Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 8th, 2016
The odds that you’ll be reading a review of The Hunger Games saga on our site this week are ever in your favor. Lionsgate has given each of the four flicks in the blockbuster YA franchise — The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay: Part 1 and Part 2 — spiffy new 4K releases, so keep an eye out for what we have to say. Meanwhile, RLJ Entertainment is looking for payback with Kickboxer: Vengeance, and Showtime puts its money where its mouth is with Billions: Season 1.
One last reminder before signing off for the week (and before you head to the polls on this Election Day, if you haven't already): 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 J C on November 5th, 2016
“Heroes like the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers. We safeguard it against more mystical threats.”
Back in 2008, Iron Man was entrusted with kicking off Phase One of Marvel's Global Takeover Cinematic Universe. The film centered around an arrogant hero brought low who builds his own costume — and essentially creates his own superpowers — by scraping together spare parts in a cave. As the years have gone by and Marvel's brand of superheroism has proven to be infinitely more bulletproof than comic book characters who are actually impervious to gunfire, the studio has earned the right to get a little Strange.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on November 4th, 2016
Just when you thought you’ve seen it all when it comes to films about World War II, Mel Gibson helms a film that hits you with such an emotional wallop that I’ll say it right now: just hand the man the Oscar for this film. It’s only November; how can I be so sure of this? Well, of course there are some titles to keep an eye on as we enter award season, but I honestly can’t imagine a title coming out that can achieve what Gibson did. I’m sure by now you’ve seen the ads for the film that draw comparisons to Saving Private Ryan. It’s a bold statement, but I’m writing this to say that Hacksaw Ridge isn’t the best war film since Saving Private Ryan, it is a superior film to it as well. I honestly can’t think of a war film that has ever balanced the raw violence of war while maintaining the humanity of its characters and draw out so much emotion. It’s based on a true story, and the only injustice I see is that this film wasn’t made sooner.
Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) isn’t like most guys enlisting for the war; he’s not bloodthirsty and out to avenge our country after the attack at Pearl Harbor. Desmond is a man who has been overcome with the sense of duty to honor and protect his country, only the problem is, he refuses to touch a weapon in the process. Instead he sees that he can help by being a combat duty medic on the front lines. It’s a notion his superiors and fellow comrades see as ludicrous. But Desmond refuses to back down from his principles, even when his platoon has mostly turned on him and the Army is ready to court-martial him. Why would a man go through such lengths and risk losing so much, simply because he won’t carry a weapon? That’s where the front half of the film pays off.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 4th, 2016
"This train don't stop." That's what we're told in an Elton John ballad. But it doesn't matter if it's that Midnight Train to Georgia or a freight train, you can bet the farm that it's going to run out of track. That's for sure, and you can expect more than a little crying over it all. The saddest news, however, is the show's final year. You really should not even think about joining the series from this point. I suspect it will still be quite entertaining, but for the full experience you do have to start from the beginning. The evolution of the Cullen character from Civil War veteran out for vengeance to the man who we see in the fifth season is a rather nice journey to witness. So saddle up for the first four. You can find the reviews for other seasons here.
We start with the second part of the final season. These are basically the last seven episodes of the show's run. It's a rather interesting place to start. I'd say this is the episode where things begin to be resolved. Cullen must race to protect his family from The Swede, who has been defeated and will lash out by killing his wife and son. This marks the final confrontation between the two enemies. It won't go where you think it is going, and it's a turning point in the Cullen character. We then turn to his final confrontation with Chang (Mann), so that within just a couple of episodes Cullen's enemies are no longer a problem.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 3rd, 2016
“You're no spring chicken anymore.”
It's been more than four years since Jackie Chan — the legendary Hong Kong superstar who has been kicking butt and scoring scoring laughs on screen since the 1970s — announced he was retiring from action movies. Sure, Chan quickly backpedaled, but I don't know that anyone would've held it against the actor (who is now 62) if he'd stuck to his word. After decades of grueling injuries, Chan has noticeably slowed down. That being said, the old man still has a few tricks up his sleeve in Skiptrace.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 2nd, 2016
"Space... The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before."
Every Star Trek fan knows the words by heart. For 50 years they've heralded the promise of something special. From the television show that couldn't but did anyway to 12 feature films. Would #13 be the lucky one? The trailers left many of us worried that it would more than likely be unlucky. And we needed so much for this one to be great. Since the last film we lost Leonard Nimoy, who was most certainly the heart of the franchise on the screen. He was also the gateway between the two incarnations. That loss was eventually expected. Then we tragically lost Anton Yelchin, who was one of the industry’s rising stars. It's the 50th anniversary, and with all this we really needed something good. Trailers said we were out of luck. They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I'm here to tell you that you can't judge a film by its trailers. Star Trek Beyond turns out to be not only what the fans wanted... but what we desperately needed.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 1st, 2016
This week, we are boldly going where no Tuesday Round Up has gone before: November 2016! Yes, it's a new month, and we're excited to announce that you will soon be able to read our review of Paramount's Star Trek Beyond, which arrives to us in spiffy 4K. And from the furthest reaches of outer space we go to...the American West. Entertainment One gets us back on track with Hell on Wheels: Season 5, Volume 2.
Even though it's a brand new month, the same reminder still applies here: 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: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2016
Our 31 Nights Of Terror comes to an end. The decorations contest did not go as well as we hoped. There won't be any voting because we only had one entry. The winner of a Troma 3-Blu-ray set is Paul Blacker with the following winning photo:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 30th, 2016
This is one of those titles that came along where I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was a horror title, and really that is about it. The problem with doing films in a single location, though it may save you money when it comes to the actual production, is that in return you put an added pressure on your performers and the story to not be boring and keeping the story moving. It can be done; after all, 10 Cloverfield Lane is one of my favorite films of the year, and most of it takes place in a bunker. When it comes to The Id, how did the film turn out? Well, I feel it was a victim of its own design.
Meridith (Amanda Wyss) has pretty much spent her entire life at home, and her youth has been spent taking care of her father. Her father, Mr. Lane (Patrick Peduto) is far from the loving father who appreciates what his daughter has sacrificed to take care of him. He’s a mean old coot, and very early on in the film we wouldn’t blame Meridith if she snapped and killed him one day. Well, that’s actually all this film seems to really be about, a woman being brought to her breaking point where she can justify to herself that it’s OK to kill her father.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 29th, 2016
What 31 Nights of Terror list would be complete without an addition from the master of macabre himself, Edgar Allen Poe, this time in the form of an anthology series that transforms three of his dark tales into a visual experience that will haunt you. Tales of Poe treats the audience to a front-row seat for the stories of The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and Dreams. Fair warning, these are not direct interpretations. There is some artistic license taken, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Who wants to just watch imitation when you can watch recreation, and that is exactly what Tales of Poe offers. I hope you have a strong stomach. Who am I kidding, if you are reading this, you must, because Tales of Poe pulls no punches in its tribute to the master. As I mentioned, there are a few artistic changes such as some gender changes to specific characters, but the essence of each of the stories remains the same. (Yes, I skimmed the featured stories in order to double check that they did the source material justice.)
The best way to approach this type of review is to break down each story individually and in the order of my favorite to least favorite, which also happens to be the order in which the stories unfold.
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