Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 21st, 2017
“My name is Chuck Wepner. You don't know me...well, you do know me, but you don't know you know me.”
Unless you're a hardcore boxing fan (or a Jersey boy/girl), chances are you don't know the name Chuck Wepner. On the other hand, you don't have to be a sports buff or a movie buff to know the name Rocky Balboa. Wepner is a former heavyweight boxer, and his 1975 title bout with Muhammad Ali served as the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone's Oscar-winning classic. Originally titled The Bleeder (my two cents...they should've stuck with that title), Chuck is the story of “The Real Rocky.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 18th, 2017
It’s not that hard to understand why Hollywood icon Goldie Hawn came out of semi-retirement to star in Snatched alongside comedian Amy Schumer. The South American-set mother/daughter comedy filmed in picturesque Hawaii, and Schumer was a hot box office commodity coming off the successful Trainwreck. (Holy oxymoron!) I just wish Hawn’s first movie in 15 years — a co-headlining gig, no less! — wasn’t such a wildly uneven effort. Because even though Snatched doesn’t fully utilize the talents of its legend, it’s apparent that Goldie’s still got it.
Emily Middleton isn’t exactly a stretch from Schumer’s real-life persona: in short, she’s a boozy, foul-mouthed mess. Within the movie’s first 15 minutes, Emily has lost her job and her boyfriend Michael (Randall Park). Unfortunately, she and Michael were supposed to go on a vacation in Ecuador. Rather than let the trip to go to waste, Emily convinces her overly cautious mother Linda (Hawn) to accompany her to Ecuador after finding an old photo album that revealed Linda was actually fun once upon a time. After a suspiciously handsome stranger hits on Emily at a bar, the mother-daughter duo become involve in a kidnapping plot.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 18th, 2017
Reboots are all the rage in Hollywood, in case you haven't heard. Even a relatively low-key property like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cinematic Universe series isn't immune. Based on the wildly popular books by author Jeff Kinney, the first three movies featured the same core group of likable actors and become rock solid hits made on modest budgets. So you can understand why Fox would want to keep the series going, even if original star Zachary Gordon became too old to play the perpetually put-upon (and middle school-aged) Greg Heffley. This latest offering features an all-new cast, but too much of the same cringeworthy and juvenile humor; it'll make you wish someone had hidden the reset button from this franchise.
“If there's one thing I've learned from my years of being a kid, it's that you have zero control over your own life.”
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on August 15th, 2017
Everyone's favorite rag-tag team of rollicking a-holes is back for another adventure. And no I'm not talking about myself and the rest of the UpcomingDiscs staff...Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 arrives in 4K! But that's not the only ultra-HD title we're bringing you this week: Warner Bros. reboots one of the world's most famous stories with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (4K). Meanwhile, Lionsgate hops in the backseat with The Lincoln Lawker (4K), while Cinedigm shoots straight with Hickok (4K). Paramount steps into the ring with Chuck, CBS visits the Big Easy with NCIS: New Orleans — Season 3, and Showtime goes for broke with Billions: Season 2. Meanwhile, Metropol Pictures turns up the heat with Union Furnace, while Fox pages through the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul and visits South America for the Amy Schumer/Goldie Hawn kidnapping caper Snatched.
But wait...there's more! Friday brings a pair of new theatrical releases for us to review: we'll let you know if it's safe to check out The Hitman's Bodyguard and spend a day at the races with Logan Lucky, Steven Soderbergh's new heist comedy. One last reminder before signing off for the week: 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 August 10th, 2017
Big Little Lies — HBO’s star-studded and (deservedly) Emmy-nominated limited series — is structured like a typical murder mystery. We know someone has been killed, but we don’t know the perpetrator or even identity of the victim. On top of that, the limited series format promises that we’ll actually have an answer by time these episodes wrap up (**cough** The Killing). But the reason Big Little Lies shines— other than top-notch performances and stellar direction — is because beneath the murder-mystery veneer lies a darkly funny drama about all manner of adult relationships: husband/wife, ex-husband/ex-wife, mother/daughter, mother/fellow-mother, and so on.
“I love my grudges. I tend to them like little pets.”
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on August 8th, 2017
The competition for TV viewers' eyeballs has never been fiercer, so it's hard for any network drama to make a lasting mark. The sexy and mysterious amnesiac at the center of Blindspot knows a little something about lasting marks...her entire body is covered in cryptic tattoos! Star Jaimie Alexander's Jane Doe might not recall much, but we remember the hit NBC drama just fine and we'll soon be taking a glance at Blindspot: Season 2, courtesy of Warner Bros. Meanwhile, IFC is at the head of the pack with Wolves, while Paramount puts up its Duke-s with a Rio Lobo/Big Jake John Wayne Double Feature on Blu-ray.
Now it's time for your weekly reminder before signing off: 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 August 8th, 2017
“Extraordinary people come with singular issues and needs.”
On the surface, being blessed with a genius-level intellect seems like good thing, right? So it's interesting that movies about uncommonly smart people (Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind, and The Imitation Game to name a few) tend to focus on the extreme isolation and inevitable exploitation of these individuals. Gifted is about a potential “one-in-a-billion” math prodigy and her weary, protective uncle, who carries himself like someone who's seen too many movies about exploited geniuses and knows full well that “nobody likes a smart-ass.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 4th, 2017
“It's not all it's cut out to be...it's not about being on stage all the time. It's about the killing of time.”
There certainly hasn't been a shortage of sitcoms starring stand-up comedians. Many of them (Roseanne, Home Improvement, Everybody Loves Raymond) have grafted the comic's persona onto a family-friendly format. Even the shows that have depicted the life of a comic tend to take a surreal approach (Louie) or fast-forward to the part where the star is an established comedian (Seinfeld). HBO's Crashing stands out because it honestly (and painfully) depicts the struggle of an aspiring stand-up...and makes it look very, very funny.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 3rd, 2017
“My persona's very, like, witty yet narcissistic.”
These self-aware words are spoken by Hannah Horvath, the on-screen alter ego of Girls star/creator Lena Dunham during the premiere of the show's final season. Of course, anyone who's watched Girls knows the “witty yet narcissistic” label applies to practically every character in Dunham's often flawed (and even-more-often brilliant) HBO dramedy. So while this final batch of episodes includes some superb moments, it's not a total surprise that this polarizing series concludes its run with a frustrating finale that is more satisfying for the show's creators than it is for its fans.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on August 1st, 2017
We're ringing in a new month with our latest Tuesday Round Up, and Fox has decided to show everyone who's Boss. Among the titles we'll be reviewing this week is the animated hit The Boss Baby, which Fox has released in 4K. Meanwhile, HBO bends the truth with Big Little Lies, and spends some quality couch time with the comedy series Crashing: Season 1. Sony gets in on the action with SWAT: Under Siege, Candy Factory goes on a Bender, and Film Movement takes us back to 1944. Finally, Warner Bros. steals some laughs with the heist comedy Going in Style.
Even though it's a brand new month, the customary reminder still applies here: 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!
