Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on January 2nd, 2012
By John Delia
Slick, compelling, and gripping, Contagion uses the fright brought on by past outbreaks of deadly virus attacks around the world to punch home a ‘what if’ plot that succeeds in scaring the pants off accepting moviegoers. The recognizable actors save the plot from being hard to follow as it jumps from country to country in this thriller that ‘could actually happen’.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 29th, 2011
By John Delia
Shattering, piercing, gut wrenching, queasy, bloody, gouging, bone breaking, mind blowing, and yet mesmerizing, that's what Final Destination 5 is all about, especially in 3D. This is one of those select few films that use 3D well, and it will blow your mind. If you have never seen a Final Destination movie or are a big fan of the guts and gore they deliver, then rush to see Final Destination 5, but do not go over a bridge on your way.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on December 28th, 2011
When I was a kid, I read a lot of books. The most fond tales of my youth include Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks), Dear Mr. Henshaw (Beverly Clearly), Charlotte’s Web (EB White) and Mr. Popper’s Penguins (Richard & Florence Atwater). Each one of those books holds special memories and I’ve read each of them at least a few times. Today, we get to explore another one of those treasured books in film form. Enter, Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
It is the year 1976, we have a very young Tom Popper Jr. who is simply known as Tippy Toe on the radio. His father on the other side of the broadcast is known as Bald Eagle and he travels around the world in search of various adventures. They communicate for a long time over the radio but sometimes have lapses (such as the one from 1976-1981) where Bald Eagle does not make contact for the longest time. The last transmission was that he was on the verge of something big. That was unfortunately thirty years ago.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 28th, 2011
The longest running show in prime time doesn’t feature cops, doctors, or lawyers. It’s hard to believe that The Simpsons have existed as long as the Fox network. While the series didn’t really begin until Fox’s second year, the characters were part of The Tracey Ullman Show, which did start the first year of Fox. Who could have guessed that an animated short from an otherwise horrible and doomed variety show would explode into such a phenomenon? The Simpsons have not only dominated the pop culture; they have placed everything else into context with their show. Like Doonesbury, it could be said that the only thing worse than being made fun of on The Simpsons is not being made fun of on The Simpsons. With that said, you’ll understand my warm feelings and appreciation for this show.
This thing has been on forever. Still, it never gets old. The show has a charm yet edginess to it that can’t be beat. Let’s not forget that while kids might love the show, this stuff is intended for adults. We’re not talking South Park trash talk here; every episode is a veritable treasure hunt of subtle and not-so-subtle cultural references. Even after seeing an episode several times, it’s not uncommon for me to find something that I missed before.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 23rd, 2011
It all started with a very short novel by French author Pierre Boulle. It wasn't even that much of a hit at first. But a small group of Hollywood moguls led by Arthur P. Jacobs believed in the property and worked hard to get a film made. It wasn't easy. They had to interest a big star and make a test reel in order to get anyone to bite. Fortunately for us all, Fox did bite. After five films, a television series, and a cartoon run, the franchise ran out of steam by the middle of the 1970's. Tim Burton almost killed the chance at rebirth with his terrible remake. But in science fiction, nothing really dies forever. The Apes have returned in one of the best remakes, if it could be called that, in the last 20 years.
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is not really a remake of the original 1968 film. It's more closely related to the fourth film in the franchise, Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes. In that film the infant son of Cornelius and Zira grows into an adult and eventually leads a revolt of the ape population. By that time apes had replaced cats and dogs as pets, which had been killed in a plague. The apes were forced into slavery and Caesar, played by Roddy McDowall, would lead them toward that ape civilization Charlton Heston's Taylor finds in the original movie. It all came rather nicely full circle, and that was eventually the end of it. This film, while honoring much of the traditions of the franchise, tells a much different origin story, but it's a good one.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 23rd, 2011
"This film documents the Vietnam War in the words of Americans who served there. It features home movies and rare archival footage collected during a worldwide search and now presented in HD. Many scenes are graphic in nature. Viewer discretion is advised."
A while back History brought us one of the best war documentaries I've seen for television. That was called WWII In HD and put you as close to the real battlefield as any American has come since the brave soldiers who fought there so many years ago. The images were stunning and the descriptions came from the words of several people who were actually there. We reviewed the release. Bang it here to read up on that title: WWII In HD Review. Not content with that wonderful accomplishment, the network has turned those same talents on the far more controversial war in Vietnam. Enter Vietnam In HD.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on December 22nd, 2011
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the pre-eminent holiday fare success story. Not only was it gigantically successful for Dickens himself, to the point that not only did he then follow it up with other Christmas books (The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Haunted Man), but he also took charge of one of its early adaptations, trimming it down for oral performances. It has also, of course, been the subject of numerous film versions, with everyone from the Muppets to Bill Murray having a go. This one, from 1970, turns the story into a musical.
Albert Finney, grimacing and hunchbacked, and wearing a pretty obvious bald wig, takes on the role of the miser in need of redemption. On hand to provide said redemption are the likes of Alec Guinness, swanning about as a bizarrely fabulous Jacob Marley, Edith Evans as a Ghost of Christmas Present who has apparently come straight from playing Lady Bracknell in a production of The Importance of Being Earnest. The story hews fairly close to Dickens for a good chunk of its running time, though alters scenes inn order to accommodate a variety if rather dire songs. The cast, meanwhile, barely bothers to act, preferring to mug instead, and given the script, one can hardly blame them.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on December 22nd, 2011
By John Delia
At first look you may think that Margin Call is an extension of the film Wall Street, but as the film progresses I found a very good movie that really shows the effect of greed, contempt, lack of compassion, and survival of the fittest, no matter who gets squashed in the process. It’s like our economical climate these days; you never know when or where the next shoe will drop.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on December 22nd, 2011
“I'm just crazy about this store.”
Anyone who has worked the night crew in a grocery store, restocking shelves after the place is closed, knows how creepy it can be walking the aisles in the belly of a half-lit behemoth. Now imagine if you were being stalked while you stocked by a mutilating psychopath. This was obviously the motivation for writer/director Scott Spiegel when he created his Super-8 short film Night Crew with childhood friends Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell. After co-writing Evil Dead 2 with Sam Raimi, Spiegel chanced on an investor’s meager budget to elevate the short into a full-length feature slasher flick. The distributors didn’t care for the original title, and the film was released as Intruder.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 22nd, 2011
"How about... The Rocketeer?"
Back in 1972 Elton John pushed himself to the top of the charts atop the hit song Rocket Man, who was burning out his fuse up here alone. Well, it wasn't going to be a very long long time before Disney and company gave us a Rocket Man in their family drama/comedy The Rocketeer. It was the first day of summer in 1991 when The Rocketeer first appeared. The box office was moderate, but it had seemed like he disappeared from the scene for a long long time. He's found again, and you can now see him in high definition with this 20th anniversary Blu-ray release.
![The Simpsons: The Fourteenth Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-simpsons-the-fourteenth-season-large.jpg)
![Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Two-Disc Edition Blu Ray + DVD/Digital Copy Combo) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-two-large.jpg)
![Scrooge [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/scrooge-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Margin Call [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/margin-call-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![The Rocketeer: 20th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-rocketeer-20th-anniversary-edi-large.jpg)
