Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 28th, 2017
We are a little less than a week removed from Thanksgiving, and we are feeling thankful for your continued support of our site. (And I'm still feeling like I'm in a bit of a food coma.) We're also feeling Lucky this week. Thanks to Universal, we'll bring you our take on Steven Soderbergh's latest heist comedy Logan Lucky (4K). Universal also profiles a pair of music mavericks (Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine) with The Defiant Ones. Finally, Warner Bros. seeks to recapture the magic of one of its most successful franchises with the Harry Potter Film Collection 1-4 (4K).
Before signing off for the week (and for November), here’s the usual reminder: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon 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 spooktacular Halloween!
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on November 23rd, 2017
“Sometimes I think I'm cursed.”
Up until recently, Pixar Animation Studios had a pretty spotless reputation. (At least when it came to the quality of their films.) But while the studio's last three efforts (Cars 3, Finding Dory, The Good Dinosaur) have been financially successful, Disney's own in-house animation studio (Moana, Zootopia, Big Hero 6) has been out Pixar-ing Pixar in terms of delivering creative, crowd-pleasing blockbusters for all ages. (I didn't even mention a little movie called Frozen.) That's why I'm pleased to report that Coco — Pixar's moving, colorful and exhilarating take on Mexico's Day of the Dead holiday — is a thrilling return to form.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 16th, 2017
“We did it again!”
I can still remember sitting in a movie theater in Puerto Rico watching Home Alone 2: Lost in New York for the very first time. (With Spanish subtitles, of course.) I was basically the same age as Kevin McCallister — the precocious, pint-sized pre-teen played by Macaulay Culkin — and I’d pretty much worn out my VHS copy of Home Alone by the time the second movie was released. So it’s wild to think that this film is now old enough to rent a car! Fox has released a 25th anniversary Blu-ray of the blockbuster comedy sequel, and it’s a fun, fascinating re-watch for a variety of reasons.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 15th, 2017
“My verses full of curses cuz I'm stuck in dirty Jersey.”
Between 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow, we’ve seen —and heard — our share of hip-hop underdogs. But we’ve never seen one quite like Killa P, aka Patricia Dombrowski…aka “Piggy Azalea” to the haters who want to take shots at her appearance. Either way, she is the white, overweight, wannabe female rapper at the center of Patti Cake$, a Jersey-set indie that became a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 14th, 2017
They say that blondes have more fun, and Charlize Theron certainly seemed to be having a blast kicking all manner of butt in Atomic Blonde. With the action hit arriving at UpcomingDiscs HQ this week, we are absolutely in for a treat ourselves! Thanks to Universal, we will soon have our take on the UHD release of Atomic Blonde (4K). Elsewhere, MPI Media Group tries to cover up for an Indiscretion. And a little later this week, we'll have a review of the latest superhero smackdown when Justice League arrives in theaters.
Before you run off until next week, here's for your customary reminder: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon 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 November 11th, 2017
I have to start by talking about the mustache. You've probably already seen the outrageous facial hair Kenneth Branagh rocks as Hercules Poirot, the brilliant Belgian detective who appeared in 33 Agatha Christie novels (including 1934's “Murder on the Orient Express”). But it is truly a sight to behold on the big screen! Up close, it looks like a fake, ridiculously twirly mustache has been layered on top of an even longer fake, ridiculously twirly mustache. I bring this up because the two things that truly separate this sumptuous, all-star take on Poirot's most famous case from previous (and superior) adaptations are the film's eye-popping production values and...well, Branagh's mustache.
“My name is Hercule Poirot, and I am probably the greatest detective in the world.”
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on November 10th, 2017
“Maybe it’s all psychological.”
The Killing of a Sacred Deer takes its title from the tragedy “Iphigenia at Aulis” by the Greek dramatist Euripides. I’ve published more than 800 reviews for this site, and that’s almost definitely the most pretentious opening line I’ve ever written. That might sound like an insult, but it’s actually quite fitting for this deeply unsettling movie, which uses a series of grandiose and idiosyncratic flourishes to explore one of the oldest and simplest concepts known to mankind: “an eye for an eye.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 8th, 2017
“Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality.”
As things in our world become exponentially more chaotic and inexplicable by the day, the theory that we're all living in a computer simulation becomes a little harder to completely dismiss. The idea that our reality is an illusion dates back to the 17th century but most recently gained traction thanks to a 2003 paper published by Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom. It's also been a popular theme in classic sci-fi works like Blade Runner, Total Recall, and The Matrix. To that list, we can now add HBO's Westworld, a slick and star-studded sci-fi/Western mash-up that features the requisite shoot-em-ups and pay cable sexcapades, but is actually most interested in exploring the nature of humanity.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 7th, 2017
Giddy up, pardners! Last week, our Tuesday Round Up took a mini-break to recharge its batteries. This week, we are back and ready to transport our readers to the rootin’ tootin-est, most high-end vacation destination in all of television. Warner Bros. is releasing HBO’s hit sci-fi Western drama Westworld: Season 1 — The Maze in 4K! Elsewhere, Disney zooms toward the finish line with Cars 3 (4K). Finally, Eagle Rock Entertainment’s Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague offers a fresh look at the legendary composer, while RLJ Entertainment goes searching for a killer terrorizing merry scary ol’ England in The Limehouse Golem.
On top of this week’s home video releases, we’re reviewing a pair of upcoming big screen entries. So check back to see how weird things get in The Killing of a Sacred Deer and whether or not you should hop aboard the remake of Murder on the Orient Express. 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 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: Disc Reviews by J C on November 2nd, 2017
“Here’s how it is: the Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths, some rich and flush with the new technologies…some not so much. The Central Planets, thems formed the Alliance…waged war to bring everyone under their rule. A few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself.”
Sound familiar? A crew of scrappy underdogs skirting the edge of the galaxy to avoid an oppressive interplanetary alliance. Exactly 40 years ago, Star Wars used that formula to capture moviegoers’ imaginations, and it is currently being replicated by the uber-popular Guardians of the Galaxy series. But in between those two behemoths there was a little show called Firefly.
