Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 7th, 2018
For its first seven years there have been few departures on the refreshed version of Hawaii 5-O. What we have seen instead is additions to the cast pretty much on an annual basis. The result has been a fairly large ensemble that wasn't there for the start. But Season 8 sees the largest departure to the series since its inception. It started out with Daniel Dae Kim wanting the same pay as the show's two leads, Scott Caan and Alex Loughlin. That wasn't going to happen, and before long Kim started to accuse the show runners of being racist because of the difference in pay. Now keep in mind that every series has a lead or leads who get more money than the rest of the cast. Unfortunately, this attempt at a raise brought in racial accusations. That brought Grace Park into the fray to defend Kim. The end result is that both walked and appear to have seen their last days on the show. So this is certainly a milestone year for the series, and I promise you that it didn't miss a beat. But that also means new additions to the cast.
The first one we meet is Meaghan Rath, who joins the regular cast as Tani Rey. She was going to the police academy and ended up punching an officer. She gets kicked out only to be scooped up by Steve (Loughlin) because he sees the kind of spark in her that he sees in himself. She is trying to keep a troubled brother from drugs and gangs, and it gets her into some scrapes this season. The next new member we meet is Beulah Koale, who stars as Junior Reigns. He has just returned from combat in The Middle East and shows up on Steve's door looking for a job on the task force. Steve likes his initiative and makes a deal that if he can get through the academy, he's got a spot on the team. So he is intermittent at first. Steve checks on his progress, and he joins the team several times in the series start and gets to be a permanent member around mid-season. These aren't the only two new members. An early episode involves a K-9 officer who is shot and killed. His dog is also badly wounded but helps catch the killers. Steve adopts Eddie, and you'll see a lot of him this season.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 7th, 2018
"Everything is always about Sheldon."
Warner Brothers is very familiar with superheroes. That goes double for the character of Sheldon, played by Jim Parsons on The Big Bang Theory. A common thread in the superhero business, of course, is the origin story. With the popularity of The Big Bang Theory, and the Sheldon character particularly, it isn't all that surprising that we would eventually be treated to Sheldon's origin story. But instead of flashbacks on the series, the decision was made that Sheldon's childhood was territory that could be mined for years. Thus is born Young Sheldon. For fans of the original show and character, it couldn't have come at a better time. Parsons just turned down an offer of $50 million for two more years of Big Bang. I can't imagine how it must feel to be able to turn down that kind of money. But faced with doing the series without him, the smart decision was to shut it down. This will be the final season of The Big Bang Theory, but apparently Sheldon with live on as a kid for years to come. Not sure what Parsons' paycheck is here, but it requires only his narration.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 7th, 2018
I’m pretty sure at some point we’ve all played the game Truth or Dare. Pretty much it’s a game we all play in our teenage years, where the results tend to end up with either some hurt feelings, shame, or someone getting injured. I think the worst instance I can remember in my past was on a camping trip, and it resulted in one of our friends falling into our campfire. As you’d imagine, it didn’t end well, and all our parents were pretty upset. Over the years the game has been brought to the big screen in a variety of ways, and this incarnation of Truth or Dare puts up a noble effort by injecting a supernatural spin on the game. And the result? I can honestly say I had a good time with this little flick.
The film opens up in 1983, and it would seem that there are two remaining players in the game, one of whom is standing on the roof of a house where they are expected to jump off. It’s no surprise that this doesn’t end well, and for the players it does indeed only get worse. When the film jumps to present day, a group of eight friends are meeting up at a “rental” house that happens to be where the events in 1983 took place. The home is rumored to be haunted. Carter (Luke Baines) has plans on catching some paranormal evidence, and by doing so he wants to get his friends to play Truth or Dare. As setups go, for a horror film this may not seem all to original, but this isn’t a film that’s attempting to break the mold; it’s simply just trying to have some fun, and it succeeds in doing so.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 7th, 2018
“Our group of friends has been playing the same game of tag for 30 years.”
The tag(haha)line on the Blu-ray cover for this film states, “Based on a True Story. We're Not Kidding.” The idea of a life-long game of tag is so ridiculous, the people who made this movie can hardly believe it themselves. But while Tag has some fun presenting a children's game as if it were a big-budget action flick, the film ultimately (and ironically) falters when it veers away from the silly real-life premise and tries to shoehorn dramatic moments to make it feel more like a movie.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 6th, 2018
"We've got a whole new game of tiddlywinks."
It's the unlucky 13th season of Supernatural, and it might be the most loaded season ever. We have a basket full of bad guys and gals, and the Winchester Brothers have got their work cut out for them, as if last season wasn't busy enough. The Winchesters found and then lost their Mom. Crowley has finally bit the dust, and he will be greatly missed at least by this fan. Lucifer's son has finally been born, and there are going to be a lot of bad folks wanting to get their hands on that little guy. Of course, he isn't such a little guy any more. He's now the appearance of an older teenager, and he has some mad wicked power. The question is whether Sam and Dean can influence that power for good. Or will he go the way of his Pops and be the poster child for evil? Now if all of this is Greek to you, then you're in the wrong place. You have 12 years of lore to catch up on before you should even consider picking up Supernatural Season 13 from Warner. Check out our long list of reviews here and start binge-watching fast. Once you're caught up continue on.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 6th, 2018
There is something about the notion of movie magic that I believe can grab hold of an audience member and pull them from their living room seat and into the story they are watching. This movie magic seems to occur more often these days, as special effects seem to take leaps and bounds every year as new technology is created to dazzle us all. Here’s the thing, though, sure, it’s great how we can now see lifelike 50-story monsters destroying cities, or how underwater worlds can exist, but none of it matters if the story or the characters are not relatable. If the story isn’t there, then your big effects are nothing more than overpriced cartoons that will be forgotten by the time the audience has exited the theater. When it comes to Higher Power, the best way to describe it is to use the overused expression, “all style and no substance.”
Co-writer and director, Matthew Charles Santoro comes from a special effects background, and you can tell he’s leaning heavily on his strengths with this film, and the result is a film that plays out more like a demo reel than an actual movie. Sure, there is a cast of characters to move the story forward, but the problem is none of it makes any sense.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on September 4th, 2018
With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, summer has officially come to an end. Yes, friends...fall is upon us. But while we won't start properly celebrating the spooky season until next month, we are getting a jump on our monster hunting duties this week. Thanks to Warner Bros., we are hitching a ride with the Winchester brothers for Supernatural: Season 13. Warner also takes us back to the first “Bazinga!” with Young Sheldon: Season 1. CBS heads back to the West Coast with NCIS: LA — Season 9, picks the right jury with Bull: Season 2, and books 'em (Danno) with Hawaii 5-0: Season 8. Finally, RLJE Films digs deep with Trench 11, and you can already check out our interview with director/co-writer Leo Scherman.
Before you run off until next week, here's your customary reminder: 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: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on September 4th, 2018
This coming Veterans Day will also mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. I'm sure there will be plenty of events to mark the event. WWI is also the subject of the latest horror film out by RLJE Films called Trench 11. It appears those Germans have been developing a bio-weapon deep underground and all is not quiet on the Western front. An elite group of soldiers are sent to unlock the secret and what they find is... That would be telling. I got the story directly from the film's director and co-writer Leo Scherman. Now you can eavesdrop on our chat. Just bang it here and listen to my conversation with Leo Scherman.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 3rd, 2018
Amazon Prime Video is beginning to offer new scripted drama shows on their streaming service. One of the more recently acclaimed is a Jack Ryan series. That gives Paramount a great opportunity to take advantage of the situation and release the five Jack Ryan films on UHD/4K. Whatever the excuse, I'm happy to see these films get the UHD treatment. The release includes The Hunt For Red October, Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger, The Sum Of All Fears and Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit. It's a chance to see Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine all take the Tom Clancy CIA analyst to the big screen. You don't have to pick your favorite, because they're all here.
This is the film that literally started a trend. Within a decade, submarine films would make a huge comeback in the big-budget film industry. Titles like Crimson Tide, U-571, and K-19: The Widowmaker all took a little from Red October. Maybe the Cold War is over, but our fascination with that modern version of cowboys and Indians doesn’t seemed to have waned much in the last nearly 20 years. While our relationship with Russia might be up and down over the last two decades, there is still a part of our culture that can’t seem to let go of that classic game of good guys and bad guys. It’s not unique to the former Soviet Union by any means. World War II has been over for more than 60 years, but the occasional Nazi bad guys still make their presence known from time to time. Maybe it’s those accents. Whatever the reason, the seemingly dated subject matter of Red October is never a liability to the film. When Red October came out, the Soviet Union had just fallen a mere two years earlier, and there were some who suggested the film was an inappropriate reminder of those recent bygone days and might even be considered a slap in the face to the new regime in Russia. Fortunately this was not one of those instances where Hollywood let its often hypocritical sense of political correctness get in the way of a great film.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2018
Social media, along with our growing number of mobile devices, are dominating our lives. Today it's how we shop. It's how we communicate. Hell, it's how we date. For many of us, our devices have become how we see and experience the world around us. The new electronic culture has also changed our movie experience, as more and more films and television shows are going directly to our devices instead of our television and multiplex screens. It's also changed the way films are made. Recently, I reviewed a film shot completely on an iPhone. It should come as no surprise that a film would come along that tells its entire story through the lenses of these devices. It's a natural extension of the found-footage genre and has been used in many films already. Searching delivers its entire story through the "eyes" of these devices. But this is more than a concept film. Searching gives us compelling drama and makes a significant emotional connection without ever breaking character. I found it to be a film with style and substance. That's a rare combination, and so Searching is well worth the visit to your local cinema. That is, if you can put your devices down long enough to enjoy it.
As the film begins, we get to see the evolution of the Kim family through their social media posts, their video and photograph posts, and their communications. We watch Margot (La) grow from a young girl to a teenager. We share the triumphs and tragedies of their lives, particularly the loss of her mother, through these posts and snapshots. With videos and posts we spy on the family's unfolding sorrow as Margot's mother slowly succumbs to cancer. We get to see the dynamics of a father and daughter dealing with the loss, and all through the window of various electronic devices. One night Margot goes missing ,and her father (Cho) begins to investigate where she might have gone. We witness the moment when he realizes how much of his daughter's online life he didn't know. The unknown passwords and who her friends really were. David Kim becomes an internet detective as he peels away each layer of her life. And all of this is seen through the eyes of apps, database programs, and social media.
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