Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 16th, 2019
Ever since I saw High Tension, I’ve been a fan of Alexandre Aja. The guy simply has a nice visual flair and for the most part puts out quality horror films. From The Hills Have Eyes remake, to Mirrors, and the beautifully shot Piranha 3D, Aja has made gore look like fine art on the big screen. So to hear he’d be working with Sam Raimi on a horror film, well, that’s simply music to my ears. It’s been a while since we’ve had a good man vs. nature horror film, and the concept of a family attempting to survive a category 5 hurricane in Florida while being hunted by alligators in their crawlspace, well, if that doesn’t get you excited, then just back away now. Crawl isn’t a movie attempting to be high art or go for Oscars; it’s a movie that just wants you to have fun for 90 minutes, and it delivers on that.
My only major complaint comes with the start of the film where we are with Haley (Kaya Scodelario) during her swim team practice as a category 5 storm is barreling their way. As a life time Florida resident, I know that there is no way this school would be doing this with the storm as close as it is. Nitpicking aside, the scene is setting our heroine up as a strong, capable swimmer who has some adversity to overcome, since we see she may not be on the starting squad for her team. This is for the most part the unnecessary back-story we’re used to seeing in horror films where we’ll of course see her overcome her self-doubt later in the film. It also seems they couldn’t help themselves by having her attend the University of Florida, making Haley a Gator herself.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 16th, 2019
“Space… The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.”
Nearly 20 years after the original Star Trek left the network airwaves, Gene Roddenberry set out to discover if he could catch lightning in a bottle once again. Some say he did an even better job with Star Trek: The Next Generation. There are times I tend to agree. The Star Trek sequel series had a lot more advantages from the moment it was conceived. Star Trek, a series that barely registered on the ratings during its three-year primetime voyage, became a huge sensation in syndication. By the time Next Generation came on the scene, the original show had been syndicated in over 20 different languages all over the world. It had launched an animated series, and a fifth feature film was already in the early stages of consideration. So it isn’t quite fair to judge the success or quality of The Next Generation over the original series. One thing is inarguable. The second would never have existed if not for the first.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 15th, 2019
31 Nights Of Terror is in full swing here at Upcomingdiscs. Our really good friends over at RLJE Films have decided to contribute to your nightmares. They have given us a copy of their horror/comedy Satanic Panic on DVD. We're passing it along to a lucky follower out there. The film stars Jerry O'Connell, Rebecca Romijn, and Hayley Griffith. What does a satanic cult do when they are looking for a sacrifice? They order pizza, of course.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 15th, 2019
"You know, kids lose their toys every day. Sometimes they get put in the wrong box, and that box gets taken away."
In 1995 Pixar didn't just put themselves on the computer animated feature film map. They completely created a new map. Yes, there were works before Toy Story, but that was the film that changed everything in an entire industry. It also began a push-and-pull relationship between the independent studio and its distribution partner, Walt Disney Studios. It was a disagreement over Toy Story sequels that found Pixar shopping for a new partner for their future output, and before you know it, Disney wrote a check and Pixar was a part of Disney. The small studio's chief, John Lassiter, ended up in charge of the Mouse House animation department, and those disputed Toy Story sequels became box office gold and examples of the right way to continue a film franchise. Now, a lot's changed in that 25 year interval. John Lassiter is gone because of his penchant for "full body hugs", and Disney has perfected the model of writing a check and turning it into a virtual printing press printing out hundred-dollar bills like they were prom flyers. Marvel, Lucasfilm, and now Fox have fallen like dominoes in the Disney march to global domination of the entertainment industry. It's actually amazing how many times they've gotten it right. The Marvel films represent one of the strongest collections of franchise films in movie history. The Star Wars films might have been hit-or-miss, but even the misses printed out money. It's gotten to the point where, in the Disney Empire, a worldwide haul of a half a billion bucks is considered a failure. And now we come to the fourth installment in the beloved Toy Story journey, and I have to say the film packs as much heart as the original did 25 years ago.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 15th, 2019
I wonder how this film would have been received if The Road simply didn’t exist. It’s just about impossible to watch this film and not see the striking similarities between the films, though Light of My Life definitely isn’t as grim or as brutal as The Road. Light of My Life is the directorial debut from Casey Affleck, who seems to be following in his brother’s footsteps by taking the step behind the camera. How does he fare behind the camera? He definitely shows that he has a solid eye when setting up his shots and telling a story, though there is certainly room for him to improve. It’s a bold move to make a post-apocalyptic film your first feature and decide to star in the film as well, but for me I was glad to see him take such a risk, and I’m impressed he almost nailed it. The film takes us into a world where most of the world’s female population has been killed off by some sort of a disease. While the world isn’t quite in shambles, we definitely see that society has quickly crumbled as cities struggle to thrive. Rag (Anna Pniowsky) has somehow managed to survive this vicious disease, and with the aid of her Dad (Casey Affleck) he’s kept her alive and has been training her to survive in this hostile environment. This is pretty much a father’s worst nightmare for his daughter to grow up in, and we get to see how her father deals with everything from suspicious travelers to simply educating her on puberty. By keeping the film focused on the relationship between the father and daughter, the film excels at getting us involved and attached to this pair, but we also know in this type of film there are some inevitable bad things to come. Here is the problem: the film manages to pull its punches when it comes to the danger of the world they exist in. Sure, things are hinted at, but for a majority of the film everything feels like it’s building to something that never occurs.
Do things need to be as bleak or as in-your-face as The Road for this to be good? No, but for a film that has an R rating this feels like a very neutered film that just is afraid to go dark. It’s obvious this film wants to be about a father’s love and show the extent a father will go to protect their child, but really I don’t believe this father figure would survive in this world or succeed at protecting his child as well as he has. We don’t get to see Rag as a hunter, or having much if any ability to defend herself if someone were to attack her. You’d think these would be things he’d want to teach her, but instead he’s invested in teaching her to run and hide.
Posted in: The Reel World by John Delia on October 15th, 2019
It may be similar to other sci-fi films of its kind, but Gemini Man tips the scale with action and storyline. The CGI is incredible, and the re-aging of Will Smith amazing in this assassin vs. clone movie that will knock your socks off. Oh, and the answer is yes, Will Smith plays both parts with seamless detail. A crack shot and assassin for a US government special ops, Henry Brogan (Will Smith) has set himself up on a hill readying himself to kill someone in a fast moving train. As the train passes by he makes the kill shot, but it almost puts a bullet in a child nearby. Deciding to retire, he tells his boss that it’s time because there’s a good chance he’ll botch the next job.
In a small out-of-the-way village in the United States, Brogan makes his first day of retirement a chance to do some fishing. Going to the pier he meets Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the person in charge of boat rentals. His keen sense for trouble and his ability to identify when someone is not who they say they are leads Brogan to believe he’s being set up. With the help of Danny he escapes the hit, and the two go on the run looking for answers.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on October 14th, 2019
“They're creepy and they're kooky, Mysterious and spooky, They're altogether ooky, The Addams Family.”
That is for those who read my Addams Family Double Feature post regarding the Addams Family theme song. Of course that is merely the first verse of the song. Have no fear, as the animated film features the full version. It must be kismet, as I had the privilege of reviewing the animated film so soon after reviewing the double feature, though I suspect that this was by design. It is also kismet that this film comes in time to be part our 31 Nights of Terror. Though this cartoon does not fit the traditional view of what a horror film is, I would argue that the subject matter is more than enough to grant it entry. Featuring a lighter tone than its subject material, this incarnation is an enjoyable experience that can be shared with the whole family, which was my experience as I was able to bring my daughter to the film with me, and I’m happy to say it got her stamp of approval.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 13th, 2019
In 2006, the original Charmed series did its final curtain call, and since then fans have been calling for the series to resume. In this era of revitalizing old television series, it seemed like bringing back the popular witch series was a possibility. In 2018, fans got their wish, although perhaps not quite the way they were hoping to get it. Charmed would be brought back, but as a reboot, not a continuation. This means a brand new cast and a modern twist. As you expect, this decision was not completely popular, as fans of the original series called for the return of the original cast. As a fan of the original series, I was among those who felt a version of the series that did not feature Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, and Rose McGowan would be a waste of time and resources. Hell, I would have even taken a miraculous return of Shannon Doherty. Then again, may not. Anyhow, the decision to revamp the series was not a popular one, but in the end, I believe it was the right decision.
In this incarnation, the series moves from San Francisco to the fictional town of Hilltowne, The sisters are not Latin America, and the letter they all share is a “M” instead of a “P.” Those are the major changes. I gave them to you up front so that you can prepare yourself for everything else. In the opening episode, sisters Mel (Melonie Diaz) and Maggie (Sarah Jeffery) live with their mother, Marisol, and are unaware of their magical heritage until Marisol’s death, which is the incident that sparks the series. Following the death of Marisol, they are approached by Macy Vaughn (Madeleine Mantock), who tells them that she is their half-sister. The introduction of a half-sibling pays great homage to the original series, which as diehard fans recall, served as the introduction of Rose McGowan into the series in Season 4 following the departure of Shannon Doherty at the end of Season 3. Getting back on point, the sisters being united triggers the activation of their individual powers as well as the power of 3, their ultimate strength.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 12th, 2019
"Did you say Chucky?"
The 70’s and 80’s were fertile ground for horror films. It was a new era of iconic monsters. Starting with Michael Myers and Jason, the trend that gave us Freddy seemed to be at the end of its run by the late 1980’s. Certainly sequels were still being churned out, but it seemed like we’d seen the last of these maniacal monsters, at least for a while. But before it petered out, the cycle would supply our nightmares with one more notable denizen…Chucky. Later Chucky would pace the sidelines here in Tampa as the head coach of the local NFL franchise, but for the last 20 years it was the darkest alleyways of our dreams that Chucky prowled. Inhabited by the soul of a killer, Chucky was truly one of the “Good Guys”. Child’s Play was the brainchild of writer Don Mancini. Mancini’s original story Batteries Not Included was changed because of the impending Spielberg film to Blood Buddies. The title and many aspects of the story would evolve over time. Eventually the title Child’s Play took over, and Chucky was born.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 11th, 2019
The Conjuring franchise and its spin-offs have been a success at the box office since 2013. Now with the third Annabelle hitting the big screen, it’s time ask the question: is this the end for the franchise? We already know there is going to be a third Conjuring film coming out next year, but beyond that, I’m guessing the studio heads are watching to see how this film fares with the summer competition. I wasn’t a fan of the first Annabelle. The second one was better, but still it seemed to pale in comparison to The Conjuring films, so to be honest, my expectations were not very high for this new installment. As it turns out, this ended up being my favorite of the spin-off movies, and I have no shame admitting how much fun I had with this one.
First off let me just state that I love The Conjuring films. Personally they are in my top ten for paranormal films. I’m a sucker for the cinematic Warren family, and I’m a fan of their work, Whether you believe in it or not, they make for good stories. I feel this is important to get out there, because while I had a blast with this film, I can’t put it in the same sandbox. Annabelle Comes Home works because it knows what it is: a B-movie carnival ride, and it embraces it. This isn’t a dig by any means; instead, it’s a compliment.
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