Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 2015
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. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. Lionsgate has given us a lot of content this year. They also gave us the best film I've seen all year. That would be Mr. Holmes. From television to theatrical releases to direct to video. Lionsgate has something for you to put under the tree this year.
It's hard to imagine that one could drop nearly all of the detective's iconic features and be at all successful. I mean, really. Can you have a Holmes story without the word “elementary”? Thus bringing up yet another modern version of the man. What about the pipe and deerstalker cap? What if our dear Watson were reduced to a mere 2-3 minutes of film time without ever hearing his voice or seeing his face? What is it that really makes the man who he is to generations of fans? Ah, it's his mind, you might say. What if we even took that away...to a certain extent. Would you...could you still have a Sherlock Holmes story? Add Ian McKellen to the mix and a brilliant screenplay based on the novel A Slight Trick Of The Mind, both written by Mitch Cullin, and the answer is a resounding yes. Yes, you can. Yes, they did.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 29th, 2015
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. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. This time we turn our attention to CBS. You already know about Star Trek releases, but you say you have some drama fans on your shopping list. They don’t want aliens or spaceships. They want stories and criminals getting caught. We’ve got you covered with the best from CBS.
CBS has finally decided to release the number-one-rated show in the world on high-definition Blu-ray. It's a milestone event for the network and for fans of the show, and it only took 12 years to get it done. To be fair, Blu-ray hasn't quite been around for 12 years, but many networks have gotten us caught up with popular shows in high definition by this time. It's remarkable that it did take this long to get a season of NCIS on Blu-ray. Let's hope the numbers warrant that future seasons be given the same treatment and that we'll then be able to get the previous 11. It's an experiment CBS has tried with both CSI and NCIS: LA. Unfortunately, numbers must not have supported that move. But if ever a series deserved to live a long life in high definition, this is the one.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 28th, 2015
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. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. HBO is the spotlight today. A couple of television's best shows had full-season releases in 2015. Of course, we're talking about The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. There were also a few more gems hidden in the year. HBO has stood for premium television for a long time. Before you start shopping for that home video fan, you really need to see what HBO has to offer on Blu-ray.
"Some things stay the same. I mean the gamer is the game."
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 27th, 2015
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. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. When it comes to getting the current shows out in high definition, no one does it better than Warner Brothers. I am impressed each year with the number of shows they release on Blu-ray every year. Readers to this site know what I'm talking about. If you have TV fans on your list who also are fans of sci-fi and horror, these are the best sets to get this holiday season. Below you'll find some excerpts from our reviews. I've put it all in one place to make your shopping experience easier. I know how little time you've got with a lot of shopping to do. Don't forget to use one of our links if you get them from Amazon. It'll help keep us going another year.
"I don't know where you came from. I don't know your name. But I have seen you do the impossible to protect the city I love. So for those of us who believe in you and what you're doing, I just wanna say thank you."
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 24th, 2015
We are smack dab in the middle of the most wonderful time of the year. Thanksgiving week falls right in that sweet spot between Halloween and Christmas...and so does A Christmas Horror Story, courtesy of RLJ Entertainment. Comedy Central goes Inside Amy Schumer: Season 3, Lionsgate blazes through American Ultra, Wild Eye Releasing stops at the The Last House, and Sony jams out with Ricki and the Flash. Finally, Ol' Blue Eyes does it his way with Eagle Rock's Sinatra: All or Nothing At All.
This week is also your last chance to enter and win November's Tuesday Round Up contest. Once a month we’re going to give away a free DVD title to a lucky winner who comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. All you have to do is comment in a Round-Up post — like this one! — and tell us which of the featured titles you’re most excited to watch or read about. The winners and their prizes will be announced the first week of every month right here in our Tuesday Round-Up post. You can’t win if you don’t comment. Contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 17th, 2015
UpcomingDiscs headquarters looks suspiciously like Middle Earth this week. Join us as we bid farewell to the Hobbit saga...again. Warner Bros. brings us the R-rated, Extended Edition of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Speaking of Warner, I spy The Man From U.N.C.L.E finagling its way into our midst as well. Finally, IndiePix jumps in the deep end with Swim Little Fish Swim.
There may not be as many options to choose from this week, but you still have a chance to win a free DVD by telling us how you feel about this latest crop of releases. (Not to mention all our other November titles.) Once a month we’re going to give away a free DVD title to a lucky winner who comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. All you have to do is comment in a Round-Up post — like this one! — and tell us which of the featured titles you’re most excited to watch or read about. The winners and their prizes will be announced the first week of every month right here in our Tuesday Round-Up post. You can’t win if you don’t comment. Contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on November 12th, 2015
At the turn of the millennium a decade and a half ago, lists were pretty popular. It didn't matter if you were into the world of sports or movies, everybody was looking for the all-time best of everything. The American Film Institute got into the trend by releasing top-100 lists. Heroes, villains and memorable quotes all got the treatment. We all argued about the "classics" we felt were unfairly slighted and the "idiotic" choices that did make the lists. If only the lists were so much larger. Then everyone's favorites would be included and we could all finally find a list we could agree on. But, what number would that be? 100 was too small. A million was just too large. What number might be just right? 1001?
The millennium passed and the manic number of lists subsided. 2007 came and we all learned what a Bucket List was. We all started thinking about those wonderful things we felt we simply must experience before we kick that figurative bucket. If you're reading these pages, you likely included a list of films that you had to see before you die. It seems that the folks at Barron's Publishing have attempted to answer that question for us with their encyclopedic book: 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 10th, 2015
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man of his word. As promised, the Terminator is back…and he’s busting into UpcomingDiscs headquarters! Paramount’s Terminator: Genisys highlights this week’s slate of new releases. Meanwhile, Shout! Factory tunes into WKRP in Cincinnati: The Final Season and catches up with Maude: Season 3. Cinedigm sticks its neck out for Zarafa, and Cohen Media Group introduces us to Two Men in Town. Finally, Lionsgate punches a ticket to The End of the Tour and reminisces with Mr. Holmes (which comes *very* highly recommended).
This post is also your latest chance to enter our Tuesday Round Up contest for November. Once a month we’re going to give away a free DVD title to a lucky winner who comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. All you have to do is comment in a Round-Up post — like this one! — and tell us which of the featured titles you’re most excited to watch or read about. The winners and their prizes will be announced the first week of every month right here in our Tuesday Round-Up post. You can’t win if you don’t comment. Contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 3rd, 2015
Avast ye mateys! We’re stepping out of the UpcomingDiscs ranch and testing our sea legs with Anchor Bay’s Black Sails: Season 2. Magnolia Home Entertainment lets us tour Tiger House and debates the Best of Enemies. Paramount is feeling Moody with Californication: The Complete Series, while Cinedigm earns its wings with Paper Angels and samples The Nutcracker Sweet. XLrator is on the verge of Breaking Through, IndiePix gathers up the Crumbs, and HBO nurses Getting On: Season 2 back to full strength. Image Entertainment has Uncanny timing with this week’s releases: we already have an interview with Some Kind of Hate star Ronen Rubinstein available for your listening pleasure. And Holy Happy Ending, loyal readers! Our last title is Batman: Season 3.
Most importantly, we get to crown our first Tuesday Round DVD contest winner. Congratulations to Jim Gardner, who won the 8(!)-disc Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Stingers and Zingers set.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on October 27th, 2015
We’re nearing the end of “Horrorcane” season here at UpcomingDiscs, so what better time to exorcise some last-minute demons? Strap yourself — or a possessed loved one — to the nearest piece of furniture, and check out our forthcoming review on The Exorcism of Molly Hartley, courtesy of Fox. Wild Eye Releasing tunes into The Horror Network, Warner Bros. fetches the heroic canine tale Max, and Eagle Rock shows us how to enunciate with Lynyrd Skynyrd: Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd & Second Helping Live. And while we're on grammar lessons, a sparkling new 50th anniversary edition of My Fair Lady arrives this week, thanks to Paramount.
This week's Round Up is also your last chance to enter and potentially win October's DVD goody-to-be-named-later. Once a month we’re going to give away a free DVD title to a lucky winner who comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. All you have to do is comment in a Round-Up post — like this one! — and tell us which of these titles you’re most excited to watch or read about. The winners and their prizes will be announced the first week of every month right here in our Tuesday Round-Up post. You can’t win if you don’t comment.
