Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 16th, 2019
“You know, the first time we met, I really didn’t like you that much.”
I didn’t become acquainted with When Harry Met Sally… until well after the Billy Crystal/Meg Ryan flick had established itself as a bona fide romantic comedy classic. (I was 7 when the film came out in 1989.) So when I finally got around to watching it in my late teens, the “I’ll have what she’s having” punchlines and general set-up involving an unlikely romantic pairing felt overly familiar. I enjoyed it just fine, I definitely appreciated it, but I wouldn’t quite call what we had love. Shout Select, an imprint of Shout! Factory, has released a 30th anniversary Blu-ray of When Harry Met Sally… And after revisiting this film years later, I’m asking myself the same question that Harry and Sally ponder after being friendly for years: is this love?
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on January 15th, 2019
Please allow me to kick things off with a belated, "Happy 2019, everybody!" In the first Tuesday Round Up of the new year, Michael Myers comes home …again! Universal made a killing last fall with its Halloween reboot, and we’ll soon be reviewing the horror hit in 4K. Elsewhere, Lionsgate puts the pedal to the metal with Speed Kills and tries to find the light in After Darkness, while Omnibus Entertainment contends with the Oddsockeaters. Finally, Fox is in for some Bad Times at the El Royale (4K) and swings by Quahog for Family Guy Greatest Hits.
But wait…there’s a bit more! Later this week, we will be reviewing the first would-be blockbuster of 2019: M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass. It might be a new year now, but you're going to get the same weekly reminder before we sign 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!
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 14th, 2019
Pick of the Litter indeed. I never quite understood that phrase until I saw this documentary which follows the 18-month training period from the birth of a service dog to their placement with blind people to act as guides. I also didn’t realize how extensive a process that it was to train a guide dog, but when you think about it that makes sense given the importance these animals will play as people’s eyes. According to statistics, out of 800 dogs born to be service dogs, only 300 make it through the training process. So that means that 500 dogs don’t become guides. That’s surreal, but after watching the documentary, and seeing how in-depth the training is and the importance for the dogs to have the right temperament; I am glad to see how seriously the trainers take this task.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 10th, 2019
"The list is an absolute good. The list is life."
It had been nearly 20 years since I had seen Schindler's List. I believe this was only the second time I've watched it since seeing it in the theaters back in 1993. It's one of those films that doesn't lend itself to repeated viewings. It clocks in at over three hours, and the material is emotionally draining. That doesn't mean the film shouldn't be on everyone's shelf. It should. It should, because it tells a brutal story that civilization must never forget. It's clear that while the event remains in our collective memories, the reality of the Holocaust has been lost on too many people. Watch this film, and you will be completely amazed that anyone could throw words like Hitler or Nazi to describe anything that could be happening in American politics today. I'm convinced that the people who use those descriptions need to sit down for three hours and watch Schindler's List, maybe for the first time. It belittles this horrific moment in history to throw it about as a political hit or hate speech.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on January 9th, 2019
“This is Gilda Radner…her voice and her writing.”
Since its debut in 1975, Saturday Night Live has churned out more comedy superstars than you can count. However, the first performer that SNL creator Lorne Michaels cast for the show wasn’t Chevy Chase or even John Belushi. It was Gilda Radner, the daring and vivacious comic who became a breakout star on the show…and passed away much too soon in 1989. So while Love, Gilda is certainly a love letter to the late comedy legend, the documentary is at its best when it relies on Radner’s own musings to tell her story.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 5th, 2019
Miami Vice: Season One on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment. It's been a heck of a holiday run here at Upcomingdiscs. We're not finished yet. Look for a couple of new contests within a few weeks. We've also got some things up our sleeves here. It's going to be a big year here, and we hope you all stick around to see what's coming.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2019
Quantum Leap: The Complete Series on DVD. Before he was Captain Archer on Enterprise and before he was Pride on NCIS, Scott Bakula was Sam on Quantum Leap. He played a scientist who jumped through the past into the bodies of others where he was expected to right some wrong before he could "leap" to another and hopefully home. You get 18 discs containing the entire classic series in one package. It's all thanks to those wonderful elves over at Mill Creek Entertainment.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 3rd, 2019
“You kind of loud.”
It made all the sense in the world on paper. Pairing Tiffany Haddish (coming off her outrageously profane, scene-stealing breakout in Girls Trip) with Kevin Hart (one of the shrillest most successful comedians in the world) seemed like a match made in loudmouth heaven. Instead, it turns out that almost all the creativity that went into Night School — which actually has a pretty decent premise — was limited to envisioning its two stars on a poster.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2019
Starsky & Hutch: The Complete Series. Once more we dip into the bag sent by the elves at Mill Creek Entertainment. One of the most iconic shows of the 1970's has to be Starsky & Hutch. David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser pretty much invented the buddy cop genre that led to films like Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours. Now you can find it all in one place, and that can be on your film shelf if you're the lucky winner.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2019
IMAX films are the perfect source material to show off the capabilities of the UHD Blu-ray/4K format. Most of the films we watch in theaters today have been shot around 2.8 K and mastered at just 2K. A 35mm film actually shot on film has a native resolution of 4K. The IMAX film format uses 65mm and 70mm film that increases its native resolution well beyond our 4K televisions and players. They are relatively short and have a ton of bandwidth to deliver the best possible image and audio. Shout Factory discovered this as soon as the format was launched, and Upcomingdiscs was there to check them out. Now there's a new player in the IMAX UHD business, and it's Mill Creek Entertainment. They get it, and so now you can expect a few of those gems coming your way from Mill Creek. The first one that I've had a chance to see is Journey To The South Pacific, and it's sweet.
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