Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on April 19th, 2019
It is uncanny; I swear any time anyone mentions Kim Possible, I instantly start to hear the theme song in my hand. It’s like as soon as her name is mention, all I hear is, “Call me, Beep me, if you wanna reach me.” It’s been well over a decade since I’ve seen an episode, but that theme song is just as catchy now as it was back then. Kim Possible was from an era on the Disney Channel that produced some of the best original television content and movies in my humble opinion. An animated cartoon about a high school student who is also a secret agent, who didn’t want to be that back then. So I was extremely excited to be able to share the live-action movie version with my daughter, but the sad reality is that the live action version is a cheesy and generic shadow of the series that I was so fond of during my childhood.
Kim Possible (Sadie Stanley) is starting high school. For everyone, this is a nerve-racking time in their life. However, Kim is used to having to diffuse world-disintegrating slime and rescuing captured scientists, all while making sure she is home in time for dinner. So she is sure high school will be a snap. With her best friend and partner Ron Stoppable (Sean Giambrone), she is confident that there is no problem that she can’t handle.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 19th, 2019
One of 2019’s most anticipated releases is M. Night Shyamalan’s conclusion to his superhero trilogy with Glass. This has been a trilogy 19 years in the making, following the release of Unbreakable and then 2016’s Split. When I first saw Unbreakable, I was a projectionist, and I had to screen it the night before it was released to make sure everything was spliced together and the film played properly, and I just remember not really liking the movie at first. I ended up giving the film another try, and I found I liked it a little more. Now over the years I’ve seen it several times, and the film has grown on me. I’ve grown to appreciate the film to the point that when that final scene in Split plays and we got the reveal of David Dunn (Bruce Willis) I was extremely excited at the prospect of seeing this character revisited. Before I get much further, if you haven’t seen Unbreakable or Split, if you plan on seeing Glass, do yourself a favor and watch the previous films first, and even if you have seen them, it wouldn’t hurt re-watching them just so the films are fresh in your mind while experiencing the conclusion of this trilogy. With all that out of the way, how was the film? It’s time to suit up and find out.
As the film opens up, it takes place not long after the events in Split, and we see that Kevin (James McAvoy) is under the control of his 24 personalities, and “The Beast” is responsible for numerous murders. The media has been following the killer and has been calling him “The Horde”. Also in pursuit of the killer is David, who with the aid of his son, Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark, who played his son in the first film) are fighting crime together, with their home base being a security shop that they run together. The opening act of this film is great. It flows nicely, and when we get to see David have his showdown with “The Beast”, it’s hard to not get excited for what is to come. It’s the direction the film goes from here where I can see there being disappointment in what follows from this point up to the end of the film.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 16th, 2019
The Donovan family has been a prominent part of the Showtime lineup for six years now. What started as a series about a fixer didn't quite remain that way for long. The stories very quickly focused on this rather dysfunctional family, and we appear to love our dysfunctional families in movies and television. Most are awkwardly dysfunctional without a lot of heart, and Ray Donovan was certainly heading in that direction before the fifth season took us on one of the best emotional rollercoaster rides in the business. For me that season and the death of the family matriarch changed the stakes and the center for each of the characters. Abby was the thing that held this family together no matter how twisted things got. So we ended up with what I consider the best season of the show to date. So where did we go from there, you might ask. You don't have to. Showtime has released the complete 6th season of Ray Donovan on DVD, and now you can find out for yourself. Here's my take.
When a family loses its center, things tend to unravel a bit. That's not quite how it works with this family. They've been unraveling since the first episode, and let's be perfectly honest here, a long time before we first met them. It's more than that. Ray is at rock bottom over Abby's death and finds himself in New York, where coincidentally other members of the family have migrated from L. A. He's saved by a down-on-his-luck cop, played by The Wire's own Herc, Domenick Lombardozzi. He ends up bringing Ray home, and the two share each other's misery for a while. But what Ray is truly avoiding more than his own grief is working for the powerful woman Samantha Winslow, played just as powerfully by Susan Sarandon. She's really the female version of Ray in many ways. She uses people, and she's very used to getting her way. What she wants is Ray's help to assist her in obtaining a private prison and its lucrative property. The first stage of that plan brings Ray into the world of politics, where he works to fix the New York City mayoral campaign for newcomer Anita Novak, played by Lola Glaudini. But Ray can't help shooting himself in the foot and ends up on a cycle of changing sides to the point everyone hates him, and it costs him and those close to him dearly.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 16th, 2019
When it comes to Robert Zemeckis films, you never know what you’re going to get. Like most, I’m a fan of his Back to the Future trilogy, and then there is Who Framed Roger Rabbit that to this day I feel is his best work. While he’s churned out many good films, there are films of his that I’m simply not a fan of. Forrest Gump happens to be one of those films. For the most part he makes audience-friendly films, but what I’ve always admired about the guy is how he’s always attempting to integrate new technology into his films. Zemeckis has become one of the pioneers of motion-capture technology. Ever since The Polar Express (2004), he’s been making improvements with the technology, and now with Welcome to Marwen, it is stunning to see just how far he has come.
The funny thing about Welcome to Marwen is that it may be one of the biggest-budget art films produced in a long time. Though the film is very much in tone with Zemeckis’s style, at the same time there is enough quirkiness in the characters and story that it may be a bit jarring for some. Because of this, it’s no surprise that it will have a divided audience that will love or hate this film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 5th, 2019
Ever since I was a kid I used to love to hear and read stories about the iconic filmmakers from the days before I was born. I soaked up material on John Ford and Hitchcock. Fritz Lang and James Whale were superhuman, it seemed. Meeting Robert Wise was a dream come true, and getting an invitation by Ray Harryhausen himself to attend his Hollywood star ceremony was an honor. But all of these folks were either already gone or at the end of their careers by the time I got to this planet. Since that time there have been plenty of great talents, but the only one in my lifetime who ever seemed to live up in that rarified air was Clint Eastwood. As both an actor and director, I'm not sure anyone has made more of a mark during my generation. Clint's approaching 90, and reality dictates that his days of directing movies are coming to a close. As an actor every film has the potential to be his last. So I have to ask myself why Warner Brothers would give this potential swansong such unfair treatment. Critics were not given a chance to attend screenings when the film came out. As a voting member of SEFCA, I received over 150 films for awards consideration as 2018 came to a close. None of them happened to be The Mule. When I asked a Warner rep about the slight, I was admonished to forget about the film and just move on. I was even told by a SEFCA co-member that I shouldn't be so greedy for screeners. I'm not ordinarily a conspiracy nut. But something doesn't pass the sniff test here, and after finally seeing the film in 4K, I'm convinced of it.
The Academy Awards are no longer what they once were. What used to be an extraordinary celebration of the art of film and filmmaking is now a political rally. I suspect the "powers that be" didn't want Clint Eastwood anywhere near that political rally. He's got nothing to lose at this point, and I don't think he's the kind of guy to just shut up and take it. I can't prove any of this, of course. And I might even catch some flack for proposing the idea. But if it's true, there are a lot of folks who should be ashamed of themselves. Warner Brothers bears the greatest shame, if true. I doubt anyone has made as much money for Warner over the years than Clint Eastwood and he's owed better treatment. This is not about my or anyone's political beliefs, but about a legend who won't be here for decades to come, and it's unfortunate if the fact his politics don't align with the Hollywood establishment caused this movie to be treated like the crazy uncle you lock away in the attic when company comes. 'Nuff said.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by John Delia on April 4th, 2019
by John Delia, Jr.
The world of the Transformers is back with more action, adventure, and science fiction fun for everyone. The most-loved Autobot from this world has a history that explains where these troubled characters all began. As the battle of Cybertron comes to a conclusion, the Autobots make their move to flee from the Decepticons to an unknown location to later meet up and regroup. Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) tells B-127/Bumble Bee (Dylan O’Brien) that he must flee and head to Earth and hide until it is safe to meet up again. Once on Earth, Bumble Bee must find a place to be unnoticed. He must find a secure safe location for his fellow Autobots and defend Earth until Optimus Prime returns. During his landing on Earth, he encounters a team of soldiers training for battle called Sector 7. This team, led by Agent Jack Burns (John Cena), fear for their lives when the capsule transporting B-127 crashes in the forest nearly on top of his team.
Posted in: Blu Ray, No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 3rd, 2019
"One night will remind you how we touched and went our separate ways"
There's a Chinese proverb that says a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. In rock "n" roll history that proverb is a little different, and it goes something like, “A Journey into the Rock "n" Roll Hall Of Fame starts with a dozen hit songs.” And that's exactly where Journey landed in 2017 after kicking the year off with a return to one of the first arenas to hear those hits 35 years earlier. In 2017 Journey was inducted into that Hall Of Fame and played two sold-out nights at the Budokan in Japan where the band first debuted the hit songs from their 8th and first hit album, Escape. Eagle Rock Entertainment was there for the band's triumphant return where the band played both the albums Escape and Frontiers in their entirety for the first and only time in the band's history. If you're a Journey fan, you're going to want to get your hands on this one.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 2nd, 2019
As one might guess from my film reviewing resume, I watch a lot of Asian movies. Unfortunately, judging by the same resume, it would appear that most of that is anime and drama. But in my spare time, I do watch a lot of popular Asian cinema, especially with the likes of Donnie Yen or Jing Wu. In addition to contemporary favorites, I certainly have not forgotten the roots of martial art cinema in the likes of Bruce Lee and others. Well, today I received a box set featuring one of the legends of Asian cinema: Shin'ichi Chiba, better known to most American audiences as the one and only Sonny Chiba. That set of films would be of course, The Street Fighter Collection. Let us take a look.
The Street Fighter begins with Tateki Shikenbaru (played by Masashi Ishibashi) in a jail cell, a murderer about to be executed for his crimes. He is visited by a Buddhist monk who is presumably there to give him his last rites. That's no monk, but he might be there to give him his last rites. His name is Takuma Tsurugi (played by Sonny Chiba), karate man for hire, and he takes out Shikenbaru with a special punch that throws him into a coma. As the convict is rushed to the hospital, Tsurugi and his faithful sidekick Rakuda (played by Goichi Yamada) free him and send him off to Hong Kong.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on March 29th, 2019
"My father was a lighthouse keeper. My mother was a queen. They were never meant to meet. But their love saved the world. They made me what I am: a son of the land, a king of the seas. I am the protector of the deep. I am ... Aquaman."
It’s been a rough year for the DC Universe, losing both Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck as Superman and Batman respectively. In a time when Marvel is heading towards a big finale of sorts, this should be when DC goes full steam towards capitalizing on any residual momentum. The loss of two members of the Justice League is going to put a crimp in that plan; however, thanks to the release of Aquaman, DC does not have to start from scratch. Jason Momoa returns as the titular character in this origin story of sorts. One of the breakout stars of the critical failure that was the Justice League movie, Momoa proves that he was made to command the seven seas.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on March 27th, 2019
This review is going to be a little different from what you may be used to seeing here at Upcomingdiscs. We’re about to venture off the path of mainstream films and delve into the dark and seedy areas of cinema where the naughty, the gory and the cult lurk. This comes with a warning: these films are not for everyone. Seriously, this is your chance to click away, because these films can leave an impression on the viewer and are difficult to unsee. Also these films do come with a not-rated label, so no one under 17 permitted, for those youngun’s still sticking around to read, go ahead and click onto the Mary Poppins Returns review. I read some nice things there; this here is no review for you. I don’t want to be held responsible for the nightmares these films may cause you down the road.
OK, now that we’re all adults here, let me begin. Cult Epics was kind enough to send us a couple titles to review. For those not familiar with the brand yet, they are a company that has been acquiring a variety of art house, horror, and adult cinema, releasing the titles onto Blu-ray. Many of these titles are what fans of cult cinema can be ravenous for, for instance the copy of Nekromantic 2 I got to review had a beautiful remastering of the film from the 16mm negative, and it is loaded with a variety of bonus features. Behind-the-scenes footage, a 20th anniversary concert, short films, and more have been put together for this release, so for those of you who are fans, Cult Epics has pretty much done you a solid and put out a release that is meant to satisfy the fans.
