For nine years Blue Bloods has been a staple on CBS, giving Tom Selleck a chance to completely redefine his television career. The once cocky and carefree Magnum P.I. now has established himself as the wise patriarch. It's a transition that a 1970's audience would never have bought. But now he's become a new kind of airwaves icon. The show has also managed to make it through eight years with very little change in the cast, and most of that coming from additions. This season is the first for the show to lose one of the major players and a rather beloved character on the show. Instead of making the season weaker, I think this might well be one of the strongest yet for the series.

When you guys try to destroy the world, it’s just an error in judgement. But when it’s one of us, it’s lock them up and throw away the key.”

For years now, the only thing my daughter has had to talk about is Descendants. I’ve had to endure the movies; I’ve had to buy the memorabilia. She has even had a Descendants-themed birthday party. So, we can go into this review knowing that good or bad, this film was going to have the Nalyce stamp of approval. Bias, I know, but fortunately we can depend on me to go into the film with my eyes open. Of the three films, this is quite possibly my favorite of the franchise, as it speaks real truth, especially the quote above.

"It's going to be a tearjerker."

It all started with Iron Man in 2008. Marvel Studios put together the most ambitious film saga in the history of the medium. 22 films that served as introduction to comic book heroes and the various story threads that would ultimately bind them together into one epic tale. All along the way it was important that each film stand on its own legs and provide enough story and action to satisfy the film audiences at each signpost along the way. 22 films over 11 years, and it all finally comes to its inevitable conclusion in The Avengers: Endgame. From this film forward, it's going to be a very different landscape for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. New heroes are on the way, and some will either no longer be there or will take on an entirely different form and persona. I'm not about to tell you where these changes come down. That would ultimately ruin this three-hour ride you are about to embark upon. But when it ends, you will completely understand that it was all leading to this point, and it will be a sad but satisfying conclusion. But before we talk about endings, let's enjoy that final ride into the end.

"My name is Oliver Queen. After six years of being a vigilante, the only way to achieve my goal and save my city was to confess to being The Green Arrow. Now my family and friends must carry on my mission without me. I am no longer a hero. I am inmate 4587."

Who the heck is this Green Arrow of whom you speak? If that's your first question, you need to go back a couple of grades and catch up with the rest of us. The comics are good place to begin, but the television universe is its own place and not tied so tightly to the DC comic book universe. Your best place to go to catch up would be the first six seasons. It'll be worth the effort, and I can get you started with those reviews found here. This review will not contain spoilers from the seventh season but very well must contain some from the previous year. So if you're not caught up, do that first.

Lucille Ball was originally a radio personality starring in a popular comedy, My Favorite Husband. It was here that she began to develop the character she would continue to play for decades in television through several shows, all bearing her name in one form or another: I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life With Lucy. See the pattern? Anyone who was a fan of the radio show would instantly recognize the red-haired actress even though they had never actually seen her on the radio. That exaggerated cry was already a staple of her physical comedy, even when she couldn't be seen. She had also toured for many years with her real-life husband Desi Arnaz. When they could not convince a network to film a pilot of a show featuring both of them, they made it on their own dime. CBS was so impressed with the pilot they reimbursed the couple, and in 1951 I Love Lucy hit the airwaves.

In 1975 a group of guys thought it was a good idea to steal $30 million from the mob. Vault just happens to be the “Hollywood” version of how that heist went down.  This is the kind of story I’m surprised has taken so long to make it to the big screen. While I’m not familiar with the facts on the heist and how it went down, something tells me there we plenty of liberties taken with this film.  Here’s the thing, though; whether the whole story was fiction or a true story, it’s a good idea and should have resulted in a fun heist film.  I’m impressed by how this film took such a good idea and turned it into the snooze-fest that we get here.  Despite having Chazz Palminteri, Don Johnson, and Vincent Pastore making appearances and a running time of 99 minutes, I can’t understand how this manages to feel like an over-bloated missed opportunity.

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.

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.

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“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?” 

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.