Posted in: The Reel World by J C on January 13th, 2017
Too soon? That’s a question filmmakers looking to tackle a real-life tragedy from the recent past must ask themselves. The past several months have nevertheless brought us a mini-run of movies based on true calamities. Clint Eastwood’s Sully used the “Miracle on the Hudson” to explore the nature (and context) of heroism. Peter Berg’s Deepwater Horizon painstakingly chronicled the events that led to the famous oil rig disaster on the Gulf of Mexico. But the best movie of that bunch is Patriots Day, Berg’s visceral, all-encompassing, and thrilling account of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
Posted in: Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on January 11th, 2017
On Feb 17th, 2017 Warner Brothers will release the comedy Fist Fight starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day. The two teachers come into conflict when one gets the other fired. An old-fashion afterschool fist fight between the stars is the consequence. I'll have a chance to tell you my thoughts on the film when it comes out. I had the rare opportunity to sit down with Ice Cube to talk about the film. Fortunately, he didn't challenge me to a fight after our talk. You can check out the film in Feb. Click here to watch the video with Ice Cube
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 11th, 2017
“I don’t want to be in this relationship anymore, and I don’t know how to get out.”
A TV show’s fifth season is around the time it starts to feel like you have to see things through to the bitter end. I mean, it seems downright irresponsible to ditch a series after five years of investing in its characters’ lives, no matter how flawed and frustrating they are. And there’s no doubt the self-absorbed millennials on HBO’s Girls are among the most flawed and frustrating people on TV; so I was delighted to find that the series produced one of its strongest seasons as it nears its conclusion.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 10th, 2017
In 1999 The Blair Witch Project was released, and it was a horror film that created a stir like I had never seen before. I remember going to Tampa Theatre to see it opening week. The line was wrapped around the building for the sold-out screening. Discussions were going on in the line about the film actually being real, some even talking about how they heard the bodies of the three filmmakers were never found. It’s this kind of mindset going into the film that made it such an impact as I walked out of that first showing. At the time I knew I had seen something unique, but I never would have expected it to spawn an entire style of genre filmmaking that would be copied over and over again.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 10th, 2017
"Evil has returned to Sleepy Hollow."
With the big bad finally destroyed and an apocalypse averted, the dynamic duo of Sleepy Hollow have gone their separate ways. Abby is now with the FBI, while Crane has gone into seclusion and ends up in jail for trying to sneak an artifact into the country from his homeland of Scotland. Abby gets him out of trouble only to discover that the tablet Crane found in his family crypt back in Europe holds more prophesy for the pair of witnesses. The two have to come back together to save the world from yet another end of times
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on January 10th, 2017
We’re only a couple of weeks away from the start of tax season, so it won’t hurt to have your trusty accountant nearby. Fortunately for us, Warner Bros. was kind enough to send a copy of The Accountant, the action hit that stars Ben Affleck as a math savant/killing machine. Elsewhere, Comedy Central yuks it up (and lights up) with Broad City: Season 3.
One last reminder before signing off for the week: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon — maybe a present or two — 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: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 9th, 2017
There is something about a Rob Zombie film that will always be a draw, and it is always the realism that he brings to the screen. Whether it’s The Devil’s Rejects or his version of Halloween, he always presents it in a way that I feel is grounded in reality. Perhaps it’s also because I live in Florida, and there are some small towns that you don’t want to break down in at night for fear of crossing some crazed backwoods types. To put it out there, I was a fan of Rob Zombie before he was putting out movies, and I have all of his albums; he’s just a guy who does stuff that I really dig. That being said, I can be objective in saying his films have been a bit all over the place, but Lords of Salem was a piece of work that I simply loved, and I felt it showed a lot of growth from his previous films and worked well as a slow burn.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 9th, 2017
And the Ultimate Legacy makes three, marking the third installment in what will undoubtedly become known as the "Ultimate" series. Please don't misunderstand my meaning; I say that as a good thing. Granted, before I watched the film I would have likely said that sardonically, but I must admit to being genuinely touched by the story and have gained an appreciation for the message behind it. Given this is the third go-around for the franchise, the themes and some of the cast is already well established by this point, which opens it up to becoming boring and stagnant; however, despite those obstacles it remains fresh and engaging. It is definitely a movie that should be shared with the whole family.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 5th, 2017
Mission: Jimmy Stewart And The Fight For Europe. You've been hearing a lot about this wonderful book by Robert Matzen. I had the opportunity to talk with him. You can revisit that chat Here. We also made it one of our unpaid Holiday Gift Guide Spotlights. Now you're going to have a chance to win a copy for yourself. We truly saved the best for last. Thanks to our new friends at GoodKnight Books I have a hardbound copy to give to one Upcomingdiscs reader. If you enter just one of our contests this year, make it this one.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 4th, 2017
“America is the only industrialized nation with a higher murder rate than countries at civil war.”
2016 might technically be in the rearview mirror, but it feels like last year left an indelible mark on the psyche of the United States. In addition to the most polarizing presidential election in a very long time, last year was marked by the deadliest shooting in U.S. history about an hour away from where I’m currently sitting, along with other highly-publicized instances of gun violence. So it feels like an appropriate time to revisit The Killing of America, a 1981 documentary that was never granted a commercial U.S. release after being deemed too exploitative.
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