Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 2nd, 2011
Here are four evenings music fans did not anticipate coming, yet anyways hoped for. In 2005 Cream reunited for the first time since their breakup (save for one performance when they were inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1993) for four concerts at the legendary Royal Albert Hall. The bad blood between the members of Cream was almost as famous as their influential music. With that in mind, it is wonderful to see these extremely talented men play just as tightly as they did in the 1960s, and some might argue that they've never played better than at these shows.
The set list is a rich mixture of chart topping originals (White Room, Sunshine of your Love...), classic covers (Born under a bad Sign, Crossroads...) and even some songs that the band had never played live before, such as 'Pressed Rat and Warthog.' The set that appears in this film is cobbled together with clips from each of the evenings, most likely to give us the best possible concert experience. As well, along with the songs, Ginger Baker gets a lengthy drum solo and, of course, Eric Clapton is alloted many opportunities to demonstrate some of the smoothest Blues guitar playing that has ever blessed our listening ears.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on November 2nd, 2011
Bubokan is one of those venues that has become a goal for any major band. Dream Theater had toured Japan numerous times over the course of 12 years but never yet rocked this venue. Japan is, and has been, one of those markets that tends to embrace things differently than North America or Europe; and Progressive Metal is not exactly rocking the Top 40 stations (at least, not since RUSH were in their prime...and even then...). It was only a matter of time that the most relevant “Prog” band playing today would make it to Budokan, and they celebrated by making it into a concert film.
Each member of this group is a virtuoso at their instrument. Taking time for instrumentals or solos are rather commonplace for arena concerts. Instead of the standard guitar or drum solo, all but the lead singer of the group would flex their progressive metal playing muscles while putting on a clinic of just how flashy a musical education can be when the most technically impressive of scales and rhythms are played at breakneck paces and mixed with very strange time signature changes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 2nd, 2011
Everybody needs a little help in their life but many are afraid to ask for it. Perhaps they need to know how to ask for a raise, or perhaps help with their geometry homework. One does not exactly gain knowledge of how to ask out a beautiful redhead supermodel unless they get a little help from somewhere. But I digress. Today, we explore the life of Laura who apparently needs a little help when her cheating husband dies right in front of her. Things are not as easy as they seem.
Laura (played by Jenna Fischer) is a dental assistant. Behind is a very noisy macaw outside the window who constantly repeats “Rinse Please”. He is supposed to be soothing. She talks to the patient and tells him about her husband and how he flosses with the extra waxy floss and how that is not good for him. Laura obsesses a bit about the fact that her husband ignores her and the patient soon wonders where the exit sign is at.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 26th, 2011
“Now this might be the room of any small boy, but it happens to belong to a boy named Christopher Robin, and like most small boys, Christopher Robin had toy animals to play with. And together they had many remarkable adventures in an enchanted place called The Hundred Acre Wood. But out of all of his animal friends, Christopher Robin’s very best friend was a bear called Winnie The Pooh.”
“Oh Bother”A.A. Milne was quite an eclectic writer. He wrote murder mysteries that even appeared on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. From that fertile mind would also come a place known as the Hundred Acre Wood. In that select place some of literature’s finest characters had the greatest adventures any boy could imagine. And adventures are certainly no fun on your own. Young Christopher Robin was joined by Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, and, of course, Winnie-The-Pooh. Who didn’t fall in love with that silly old bear… Winnie-The-Pooh. OK, so maybe Dahmer or Bundy might have been exceptions. Still, anyone growing up in the last 30-40 years who isn’t a psychopath has had a love affair with Winnie-The-Pooh, all stuffed with fluff.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 26th, 2011
“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.”
OK, let me get this out of the way. The Crow was a vehicle for Brandon Lee, son of martial arts legend and movie star Bruce Lee. The elder Lee trained Brandon in martial arts from the day he could take his first steps. When Brandon was only eight years old, his father tragically died just before finishing production on Enter the Dragon, a movie which would go on to become an international blockbuster making Bruce Lee the greatest icon of martial arts cinema. Brandon followed in his father’s footsteps studying martial arts and drama.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 24th, 2011
“I'm not a doctor. I haven't been to medical school; I haven't even been to high school.”
A beautiful and moving film based on John Irving’s best-selling American classic The Cider House Rules deals with sensitive and controversial subject matters wrapped inside a captivating coming-of-age story. John Irving had second thoughts about trimming his huge novel into a two-hour film and only agreed to adapt the screenplay after the studio agreed to allow his son, Colin Irving, to be in the movie (He plays Major Winslow in a small role as a notifying officer delivering bad news).
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 24th, 2011
“For what it’s worth, I read your first book. I'm not Jewish, but I liked it.”
In the spirit of disclosure, the first time I tried watching Bored to Death, I gave up early in the first season. The title described the experience of this viewer. Jason Schwartzman has never really clicked with me. His schtick always seemed a little too precious and self-aware for my tastes. Pressure from friends who insisted the show got better in the second half of the season got me back. I did find myself falling into sync with the stoner-noir rhythm of the series and laughing out loud at writer/creator/inspiration Jonathan Ames’ absurdist humor by the final third of the first season.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2011
"Now children, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin..."
A good ghost story is actually pretty hard to pull off. Unlike a typical slasher or monster movie, ghost stories can't really depend on visual elements to carry the burden. Certainly, there have been those films where apparitions take on some pretty creepy forms, and that can go a long way. The Asian horror market has explored that world often enough. Still, some of the best ghost stories make their impact on what you can't really see. It's the tale and the telling that makes a film like The Others come to life. It's a film that hasn't really gotten the attention or credit it has deserved over the years. Perhaps with Lionsgate's new Blu-ray release of the 2001 film some of that can be corrected.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on October 20th, 2011
“I'm just a hard working man trying to get by.”
HBO has a way of making series that feature cities like one of the major characters, and How to Make it in America showcases New York City. Not the NYC of Sex and the City, which was all uptown preppie, How to Make it in America takes it to the streets. Not since Woody Allen have the boroughs been so lovingly represented. Much like the hustle of the NYC, How to Make it in America crackles with street-savvy vigor and style.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 20th, 2011
"This is not the opening of a TV show. This is real life."
If you had to describe the fourth season of Chuck in one word it would be Mother. This season Chuck learns that his mother was also a spy and that she didn't really just abandon her family. She went deep undercover and now may or may not be one of the bad guys. It helps that Momma is played by genera favorite Linda Hamilton who makes some sweet references to her earlier works on Terminator and Beauty And The Beast. The man she went undercover to get was Alexei Volkoff, played by one of my favorite and incredibly underrated James Bonds, Timothy Dalton. This is the story that really dominates the season, but there are some other events of note to be found:
![Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2005 [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/live-at-the-royal-albert-hall-2005-large.jpg)
![Live at Budokan [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/live-at-budokan-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![A Little Help [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/a-little-help-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![The Crow [Blu-ray + Digital Copy] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-crow-blu-ray-digital-copy-large.jpg)
![The Cider House Rules [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-cider-house-rules-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![The Others [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-others-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![How to Make It in America: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/how-to-make-it-in-america-the-comp-large.jpg)
![Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/chuck-the-complete-fourth-season--large.jpg)
