Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on November 23rd, 2018
After the first season of The Good Fight, I was a fan. I never saw an episode of The Good Wife, but the first season of this series stood up very well on its own, and season two continues that good fight as it were. Last season ended on a cliffhanger with Maia’s (Rose Leslie, Game of Thrones) future seeming very grim after her father fled the country and basically left her holding the bag. Season 2 addresses those concerns right off and ups the stakes as a new violent movement sweeps Chicago, putting a target on the back of every lawyer in the firm. However, let me get to the person you are all probably most interested in: Diane Lockhart.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 23rd, 2018
“Not all heroes wear capes.”
To put things mildly, Warner Bros. still has a bit of ways to go before its stable of DC Comics superheroes catches up to Disney’s dominant Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Warner and DC have long had the upper hand on both the small screen (The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow) and with their animated, direct-to-video offerings. One of those small-screen flicks — 2015’s Justice League: Throne of Atlantis — has just been granted a nifty “Commemorative Edition” 4K release before Aquaman splashes onto the big screen next month.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 22nd, 2018
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. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. The kinds of things we recommend here are things I would be delighted to find under the tree.
Warner Brothers continues to lead the industry with television on Blu-ray. Other studios have experimented with some of their shows but no one puts more TV out in HD than Warner Brothers. Here are some of my favorite titles from 2018. Any of them would look great under the tree this season. Warner also has a nice collection of DC films out on Blu-ray.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 21st, 2018
"The rest as they say is history... and math... and science."
Saved By The Bell became somewhat of a cult classic and a teen icon of the 1980's. It was likely the most popular out of prime time series on television for its run. What makes the show's story so compelling is indeed its rather unique history. It actually all started as a badly failed NBC prime time situation comedy called Good Morning Miss Bliss. The show had been inspired by the network's president Brandon Tartikoff, who had fond memories of a grade school teacher he once had named Miss Bliss. Yes, this was the famous guy who took NBC from last to first in the 80's by creating the fabled "Must See TV" campaign. The show lasted six episodes and was quickly taken from the network's schedule. NBC was finished, and what happened next truly is television history.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 20th, 2018
"Loyalty is tricky. It's a moving target."
As the summer wound down from the season's requisite anchor film blockbusters, there was increasing room for a few independent films that will make their way from the festival circuit to fill the newly vacated screens at your local multiplex. For some it was to attain eligibility for the year-end award season. For others it was a short window to turn a profit from what was conceived more as a work of art. For others it was a chance to become a sleeper hit. And for others yet, an opportunity to deliver a social message on the larger soapbox of the big screens. Blindspotting appears to be on the cusp of all of these things. But perhaps it came a little early for any awards consideration, and at a time where it was still competing with the mega-films of the summer.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 20th, 2018
"Some say that in life, there are no second chances. Experience tells me that this is true. But we can only look forward. We have to be torchbearers, casting the light so we may see our path to lasting peace. We will continue exploring, discovering new worlds, new civilizations. Yes - that is the United Federation of Planets. Yes, that is Starfleet. Yes, that is who we are. And who we will always be."
I should confess from the beginning that I am a very dedicated Star Trek fan.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 20th, 2018
If you were a child in the 1960's or 1970's, you were around at the golden age of the Christmas television special. We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and there were a ton of holiday charms that came and went each year. But there were a handful that became classics and found their way to the airwaves every year in December. Of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas became one of these, and it is indeed among the best. It was not the only special to become beloved by generations of viewers. Now Dreamworks has brought together seven of the most memorable of these classics. This was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me, as it will be for millions of children of all ages who looked forward to these event broadcasts each and every year. Now you can watch them whenever you want. And they might not be just for Christmas anymore
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 20th, 2018
Young love is a wonderful concept that I wish could be sold and bought by the ounce, because I would either be rich or horribly addicted. Two people hopelessly absorbed by each other in a raging pool of hormones, bliss, and social media. It is a beautiful sight even if most of the time it is fleeting and gone in the blink of an eye. But what if you could change those decisions that made love lost and make it blossom again? Then you might just have Fireworks, a new Japanese anime from the producer of Your Name. Let's take a look.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 19th, 2018
"The wizarding and non-wizarding worlds have been at peace for over a century. Grindelwald wants to see that peace destroyed."
Back in the early days of the internet before videos went "viral", there was a Thanksgiving cartoon about a chef who needed to serve too many people with a small turkey. So to compensate, he kept stuffing that sucker until it eventually exploded. Watching the latest entry in the J.K. Rowling Wizarding World, I was very much reminded of that early video. There's an attempt to make the running time a bit leaner than we've typically seen with these films. It's just barely over two hours, making it one of the shortest running times in the series when you include the Harry Potter films.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 18th, 2018
Steve McQueen has established himself as a rather talented director. 12 Years A Slave was one of the better films of 2013 and one of the few times I happened to agree with the Oscars’ choice for Best Picture. When he tackled the heist format I expected something unique, and I wasn't at all disappointed. McQueen managed to put a clever spin on a tired genre and provide us with a superior and inspired cast. It wasn't all completely his idea, of course. The film is based on a Canadian miniseries that goes back to the 1980's. That doesn't mean he hasn't found a way to imprint the material with his own style and bold choices. There's a lot to love about Widows, but I have pretty low expectations for this film at the box office. More on that later. Let's get down to it, shall we?
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