Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 29th, 2017
“Have you ever heard the legend behind the legend of Ninjago?”
Even though I loved the first two Lego movies, I was completely unfamiliar with the toy company's Ninjago line before I sat down to watch this latest entry in the madcap cartoon franchise. (I wasn't even sure how to pronounce “Ninjago”...and the answer isn't as simple as it seems.) But my unfamiliarity with the source material isn't the reason why I feel The Lego Ninjago movie is the weakest entry in the series so far.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 28th, 2017
“Based on real events...mostly.”
Queen Victoria sure knew how to create a frenzy in court. The monarch's close relationship with Scottish servant John Brown following her husband's death caused an uproar in the royal household and inspired the 1997 film Mrs. Brown, starring Judi Dench. Turns out, Victoria and Dench were just getting warmed up! Twenty years later, the actress reprises her regal role in Victoria & Abdul, which chronicles another unique, unconventional, and even more scandalous relationship between royal and commoner.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by J C on December 20th, 2017
The countdown to Christmas has reached single digits! Hopefully, that means everyone on your naughty/nice list (which, I assume, you've checked twice) has been accounted for. But maybe that's not the case, and you're racking your brain for a last-minute gift idea. Fortunately, Upcomingdiscs has come to the rescue every Christmas with our Gift Guide Spotlights. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. The kinds of things we recommend here are things we would be delighted to find under the tree.
For well over a decade, HBO has been producing some of the most extraordinary content on the small screen. This past year was no exception. Take a look at some of these complete sets that will be sure to please any fan of quality television.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on December 19th, 2017
We're less than a week away from Christmas, and it appears Santa is a Christopher Nolan fan! This week, two of the acclaimed filmmaker's blockbusters arrive on UHD. Warner Bros. does battle with Dunkirk (4K), while Paramount goes out of this world with sci-fi hit Interstellar. Meanwhile, Universal explores a unique royal friendship between Victoria & Abdul.
Before signing off for the week, here’s the usual reminder: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon — maybe a last minute Christmas gift — and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week and have a very Merry Christmas!
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 19th, 2017
“There is only one war that matters. The Great War...and it is here.”
Ever since Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, viewers have been tantalized by the notion that “winter is coming.” (And it's been a *much* longer wait for book readers who fell in love with the first installment in George R.R. Martin's “A Song of Ice and Fire” saga more than 20 years ago.) Ned Stark's famous words have launched a thousand memes, and this shortened seventh season of HBO's spectacular fantasy drama — 7 episodes instead of the customary 10 — seemed poised to begin delivering on their promise. While the show is still able to thrill audiences like nothing else on TV, the strain of wrapping up such an epic story finally started to show.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on December 15th, 2017
“We're taking a stab at an alternative lifestyle.”
The notion of unplugging from modern society and living a stripped-down life alongside a group of like-minded individuals will always be appealing to a segment of the population. One of Us, a low-budget indie about a journalist who falls in with a cult as she searches for her missing best friend, is more interested in the thriller aspects of its story than it is in exploring the reasons why people might want to retreat from society. The result is a tight, pulpy suspense flick that isn't likely to gain a mass following.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on December 12th, 2017
Winter is here...and not just because sub-50 degree temperatures in Florida this week have everyone in the Sunshine State dusting off their sweaters and winter coats. This week, HBO releases Game of Thrones: Season 7, the penultimate installment of its blockbuster fantasy drama. Elsewhere, Lionsgate plays Cops and Robbers and gets in the holiday spirit with Once Upon a Christmas. Finally, Shout! Factory explores The Mysteries of China (4K), while Monarch releases cult flick One of Us.
Later this week, we'll have reviews for a pair of exciting theatrical releases. Come back for our take on Guillermo del Toro's creature feature The Shape of Water...and a little movie called Star Wars: The Last Jedi. (Here's hoping the latter film can somehow find an audience.) One last reminder before signing off for the week: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon — a Christmas present for a loved one, perhaps — and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week!
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on December 8th, 2017
“Wish we could just make our own movie.”
I have more than 800 reviews to my name on this site, and I've probably watched several thousand movies overall throughout the course of my life. A lot of them are bad. Some are even worse than The Room, which has been dubbed “the Citizen Kane of bad movies.” However, I've never seen a movie that is bad in the way The Room is bad. It seems a substantial chunk of Hollywood — led by star/filmmaker James Franco — feels the same way. The creation of The Room is chronicled in The Disaster Artist, but there's more here than just an anatomy of a trainwreck. The film also works as an ode to underdog Hollywood dreamers who take a DIY approach to (accidental) stardom.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 7th, 2017
“Sounds like you don't have a lot of faith in faith.”
You know how sports teams retire the jerseys of their most beloved, outstanding players so that no one can ever wear their number again? Well, we are well past the point where movies about exorcisms need to be hanging from Hollywood's rafters. Simply put, no one has ever come close to doing it as well as William Friedkin did almost 45(!) years ago with his adaptation of The Exorcist. If anything, The Crucifixion is an even more egregious misfire than other head-spinning stabs at the genre because this movie is actually based on an intriguing, horific real-life case.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on December 5th, 2017
Earlier this year, the fifth film in the Transformers franchise made its UHD debut. This week, the rest of the robots in disguise arrive in 4K! Thanks to Paramount, we'll soon have reviews for Transformers (4K), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (4K), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (4K), and Transformers: Age of Extinction (4K). Elsewhere, RLJ Entertainment goes out of this world with The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Vol. 1 while Omnibus Entertainment crowns The White King. Finally, Lionsgate loses its religion with The Crucifixion.
While this is the start of a new month, you're going to get the same ol' reminder: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon — maybe a Christmas present for a loved one — and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week!
