Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 2nd, 2018
"30 years ago during the Cold War, there was an experiment... Something went wrong. They opened up a passage directly beneath us. When you go through this door, you come out the other side, you're in another world, identical to ours. Same experiment... When this door opened our paths began to branch off more and more over time."
That setup describes the premise behind the new original science fiction series on Starz, created by Justin Marks, a writer who most recently delivered the script for Disney's live-action Jungle Book film. This is his first attempt at building a series from the ground up, and it's absolutely a winner.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 31st, 2018
"Every bridge, every building grows from an engineers imagination."
Dream Big: Engineering Our World is the second of Shout Factory's latest collection of IMAX films to be brought into the capable arms of the UHD/4K format. And while this film doesn't take us so much into the natural beauty of some picturesque place on our planet or deep into the darkness of space, it does deliver a rather grand look at some of the wonders of the man-made world. Both films were directed by Greg MacGillivray, which binds them together in a somewhat nice little bow.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on July 31st, 2018
Having Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as the star of your TV show is enough of a reason for us here at Upcomingdiscs to check it out. But the only thing better than getting J.K. Simmons to front your show is having *two* J.K. Simmons butting heads! One of the new releases we’ll be reviewing this week is the Starz doppelganger drama Counterpart: Season 1, courtesy of Lionsgate. Meanwhile, Acorn will be putting their trust and Keeping Faith: Season 1.
Later on in the week, we’ll have our tissues ready for an emotional return to the Hundred Acre Wood with Disney’s Christopher Robin. One last reminder before signing 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: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on July 28th, 2018
"Your mission should you decide to accept it. Isn't that the thing?"
And that has been the thing. Since 1966 Mission Impossible has plotted out nine seasons of television and six movies, thrusting Tom Cruise into an action hero icon. Cruise and company have taken their time with these films. It's been over 20 years, and we're only on the sixth entry. For the first five films, each of the Missions have been directed by a different director, from John Woo, who directed the second and worst of the films, through J.J. Abrams, who turned the ship around with the third, which was also his first feature film, to Christopher McQuarrie, who becomes the first director to repeat in the series of films.
Posted in: The Reel World by John Delia on July 28th, 2018
A cool little film with a lot of mixed messages, Eighth Grade tells the story of a young girl entering her teenage years. Nicely acted and directed, the movie works on the heartstrings and leaves you with a feel-good sentiment. If you can remember the years when your next step would be high school, you may be surprised by the film that very little has changed. There’s one more week of eighth grade, and Kayla Day (Elise Fisher) finds herself full of angst mixed with hope as she deals with what she leaves behind and looks forward. A lot is taking place including her last band practice, Kennedy’s birthday swim party, and upcoming High School Shadowing Day. It’s also the announcement of class superlatives that precedes graduation day.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on July 27th, 2018
As the summer winds down from the season's requisite anchor film blockbusters, there will be 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 will be to attain eligibility for the year-end award season. For others it will be a short window to turn a profit from what was conceived more as a work of art. For others it's a chance to become a sleeper hit. And for others yet, it's 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.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 27th, 2018
"Wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must, and we will" - Teddy Roosevelt.
Actually they do speak for themselves, and Shout Factory's UHD/4K release of National Parks Adventure gives that wildlife plenty of grand opportunities to speak to us through the grandeur of the American National Park system. Last year Shout Factory showed us what the UHD/4K format could really deliver by releasing a series of IMAX films in the new format. It was a bold move that has really paid off. IMAX cameras utilize 65 and 70mm film, which offers source material that is actually much higher resolution than 4K.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on July 27th, 2018
It goes without saying this film is not suitable for children. Swung is a film in the vein of the 50 Shades of Grey franchise; however, where those films focused on BDSM, this film is centralized along swinging, or engaging with multiple partners. Brace yourself, because you will definitely see more than you think you will in this unrated movie. Granted, it is not just all about sex. The primary focus is the relationship between our two lead characters and the strain and struggles that they are encountering. In this regard, Swung was relatable, as it addresses intimacy, custody matters, and the difficulties of unemployment. Starring Elena Anaya and Owen McDaniel as the couple, they serve as our eyes into this dark world that will possibly change their relationship forever.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 26th, 2018
Like so many others, when I read the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline I simply fell in love with the nostalgic ride through the 80’s, all thanks to a virtual reality world called The Oasis. From start to finish it was a book filled with pop culture references that would make film and video game geeks squeal with delight, and it was no surprise that the book was a hit and would be turned into a film. There were only two names I could think of that could ever come close to making this film a reality: Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 25th, 2018
“The charm of this little escapade is rapidly wearing thin.”
Who doesn’t love a good heist comedy? The genre comes ready-made with stylish characters trading clever quips while trying to out-smart one another (and the audience). And with its surprisingly starry cast, The Con is On looked to be an especially promising entry into the heist comedy canon. So how did it go so wrong? Well for starters, the con artists here are just as (if not more) unlikable than the screwy suckers they are targeting.
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