Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on August 20th, 2019
When a film comes along directed by Richard Linklater, I’m always going to have a little interest in what he’s up to. He’s one of those directors I’ve followed from the 90’s that every few years he cranks out a film that I can’t help but enjoy. Dazed and Confused, his Before Sunrise series, Boyhood, Everybody Wants Some!!, School of Rock, and several other of his films are proof enough that he has a solid filmography, but he’s never quite been the guy to make a splash at the box office. Because of his track record, I’m a bit surprised to see that his new film Where’d You Go, Bernadette managed to squeeze into the tail end of the summer when the trailers would have me thinking this could be an awards-caliber film. Well, as it turns out, the film is a swing and a miss. While I still enjoyed the film, it’s a bit frustrating, because this film seems like it’s so close to being something great, but it just manages to disappoint throughout.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on August 19th, 2019
Our friends over at Marvel/Walt Disney want you to be a part of something big. How big? How about the biggest there ever was? Avengers: Endgame kicked James Cameron's butt and became the highest grossing movie of all time. Marvel invites you to own it on Blu-ray for free. That's right. We're giving away a High Definition copy of The Avengers: Endgame for one lucky Upcomingdiscs fan.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 16th, 2019
“That’s a great fifth option; let’s work on the other four.”
This line is one of the signature witty clips that Ryan Reynolds brings to the character of Pikachu in this movie adaptation of the popular Nintendo DS video game, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. It is clear that Pokemon is standing the test of time, as I remember collecting and playing the cards in my youth. Though the card game appears to have fallen out of favor, the franchise received a resurgence a few years ago with the emergence of popular mobile phone app, Pokemon GO! In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised of the popularity of app led to the decision for this live action film starring Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, and Bill Nighy. This was a solid opening in my opinion, though I am skeptical of its film franchise potential, given that those without a basic understanding of the video game or card game (there does not appear to be any connection to the original animated series or subsequent animated films besides inclusion of the Pikachu character) are unlikely to get by the questions of “What are Pokemon?” or “Where do they come from?”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on August 13th, 2019
It is hard to not like a well done baseball movie. From Bad News Bears to The Natural to The Pride of the Yankees, there have been a slew of movies on America's favorite pastime. Today's review of Major League in its thirty years after release is another fine baseball movie which does well with great characters and easy to root for story-line of the plucky underdogs. Let us take a look at this re-issue of a fine blu-ray with a snazzy new cover and see what it has going for it.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 13th, 2019
Plus One takes a completely predictable premise and injects some much needed chemistry and comedic timing into it. I mean, come on; based off the synopsis alone we can tell that it is inevitable that our leads’ interactions will eventually turn romantic. I mean, we’ve got Ben, played by Jack Quaid (Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid’s son, also the star of Amazon Prime’s latest series, The Boys), the last of his single friends who has romanticized the idea of the perfect companion. Then there is Alice, played by Maya Erskine (PEN15), a jaded woman following a breakup. These two single friends decided to team together and act as each other’s plus ones to all their friends’ weddings. Come on, it doesn’t take a seasoned critic to see the romance coming. This ideal is pretty much standard operating procedure in romantic comedies with hit-or-miss potential. Well, if it hadn’t been for the chemistry between Quaid and Erskine, the comedic timing of the supporting cast, and Erskine’s individual performance, this movie wouldn’t have been a hit.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 13th, 2019
I’ll go ahead and get this out of the way, Batman: Hush is my favorite DC graphic novel; it’s one I’ve read multiple times and one I’ve dreamed to see done as a live action film. The story is just one that offers up so much for the fans to enjoy, and considering it features just about all of the core characters in the Batman rogues gallery, it’s simply a graphic novel that I’m surprised it’s taken this long to tackle. When it comes to DC, though, they’ve been pretty hit-or-miss when it comes to their properties being adapted for the big screen, but for television and their animated films they’ve been successful. Basically when I heard Hush was going to be an animated film, it’s one I got excited about, but in the back of my mind I was worried this could end up being like The Killing Joke, great material that just didn’t connect. So how was this adventure with the caped crusader?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 13th, 2019
"Tell me a story..."
One of the first people in my life to tell me a story was J.R.R. Tolkien. I was given a colorfully illustrated copy of The Hobbit that I still have to this very day. Sure, it was abridged and was mostly filled with pictures, but I was likely five years old when I got the book. The fact that I've kept it this long should tell you something about the kind of story Tolkien told me. Since that time I've read the Fellowship Of The Ring trilogy at least three times. I've written music inspired by those stories. And then there are the six massive films from Peter Jackson. In all these years I've never quite shaken the words of a man I never did have the opportunity to meet... that is, until now. Watching the biographic drama Tolkien leaves me with a sense of connection that I always wished I might obtain to the man himself. It's still rather early in the film season, and while this might not quite be the season for such things just yet, I must say I've at least seen the best film of 2019 to date.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on August 10th, 2019
When Dwayne Johnson joined the Fast and Furious franchise, I thought the series couldn’t get any bigger, especially when he and Vin Diesel faced off in one of the best scenes ever in an action movie. Then Jason Statham appeared in the end credits of Fast and the Furious 6 shattering that glass ceiling, and he didn’t disappoint, proving to be one of the group’s biggest adversaries. Then there was the fact that the Statham-Johnson showdown trumped the Diesel-Johnson battle, thereby showing the former’s electric chemistry. It was only a matter of time until a spin-off film came about. Lo and behold, Fast and the Furious presents Hobbs and Shaw. Now, the film has been a source of controversy for the franchise, with both Diesel and Tyrese Gibson voicing their discontent about the delaying of their next installment in favor of this film. Needless to say, Johnson will not be taking part of the ninth installment of the series, but I doubt he is losing much sleep about that, especially when he has the makings of his own franchise with this film.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on August 10th, 2019
Live action remakes are Hollywood’s latest trend, and they are usually a hit or a miss. That was a universal truth that I went into this movie knowing. To that end, I fully expected that Dora and the Lost City of Gold to be on the side of the latter rather than the former, and yet I was unexpectedly wrong. The film even managed to captivate my daughter, and if you guys have been reading my reviews, you know that she has the potential to be a harsher critic than I do. (If you need proof, look no further than her opinion of Missing Link). I wasn’t even sure that my daughter was that a big a Dora the Explorer fan. Well, if she wasn’t before, she most certainly is now after this movie. Isabela Moner (Instant Family) brings the titular character to life in this live action film that has her facing the biggest challenge of her life.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 10th, 2019
I am a Power Rangers fan. I grew up during the first incarnation of the series and had every one of the action figures with the flipping head to show them masked and unmasked. Hell, I am even a fan of the film that premiered in 2017 so much that I would welcome a sequel, though that prospect seems unlikely with the rising profiles of Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, and Dacre Montgomery. All that said, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie is where I get off the bandwagon. Despite featuring some of the original cast members, the story is too convoluted and over-the-top to find enjoyable. Taking place after the events of Powers Rangers’ fourth season, also known as Power Rangers Zeo, Turbo sees Tommy Oliver still in command (i.e. the red ranger) of the last crop of Rangers. While competing in a local charity fight to save the Youth Shelter, Rocky DeSantos takes a fall and is seriously injured, which leads to the discovery of their identities by Justin, a friend of Rocky and frequenter of the Youth Shelter. Meanwhile, a new enemy emerges in the form of Divatox, an intergalactic space pirate who is searching for a key that will allow him to traverse an inter-dimensional gateway in order to marry a Maligore, who has promised riches and immense power in exchange for their union.
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