Posted in: Disc Reviews by BABY on August 31st, 2011
Baby here again, and I'm not exactly a happy German Shepherd/Chow mix puppy right now. Do you wanna know what's put the growl in my scowl this time? The other day I heard Gino say that somebody was in the doghouse. That sure sounded like fun, but it turns out the dude got fired and that being in the doghouse turns out to be not such a good thing. Now I understand if they said that UPS was in this dog's house. That would be bad for the UPS guy. And that spells O U C H. But why is it that humans say that when someone is in trouble. Heck, I spent most of my life in a doghouse, and I was havin' a good time. I never got fired or yelled at. Okay, I made that last part up. Yeah, I get yelled at all of the time, but it's never exactly my fault, you understand. How 'bout you guys start saying cathouse when someone's in trouble, although I think I heard someone use that word to describe something else. Never mind.
You know what else puts me in a snarlin' mood? It's when a studio takes a really good movie and decides to put out a new movie with the same name, 'cept they really don't have anything to do with each other. Somebody's just looking to get a bowlful of treats without working too hard. Me, I work for my treats, which reminds me... Anyway, that's exactly what you get with Marley & Me: The Puppy Years.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on August 30th, 2011
“We deal in lead, friend.”
In the fall of 1956, Anthony Quinn watched a special screening of Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai and had an epiphany; this Japanese masterpiece, inspired by the great American westerns of John Ford, would, itself, make a great American western. Quinn acquired the rights and contacted his then close friend Yul Brynner and pitched the idea of him playing the bad guy and Brynner the good guy. Brynner screened Kurosawa’s film and called in producer Walter Mirisch, who in turn contacted director John Sturges (Bad Day at Black Rock, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Great Escape). Sturges loved the concept and immediately set about acquiring the rights, ultimately forcing Quinn out of the picture. Quinn sued, but lost.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2011
"You cannot run from a vampire."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2011
The American Film Company is a new venture that intends to tell historical dramas. There are several stories on the way. They are particularly interested in the lesser known elements of historical events that are, in themselves, rather huge and universally known. One is left with the kind of film that we saw last year in The King's Speech. While we all know about the global events of that time, few knew the story of the struggle over public speaking that the King had during that fateful moment in world history. I think you can say the same for the material in The Conspirator. There's likely not an American alive who doesn't know something of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. We all know the location was Ford's Theater and many even know the name of the play that was being performed at the time. But there are lesser known facts about the event. That Lincoln didn't want to go is one some of you already know. But how many know that his murder was part of a larger plot to take revenge on the government for the defeat of the South? This film goes even farther than that. It tells the story of one of the more controversial accused in the plot that included the attempted murders of the Secretary of State and Vice-President Johnson. That defendant was Mary Surratt, and she would become the first woman executed by the Federal government. And she may not have even been guilty of a crime.
The film begins at the conclusion of the Civil War where we meet Frederick Aiken (McAvoy) who is a wounded captain. He orders the medics to care for his fallen friend, Baker (Long) who appears to be as good as dead. While the scene plays no real role in the story to unfold, it attempts to set two stages. It's a chance to touch upon the brutal war that has triggered the film's main events. It's also intended to help us get to know how good a guy Aikens happens to be. From there the film quickly moves through the execution of the plot to kill three members of the federal government. Only President Lincoln is mortally wounded, and his killer John Wilkes Booth (Kebbell) is soon captured and killed. All that is left for the struggling government now is to put the entire experience behind them by burying the conspirators themselves.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on August 26th, 2011
“The windows around here are not big enough for you?”
Writer/Director Keith Bearden’s debut film, Meet Monica Velour, seduces you like raunchy 70s porn star, but finishes you off with a happy ending like a cheap masseuse in a roadside massage parlor. Not that this is a sex comedy, nor are the stars particularly sexy (except for Jamie Tisdale who plays young Monica Velour who is very, very hot), but the theme is about sexual illusions. Illusions from a time long past, when pornos tried to be movies instead of a series of masturbation loops and there was an ironic air of innocence to the whole smutty affair.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2011
Dexter Morgan (Hall) is a forensic lab rat for the Miami-Dade Police. He really knows blood splatter. He should, because he moonlights as a killer. It seems that poor old Dex just can’t help himself. His parents were criminals, and he witnessed his mother’s brutal slashing by a chainsaw gang when he was just a young boy. He was adopted by Harry Morgan (Remar), a police officer. Harry saw the killer instinct in Dexter and taught him how to channel the urges for the sake of good. Dexter adopted Harry’s Code, which means he only kills others that he’s able to prove were killers themselves. His father continues to guide him through his own mind, meaning we get to see Pop even though he's gone. Working for the police with his officer sister, Debra (Carpenter), Dexter is constantly just on the verge of getting caught. He has to adapt and evolve to avoid capture.
“Most actors toil in obscurity, never stepping into the spotlight. But if you hone your craft, work diligently, you might just find yourself cast in the role of a lifetime.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by BABY on August 24th, 2011
Baby here again. No, you're not seeing double unless you're seeing two of me. That would be very bad since you're reading this and I'm not really there at all. No, you're not seeing double. But, thanks to the guys at Disney and a little bit to the guys at UPS who somehow got this thing through my tight security net, we get not one but two classic Disney animated movies on one Blu-ray release. This thing has so much canine content that you're gonna need a doggie bag for all the leftovers. Speaking of leftovers, you can send any of that stuff to us here at Upcomingdiscs in care of Baby. Now, how many paws am I holding up?
Of course, the movie should have been called The Hound And The Fox, because we know who should get top billing here. But don't blame the guys at Disney for that one. That blame belongs to a guy named Daniel P. Mannix. You see, he wrote a children's book a while before, and this was another one of those Disney versions of a classic story. I guess that means I should tell you the story.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 22nd, 2011
"Hello, Pretty Bird..."
Director/writer Carlos Saldanha is perhaps best known for his work on the Ice Age films. He's been a part of the director duties on all three of the films so far. It's natural that he might wish to step away from the popular franchise and find a computer animation project that is more of a work of passion for the young talent. He decided to write and direct his own feature and set it in his native Brazil. His own childhood growing up in the area allows him to infuse the creative process with vivid environments and a story that is rich in cultural flavor, particularly the music of the country. It's a work straight from his heart, and it takes us on quite a nice journey through his home country. But is Rio up to par with the likes of the Ice Age films? Probably not.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on August 21st, 2011
“The Hamptons are like a zombie movie directed by Ralph Lauren.”
Although I prefer genre films, chick flicks can prove a guilty pleasure. I can get in touch enough with my feminine side to shed a tear at a powerful love story, laugh at romantic misadventures, and embrace the belief in soul mates. So I slipped on my pink silk pajamas, grabbed a box of tissues, curled up on my chaise lounge and approached Something Borrowed with an open mind. OK, I might not have pink pajamas or a chaise lounge, but, in all fairness, this romantic comedy, based on the bestselling novel by Emily Griffin, doesn’t have anything particularly romantic or very funny in it. What it does have are vapid, banal, selfish caricatures trapped in a forced premise which could be resolved in minutes if anyone acted in a remotely adult manner; as well as something borrowed from just about every bad rom-com movie that came before it.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2011
"Who knew mothering was so hard?"
If you thought that mothering was hard, you should see the work and creativity that goes into making a motion-capture computer animation feature. What started with The Polar Express led to a wonderful holiday special in the hands of Walt Disney with last year's charming A Christmas Carol. Now Disney has taken the magic one step farther with the recent release of Mars Needs Moms.
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