12 Days Of Christmas Giveaways – Day 2: Dynasty The Final Season
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on December 26th, 2014
On the Second Day Of Christmas CBS gives to you:
Dynasty The Final Season. Here’s a blast from the past. CBS has finally released all of Dynasty on DVD and one lucky winner here gets to start their year with Dynasty’s end. It’s both vol 1 & 2 of the release. So how many fans are still out there?
To enter just follow these 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 was the worst film of 2014?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed Winner is Leah Shumack
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.
The Gambler
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on December 26th, 2014
“I need to know what you are worth when I leave you nothing.”
These are the parting words that Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is left with from his dying grandfather. At first these words may seem a bit harsh but after the more time we spend with Bennett we start to understand the grandfather’s intentions. The Gambler, a remake of the 1974 film with same title, follows Bennett along his downward spiral as his gambling addiction drags him down to the point where death is imminent, yet death seems to be the escape Bennett so desperately craves
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12 Days Of Christmas Giveaways – Day 1: Grey’s Anatomy: Season 10
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on December 25th, 2014
On the First Day Of Christmas ABC Studios gives to you:
Grey’s Anatomy The Complete Tenth Season. Sometimes you have to be naughty to be nice. The season’s theme was “Live for the moments” and there are a ton of moments in this collection of episodes. It’s time to say goodbye to Sandra Oh. Now you can have landmark season thanks to ABC and Upcomingdiscs.
To enter just follow these 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 was the best film of 2014?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed Winner is Tony Miller
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.
Into the Woods
Posted in The Reel World by J C on December 25th, 2014
It took a while for Hollywood to finally venture Into the Woods. On one hand, the delay isn’t surprising given that the popularity of live-action musicals at the box office has ebbed and flowed many times since Woods made its Broadway debut in 1987. Then again, the story’s free-wheeling mash-up of Grimms’ fairy tale characters fits perfectly with the current obsession with shared cinematic universes. As a result, Disney — which has a storied past with fairy tales, and a lucrative present with cross-platforming popular characters — seems like the perfect landing spot for an Into the Woods movie.
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Unbroken
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on December 24th, 2014
Well, it’s that time of year when the studios make that extra push for awards season, and with Angelina Jolie at the helm directing her second film, Unbroken is the kind of film where after one viewing of the trailer you just know this is Oscar bait. I love this time of year, and I love seeing the best of what the studios have to offer, but sometimes these films with high hopes just don’t deliver as expected. Unbroken takes us on a journey through the life of Olympian Louis Zamperini (Jack O’ Connell) from his early years as a troubled child on through his torturous years as a prisoner of Japan during World War 2.
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Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: A&E
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 24th, 2014
A&E always has something for everyone. They changed the landscape of television by turning the reality show on its head. Instead of losers trying to win a prize by acting like idiots, the cameras of A&E’s shows take us in to the often bizarre and hyper-real worlds of pawn shops, ice road truckers and pest control businesses. The team has put together some nice sets to help fill some gaps in the collection of someone on your shopping list. It’s time to load up on some of these collectible sets before someone ends up with coal in their stocking
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The Nine Lives of Christmas
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on December 24th, 2014
It’s the holidays as you all are well aware of by now, and if not, well, you may have some last minute shopping to do. But for the rest of us, finding time between eggnog parties and decorating, to stay in the holiday spirit I try and squeeze in as many holiday films as I can. Unfortunately for my girlfriend, to me a holiday film is Lethal Weapon, Gremlins and Die Hard. But on the bright side, here at Upcomingdiscs we are given titles that we normally wouldn’t give a look to, and in the case of The Nine Lives of Christmas, this little Hallmark film turned out to be a sweet little gem.
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Edith Wharton: The Sense of Harmony
Posted in No Huddle by J C on December 23rd, 2014
“Life is always a tightrope or a featherbed. Give me the tightrope.”
Edith Wharton was born into the “featherbeds” of New York’s high society, and some of her most famous books — “The Age of Innocence”, “The House of Mirth” — are set among the well-to-do elite. But this dry, informative documentary — which focuses on her work as a designer, world traveler, and philanthropist — makes the case that Wharton chose the “tightrope.”
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Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: Star Trek: The Next Generation In High Definition
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 22nd, 2014
“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
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Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: CBS Television
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 22nd, 2014
I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theatre, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too kinky to talk about. Fortunately, Upcomingdiscs has come to the rescue every Christmas with our Gift Guide Spotlights. This time we turn our attention to CBS. You already know about Star Trek releases, but you say you have some drama fans on your shopping list. They don’t want aliens or spaceships. They want stories and criminals getting caught. We’ve got you covered with the best from CBS
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Day of the Mummy
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on December 22nd, 2014
Cursed mummies have been a part of cinema dating as far back as you can likely imagine. That being said, I won’t call it worthy of his own subcategory or say that there aren’t new avenues to take with the premise. However, I will say that I find it difficult to imagine new approaches given that the films of the past have already found some truly entertaining avenues already. Day of the Mummy deserves credit for the unique avenue it attempted to take, but it doesn’t deserve much of anything else after that.
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Annie (2014)
Posted in The Reel World by J C on December 19th, 2014
– “There she is, our little orphan Annie.”
– “I’m a foster kid!”
“Little Orphan Annie” began life as a comic strip way back in 1924, but the resourceful and irresistible character probably achieved her greatest prominence after the 1977 debut of the Broadway musical “Annie.” Although there have been other theatrical productions and movies, it’s been a bit of a while since Annie first became a big deal. So I certainly understand the impulse to modernize the story for 21st century audiences. What I don’t understand is why the makers of this new version also seem eager to blow up the beloved source material.
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Finding Joy
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on December 19th, 2014
“It is a deliberate mystery the how, when, and if of it all.”
This quote perfectly characterized the entire story of Finding Joy. The reality is this movie has left me questioning: what would you do if you truly believed that your end is near? How would you spend what could be your final days? Would you do charity work as a way of buying your way into heaven?
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Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: ABC Television
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2014
ABC and Disney have some rather entertaining television sets for that hard-to-please television addict on your shopping list. In recent years more and more of us engage in something called binge-watching. With either a DVR or the season sets releases, we watch an entire season of a show in a matter of a few days. I’ll bet you have a binge-watcher on that list of yours. You might want to consider some of the ABC family of shows.
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This Is Where I Leave You (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on December 18th, 2014
“Everybody’s sad or angry or lying or cheating.”
That seems to be the state of the four adult Altman children even before they are thrust back together following the death of the family patriarch. This Is Where I Leave You has all the makings of a great dysfunctional dramedy. It has a terrific cast and is based on the very popular book by Jonathan Tropper, who wrote the screenplay. Yet the movie comes up well short of delivering on its promise. Despite some strong acting, a handful of funny beats, and a passing similarity to another ensemble movie where characters who were formerly close are brought back together by a funeral, this movie is less Big Chill and more “Big Shrill.”
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The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on December 17th, 2014
“Will you follow me, one last time?”
It’s time to say goodbye to Middle Earth, at least from a cinematic perspective. The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies marks the last time we shall see Peter Jackson’s version of Middle Earth. Sure, Ian McKellen has told us he wouldn’t be surprised to see some kind of a return. I would.
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Exclusive Interview: Jeremy Berg Director Of The Device
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on December 16th, 2014
“What if the rumors and urban legends are real… that aliens walk among us, abducting people for unthinkable experiments? Sisters Abby and Rebecca are about to discover the horrifying truth when they find a harmless looking object in the woods near their family’s cabin. The small black sphere is the key to a shocking mystery that will change the course of human destiny. The Device has plans for us, and this world is no longer ours.”
That’s the premise for The Device out now on DVD from RLJ/Image Entertainment. I had a short opportunity to talk to the film’s director: Jeremy Berg. Check out what he has to say and then check out the DVD. Bang it here to listen to my chat with Jeremy Berg.
The Skeleton Twins (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on December 16th, 2014
“You know what the sad thing is? We’re a good team.”
Up until they teamed up to star in The Skeleton Twins, there was nothing sad about the team of Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. Regardless of how you feel about the quality of Saturday Night Live in recent years, Wiig (the only cast member to earn an Oscar nomination — for co-writing Bridesmaids — while still appearing on the show) and Hader (with “Stefon” and a laundry list of impressions that ranged from Alan Alda to Al Pacino) were clear standouts. So you’d expect their first post-SNL big-screen team up to be a laugh riot. That’s not exactly the case.
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Drunk History Seasons 1 and 2
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on December 15th, 2014
Drunk History was inspired by a conversation the creator of the show, Derek Waters, had with actor Jake Johnson (New Girl). Johnson was drunk and told Waters a crazy story about Otis Redding predicting the plane he was getting on was going to crash. Waters took that germ and refined it considerably with co-conspirator Jeremy Konner. They released some videos on Funny or Die (that are readily available on Youtube). They have since made shows for Comedy Central, which are the two seasons included here in this collection.
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Guardians of the Galaxy
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on December 15th, 2014
“Are you telling me that the fate of thirty million inhabitants is in the hands of these criminals?”
Now that we are in the middle of phase two of Marvel’s movie universe, a new batch of characters have been given a movie of their own to help set the stage for what is to come in the ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe. The Guardians of the Galaxy announcement for many left fans scratching their heads; after all, just how would a talking raccoon, a lumbering tree and various other space aliens fit in with the established Avengers team comic and film fans have grown to love already?
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Exodus: Gods and Kings
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on December 15th, 2014
When it comes to the modern epic, director Ridley Scott is the go-to guy to pull off the sprawling and mega-budget storylines. From Gladiator to Kingdom of Heaven, Scott has constantly proven himself behind the camera in executing tales with lavish sets and battles involving hundreds to even thousands of extras. With the release of Exodus: Gods and Kings, a retelling of the Bible story where Moses frees the slaves of Egypt, Ridley Scott would seem the perfect choice for this film. Unfortunately this is a Bible story that is sure to anger religious scholars and put some general audiences to sleep.
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Speak No Evil
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on December 15th, 2014
With the exception of killer clowns, I think the creepiest villains you can find in a horror film are possessed kids. After all, they’re kids, so the knee-jerk reaction of letting them be overtaken by evil or letting them die is a bad thing in many circles. Personally, if I’m being chased by some murderous kid who claims to have the devil in him, well, I’m not taking any chances, and they are going to end up on the unfriendly end of a handgun. Thankfully I don’t believe the evil will be rising any time soon to kick off the ultimate war between good and evil.
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Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special
Posted in No Huddle by J C on December 15th, 2014
“Screw you, it’s ‘Merry Christmas!’”
A decent chunk of Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special is devoted to taking back the most wonderful time of the year from anyone who insists on saying “Happy Holidays” instead of daring to utter the C-word. The wildly successful comic certainly knows his audience, and the live crowd here eats up Dunham’s assault on rampant political correctness. My feelings on this particular DVD release, on the other hand, are closer to “Bah, humbug!
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Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: Warner Brothers Television On Blu-ray
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 11th, 2014
When it comes to getting the current shows out in high definition, no one does it better than Warner Brothers. I am impressed each year with the number of shows they release on Blu-ray every year. Readers to this site know what I’m talking about. If you have TV fans on your list who also are fans of sci-fi and horror, these are the best sets to get this holiday season. Below you’ll find some excerpts from our reviews. I’ve put it all in one place to make your shopping experience easier. I know how little time you’ve got with a lot of shopping to do. Don’t forget to use one of our links if you get them from Amazon. It’ll help keep us going another year.
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Perry Mason Double Features
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on December 11th, 2014
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote crime fiction, and while many of his 100 or so works are unknown to most of us, he created a character who has become as identified with criminal lawyers as any other in fiction. It was in these crime novels that Perry Mason first faced a courtroom. He developed a style where he would investigate these terrible crimes his clients were on trial for. He would find the real killer, and in what has become a Hollywood cliché, reveal his findings in a crucial moment during the trial. While we may not remember the novels, we all remember the man in the persona of Raymond Burr.
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