Posted in: The Reel World by J C on January 5th, 2018
“You can't get rid of me that easy.”
Elise Rainier was the only casualty in 2010's Insidious, but the character has proven to be impossible to kill. In fact, Lin Shaye's sympathetic psychic quickly evolved into the main character of this low-budget, high-box office horror franchise. Chapter 2 brought her back in spectral form, while Chapter 3 went back in time to show us an earlier run-in with a restless demon. The Last Key goes even further back in time while simultaneously inching closer to the first film. While the series has pretty much run out of interesting ways to scare audiences, this film does explore the connection between real-life monsters and malevolent spirits.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2018
The longest running show in prime time doesn’t feature cops, doctors, or lawyers. It’s hard to believe that The Simpsons have existed as long as the Fox network. While the series didn’t really begin until Fox’s second year, the characters were part of The Tracey Ullman Show, which did start the first year of Fox. Who could have guessed that an animated short from an otherwise horrible and doomed variety show would explode into such a phenomenon? The Simpsons have not only dominated the pop culture; they have placed everything else into context with their show. Like Doonesbury, it could be said that the only thing worse than being made fun of on The Simpsons is not being made fun of on The Simpsons. With that said, you’ll understand my warm feelings and appreciation for this show.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 4th, 2018
The Boss Baby on Blu-ray. Universal didn't want to get left out of our giveaways so they sent over The Boss. No, it's not Bruce, it's Alex Baldwin voicing that lovable Boss Baby. Remember that cookies are for closers, and I've had more than enough cookies in the last month. So put down that extra cookie and enter to win The Boss Baby on Blu-ray.
Contest is now closed Winner is Pauline Milner
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Dan Holland on January 3rd, 2018
“Backslidin’, how do you do? These slippery people gonna see you through.”
It has been a long while since I have witnessed a pop song’s lyrics fit so poetically into a feature film. “Slippery People” is a track off the groundbreaking Talking Heads album, Speaking in Tongues, released in 1983. Not only does this song fit the plot of American Made within its lyrics (hints of backsliding with a lot of slippery people), but it also represents a specific aesthetic for one of the many years shown throughout the film. Which, by and large, is what American Made does very well: appreciates the nostalgia of the 70’s and 80’s without exaggerating to extremes. More often than not, the “nostalgia aesthetic” very quickly becomes a parody of itself.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 3rd, 2018
The classic American Westerns of the 1940s and '50s directed by the likes of John Ford and Howard Hawks famously inspired filmmakers like Sergio Leone to put their own stylish and revisionist spin on the genre. But while Spaghetti Westerns — genre films produced and written by Italians — are the most famous foreign example, plenty of other countries started making their own horse operas in the 1960s. That includes Mexico and filmmaker Arturo Ripstein, who made an outstanding feature film debut with 1966's Time to Die/Tiempo de Morir.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 3rd, 2018
Gun Runners and Angry Inuk on DVD. Lucky for you we have a guy on the inside over at Film Movement. Agent MK has loaded us up on some of the best in independent film from 2017. We start things off with a bit of a Canada theme. If the thought of all of that Canadian Winter air doesn't keep you in the Holiday mood I'm afraid there's just no hope. Maybe this will help. We have 3 copies of both of these films. Each of three winners will get a copy of both films on DVD. Don't thank us. It's Agent MK at Film Movement who is playing Santa this year. Let's just keep this between us or we might blow his cover.
Contest is now closed Winners are Tom Wellerson & Gary Smith
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 3rd, 2018
When it comes to ranking the top 10 cool movies of the past five years, Kingsman:The Secret Service would easily make the list. From the opening sequence to the final credits, the movie was simply a fun ride with so many kick-ass moments. I mean, the fight in the church alone is worth the price of admission. The moment I heard Matthew Vaughn was returning to helm the sequel, I instantly got giddy with excitement. Heck, ever since his first film Layer Cake, the guy has managed to produce a stream of cool films that I’ve enjoyed. It’s when the trailer for the sequel first dropped that something didn’t feel right; it still looked like a fun movie, but it just didn’t suck me in like the previous film’s trailer did.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 2nd, 2018
Detroit is a period crime drama focusing primarily on the Algiers Motel incident during the 12th Street riots in obviously, the city of Detroit. The night of July 25, law enforcement, including the local department, Michigan State Police, and Michigan Army National Guard responded to the hotel to investigate reports of a sniper. During the confrontation, three men were killed and another nine, including two white females, were allegedly beaten and humiliated by the first responders. A trial was held for three of the officers involved and a private security guard, with the deaths being declared justifiable homicide.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2018
On The Ninth Day Of Christmas Anchor Bay gives to you:
Spartacus: The Complete Series on Blu-ray. This set contains all of the show’s 39 episodes on 12 discs. There is a 13th disc with limited extra features that were not found on the original individual season releases. This is a huge release and one heck of a prize for a lucky Upcomingdiscs winner.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 2nd, 2018
Miracle On 34th Street on Blu-ray. Our friends at Fox are getting ready to ship their classic film library to Disney. They didn't forget us at Upcomingdiscs. They sent a copy of the Christmas classic Miracle On 34th Street for us to give away. It's the 70th Anniversary Edition.
Contest is now closed Winner is Christina Wharmund
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