Posted in: Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on September 17th, 2010
Written by Diane Tillis
Only once in a blue moon will a filmmaker come along to change the way films are created…for an entire country! Kazakhstan – born director Timur Bekmambetov is best known in America as the director for Wanted (2008) and for producing 9 (2009) alongside Tim Burton, but in Russia he is known as the man who changed the film industry after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on September 17th, 2010
We begin in Vietnam, where the unit of which Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a member comes under attack. Jacob is bayonetted, and as he struggles with his wounds, the film flashes forward to his post-Vietnam life in New York City. He works for the post office, is divorced, is still grieving over the death of his youngest son (Macauley Culkin), and is living with his new girlfriend (Elizabeth Pena). He is also being tormented by visions of demonic figures. And then suddenly this life turns out to be a dream, and he's at home with his wife and all of his kids are alive. Or is that a dream? And what really happened in Vietnam?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 13th, 2010
"On April 21st,1967 the 100-millionth GM vehicle rolled off the plant in Janesville. A blue two-door Caprice. There was a big ceremony, speeches, the Lt. Governor even showed up. Three days later, another car rolled off that same line. No one gave two craps about her, but they should have. Because, that 1967 Chevrolet Impala would turn out to be the most important car in pretty much the whole universe...I guess that's where the story began. And here's where it ends."
Except it doesn't; not really.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2010
You say you want an old-school slasher film like they did it back in the 70's and 80's? How would it sound if we gathered up Freddy, Candyman, and Jason and put them all in the same movie? Would that get your attention? Now that I have your attention, let's talk about Hatchet, a little quality slasher just like your uncles Craven, Cunningham, and Carpenter used to make. Okay, I exaggerated about that Freddy, Candyman, and Jason bit. You won't really find any of them in Hatchet. You will find their alter-egos Robert Englund and Tony Todd in amusing cameos, while Jason's best man plays Victor Cowley, the main attraction in this sweet throwback to classic slasher films.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2010
"We went AWOL around the time the rest of the world did. We became stick-up guys, stopping people on the road, taking whatever they had. We held up this bunch of kids in a Winnebago shooting a documentary about themselves. Went out on the internet. Millions of hits. I became notorious. Could have gotten an agent. Made a fortune if there was anybody left to care. It had become an us-versus-them world. All we were looking for was a place were there was no them."
Think of zombies and you think of George Romero. It's impossible not to think or talk about one without the other
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 31st, 2010
Vampires are hot right now, at least that's what everyone keeps telling me. The truth is that everyone is absolutely wrong. Vampires are not hot right now. They've always been hot. Since at least since 1897 when Bram Stoker took the world by storm in one of the earliest examples of a horror novel. Of course, I'm talking about Dracula. Dracula, as a character, might have been based on the historical figure of Vlad the Impaler, but the vampire legend that Stoker perfected in Dracula is pure fiction. Still, it wasn't quite Stoker's novel that created the vampire craze, it merely lit the fuse.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2010
"Tyger Tyger burning bright..."
The 1794 poem by English wordsmith William Blake provides the title and much of the inspiration in this modern thriller/man vs. nature film by director Carlos Brooks. It's only the director's second feature film. There is very little experience among the many writers of the story and screenplay. Excuse my jaded reviewer skepticism, but this was not a film I was particularly looking forward to seeing. I expected this to be on par with the beast-of-the week scenario that those made for television SyFy films have been putting out for years.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 16th, 2010
Reviewing schlock in my tenure here at Upcomingdiscs has reached a level of passion. When I was a much younger pup here, I abhorred the concept. Eventually, as I was fed some of the worst movies on record (and most of them weren’t even romantic comedies), I started to actually enjoy some of these and look forward to writing reviews. Then I got a most gracious gift in my review pile, my first Roger Corman flic. Like a new father, I gave out cigars, asked the doctor for the extra stitch, unwrapped Galaxy of Terror and went straight to work.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 10th, 2010
After watching plenty of terrible horror movies in my life, I start to wonder if this is easiest thing in Hollywood to produce. Work with a small budget, come up with a scare and hire some shapely actors to play the ones in peril. Oh, and make sure you have plenty of fake blood. Our example today is Open House, a recent horror movie directed by Andrew Paquin.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 9th, 2010
"There is a place, a mystical nexus, where this unholy relic can be destroyed. I only hope we can get there before Vellich."
When you think of Edward Douglas, you really do not think about him as a film director or writer. He's made a name for himself mostly in the music business. No, you aren't going to see his videos on MTV, and it's not likely that you'll find his name on the charts. He's become somewhat the poster child for specialized Halloween music. So, I guess it isn't that large a leap to find him writing and helming his first film, obviously a horror film.
![Jacob's Ladder [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/jacobs-ladder-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![Supernatural: The Complete Fifth Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/supernatural-the-complete-fifth-se-large.jpg)
![Hatchet [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/hatchet-blu-ray-large.jpg)
![The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-vampire-diaries-the-complete-f-large.jpg)
