Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 17th, 2019
"Our Milky Way Galaxy is just one among billions of galaxies in the universe. In every way an ordinary galaxy. It's 100,000 light years across. There are hundreds of billions of stars here. Lost inside this huge swarm is one average-sized star. As stars go, it's quite unremarkable. Nevertheless, it's the most special place in all the cosmos. Orbiting this star is the only place we know in all the universe to harbor life."
Of course, that place is Earth, and while we can't say for certain, it is truly unlikely to be the only place in this vast universe or even this galaxy to contain life. We might one day have to rethink exactly what that term means one day. But for now, Earth is the only place we know that supports life.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 17th, 2019
"I always knew he'd come back. In this town, Michael Myers is a myth. He's the Boogeyman. A ghost story to scare kids. But this Boogeyman is real. An evil like his never stops; it just grows older. Darker. More determined. Forty years ago, he came to my home to kill. He killed my friends, and now he's back to finish what he started, with me. The one person who's ready to stop him."
I was 17 years old when John Carpenter released The Shape, aka Michael Myers, on the world in 1978. It was a milestone film. Of course we didn't know we were watching something that would become so culturally huge. We were the target audience. Teens who were looking for some extra thrill in our films. These so-called slasher films became great escapes of fantasy to bring a date along. For a late-teen, there's no better way to spend an evening with a date than a film that might have her jump right into your lap. Great times. But the reason Halloween stands out from the crowded genre is because John Carpenter knew something about anticipation. He knew how to build towards a scare. And he understood how to use music, shadow, and pacing to truly immerse his audience into a film. I didn't watch Halloween in 1978. I experienced Halloween in 1978.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 17th, 2019
John Travolta is one of those guys I like, but it seems like it has been ages since he’s done a great film. Sure, he was great in The People vs. OJ Simpson where he played attorney Robert Shapiro, but apart from that role, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Travolta really make a splash at the box office. Personally I love seeing the guy on screen. Blow Out, Get Shorty and Pulp Fiction are just a few of my favorite films that he has been in, and I keep hoping his career will bounce back, but unfortunately it doesn’t look like it’ll be happening any time soon. Speed Kills is a film that has a story that is oozing with so much potential that if it were put in the hands of Brian De Palma or Michael Mann you could almost guarantee this film would be destined for greatness. Unfortunately the result is a frustrating mess that manages to make boat racing and drug smuggling in the age of the “cocaine cowboys” seem boring.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 16th, 2019
These days when the studios are cutting together trailers to promote their upcoming films, I feel one of the number one complaints people have is that the trailer gives too much away, so why bother shelling out the cash to see it on the big screen? When it comes to the trailer for Bad times at the El Royale, it gives you a glimpse at what is to come, but the result is something clever and ambitious. Unfortunately, it feels a bit too familiar. This is the second feature film from writer and director Drew Goddard, who first made a splash onto the screen with his hit film Cabin in the Woods. While I enjoyed his first romp that played with many of horror’s stereotypes, I still felt the film fell a bit flat. Unfortunately, though I enjoyed this fun little noir film he’s put together, I feel it too falls a bit flat, but mostly this is due to its 140-minute runtime.
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.
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