Gangland Undercover
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on July 7th, 2015
“When I first took the deal to become an undercover informant in a biker gang, I did it to save my own skin. But over the next three years, putting bad guys away became my personal mission. I saw it as a chance to make amends for my past mistakes, but I paid a heavy price. I’m Charles Falco, and this is my story.”
So, who the heck is Charles Falco? For a while he was a rather successful meth cook who was pulling in 100 g’s a month. He appeared to have it all: fast cars, big house, and a trophy wife. The problem is that he got hooked on his own product. That leads to mistakes
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Encore of Tony Duran
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on July 7th, 2015
by Dustin P. Anderson
We follow Tony Duran, a washed up performer who was never a big name to anyone, and whose life is starting to fall apart. He has become an obese alcoholic who stacks lies on top of lies in order to not seem like the bad guy to the people who still care about him (all two of them). After one last attempt to get some money so he can pay off some of his increasing debt, his son turns away from him. In the aftermath of this, Tony’s friend Jerry challenges him to become a better person. He gets Tony to sing in front of people (like he once did), and Tony’s eyes finally open to the truth. He sets off to lose some weight, stop drinking, and prepare for a show that Jerry has lined up for him.
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Awaken
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on July 7th, 2015
Awaken is a fantastic example of the idea that less is more. The film has a great deal going for it: an intriguing story, a rather noteworthy cast, and a strong leading actress, among other things. But at what point do filmmakers decide to say, “when”? Each of the film’s strengths I have listed end up overflowing, causing a rather disappointing mess that could have been avoided with just a little less of everything. Beginning with the interesting concept, the basic plot is as follows: Billie Kope (Natalie Burn) wakes up on an island with no recollection of how she got there.
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Maggie (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on July 7th, 2015
Maggie is a slow zombie movie. You might assume I’m describing where this film falls on the fast zombie vs. slow zombie spectrum. (For the record, the monsters in Maggie do move at a decidedly deliberate pace.) However, the deliberate pace also applies to the way first-time director Henry Hobson unfurls his story in this bleak zombie drama. Everybody in this film — including a playing-against-type Arnold Schwarzenegger — shuffles and lumbers their way through their lives, whether or not they’ve been infected with a lethal virus. In other words, this is pretty much the last thing you’d expect from a movie that has both Schwarzenegger and zombies…and that’s a big reason of why I dig it.
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Contest: Win Echoes Of War On DVD From ARC Entertainment
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on July 7th, 2015
There are some great folks over at ARC Entertainment who like to take good care of us. That’s good news for us. It’s even better news for you. They’ve sent over three copies of their new DVD Echoes Of War. We’re giving them to you. It’s Texas just after The Civil War and there’s plenty of grief to go around. When it appears that there’s also some stealing going on, one man decides to take justice into his own hands. The bad blood threatens to grip this community once again. The film stars James Badge Dale, Ethan Embry and William Forsythe. It’s now out on DVD. It can also be yours.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
- Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.
- Do not post your address as an actual comment! Instead tell us – Who is your favorite Western actor of all time?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed Winners are CLC, Andrew Duckner & Evan
Winners are notified by E-mail. If you did not get a confirmation E-mail from us, check your Spam filter and contact us. Any prize not claimed in 2 weeks will be forfeit and be placed in the end of year contests next Holiday Season
Last Knights (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 6th, 2015
“During the long, dark period of the Great Wars, an elite class of soldier rose from battle. Their unbreakable code was simple: possess a noble heart of courage, right conduct, and absolute devotion to one’s master. From out of those years of bloodshed an empire would emerge. Its power would assimilate persons of every color, creed, and faith. This uncontested rule eroded the traditions of the great knights… but not for all.”
Last Knights is an ambitious direct-to-video production. It sports a rather elite class of actors headed by Morgan Freeman, who adds a ton of gravitas to any role he plays.
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Contest: Win Kill Me Three Times On Blu-ray From Magnolia Home Entertainment
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on July 6th, 2015
Our pals over at Magnolia Home Entertainment want us to have three times the fun. They’ve given us three copies of the Simon Pegg film Kill Me Three Times on high definition Blu-ray. It’s a dark comedy involving an eccentric hit-man who finds out that more than one person wants Alice Braga’s cheating wife character dead. The film also stars Luke Hemsworth. they say once is never enough. Let’s try for three.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
- Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.
- Do not post your address as an actual comment! Instead tell us – Where are you going/gone for Summer vacation?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed Winners are Gary Smith, Craig Johnson & Carol H.
Winners are notified by E-mail. If you did not get a confirmation E-mail from us, check your Spam filter and contact us. Any prize not claimed in 2 weeks will be forfeit and be placed in the end of year contests next Holiday Season.
Exclusive Interview With David Keith Of Awaken
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on July 4th, 2015
Awaken hits on DVD from Arc Entertainment on July 7th. In the meantime, enjoy the second in our three-part interview series to talk about the movie. David Keith has been acting a long time. He’s played such diverse characters as Elvis and Ollie North. This time he plays an ethically-challenged doctor. I had a chance to talk to him about his career and his role. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with David Keith.
You should also check out his charity work to protect children at Protect.org
Terminator: Genisys
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on July 3rd, 2015
“A straight line…you just go, and you never…look…back.”
Well, I hope you’re ready to have everything you know about the Terminator franchise turned on its head. As a franchise known for his alternative timelines where the things we come to know are often turned around, my previous statement may sound like the usual bread and butter to you. However, I must say that I feel like the latest incarnation of the franchise, Terminator Genisys, has really outdone itself this time. As far as reboots go, this may be one of the best that I have seen in quite some time as we are introduced to a completely new cast (well, almost completely new cast) portraying characters already near and dear to our hearts.
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Contest: Win Debug From Ketchup Entertainment
Posted in Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on July 3rd, 2015
Our friends over at Ketchup Entertainment are going to send up a little fireworks of their own here at Upcomingdiscs. They’ve given us 2 copies of their sci-fi adventure Debug to give away. The movie was directed by David Hewlett, better known as Dr. Rodney McKay to his legion of Stargate fans. It also stars his castmate Jason Momoa. Jason has been shining pretty bright since his Stargate days. If you’ve been wanting to see it, we’ve got a chance for you to win it.
You can also listen to my chat with David Hewlett Here.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
- Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.
- Do not post your address as an actual comment! Instead tell us – What is your favorite Sci-fi film of all time?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed Winners are Aarone Mawdsley & Anthony L.
Winners are notified by E-mail. If you did not get a confirmation E-mail from us, check your Spam filter and contact us. Any prize not claimed in 2 weeks will be forfeit and be placed in the end of year contests next Holiday Season.
I Am Evel Knievel (Blu-ray)
Posted in Tuesday Round-Up by J C on July 2nd, 2015
“Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it.”
There’s a segment in I Am Evel Knievel that features some of Knievel’s contemporaries — along with a few of the younger extreme sports athletes he inspired — breaking down just how difficult it is to jump a motorcycle across vast distances. (Especially when you’re using relatively primitive equipment the way Knievel was.) Long story short, the crucial components are guts and a mental makeup that doesn’t allow you to overthink or dwell on the insanity of what you’re about to do. This entertaining documentary succeeds in illustrating how Knievel had both of those qualities in spades.
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Me Earl and the Dying Girl
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on July 1st, 2015
Me, Earl and the Dying Girl is not the perfect movie by any means, but it is pretty darn good. Sometime it is too clever for its own good, and sometimes its cleverness is what makes it good. It is a movie about a precocious high school teenager much in the tradition of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It has an offbeat and anarchic take on the high school experience, because the titular Me is giving his point of view. As with many narrators in the tradition of literature, his opinions can be unreliable. Me shall be known from now on as Greg (played by Thomas Mann) (no relation to the famous German novelist) (which I mention because German film maker Werner Herzog is all over this film).
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The Who: Live At Shea Stadium (1982)
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on July 1st, 2015
What young 1970’s pup, learning to play a guitar for the first time, didn’t, at one time or another, attempt to imitate Pete Townsend’s windmill power chord strum? I count myself in that group. While I was not a very dedicated Who fan, I had an appreciation for the musicianship. There were still songs like Pinball Wizard and Behind Blue Eyes that I would embrace as if they were my own anthems in those days. It would be hard to deny that The Who is one of the most successful rock bands in history. Part of the original British Invasion of the 1960’s, there are few such acts that are even still around, let alone able to fill the huge stadiums and halls of Rock’s yesteryears.
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We Are Monster
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on July 1st, 2015
Interpretation, that’s pretty much all a true crime story is. The thing about interpretation is it does not guarantee an accurate account of the facts, just one person’s perspective of transpired events, meaning what you see could either be true, partially true, or a complete fabrication. When it comes to We are Monsters, what you believe will be entirely up to you, because it definitely doesn’t pull any punches whatsoever. Told from the perspective of the killer, the story shows his decline into madness as well as a multitude of flashbacks that simply left me questioning how this guy wasn’t locked away sooner and why the key wasn’t encased in a concrete slab.
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Soldate Jeanette
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on July 1st, 2015
It is always a privilege to watch an Official Selection of the Sundance Film Festival. I have had the pleasure to screen a few films from Sundance 2013, and I have not been disappointed. Soldate Jeanette (‘Soldier Jane’ translated to English) is not the most captivating I have seen from Sundance, but with its digital camera aesthetics and visually striking images, it definitely carries a certain charm. Director Daniel Hoesl’s first feature-length film focuses on Fanni, an aging woman who is faced with eviction from her apartment. Fanni considers rent an unnecessary expense after twenty long years of living in her home, so she has refused to pay rent for the last three.
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Upcomingdiscs Talks With Robert Davi From Awaken
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on June 30th, 2015
Robert Davi has been around for a long time. He was a Bond villain against Timothy Dalton’s Bond in License To Kill. He went toe to toe with Sly Stallone in The Expendables 3. He told off Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Most of you remember him as Agent Malone on The Profiler. So what does he do for an encore? He sings Sinatra songs, what else? I’ll tell you what else. He stars in Awaken the new film out from Arc Entertainment. I had a great time talking to the man recently. We talked about Italy and music. Of course, we talked about Awaken. The man’s a force to be reckoned with. Just ask Sly, Bond or Bruce. It was even his birthday. Bang it here to listen to my conversation with Robert Davi. You should also check out his music site Here.
Lazarus Effect (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 29th, 2015
“There’s always a consequence for breaking the rules.”
Maybe that’s why the crew from The Lazarus Effect decided to use all of the rules and conventions in the book without daring to really break any new ground of its own. By the time I was finished with the film, I felt like I had watched several horror movies at the same time. It’s most intentionally Frankenstein meets Flatliners meets insert-your-favorite-ghost/possession-movie meets every-Stephen-King-film-ever-made. With all of that at its fingertips and a pretty bright cast, all The Lazarus Effect could do was raise itself to mediocrity.
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The Forger (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on June 29th, 2015
It honestly took me a while to get over the opening shot of The Forger. The shot itself is rather unremarkable: it’s a simple close-up of star John Travolta sitting in a small room by himself and staring straight ahead. But between his ridiculously obvious wig and the waxy texture of his face — the actor now looks like he’s wearing a Michael Myers-style “John Travolta” mask — I knew it was going to be pretty difficult to take him seriously, no matter who or what was playing. It’s a shame because there’s actually a pretty decent family drama to be found within The Forger.
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A Little Chaos
Posted in The Reel World by J C on June 27th, 2015
“Are you a believer in order?”
The natural order of things during the summer movie season is to be pummeled by one would-be blockbuster after another, each aiming to be louder and more extravagant than the last. So debuting A Little Chaos — a 2014 British period drama about a seemingly esoteric chapter of French faux-history — amidst all this noise is a curious decision. While the film certainly nails the “extravagant” part and largely adheres to costume drama conventions, there’s just enough here to make it a thoroughly pleasing alternative to the typical multiplex fare.
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Ted 2
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on June 26th, 2015
The original Ted movie gave us the answer to what would happen if a beloved toy came to life. I know what you are thinking; Toy Story provided us with the same answer, except Ted went a step further and revealed what happens when the little boy and the beloved toy grow up. Ted was a hard-drinking and drug-taking movie that was beloved by many. When it came to that movie I was thoroughly satisfied, and I did not believe that it could be improved upon, so when I heard the announcement of the sequel, I had reservations. In my opinion, the sequel was clear money grab that was going to ruin all that the original accomplished. I told you that to tell you this: I stand corrected. As it turns out, there was more story to tell, and I am glad that I got to experience it.
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Pandas: The Journey Home (Blu-ray-3D)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 26th, 2015
“In these mountains roams one of the rarest species on our planet. A shy, elusive, and gentle creature: the giant panda.”
If you are old enough you will remember President Richard Nixon’s famous trip the China. He was the first President to make the voyage, and it was heralded as a foreign policy breakthrough for the nation. Long after, the hoopla had died down and the only time it seemed Nixon was in the news was for Watergate. But even amid the scandal, one bright legacy of that trip remained for years to come. That was, of course, the Chinese gift to the United States to celebrate the event. We received two pandas named Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing that would capture the hearts of a nation even as Nixon was losing them
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Country Bucks Season 1
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on June 25th, 2015
“We’re just a typical American family that just happens to run a multimillion dollar outdoor empire. We create, test and sell the world’s coolest products for the modern outdoorsman, and we find our inspiration on a little slice of Heaven called the Busbice Family Ranch in Louisiana.”
Sounds like an infomercial, doesn’t it? It’s actually the intro to A&E’s latest in their collection of redneck families who happen to be in the dough. If you like Duck Dynasty, this show was made for you. It’s another one of those eccentric families in the outdoors business. With names like Uncle Hard Luck, these guys fit right in with the Robertson family over at Duck Dynasty.
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Lost For Words
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on June 25th, 2015
Right off the bat, the first 10-minute flashback in Lost for Words that repeats verbatim at the end could have been left on the cutting room floor. If you’re looking for an in-your-face, action-packed summer blockbuster, this isn’t for you. If you have more sophisticated tastes and are seeking a slow to medium-paced love story that transcends country and race, Lost for Words tells the beautiful bilingual tale of American ex-Marine-now-IT-guru Michael and Chinese modern dance ballerina Anna.
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Inside Out
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on June 25th, 2015
I should say right up front, it seems like everyone loves this film but me. That is pretty much true of all Pixar films. They seem to be above reproach, regret and retribution. I love some Pixar films very much, but many I find to be overpraised. In the case of the new film Inside Out, it is not so much bad as disturbing. It is well made but suffers from two problems. It is not overwhelmingly profound while being somewhat bewildering. Some people might say it is a film for kids, so I should give it a pass, but I disagree.
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Timbuktu (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on June 25th, 2015
“Jihadists are people too!” That’s probably the big, blinking takeaway from Timbuktu, director Abderrahmane Sissako’s Oscar-nominated drama about the occupation of the titular city by extreme Islamists. But it’s also the most reductive possible interpretation of a film that doesn’t shy away from portraying some of the beauty in thoroughly ugly circumstances. More importantly, Timbuktu tells a volatile story with tremendous grace.
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