Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 23rd, 2015
“When you get four vampires in a flat, obviously there’s going to be a lot of tension.”
The set-up for What We Do in the Shadows makes it sound less like your typical vampire movie and more like some kind of twisted season of The Real World. (Well…slightly more twisted than usual.) But besides finding a funny way to skewer bratty roommates and the mundaneness of everyday life, the movie works as a cheeky celebration of the classical cinematic bloodsucker.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on July 21st, 2015
An offbeat vampire comedy and a fresh batch of alien-related theories highlight the latest crop of Blu-ray and DVD releases. Keep an eye on the site this week to find out what we think of What We Do in the Shadows. You’ll also be able to unearth our take on Ancient Aliens: Season 7 – Volume 1. On top of that, we’ve got reviews scheduled for the documentary 72 %, and horror-comedy The Jokesters.
Other titles coming out this week include the Robert Duvall Western Wild Horses, and the Donnie Yen martial arts thriller Kung Fu Killer, along with season 2 of Looking, and season 7 of Robot Chicken. As always, we’d love to hear from you: which of this week’s releases are you most excited about? And since we have stuff flying into UpcomingDiscs headquarters throughout the week — like the copy of Ex-Machina that arrived after last week’s Tuesday Round Up — be sure to keep an eye on this post for updates.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 20th, 2015
“Who is that masked man?”
That's actually a loaded question when it comes the famously troubled 1981 film The Legend of the Lone Ranger. It obviously refers to the masked former Texas Ranger who battles outlaws in the Old West, but it also applies to star Klinton Spilsbury, who never made a movie after this one. The question could also be a nod to the producers of this film suing actor Clayton Moore — who famously played the Lone Ranger on TV and film in the 1950s — to prevent him from appearing as his signature character in public. Unfortunately, none of that fascinating information is included (or even hinted at) on this bare bones Blu-ray.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on July 17th, 2015
“Just imagine...a soldier the size of an insect.”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now seven years into an unprecedented run of success. It's a consistent, well-oiled machine that has engendered enough goodwill to allow the company to take chances on properties that were previously considered deep cuts. (Before last summer, most people's reactions to Guardians of the Galaxy likely would've been, “Who?!”) Then again, if you believe in the idea of a “Marvel machine,” it could just as easily conjure something heavy or mechanical. As a result, the thing I enjoyed most about Ant-Man is that it felt refreshingly (and appropriately)...small.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on July 14th, 2015
This week brings some truly eclectic offerings for Blu-ray and DVD aficionados of all stripes. Two of the year's best-reviewed films — sci-fi thriller Ex Machina and low-budget horror flick It Follows — make their home video debuts. (And I absolutely plan on getting my hands on both.) Movie fans can also pick up a pair of sequels (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2), plan a date night with the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation (The Longest Ride), or check out the extended version of a summer blockbuster from last year (X-Men: Days of Future Past — The Rogue Cut.) Meanwhile, TV watchers can scoop up season 5 of Adventure Time or the debut season of superhero cop drama Powers.
Here at UpcomingDiscs, we'll be reviewing some additional titles that will be available on July 14. So be sure to check in for our takes on Clouds of Sils Maria, All Quiet on the Western Front: The Uncut Edition, WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete Third Season, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, Borderline, Singularity Principle, and a pair of double features in The Outing/The Godsend, and Cellar Dweller/Catacombs. We'd love to hear from you: which of this week's releases are you most excited about? And since we have stuff flying into UpcomingDiscs headquarters throughout the week, be sure to keep an eye on this post for updates.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 13th, 2015
“I wanna tell you something. I've been a bad man...I've been a very bad man most of my life. So, I decided I want to do one thing in my life. One good thing in my life before I die.”
Those words are spoken by elite contract killer John Alexander at the start of Absolution, a straight-to-DVD offering that is largely cobbled together from the spare parts of other junky action flicks. The film stars Steven Seagal, who was a very bad man on-screen during his early '90s heyday. John wants to do one good thing before his time is up; coincidentally, all I want is for Seagal to make one action movie that at least comes close to recapturing the spark that made him a star. Absolution is not that film.
Posted in: Tribute by J C on July 12th, 2015
“Truly, for some men nothing is written unless they write it.”
In discussing the ultimate departure of Omar Sharif — the legendary actor, born Michael Shalhoub, died Friday after suffering a heart attack at a hospital in his native Egypt — it's only fitting we talk about his most famous arrival. After becoming a star in Egypt, Sharif's first English-language film was the David Lean epic Lawrence of Arabia. Sharif — who earned his sole Oscar nomination for the movie — played Sheriff Ali, who makes one of the most indelible entrances in the history of cinema. The actor seemingly materializes out of thin air; it's meant to evoke a mirage, which is fitting because moviegoers could hardly believe their eyes.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on July 9th, 2015
There's a moment about halfway through Slow West where the two main characters partake in some absinthe. What follows is a disquietingly vivid dream and our two “heroes” essentially wobbling around until sobering up the next morning.The sequence is actually a pretty perfect encapsulation of what it feels like to watch Slow West, a woozy and refreshingly off-center entry into the Western canon.
“Once upon a time, 1870 to be exact, a 16-year-old kid traveled from the cold shoulder of Scotland to the baking heart of America to find his love.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 8th, 2015
“I'm not a scientist, although I do play one on TV occasionally. Ok...hell, more than occasionally.”
The “I'm not a _____, but I play one on TV” catchphrase transcended its humble origins to become the go-to, jokey line for anybody who feels empowered to speak outside their area of expertise. Merchants of Doubt, however, isn't concerned with soap opera actors trying to sell Vicks on television. Instead, this flashy, funny, well-researched documentary examines the select group of people who present themselves as scientific authorities to the public. It also argues that they purposefully create confusion with the goal of maintaining a very lucrative status quo.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 7th, 2015
Maggie is a slow zombie movie. You might assume I'm describing where this film falls on the fast zombie vs. slow zombie spectrum. (For the record, the monsters in Maggie do move at a decidedly deliberate pace.) However, the deliberate pace also applies to the way first-time director Henry Hobson unfurls his story in this bleak zombie drama. Everybody in this film — including a playing-against-type Arnold Schwarzenegger — shuffles and lumbers their way through their lives, whether or not they've been infected with a lethal virus. In other words, this is pretty much the last thing you'd expect from a movie that has both Schwarzenegger and zombies...and that's a big reason of why I dig it.
The action picks up a few months after the worldwide outbreak of the Necroambulist virus. I find this to be a curious and interesting time to check in on a global catastrophe. (Think 28 Weeks Later.) Most films either dramatize this sort outbreak as it's happening and our heroes try to prevent it, or they are post-apocalyptic stories that don't begin until well after the world has been laid to waste. As a result, Maggie can probably be best described as “mid-apocalyptic.”
