our paradise with their new found-footage thriller Followers. The film will premier at the Movie Studio Grill at the University Square Mall Friday (March 23rd) starting at 11:00 PM. Some cast and crew will be on-hand for fans. If you're not in the area you get a perfect chance to catch the film on-line. The powers that be are handing out TEN ($10) iTunes Gift Cards to 10 lucky Upcomingdiscs readers. You can pick up your own copy of the film when it streams March 23, 2018. I'm going to pick a new winner every day starting on Friday the 23rd for 10 days. Once you enter you are eligible for the entire run of the contest.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 21st, 2018
"If I spoke about it - if I did - what would I tell you? I wonder. Would I tell you about the time? It happened a long time ago, it seems. In the last days of a fair prince's reign. Or would I tell you about the place? A small city near the coast, but far from everything else. Or, I don't know... Would I tell you about her? The princess without voice. Or perhaps I would just warn you, about the truth of these facts. And the tale of love and loss. And the monster, who tried to destroy it all."
A couple of years ago I talked to Joe Dante about a variety of subjects. One of them was The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Dante along with several other directors like John Carpenter had once been attached to a remake of the Universal classic. I asked him why it never worked out. He told me it was the suit. We agreed that no one could ever improve upon the original design and that the temptation would be to go computer-generated, and that would be a bit of a shame no matter what it looked like. Andy Serkis has changed my mind a bit over the years, but along came Guillermo del Toro to restore my faith in the idea of a man in a costume once again. Del Toro is a self-avowed fan of the Universal horror films and has thrown his hat into the Creature ring in the past. Universal didn't quite see it then. They had their own Dark Universe plans. Now I've had the chance to see The Mummy as part of the Dark Universe and was instantly underwhelmed. But after seeing del Toro's The Shape Of Water, I think it's time Universal took another look at their Creature From The Black Lagoon plans. Bang it here to listen to that Joe Dante chat: Joe Dante Interview.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 21st, 2018
"We have to be ready. You, me, the others... there's an attack coming from far away."
The DC and Marvel rivalry can be quite fierce at times. I never completely understood the polarized fan base, however. Some of us are just fans of the genre and will welcome a good comic book movie from either and preferably both studios. When it comes to a cinematic universe, however, DC has had some real issues with trying to bring together a combined hero world. Most of the films leading up to Justice League have been dark and filled with brooding heroes. With Batman that kind of thing is appropriate and works. With Superman it has been a severe letdown. When the two came together in Batman vs. Superman, the disappointment started to lead to a resigned conviction that DC was doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Then came Wonder Woman, and it was no surprise that she was the single standout of the caped-hero duel. Wonder Woman, both the character and the film, appear to have changed something in the DC landscape, and she is, once again, the single most hopeful character in Justice League. And while Justice League isn't quite the movie that Wonder Woman was, there are signs that things are changing. Justice League is not a great movie. But it's not a bad film, either. Superman actually smiles and has begun to return to the "golly" innocent of his best comic years. This film may not be everything we fans of both brands were hoping for, but it's actually a good start.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 19th, 2018
The yesteryears of Disney were full of classic movies, from Aladdin to 101 Dalmatians. Each of those films holds a special place in my heart due to its warmth and very colorful, cute story. Having never seen Lady and the Tramp before picking up this early copy, I didn’t know what to expect of the film. Many declare it to be one of Disney’s best, which is certainly a remark that is quite distinguished. Would Lady and the Tramp capture my emotions and heart like so many old, classic Disney films did years ago? Read on to find out.
The basic story to Lady and the Tramp is as follows. A man named Jim Dear gives his wife Darling a mysterious box for Christmas. Inside that box is the ever-so-cute little cocker spaniel puppy, which Darling decides to name Lady. Lady spends most of her period growing up with two neighborhood dogs, Trusty and Jock. One day a dog named Tramp walks over the railroad tracks. When Darling has a child, we are introduced to two super ugly and vicious cats, Si and Am, courtesy of Aunt Sarah. Due to these evil cats and the new baby, Lady winds up in the doghouse. What happens next is cinematic history: the spaghetti scene and the start of a romance between Lady and Tramp.
