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Sports movies have been something of a cliché for years now. And it's not really a recent phenomenon. Everybody remembers Ronald Reagan appearing in the Knute Rockne All American as the famous George Gipp. That was 1940, and Hollywood is still selling films that ask teams to "win one for The Gipper". That's exactly what you get in director Sean McNamara's The Miracle Season. Substitute high school volleyball for college football, and you likely already know the story before you even order your popcorn and soda. Of course, even with established Hollywood formula and a well-trodden story, things are never quite that simple. Somehow the better films still tend to touch an emotional nerve, and when it's all based on a true and inspiring story, well then, break out the Kleenex and try to keep the tears from diluting your already watered-down drink. Still, some of these films manage to stand out from a very crowded field. So what exactly does it take to do that, and does The Miracle Season have what it takes? That's a little bit complicated.

The film begins with the story of two best friends. Caroline and Kelly have that special kind of bond, as the opening narration explains. We are treated to a montage of the close friends from young girls to adolescents who eventually find themselves teammates on Iowa City West's volleyball team. In 2010 they took home the state championship, and hopes are high as the girls begin practices for the 2011 season. All of the hope and enthusiasm is delivered by Caroline "Line" (Yarosh). Her energy and drive are contagious, and it's quickly evident why she's the natural leader of the team and a favorite of Coach "Bres" Bresnahan (Hunt). Her cheerfulness is even more amazing when we learn that her mother is dying of cancer and unlikely to survive to see her daughter win a second championship. She still manages to stay positive and keep her mother and father smiling. She decorates her shoes to dedicate the new season to her mother and encourages her friend Kelly (Moriarty) into believing she can also be a team leader. With someone like Caroline pushing the team, that second championship appears in the bag.

I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theatre, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too kinky to talk about. Fortunately, Upcomingdiscs has come to the rescue every Christmas with our Gift Guide Spotlights. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. The kinds of things we recommend here are things I would be delighted to find under the tree.

Fox has put out a few good releases this year, and you really should think about putting some of this under the tree:

Upcomingdiscs HQ in Florida was visited by a rather nasty lady who called herself Irma.

She left the place with no power and the staff scattered to the 75 MPH winds to be safe.

If you've visited our site at any point throughout the last five years, you know who Brent is. Besides being our resident gorehound and an invaluable contributor to this website, Brent is also the fifth member of the 500 club here at Upcomingdiscs! If you haven't already, be sure to check out his past reviews...and keep an eye out for what he has to say about your favorite movie in the near future.

Here's to the next 500 reviews!

If you're looking for a little nostalgia on DVD, you have a lot of options out there. Front and center you'll find that Time-Life has been bringing out a lot of memories. We've already looked at such shows as The Wonder Years, Dean Martin Roasts, and Mama's Family over the years. We've also got some insight on another classic television milestone in the coming weeks. For now we take a look at four recent releases that bring back the good old days. I'm talking about: Hee Haw: Pfft! You Was Gone, Bob Hope Salutes the Troops, The Best of Tim Conway and The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Johnny And Friends Steve Martin, Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy. It's song, dance, and laughs on DVD. And away we go:

You'll get four episodes of the long-running variety show on two discs. The episodes are taken from the 1969 to 1973 period and feature the likes of Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and Merle Haggard. The show was hosted by Buck Owens and the master guitarist Roy Clark. There's little doubt that the series was a country music knockoff of Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In. There really wasn't any attempt to hide it. The series featured the same kind of short jokes and non-sequitur flashes of humor. Here's what you get:

Another shining example of an opportunity to watch a classic film that was before my time.  Before had, the only thing I knew about Car Wash was that it was a Richard Pryor movie; however, now I grasp that Pryor is just a pawn in a large ensemble cast. He is far from the most important character, although he is an interesting one as Daddy Rich, but his role pales in comparison of Bill Duke as Duane, or should I said Abdullah, as he prefers to be known now.  Car Wash as it turns out is of greater significance than I originally realized and worthy of the title of cult classic, and I do believe a huge portion of that is attributed to the song that was lived on for generation to follow. You all know it, “Working at the Car Wash.” Sing it with me now.

So a majority of the film revolves around Abdullah (Bill Duke), who is considered a Muslim revolutionary. Abdullah also serves a bit of the everyman for the story and our eyes into this world. This is most evident during the ending, where the character reaches his emotional peak while attempting to rob the establishment. In that scene, we see all the emotional difficulty that he has struggled with throughout the duration of the film. Another key takeaway from the scene is the understanding that we all just need a helping hand or someone one to show that they are in corner sometimes.

"Weird, messy, complicated, sad, wonderful, amazing, and above all, epic."

It's time to say goodbye to Mystic Falls. It's time to say goodbye to Damon, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, and all of those fan-favorite "ships" that have passed in some rather bloody nights. After eight years The Vampire Diaries is getting the stake and fading off into the sunset. Eight years is pretty respectable when you consider that the series has been on the cancellation bubble since its fourth year. Somehow it managed to survive long enough to go out on its own terms and leave behind a strong enough legacy to assure its survival for years to come in syndication. While The Originals continues we are likely to see some of these characters, if only in guest spots along the way. There's also rumors of yet another spinoff. It's safe to say we haven't quite seen the last of the show's surviving characters, or even the ones who didn't survive. For now it lives on in the Warner Brothers Blu-ray release of The Vampire Diaries Final Season release.

This is an announcement. This is not a review. We will likely have one posted as the unit is made available to us soon.

MENLO PARK, California – April 24, 2017 – OPPO Digital announced that its UDP-205 4K Ultra HD Audiophile Blu-ray Disc player is available for purchase. A step-up version of the recently released UDP-203, the UDP-205 brings top-of-the-line audio performance to a universal player that supports 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and many other digital audio and video formats.