Tuesday Round Up: August 25, 2015
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on August 25th, 2015
We have some hungry, undead guests shuffling into this week’s Round Up. Anchor Bay will release the latest batch of episodes from one of the most popular shows on television with The Walking Dead: Season 5. We’ll also have a review of Anchor Bay’s high-stakes Big Game. Meanwhile, CBS/Paramount brings us a trio of network hits with Elementary: Season 3, Criminal Minds: Season 10, and The Good Wife: Season 6. MPI Home Video offers a hearty Welcome to New York, Cinedigm introduces us to Camilla Dickinson, Oscilloscope Laboratories unleashes Animals, Lionsgate reveals Where Hope Grows, and Warner Bros. assembles Lego animated flick Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom!
As always, don’t be shy about letting us know which of these titles you’re most excited to watch or read about. And since we know people love free stuff almost as much as ravenous zombies walkers enjoy the taste of human flesh, don’t forget: once a month we’re going to give away a free DVD title from among the comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. You tell us what you’re interested in, and you might just get something free for sharing. The winners and their prizes will be announced the first week of every month right here in our Tuesday Round-Up post.
And one last reminder before signing off for the week: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week!
Lego DC Comics Superheroes: Justice League — Attack of the Legion of Doom! (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 25th, 2015
DC Comics buffs have been obsessively analyzing every frame of the latest Batman v. Superman trailer for clues that nod to a live-action appearance by their favorite hero. But for fans of Lego’s “DC Comics Superheroes” brand — which includes various movies, TV shows and videogames — the idea of a superpowered team-up is old hat. In fact, Lego is so far ahead of the curve that its newest offering — Attack of the Legion of Doom! — explores what happens when the bad guys form their own all-star team.
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Grey’s Anatomy: Season 11
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 25th, 2015
“Trauma is messy.”
So begins life at Grey-Slone Memorial Hospital without Dr. Wang, and for the show Grey’s Anatomy, the loss of Sandra Oh. But there won’t be time to dwell on that loss as the story shifts to the departure of another of the show’s most popular characters and actors. Patrick Dempsey spent more than a decade as the show’s McDreamy, one of the more compelling talents in the cast. It’s another season, and mixed amid the medical emergencies, struggling relationships, and tragic events, it’s time to say goodbye once again.
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The Royals: Season 1
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on August 24th, 2015
So do depravity and nobility go hand in hand? Well, that is how it seems to be in the Royals, the EW channel’s faux depiction of the English ruling family. The show does not gain any points for characters, as many of them are cliché archetypes: the unsure heir to the throne, the drug-addicted socialite daughter, the self-absorbed and media-obsessed mother, the depraved and jealous brother of the king, and the noble albeit naïve king. As I say none of these character types are new; but their depiction in this series did manage to pique my interest as well as push the boundaries of what is permitted on network cable.
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Little Loopers
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on August 24th, 2015
by Dustin P. Anderson
Meet Hutch, the once-great golfer, now mediocre golf course owner. Hutch has been down on his luck ever since failing to impress at the Pro Tour and now owns a mediocre golf course (or really bad golf course, depending on who you ask). Hutch has also been hitting the bottle since his life started on a downward spiral, and this drinking leads him to put a golf club into someone’s car window. The golf club incident leads him to serving time on community service, where he will try to teach a team of underprivileged children how to play golf. Some kids don’t have the means to golf in the areas where they live; some of the kids don’t have parents that understand their craving to play it.
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Easy Money / Men at Work (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 24th, 2015
Today, the term “blue collar comedy” is likely to conjure images of rednecks and Larry the Cable Guy. However, this new double feature from Shout! Factory reminds us that wasn’t always the case. The heroes of Easy Money and Men at Work are, respectively, a sleazy children’s photographer and a pair of rebellious garbage men, so the label certainly applies. Let’s see how these two blue collar comedies hold up in their Blu-ray debuts.
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Hitman: Agent 47
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on August 21st, 2015
History of man is defined by war. And war is defined by the men who fight it.”
Well, it is definitely more high-tech than the 2007 version, but is that necessarily a good thing? That’s what you are here to find out in this reboot to the popular video game of the same name (minus the Agent 47 part, that is). Rupert Friend is Agent 47 in this updated version, and I will say that despite my initial upset feelings about the recasting of the character, he does an excellent job as the highly motivated and proficient assassin. As far as reinvention goes, I was pleased with this despite it being theoretically ridiculous in some areas, but hey, isn’t that what fantasy is anyway?
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NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 6
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 21st, 2015
“Let’s do it!”
NCIS has become the number-one-rated television show in the world. It might stand alone in that distinction, but it certainly doesn’t stand alone. Last season saw a new spin-off that took us to New Orleans. It’s hard to believe that it was six years ago now that NCIS: Los Angeles took to the West Coast streets and developed its own brand of Naval criminal justice. It’s a franchise that rivals Law & Order or CSI in its ability to stretch out and continue to build a fan base.
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Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on August 20th, 2015
by Dustin P. Anderson
This is a biopic of Marilyn Monroe, and there is not much more to it than that; regardless, here is a quick synopsis. This mini-series follows the life of the famous (and sometimes infamous) Marilyn Monroe. It goes through her battle with mental illness as well as the history of mental illness in her family. It leads us into what caused her drug/alcohol abuse and frequent lovers/husbands and how the world came to know her as Marilyn Monroe.
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Maude: Season 2
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 20th, 2015
“And then there’s Maude.”
In football there’s always a lot of talk about coaching trees. You know the idea. Some great mastermind who saw his assistants go on to have success of their own and who passed that lucky charm down to others for, perhaps, generations. All In The Family would be the television equivalent to a coach with a long tree. There were an incredible number of spinoffs that lead to other spinoffs. Archie’s neighbors The Jeffersons moved on up to the East Side and had their own several years of success.
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Vendetta
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on August 20th, 2015
“You have the skills of a cop, and the constitution of a cold-blooded killer. What better combination can there be.”
There are clearly no heroes in this revenge tale, making it kind of hard to decide who to root for. If anything, it is bad versus slightly less bad. Dean Cain stars as Mason Danvers, a once-honest cop who gets himself locked up on to seek revenge against the criminal who murdered his wife. Revenge, now there is a subject that never gets old; however, in the case of Vendetta it is likely it will get old very fast. I had high hopes, as the premise had my interest, but the overall presentation was a lot less cerebral than I had hoped, coming off more cause-and-effect rather than cat-and-mouse.
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It Happened Here
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on August 20th, 2015
“We like to believe that it’s false reporting because we just, in general, don’t want to believe that rape happens at the level that it does.”
These words are spoken by Diane Rosenfeld, and are probably some of the most poignant words spoken in this documentary. Lisa Jackson’s film It Happened Here tells the story of young women who have been raped during their stay at college. Each one of the girls recount their traumatic experiences and each one do everything in their power to make this horrifying reality known to the public.
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When the Checks Stop Coming In
Posted in No Huddle by J C on August 20th, 2015
In a relatively short amount of time, Moguldom Studios has built up a diverse stable of bite-size documentaries that focus on contemporary African American life. Some would say these independent “docutainment” films are limiting themselves to a niche audience, but I appreciate them for tackling well-worn topics from a different cultural perspective. When the Checks Stop Coming In is easily the best out of the recent trio of Moguldom offerings I’ve gotten a chance to review. The film understands that going broke is not a problem unique to the African American community, but is insightful enough to show some of the factors that uniquely affect that segment of the population.
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Knifed Up: The Evolution of Cosmetic Surgery
Posted in No Huddle by J C on August 20th, 2015
In a relatively short amount of time, Moguldom Studios has built up a diverse stable of bite-size documentaries that focus on contemporary African American life. Some would say these independent “docutainment” films are limiting themselves to a niche audience, but I appreciate them for tackling well-worn topics from a different cultural perspective. Knifed Up is one of two largely superficial plastic surgery docs released by the production company this week. The film’s subtitle is The Evolution of Cosmetic Surgery, so it operates from the premise that women have gone from wanting to look like Barbie to wanting to look like Nicki Minaj or a Kardashian.
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Bottoms Up: Rise of the Backside
Posted in No Huddle by J C on August 20th, 2015
In a relatively short amount of time, Moguldom Studios has built up a diverse stable of bite-size documentaries that focus on contemporary African American life. Some would say these independent “docutainment” films are limiting themselves to a niche audience, but I appreciate them for tackling well-worn topics from a different cultural perspective. Bottoms Up: Rise of the Backside is one of two largely superficial plastic surgery docs released by the production company this week. The cheeky (ha!) title was my first clue that this wouldn’t be a totally serious examination of the subject.
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NCIS: Season 12 (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2015
CBS has finally decided to release the number-one-rated show in the world on high-definition Blu-ray. It’s a milestone event for the network and for fans of the show, and it only took 12 years to get it done. To be fair, Blu-ray hasn’t quite been around for 12 years, but many networks have gotten us caught up with popular shows in high definition by this time. It’s remarkable that it did take this long to get a season of NCIS on Blu-ray. Let’s hope the numbers warrant that future seasons be given the same treatment and that we’ll then be able to get the previous 11. It’s an experiment CBS has tried with both CSI and NCIS: LA. Unfortunately, numbers must not have supported that move.
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William Castle Film Collection
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2015
“I am William Castle, the director of the motion picture you are about to see. I feel obligated to warn you that some of the sensations, some of the physical reactions which the actors on the screen will feel, will also be experienced for the first time in motion picture history, by certain members of this audience. I say certain members, because some people are more sensitive than others. These unfortunate sensitive people will, at times, feel a strange tingling sensation. Others will feel it less strongly…”
Horror fans feel very strongly about William Castle.
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Shark Week: Dominating the Deep
Posted in No Huddle by J C on August 19th, 2015
Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week extravaganza is billed as “cable’s longest-running programming event.” The summertime ritual premiered in 1988, and its longevity is a testament to viewers’ enduring fascination with the majestic, sharp-toothed creatures. Of course, the flip side of that longevity is that coming up with new material each year is increasingly difficult. As a result, this new Dominating the Deep DVD set features some legitimately thrilling moments alongside a few too many episodes that rely on flimsy science, and myth-making sensationalism to entertain audiences.
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Last Days of the Nazis
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2015
“It’s 1945 and World War II is over. Hitler is defeated. But over eight million Nazis remain. Now Allies must conduct interrogations to identify Nazi offenders, from war criminals to the girl next door. What emerges is a startling history of the rise and fall of the Third Reich from a unique perspective: the Nazis themselves. What you are about to see and hear is based on their real interrogations. This is what they told us.”
It’s always been true that history is written by the victors.
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Tuesday Round Up: August 18, 2015
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on August 18th, 2015
Busy times here at UpcomingDiscs. We’ve got our hands full with a grand total of 21(!) titles that release today — and who knows how many more flying in during the week — so keep checking our site for a barn full of reviews over the next week or so. But enough jibber jabber: let’s get to this week’s Round Up! CBS/Paramount is giving fans a triple of dose of NCIS with Season 12 of the original series, Season 6 of NCIS: Los Angeles, and Season 1 of NCIS: New Orleans. ABC/Disney’s offers magic and medicine with Once Upon a Time: Season 4 and Grey’s Anatomy: Season 11. Fox revives The Killing: Season 4, Lionsgate lets us live among The Royals: Season 1, Discovery Channel revs up for Fast N’ Loud: Speed Demons, and Entertainment One goes on patrol with Rookie Blue: Season 5, Volume One.
And we’re just getting started. Shout! Factory releases a quintet of titles: Nomads, Welcome Back, Kotter: The Final Season, The Rebel: Season 1, and a pair of double features with Easy Money/Men at Work and Metamorphosis/Beyond Darkness. Speaking of good things coming in fives: Mill Creek Entertainment will release the Hammer Film Collection and William Castle Horror Collection, each of which feature five spook-tastic films. Moguldom Studios offers a quick nip and tuck with plastic surgery docs Knifed Up and Bottoms Up, while Docurama explores sexual assault on college campuses with It Happened Here. Finally, MPI Home Video goes from 5 to 7, while A&E Home Video uncovers The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.
RLJ Entertainment has Catching Faith out today and you can win a copy in our contest pages.
As always, don’t be shy about letting us know which of these titles you’re most excited to watch or read about.
We’d love to hear you tell us what you plan to add to your own video collection this week. We’re going to add a little incentive to hear from you. Once a month we’re going to give away a free DVD title from among the comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. You tell us what you’re interested in, and you might just get something free for sharing. The winners and their prizes will be announced the first week of every month right here in our Tuesday Round-Up post.
And one last reminder before signing off for the week: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week!
The Knick: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2015
“Welcome to The Knick.”
The Knick is the fictional Knickerbocker hotel in 1900 New York. It’s a hospital that was once part of an affluent neighborhood but now finds itself in an area falling to poverty. Still it’s a place where innovations are being made on a daily basis, thanks to an inspired group of doctors led by Dr. J.M. Christiansen (Frewer) and his relentless search to find ways to decrease the mortality rate in surgery patients.
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Person of Interest: The Complete Fourth Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2015
“We are being watched. The government has a secret system. A machine that spies on you every hour of every day. I designed the machine to detect acts of terror, but it sees everything. Violent crimes involving ordinary people. The government considers these people irrelevant. We don’t. Hunted by the authorities, we work in secret. You’ll never find us. But victim or perpetrator, if your number is up, we’ll find you.”
The premise of Person Of Interest was turned on its head in season 3. If you are new to the show, don’t even think about starting here.
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The Killing: The Complete Fourth Season
Posted in No Huddle by J C on August 17th, 2015
The Killing will leave behind two lasting legacies: it’s the show that wouldn’t die, and it could never quite stick the landing. The bleak crime drama drew intense criticism after failing to resolve its central mystery at the end of season 1, and was canceled by AMC after wrapping up the Rosie Larsen case in the season 2 finale. The show got a last-minute reprieve when AMC ordered a third season that I personally considered to be show’s strongest. But instead of leaving well enough alone, The Killing returned for a six-episode fourth season on Netflix.
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2 Broke Girls: The Complete Fourth Season
Posted in No Huddle by J C on August 17th, 2015
Everyone on TV has nicer clothes and a bigger home than you do. And I’m not just talking about fictional doctors or lawyers. Even small-screen characters with relatively modest incomes manage to live in palatial apartments. Need proof? The 2 Broke Girls in CBS’s hit sitcom have an apartment that is literally big enough to fit a horse. (Hi, Chestnut.) Season 4 even manages to squeeze in a gaggle of Victoria’s Secret models (Ep. 6/“And the Model Apartment”), and the girls’ building gets a new tenant when lewd line cook Oleg (Jonathan Kite) moves in with larger-than-life upstairs neighbor Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge), leading to the one-liner “the booty call is coming from inside the house.”
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The Dovekeepers (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 14th, 2015
“You will remain my prisoners until you’ve told me what really happened in Masada.”
Those words are spoken by Flavius Josephus, the real-life historian for the Romans who chronicled the Siege of Masada. In The Dovekeepers, Josephus is talking to two iron-willed female prisoners who also happen to be among the few people who survived the attack. Their story is told in flashback, and this two-part miniseries brushes up against some interesting points about who gets to write humanity’s history. But in telling the story from a female perspective — an admirable, out-of-the-box idea — this miniseries reduces a complex, fascinating historical event into a stiff, protracted soap opera.
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