Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2017
"C'mon, you apes, you wanna live forever? I have only one rule. Everybody fights, no one quits. The bugs have breached Mars, and the Federation's fleet is too far to help. It's up to us to save the planet. On the bounce, Troopers! The only good bug is a dead bug! Oorah!"
Robert Heinlein wrote the Starship Troopers novel in 1959. Since that time it has taken on many forms from pulp fiction to comic books. It was finally translated on film in 1997 by director Paul Verhoeven and scripted by Edward Neumeier. The film wasn't greatly received at the time but became a bit of a cult classic thanks in no small part to home video. There were attempts at live-action sequels, but none of them enjoyed any real success at all. One of the problems with the franchise on film is the inability to really showcase some of the iconic equipment described in the original novel. And while Verhoeven's film actually did a pretty good job with the alien bug race, the film wasn't able to feature the amazing suit technology that was the core of the Federation military's fighting force. So the suits just never became a part of the cinematic universe of Starship Troopers. That all changes with Starship Troopers: Traitor Of Mars.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 11th, 2017
Things are about to change in big ways for the Disney series Once Upon A Time. The sixth season is now out on Blu-ray, and the seventh season has just begun its run on ABC. If you try to go back and forth between these seasons, you might be puzzled more than usual. The show goes into a serious reboot this year. The economics of the show have been pulling it towards either cancellation or pulling in the purse strings. While the ratings aren't exactly blockbuster, it's been a clever way for the Mouse House to keep their properties buzzing as they continue to remake many of their fairy tales in live action these days. So there's a value beyond merely ratings and advertisement revenue to be gained here. The best solution was obviously to rework the show, and that meant most of the cast are not returning. Only Regina (Parrilla), Hook (O'Donoghue), and of course Rumple/Gold (Carlyle) are returning as regulars in Season 7. So if you want to see the show's swan-song (pun intended), pick up Season 6 on Blu-ray.
Well, you're invited; now gather up your Disney Fastpass and get in line for more television adventures in Storybrooke. Ah, but before you get on the boat for this year's ride, you might want to be sure you're all caught up on the adventures of these characters. This is not the place to start. The mythology of Once Upon A Time gets quite complicated over the previous seasons. This is not the place to start if you want to watch the show. Check out our previous reviews of the first four seasons of Once Upon A Time. Bang it here to get caught up: Once Upon A Time Reviews.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 11th, 2017
“You know, there comes a time when even the greatest leader has gone as far as he can go.”
Winston Churchill was once voted the Greatest Briton Ever, beating out the likes of Princess Diana and William Shakespeare. Although Churchill had a staggering number of accomplishments throughout his long life, he is most closely associated with being Great Britain’s prime minister during World War II. That’s why the notion that Churchill vehemently opposed the D-Day invasion at Normandy in the days leading up to the pivotal battle is a provocative premise for this well-crafted, well-acted movie. The only problem is that it remains unclear whether that was actually true.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 10th, 2017
It’s hard to believe it has already been twenty years since Buffy the Vampire Slayer first aired on television. I was still in high school at the time, and when I first heard about the show, I couldn’t have been any less excited. All I could think about was the cheesy movie that had Luke Perry. At the time horror was having a weird revamping so to speak. Horror seemed to stop being scary and instead went the direction of trying to be cool and have slick visuals, rather than deliver genuine scary tales. This was a show that at first glance seemed to be everything that annoyed me with what was happening in horror, but when I accidentally stumbled upon an episode and started watching, that was it; after one episode, I was hooked. For a show that began about teenagers facing the daily horror of high school while also attempting to save the world from the creatures from the night, the show also managed to inject depth by tackling some major social issues that were taboo at the time.
Sunnydale is far from your typical small California town; after all, its high school stands over the Hellmouth, basically the portal to hell that attracts evil of all kinds. The series kicks off with a fun two-part episode that brings Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to town after getting kicked out of her old school. Just when she thought she had escaped the vampires and demons from her previous home, she’s left to discover there is no escaping who she is and her responsibility as The Slayer. The big bad of Season One is The Master, an ancient vampire who of course seeks to bring terror and chaos onto the world, but he isn’t ready to have The Slayer or her friends get in the way. Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) are the unlikely duo who are not only her friends but become reluctant sidekicks in the fight against the undead. Just as Buffy was destined to be The Slayer, there is her Watcher, Giles (Anthony Head), who is responsible for training Buffy while also serving as the high school’s librarian. Oh, and of course there is Angel (David Boreanz), the vampire with a soul who will go on to be Buffy’s brooding love interest.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 10th, 2017
I was first introduced to The Who through the original Tommy album. It was one of my mother's favorites when I was young, and she had actually written out by hand her interpretation of the story the rock opera appeared to tell. I can't remember those scribblings, and I'm not even sure if they're still tucked away in that Decca album I have around here somewhere. But the music always stayed with me. Now, I didn't ever become a huge fan of the band. I always liked them and collected a couple of their albums over the years. I did play a lot of pinball, however. I fell more in with the likes of Elton John. So you can imagine how excited I was in the summer of 1975 when my favorite musician was cast to play the Pinball Wizard in a movie from the music that had been stuck in my head for years. And while the soundtrack version has been the version I've often found stuck in my head, the original album was never far away either. Apparently that's also the case with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
The decision to do a live version of Tommy 50 years after the album's release is tied to a worthy pet project that Daltrey has been running since 2000. He has recognized that teens have been a big part of the band getting its start back in the 1960's and worked to create Teenage Cancer Trust, which helps teens deal with cancer not only on the medical side but by providing them with unique experiences and activities. The Tommy performance in April of 2017 was the 100th performance from musicians all over the world in support of the cause. One of the parts of this show that I wish we'd seen is only talked about in the Behind the Scenes extra. Kids were provided with instruments and access to the Royal Albert Hall where they were encouraged to write songs inspired by The Who. After the concert they took the stage and got to present them to the band. That must have been a moving event.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on October 10th, 2017
We are smack dab in the middle of spooky season and our annual “31 Nights of Terror.” That means we'll be bringing you at least one horror-themed post every day for the rest of this month, and that includes one of this week's Tuesday Round Up titles. Lionsgate isn't afraid to go in the water with Open Water 3: Cage Dive. Elsewhere, Eagle Rock comes up with some pinball wizardry thanks to The Who: Tommy Live at The Royal Albert Theater. Finally, Warner Bros. bets on The House, explores royal intrigue with Reign: The Fourth and Final Season, and feels festive with Peanuts Holiday Special Collection (4K).
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: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 9th, 2017
"Welcome to The Vault, the most amazing library ever. An archive of the incredible. A repository of the impossible. A storehouse of secrets great and small. This is the untold history of America."
Things have not been going so well for Ichabod Crane and his fight against the supernatural. The show has had trouble finding an audience as well as a footing. Season Four marks the second time the show has been re-tooled in order to tweak whatever keeps it from completely catching on. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough. The CW's Supernatural is going into its 13th season, so we know there's a market out there for this stuff. But it's hard to pull off, as the many efforts that never made it out of their first few episodes could bear witness. But for these witnesses they made it to four short seasons, and you are now about to bear witness to the end of the fight as Fox delivers the last 13 episodes of Sleepy Hollow on DVD. Faith in the show had fallen so far that the show hasn't been available on Blu-ray since Season Two. So DVD's all you're going to get here, and it's going to have to be enough.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on October 8th, 2017
“Try to call for help…there’s no one for miles.”
The horror stories I tend to enjoy make me empathize with the ill-fated characters on screen instead of making me yell at them for their stupidity. In other words, “What would I do in this situation?” is a much more compelling question than, “Are you a freakin’ idiot?!” We don’t need to get into whether or not I’ve ever found myself handcuffed to a bed. But suffice it to say that Gerald’s Game — Netflix’s brutal and thrillingly taxing adaptation of Stephen King’s 1992 novel — kept me absolutely riveted from start to finish.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 8th, 2017
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. - Mark Twain"
Last year Leonardo DiCaprio walked away with an Oscar for his performance in the winter wilderness survival film The Revenant. The film also took statues for its amazing cinematography and also for direction. By the time I was finished screening The Mountain Between Us, I had already started to have flashbacks. Consider this movie to be a Revenant built for two. The film has a great many of the same strengths as last year's epic. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see at least nominations for Hany Abu-Assad for director in his first English-language film. Mandy Walker could very well win for her breathtaking cinematography. And both Kate Winslet and Idris Elba should at least get a good look in the best actress and best actor categories respectfully. There's no question that The Mountain Between Us should at least be nominated for the same hat-trick that The Revenant scored in 2016. Still. As much as these films are the same, there is a world of difference to be found as well.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on October 7th, 2017
Okay, this one might appear to be a strange contest for our annual 31 Nights Of Terror. We're giving away a three-Blu-ray collection of the most beloved holiday specials in television history. It's the Peanuts Holiday Anniversary Collection. Yes, it has A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. But it also that Halloween classic It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. So get ready to guard those pumpkin patches and enter to win this high definition trip down memory lane.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
On The Web
Sponsors
