Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 26th, 2017
“I'm done with crazy.”
When it comes to movies about psychotically wronged women, the crazier things get, the better. Unfortunately, the makers of Unforgettable — a dull domestic drama/wannabe thriller — never got the memo. It's a shame because the movie had some of the ingredients to be a deliciously pulpy thriller, including an amusingly unhinged turn from one of its stars. But in the end, this comes off as a Lifetime movie that slipped through the cracks, fell upwards, and was accidentally released in theaters.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on July 25th, 2017
Looks like the unofficial theme of this week's Tuesday Round Up is girl power! Scarlett Johansson looks good in any situation, but Paramount was generous enough to present her in dazzling 4K with this week's release of Ghost in the Shell, a live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga/anime classic. HBO says farewell to Girls: The Final Season, while Warner Bros. bids an honest goodbye to Pretty Little Liars: The Final Season. Warner also remembered to send along the Rosario Dawson/Katherine Heigl thriller Unforgettable. Meanwhile, Lionsgate/Vestron Series momentarily crashes this girls party with the Warlock Collection on Blu-ray.
Luckily, the end of the week gets us back on brand with the release of the Charlize Theron action romp Atomic Blonde. Now it's time for the customary reminder before signing off for the week (and for July): 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: No Huddle Reviews by J C on July 20th, 2017
We here at UpcomingDiscs strive to provide our beloved readers with the most informative and well-thought-out reviews, regardless of the movie or TV show genre that comes flying through the door. Collectively, our awesome little staff covers a wide range of interests. But when swing dancing documentary Alive and Kicking arrived at UpcomingDiscs HQ…there was only one man for the job. The toe-tapping doc is equal parts enlightening and entertaining, whether you’re a swing dancing novice (like my wife/occasional movie-watching partner) or — like me — a guy who’s been into this stuff for the last 15 years.
“Swing dancing is the pursuit of happiness.”
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on July 18th, 2017
You’ve probably heard that there’s a War for the Planet of the Apes raging at your local movie theater. Meanwhile, the granddaddy of all great big-screen apes is swinging into UpcomingDiscs this week! Join us as we venture to Kong: Skull Island in 4K, courtesy of Warner Bros. Elsewhere, Universal takes aim with Shooter: Season 1, while Warner counts on The 100: Season 4.
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: No Huddle Reviews by J C on July 13th, 2017
In 2003, a commercial director named Sandy Collora made an 8-minute short film called Batman: Dead End, in which the Caped Crusader does battle with the Joker…along with Alien and Predator! While this sounds like a heavy dose of fanboy wish-granting, the film was Collora’s very serious attempt to show Hollywood big wigs what he could do. The mini-movie turned heads among the Comic Con crowd due to its gritty tone and impressive production values on a shoestring budget. Not surprisingly, this overlong Behind the Mask documentary is at its very best when it chronicles the making of what is widely-regarded as one of the best fan films ever made.
“Every kid in America knows what Batman should be.”
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on July 11th, 2017
The street racers-turned-international men (and women) of mystery from the Fast and Furious franchise famously live their lives a quarter mile at a time. In a related story, we tend to live our lives here at UpcomingDiscs one movie review at a time, and this week Universal puts the pedal to the metal with The Fate of the Furious in 4K. Elsewhere, Candy Factory explores the world of eSports with Game Changers, while Magnolia Home Entertainment jumps, jives, and wails with swing dancing documentary Alive and Kicking.
Finally, you won’t quite be able to get your stinkin' paws on a disc of War for the Planet of the Apes…but you can absolutely come back to check out our review of the summer blockbuster later this week. And while 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!
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on July 6th, 2017
“There are only two things wrong with money: too much or too little.”
This devastatingly simple yet endlessly revealing quote by poet Charles Bukowski appears at the start of Money, a lean, mean, low-budget thriller filled with well-to-do characters who nevertheless feel the need to steal millions of dollars. To be clear, there are more than two things wrong with Money — particularly in the movie's latter half, after the promising set-up starts to unravel — but the film still works as a brisk and entertaining game of cat-and-mouse mice.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on June 28th, 2017
“Dad, this is my boyfriend Martin…”
The tension generated by the first meeting between a young man and the father of the woman he loves has always been a reliable source of conflict. I mean, Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro managed to squeeze three(!) Focker movies out of that stressful dynamic. All-Nighter fits snugly into that familiar sub-genre while managing to carve out low-key moments of character development and male bonding in between all the noise that comes with this sort of whacky situation.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on June 27th, 2017
We don’t usually take too kindly to trespassers around these parts, but we are happy to make an exception this week. Trespass — a 1992 action-thriller starring the late, great Bill Paxton — makes its Blu-ray debut this week courtesy of Shout! Factory. Be sure to keep an eye on the site for our review. Meanwhile, Candy Factory brings us back down to earth with Life of Significant Soil, while Vestron unleashes The Unholy upon us. Finally, make sure to buckle up for our review of Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver a little later this week.
Here's your weekly reminder before signing off for the week (and for June): 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 June 22nd, 2017
“These movies that I’ve done, they are massive movies. They take a lot out of you.”
That’s director Michael Bay talking about his decade-long work on the Transformers franchise on the eve of the fifth(!) film’s arrival. The movie also doubles as Bay’s swan song in the director’s chair, so when he says, “They take a lot out of you,” the filmmaker is presumably talking about the massive amount of energy and manpower (and horsepower) these big-budget bonanzas require. The problem is “They take a lot out of you” has also applied more and more to each subsequent movie in this series. Transfomers: The Last Knight isn’t just a bad movie…it is painful and exhausting to watch.
