Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 8th, 2011
One of the best signs that a film is a disaster is when the movie's own star can't seem to stop telling the world just how terrible it really is. Mickey Rourke at first had nice things to say about the film and particularly Megan Fox, calling her the best young actress he knew. Later he backtracked and qualified the statement about Fox. But his rantings about the film Passion Play have not been softened at all. He calls the film "Terrible" and a "Train wreck" while trying to assure us that he still loves director Mitch Glazer. We'd ask Mickey himself to write the review for the film here at Upcomingdiscs, but we tend to try and remain family friendly, and he's not above dropping a few F bombs to make his point. I guess the job of evaluating this rather strange film falls to me, %$@(&.
Okay, I guess we'll start with one of the most ridiculous stories I've ever seen made into a movie. Meet Nate (Rourke). He's a washed-up trumpet player who used to be pretty well known. Now he plays in nightclubs owned by mobsters for small change, small change he likely as not turns into booze. Unfortunately, Nate couldn't help but sleep with the boss's wife. Now Happy (Murray) wants him dead. A couple of his thugs take him out to the middle of the desert for an old-school hit. Nate is miraculously saved by a strange group of white ninjas. He wanders the desert and stumbles into a sideshow where he sees Lily (Fox), a woman with bird's wings. When he finds out they're real, he breaks her out of the control of the abusive carnie and falls in love with her. But not before he sells her out to Happy in an attempt to trade her for his own life. Of course, he regrets the decision and wants to save Lily from Happy's clutches, but she doesn't necessarily want his help. You know, because of the whole betrayal thing. The ending leaves a few questions, but I'm not sure the answers are worth thinking much about. Mickey's right. This is a train wreck. Couldn't have said it better myself.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on June 5th, 2011
Many times when you see a trailer over and over, one has to ask themselves: Do they really want to see the movie or is repetition to the point of acceptance playing its fatal card? In the case of Legend of the Fist: Return of Chen Zhen, I had seen the trailer several times in front of Ip Man and the sequel. I wasn’t sure if I was anxious for the movie, so much that I really wanted to see Donnie Yen go absolutely crazy with his kicks and amazing martial arts.
The First World War is going on across Europe. The Allied Forces aren’t doing so well. In 1917, one hundred and fifty thousand workers were dispatched by the Chinese government to help the Allied Forces. Each of these workers were given a wristband for identification and the imprint left behind by these markers were symbols of survival. These workers fought and also did manual labor on the lines. We join the story with a mighty blast as we start our story in France.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 2nd, 2011
"People do not give it credence that a young girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father's blood. But it did happen."
Just like the book that both this and the 1969 John Wayne film were taken from, the film opens with the sad story of a young girl who has come to Fort Smith to see that justice is done for her father. The words were written by Charlie Portis, a journalist who went on to write a truly great American novel: True Grit.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on June 2nd, 2011
There are a good number of people who have labeled Oliver Stone as a fan of conspiracy theories, out to destroy foundations of conservative ideology, while at the same time re-visiting 60’s nostalgic icons. Despite the jokes and the stereotyping, one has to admit that, as a filmmaker, he has helped bring to screen some of the most talked-about cinematic experiences of our time, including Midnight Express, Scarface, not to mention Conan the Barbarian. As a director, his works, such as The Doors, Nixon, JFK and Natural Born Killers, have generated discussion both within and aside from the technical merits. Platoon was his most personal work, and is widely regarded as one of the defining films of the Vietnam War.
Platoon relates the experiences of Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen, Major League), who, like Stone, dropped out of college, and volunteered to serve in Vietnam. His battles are everywhere, be it the enemy, with his surroundings, some of his fellow soldiers, or with his identity. He is thrown into a platoon with several characters, each with their own distinguishing characteristics. Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger, The Big Chill) is riddled with facial scars, a veteran of many skirmishes in country, perhaps to the point where emotions have dwindled, as he is left a hard-nosed leader. Sergeant Elias (Willem Dafoe, To Live and Die in L.A.) tries to forget the memories and experiences through drugs, but acts as a spiritual center, if one could find that within a war movie. Other actors in this cast include John C. McGinley (Scrubs), Forest Whitaker (Bird), and a very young Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland), among others. They encounter many things during the time there, including ambushes and firefights. They experience the loss of fellow platoon members, either via combat or by other reasons, either wounded or serving their full tour of duty in country. The story and characters are done so well, when watching the movie, their losses are our own. When Taylor leaves his platoon following an injury during combat, the closing shot of the movie is his sobbing on the floor of the chopper taking him out. You could say the sobbing is due to finally being out, or to the friends that he lost, but it is without question that his (and our) experiences leave him a totally different person that when he arrived.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 31st, 2011
"What I do requires a certain mindset. I do assignments, designated targets. Some jobs need to look like accidents. Others must cast suspicion on someone else. A select few need to send a clear message. Pulling a trigger is easy. The best jobs are the ones nobody even knows you were there."
Arthur Bishop (Stratham) is an accomplished mechanic. But you don't want to bring your Toyota to him, unless you intend to use the car to get rid of a pesky spouse. You see, he's the kind of mechanic that fixes a different kind of problem. He removes unwanted people from your life. That's the basic set-up for this Simon West remake of the 1972 film that starred Charles Bronson as Bishop. That movie is a kind of classic, at least to Bronson fans. It's noted for a rather unique beginning where there is no dialog for the first 15 minutes of the movie. No such effect here. What you will find is an action-packed film to watch with the guys while you send the ladies off to watch the latest romantic comedy.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 31st, 2011
I remember when I first heard that Dead Man Walking was coming out. The first news was that it was a death penalty film that involved Tim Robbins, Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. I was not very keen to see the movie at that time. All three of these actors are known for their over-the-top liberal antics, and I just knew this was going to be nothing but a rant against the death penalty in the United States. But you see, that's why you just have to watch the movie sometimes. I'm not sure why I ended up going to see the film, but I did. I was very surprised to find that while it certainly was anti-death penalty, the movie showed both sides and didn't hit you on the head with its morality.
The film was based on the autobiography of Sister Helen Prejean (Sarandon). She had been asked to provide some conversation and possibly a little comfort to a death row inmate who was reaching out to the church. She went to meet Matthew Poncelet (Penn) and ended up his spiritual advisor during his final days. She helped to organize a legal team headed by Hilton Barber (Prosky) and tried to get him to take responsibility for what he had done so that he could die with some dignity. Along the way she was shaken by encounters with the parents of the couple that was brutally murdered by Poncelet and his partner. Their pain causes conflicts within her, but she continues to fight for the condemned man.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 28th, 2011
"I don't remember if I started drinking because my wife left me or my wife left me because I started drinking."
Nicolas Cage has played quite an array of oddball characters in what has to be one of Hollywood's most eclectic careers. But whatever your favorite might be, this is the one that earned him an Oscar. The movie also earned Elisabeth Shue her only nomination for an Oscar. While those were not the only nominations for this cult favorite film, that's really where the money is. The film is a character study of two people on a downward spiral. The film was also nominated for two additional Oscars, but it is the acting that makes this movie somewhat exceptional.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 23rd, 2011
When I was a kid, I always wished and hoped I had super powers. Frankly, I did not even think my parents were my parents, rather hosts for somebody who would eventually change the world. Somewhere along the way, I grew up (kinda) but always wondered what would happen if things were different. I Am Number Four explores the story of a teenager who could change the world with his powers if he can simply stay alive long enough. By the way, I still don’t think my parents were my parents.
Two men (played by Greg Townley and Reuben Langdon) are asleep in some remote part of the world. All of the sudden, they feel something is wrong and wake up. They find nothing, but then suddenly one of the men is grabbed by an unknown monster and taken out of the cabin by force. The other man witnessing this horrid event has no choice but to try and run to safety.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 21st, 2011
"Do you believe in Sin?"
The Exorcist was one of the most chilling films ever made. William Friedkin used subliminal images as well as those quite famous scenes of Linda Blair being taken over by Satan himself. Ever since that time filmmakers have been trying to cash in on the phenomenon. Exorcism movies have become almost a sub-genre in the horror field. There have been everything from no-budget to mega-budget attempts. There have been both sequels and prequels to the original film. Some of these efforts have been truly worthy films with effective moments and compelling plots and performances. None have come close to the original film. The Rite is another attempt to create a modern version of The Exorcist. It's not a bad film at all, but it's not even close.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 19th, 2011
"The heat is on..."
![Passion Play [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/passion-play-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/legend-of-the-fist-the-return-of-c-large.jpg)
![The Mechanic [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-mechanic-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Dead Man Walking [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/dead-man-walking-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Leaving Las Vegas [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/leaving-las-vegas-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Beverly Hills Cop [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/beverly-hills-cop-blu-ray-large.jpg)
