Posted in News and Opinions, Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on April 29th, 2014
Today Shout Factory releases the entire 7-season run of Hill Street Blues. We will be celebrating all week with more character profiles and our full review on Friday.
Until that time, let’s look at some of the awards the series won in its 7 years.
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Posted in Random Fun, Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on April 16th, 2014
“Would you like to sit down or would you prefer internal bleeding?”
Next on our list is Detective Mick Belker, played by Bruce Weitz. Weitz did such a phenomenal job in the role that he found himself typecast for years after Hill Street ended. On the pilot commentary Bochco tells us that when Weitz went in for auditions he was often asked to growl for them. In a way it’s a shame, but can you blame them?
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Posted in Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on April 10th, 2014
Let’s all synchronize our calendars. There’s an important date, and it’s coming upon us quickly. Shout Factory is about to release one of the most influential series in television history. We’re talking Hill Street Blues, and the complete 7-season series is coming to home video on Tuesday April, 29th. It’s an event worth celebrating, and we here at Upcomingdiscs are going to help you get through these final days with character profiles from the show. I’m hard at work binge-watching episodes as fast as I can to have a full detailed review waiting for you on the 29th. I know. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
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Posted in Site News by Gino Sassani on March 11th, 2014
If Brent’s name looks familiar to you, that’s because he’s been a major contributor here at Upcomingdiscs for going on 2 years. If you don’t know Brent’s name, you aren’t coming here often enough. Brent’s been a great find and we’re looking forward to the next 200 reviews. Take the time to check out what he’s had to say.
We’re all lucky to have him on board.
Posted in Site News by Gino Sassani on January 27th, 2014
Congratulations to our 12 Days Of Christmas Giveaways.
It looks like 12 lucky Upcomingdiscs fans still have one more Christmas Present left to open.
Here’s a list of our winners:
Halloween 35th Edition on Blu-ray – Mr. Phil
Baseball Package – Adam Lipkin
Family Christmas Film Collection – Anne Derkat
Ancient Aliens Season 3 – Liz l
China Beach Seasons 1 & 2 – Jan Hammersmith
The Rutles Anthology – Peter Price
Cosby…Far Fom Finished – Beth Dockery
Dick Figures: The Movie – Anita
Escape From Planet Earth 3D – Lynda Larsen-Baldry
Yankees 2000 World Series Collector’s Edition – Connie Lewis
The Naked City 20 Episode Collection – Jacob LaFountaine
Spartacus: War Of The Damned – Bill Marks
Thanks to all of our studio sponsors and all of you who entered the contests.
There’s plenty more for 2014. We’ve already started a new year of contests.
Don’t forget to use our Amazon links when you shop at Amazon. You don’t have to buy the item you use to get there. Anything you buy, once you’ve used our link helps to keep these giveaways going.
Many of you asked for more contests next year. Well… we need your help to make that happen.
Be sure to support us at Amazon and Diabolik DVD.
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2014
If you’re like many folks out there, Christmas is over and you’ve got some gift certificates or holiday cash to spend. If you’re a reader here at Upcomingdiscs, you’re looking for something to add to your home theater with that booty. May I suggest that you look at the impressive box set for Diagnosis Murder. This is one heck of a collection. You get 51 DVD’s in all.
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Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 24th, 2013
“This is a story about stick figures who live in a world full of monsters and explosions and raccoons and a lot of other cool stuff, too. And it all takes place on a little planet we like to call Earth.”
Last minute gifts are often the hardest of all. If you have someone on your list who likes irreverent humor and is also a home theater enthusiast, I think we might have an obscure title they likely missed. It will be a pretty cool surprise on their part, and you’re sure to have delivered a few laughs along the way. In the spirit of shows like South Park and based on a series of cult web episodes comes Dick Figures: The Movie.
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Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 18th, 2013
One of the best things about the last decade’s arrival of high definition and Blu-ray is the chance to revisit classics. Often these movies have only been seen on late shows where they’re cut to pieces. The DVD releases have often been less than spectacular because of the presumed limited audience. Fox has done a pretty solid job over the years of bringing these classics to Blu-ray. This year is no exception, and if you have a classic film buff on that list of yours, and you know what list I’m talking about, why not deliver such greats as Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Rock Hudson or Tyrone Powers to them. They make excellent Christmas guests, and they won’t hog up all of the eggnog
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Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 12th, 2013
While we usually have a ton of stuff each year from A&E to share in our holiday spotlight, we just haven’t seen near as much from the studio in 2013. The distribution has changed, and we just don’t see the kind of titles we used to. It’s sad both for us and you. Take heart. We have been given two potential gift guide titles to share with you this season
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Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 6th, 2013
I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theatre, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too kinky to talk about. Fortunately, Upcomingdiscs has come to the rescue every Christmas with our Gift Guide Spotlights. This time we turn our attention to Paramount/CBS
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Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 5th, 2013
Warner has put out a few solid films and television shows on home video this year. There are a few of them that would make fine gifts for the home theatre fan on your Christmas list. From superheroes to hobbits and vampires, there’s something in this list for everyone. Wouldn’t hurt to snag a little something for yourself, now would it?
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Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 2nd, 2013
Everyone has one on their Christmas list. It’s the guy who already has everything on home video. He’s a classic television fan, and you just don’t know what to get. For years you’ve been counting on us for advice. We aren’t about to let you down this year. Image Entertainment has two awesome classic television sets out just in time for Christmas. If your list has a classic cop show fan, then it’s Naked City. If they’re a war series nut, you just gotta get them Combat. If you really, really like them, how about getting them both
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Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 29th, 2013
Star Vista and Time Life get our vote for some of the coolest gift sets for the holiday season. It’s no surprise that they’ve delivered some quality television. What is a such a great surprise this year is that they’ve dug deep into the television archives and brought three particular shows that are long over-due for complete series treatments. These sets have provided us here at Upcomingdiscs with some of our favorite television watching in 2013, not to mention a lot of hours. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
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Posted in Random Fun by Gino Sassani on October 29th, 2013
The following cautionary tale is brought to you by the folks at Fox and American Horror Story:Asylum out on DVD/Blu-ray.
Whilst the criminally insane remain under the care of sadistic medical staff in the second chapter of the Emmy winning series, American Horror Story: Asylum, released this week, we are going to look at our favorite medical villains who prescribe the maximum dose of patient dread and suffering. Are you sure you want that warm sponge-bath sir …?
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Posted in Random Fun by Archive Authors on October 20th, 2013
What is horror? It is something truly terrible that we are afraid of. War is full of horror, but we tend to compartmentalize that as a fact of life or simple necessity. So we’ll put war aside, because the unspeakable atrocities that occur during war are sanctioned by international law. But it is difficult for me, because the unspeakable nightmare that is war throughout history is the ultimate in horror. When we see the enormously popular The Walking Dead or World War Z, we are seeing a metaphor for war.
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Posted in News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on October 2nd, 2013
If you live in the Tampa Bay area you should already know about Tampa Theatre. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world to catch a film. It doesn’t matter if you’re into classic cinema or the latest art film. This is the place to go. The wonderful spires and classic trimmings make it the most atmospheric place to be. Organ music still entertains the crowds here. If you’re into horror films you can’t beat the mix of atmosphere and haunts. Then there’s the movies. Check out their October slate of films and events. Lose the trick. It’s time to treat yourself. Read on to see what they have in store all October.
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Posted in Super Round Up by Archive Authors on July 30th, 2013
Summer blockbusters of bloat and bombast always rule because their budgets blast anything and everything out of their way. This summer was very messy and bloody as many big films limped, staggered and crashed. White House Down, The Lone Ranger, Pacific Rim, The Hangover 3, R.I.P.D., and Turbo are just some of the expensive films that flopped. You can debate the quality of these films, but one element that was most obvious was the lack of believable characters. Just like bad CGI can irk the subconscious, bad writing and silly acting gets tiresome as well.
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Posted in Random Fun by Gino Sassani on June 16th, 2013
Posted in Bitchy Rants by Gino Sassani on June 15th, 2013
You know, it sure ain’t easy taking care of our kids these days. Everywhere you turn there’s a Russian mobster trying to kill you, or another dirtbag throwing a terrorist party. And guess who’s always around when it’s time to open up the presents? That’s right. It’s me. At least the kid has decided to get into the family business: Killing Scumbags. Being a father means having to give up your vacation once in a while. Yippee Ki Yah, Happy Father’s Day from John McClane.
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on June 9th, 2013
20th Century Fox wants you to spend Father’s Day with Dad watching a movie or two. If you’re looking to bring your experience with Pop into high definition, they have just the titles for you. These classics have been re-mastered and offered in high definition just in time for Father’s Day on June 16th.
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Posted in Random Fun by J C on June 4th, 2013
The tight-knit cast and crew of Attorney at Low weren’t about to let a little rain — ok, it was a lot of rain — dampen their spirits during the movie’s June 1 world premiere. So nobody objected when the red carpet was transported from the sidewalk to the inside of the historic Zephyrhills Home Theatre, as everyone involved with making the indie comedy got the star treatment.
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Posted in Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on May 27th, 2013
Here at Upcomingdiscs we’re getting in the spirit of Memorial Day by watching China Beach on DVD.
We’ll have a review coming soon. It’s a pretty solid way to remember the men and woman who served this country in Vietnam. The series is very much a tribute particularly to the women who volunteered not to take lives, but to try to save them. The series featured quite a few young actors who have gone on to pretty big things. They include Dana Delany from Desperate Housewives, Robert Picardo from Star Trek: Voyager, Marg Helgenberger from CSI, Michael Boatman from Arli$$/Spin City and Jeff Kober.
Time Life finally releases the entire series in a wonderful collection of 21 DVD’s, loaded with tons of extras.
A full review will be on the way at week’s end.
Posted in Blog Posts, Random Fun by William O'Donnell on April 24th, 2013
Steve Kostanski, a special effects artist working out of Toronto who has been a part on such productions as Silent Hill: Revelation and the upcoming Pacific Rim, began making the film Manborg as a personal project. It was mostly shot in a garage with his friends and a budget of roughly $1000. Now, much to his surprise, the film has become something of a cult sensation as it screens in theatres all over the world as well as receiving a loaded DVD release in almost every region. I spoke to the Director about the explosion of Manborg fandom worldwide:
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Posted in Random Fun by Gino Sassani on January 9th, 2013
We catch up with iconic film director Tim Burton to find out more…
Frankenweenie is described as a semi-autobiographical project. Does this mean the younger characters in the movie are based on your classmates from school?
The kids in the movie are based on various real people, but they are also based on horror icons like Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and dubbed Japanese movies that I remember seeing as a child. They relate to movies and actors, as well as real people that I remember from my childhood.
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Posted in News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2013
Forget everything we’ve said about these guys. It’s not often that we have to admit we were wrong here at Upcomingdiscs. This is one such time. We said good things about the program. I thought I’d finally found a good movie database, the Holy Grail of the industry. Well… it works fine….for a short time. In less than a year it’s been pretty much broken and they’ll charge you all over again to get a working version. What is wasted is your original money and the time you spent entering your films. For us that meant literally thousands of titles. Save your money and stay far away from this one. I’ll keep looking for a good program. When we offer a recommendation, we want you to be able to count on it.
Bolide Software’s attempt to hook you on a never-ending money grab isn’t what you’re looking for. There’s got to be a great database software out there. I promise you. We will find it.
