Robin Hood Collection
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 12th, 2010
“Comrades, I’ve called you together again because the people of England face a grave crisis. Many years ago as Robin Hood, I led you as an outlaw band. Here in Sherwood Forest, together we resisted the tyrant King John. When he died, we dispersed because we believed that tyranny had died with him. But tyranny did not die. It merely slept. And now it has awakened again.”
Speak the name Robin Hood and one immediately conjures images of the swashbuckling hero of medieval England.
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Dare to Play the Game
Posted in Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on May 12th, 2010
Project Ten Dollar, 451 Weeks & Obama Doesn’t Know How to Work an XBox? – Welcome to the column that doesn’t know the first thing about politics but at least we are honest about it known as Dare to Play the Game.
I spent most of this week in between good ole World of Warcraft and Final Fight Double Impact. For Final Fight/Magic Sword, I took the time to beat each game (or in the case of Final Fight 3 times) at least once and get half of the achievements.
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The Basketball Diaries (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2010
“When I was young, about eight or so, I tried making friends with God by inviting Him to my house to watch the World Series. He never showed.”
Jim Carroll was a promising young high school athlete. He was seduced into the dark nature of New York City’s underbelly of drugs and violence. During his youth he was also an aspiring poet, who kept a poetic journal of his thoughts before, during, and after his slide into addiction. When he finally did manage to climb out of the hole and gain his sobriety, the entries became a popular piece of literature.
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The Honeymooners: Second Honeymoon/Valentine’s Special
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2010
It’s hard to believe that one of the most popular comedy shows of the 1950’s was not really a show at all, at least not in the way that we think of a television series today. The show began its life in 1951 as a segment on the popular Cavalcade of Stars. At that time only Jackie Gleason and Art Carney starred in their familiar roles. Alice was played by Pert Kelton. The series took its more recognizable look when it became part of The Jackie Gleason Show in 1955. That’s also when Joyce Randolph joined the series as Trixie Norton. The series would take up a half hour of the slot
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Marcus Welby, M.D.
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2010
Perry Mason did it for lawyers. Marcus Welby did it for doctors. From 1969 to 1976 and beyond Robert Young was the face of the television doctor. The actor was so identified with his part that he dealt with fans and their medical questions his entire life following his portrayal of Marcus Welby. In those days there wasn’t a medical doctor on the planet, real or fictional, who was more recognizable than Welby. The show pretty much wrote the book on the television medical drama. It doesn’t matter if your a fan of House, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, or any of a hundred other medical dramas that have come and gone since that time
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Bump in the Night: The Complete Series
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 10th, 2010
In September of 1993, an animated series using the wonders of stop-motion animation was broadcast on ABC. The name of the series was called Bump in the Night. It would run for twenty six episodes, spanning over two seasons. It was created and directed by Ken Pontac and David Bleiman. It also featured the vocal stylings of Jim Cummings, a man perhaps most famous for his Winnie the Pooh performance.
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Preacher’s Kid (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 10th, 2010
A short time ago I had the unexpected pleasure of watching and then reviewing Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself. I say unexpected, because I was looking for the typical Madea antics and ended up drawn into a compelling gospel musical that was inspirational and entertaining without ever feeling like I was sitting in mass listening to a long homily. Now I’ve just had the opportunity to see Stan Foster’s The Preacher’s Kid. There’s no doubt that Foster has been inspired by the Black Theater productions of guys like Perry.
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The Bill Cosby Show – Season Two
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 10th, 2010
I grew up on Bill Cosby. He was everywhere when I was a kid. Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids were on my television every Saturday morning. My parents had all of his records, and I can remember borrowing them when I finally got a player of my own. I played Chicken Heart so often I think I wore away the grooves on the track. Of course, you youngsters out there have no idea what I’m talking about when I mention grooves and wearing them out. That also means that you remember a very different Bill Cosby show.
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Horror Double Feature: Pulse/Sick Nurses
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 10th, 2010
Pulse:
Plenty of Japanese horror films have storylines that vary from the oblique to the opaque. Pulse is no exception, so forgive me if this synopsis is a bit confusing (or confused). An internet website offers visitors the chance to see actual ghosts. Viewing the footage seems to make one vulnerable to an actual visitation, and when someone encounters a ghost, that person withdraws from others, shunning all society, and becomes consumed by loneliness to the point of suicide or something even more bizarre.
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The Crucifer of Blood
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 9th, 2010
During the chaos of a mutiny, three British officers in India get their hands on a great treasure. They do not do so honorably, however, and, mistrustful of each other, make a blood pact, which cannot be broken without suffering a terrible curse. Decades later, the three have experienced very different fortunes, and vengeance has come to call. Irene (Susannah Harker), the daughter of one of these men, seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes (Charlton Heston!) and Dr. Watson (Richard Johnson). There are many dark deeds to unravel, and along the way, Watson and Irene fall in love.
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The Killer
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 9th, 2010
Having accidentally blinded a singer during a contract killing, hit man extraordinaire Chow Yun-Fat, consumed with guilt, becomes the woman’s protector, and seeks redemption by finding some way to restore her sight. Meanwhile, Danny Lee is the plays-by-his-own-rules cop on his trail, and inevitably the two men will find themselves as unlikely allies in gigantically operatic gunfights.
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Passchendaele
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on May 9th, 2010
We are in the midst of the Great War. Michael Dunne (Paul Gross) is a Canadian solider recovering from physical and psychological wounds. He falls in love with his nurse (Carline Dhavernas), and when her asthmatic brother enlists, Dunne heads back to the trenches to protect him, and the two men wind up at the gigantic, murderous battle that gives the film its name.
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X-Men: The Animated Series – Volume 5
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 8th, 2010
Volume Five of the Animated Series known as X-Men is now upon us. Included here are the last fourteen episodes that haven’t been put on disc for the masses. There is a lot going on in these twenty one minute chunks. There are some good things, bad things, funny things and more confusing things than probably should be in a children’s animated show. So let us spend some time, the final time with our beloved mutant friendly superhero group.
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Deadly Impact
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2010
Robert Kurtzman is known mostly for his exceptional makeup and other special f/x. He’s worked with both Freddy and Jason, and he helped to form one of the best f/x houses in the industry. He found considerable cult success with the quirky but exceptional The Rage. Again it is those technical abilities that stand out. So I was a little bit more than curious when I was discovered that his recent film, Deadly Impact, was something quite different from anything I had associated with the name in the past. I was even more drawn to the project when I was told I had an opportunity to interview the man about the movie.
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No Time for Sergeants
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2010
Most people don’t know or remember that Andy Griffith had a career before his television classic reached the airwaves. He had a pretty distinctive stand-up routine going for many years that included recordings like most stand-ups of the day. He had quite a famous bit about a country farm boy seeing his very first football game. It was called “I Think They Call It Football”, and it’s a priceless classic. Andy also found his way into a couple of movies in the days before he became Sheriff Andy Taylor. One of those movies was No Time For Sergeants. It wasn’t a stretch for this country boy
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Survivors: Complete Seasons One & Two
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 6th, 2010
“Most of the world’s population has been wiped out by a virus. Civilization, as we know it, has come to an end. For the few survivors, every day is a fight for life. But sinister forces threaten their future.”
Right from the opening credits, you can see that a lot has changed since 1975 and the original series. I’m guessing that my watching them back to back allows for even more dramatic notice of the changes. Everything is cleaner here. The production values are light-years away from what they were. Even the disc menus reflect the higher-tech edge of the 21st century production values.
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Iron Man: The Complete 1994 Animated Television Series
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 6th, 2010
Iron Man 2 comes out this week and is set to do fantastic business. Usually I’m a person who waits for movies to hit dvd and blu-ray and I’m already planning to when I can go see this movie. But one of the things I’ve come to appreciate over the years is when a big movie such as Iron Man 2 comes out, there are disc releases that dip into yesteryear and help to get you in the mood. Imagine my surprise when I was asked to review Iron Man: The Complete 1994 Animated Series.
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Upcomingdiscs Is Now On Facebook
Posted in News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2010
Hey Gang,
We’ve hit Twitter, now it’s Facebook.
Be sure to stop by and become a fan.
We’ll be offering exclusive contests to our Fans this Summer.
So join the fun at Upcomingdiscs on Facebook. Use the link to the right.
Twitter Contest: We’re Giving Away Amelia On Blu-ray
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2010
We have a copy of Amelia on Blu-ray to give away. The last winner failed to claim the prize.
You might have entered when we had this one up earlier this year. Here’s your second chance to walk away with this unclaimed prize.
We’re going to try something different this time. To enter to win you must become a follower on Twitter for us at Upcomingdiscs. Anyone who becomes a follower and is still a follower on June 1st is eligible to win. On June 1st we will randomly pick a winner from our Twitter followers. In the future we’ll be giving away prizes for the folks that have followed us the longest.
We’re trying to increase the awareness out there for Upcomingdiscs. It’s the only way we can continue to offer you great reviews and, of course, contests. We have some great giveaways coming this Summer.
Contest is now closed. The Winner is Carol McCreery, Congratulations.
Winners are notified by E-mail. If you did not get a confirmation E-mail from us, check your Spam filter and contact us. Any prize not claimed in 2 weeks will be forfeit and be placed in the end of year contests next Holiday Season.
Survivors: Complete Original Series
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 5th, 2010
“You know, I never thought what happens to a city … well … if it breaks down, all at the same time. There’s no power. There’s no lighting, or cooking. And food, even if you can get it into the city, you can’t distribute it. Then there’s water and sewage, things like that. You know, it just never occurred to me when I lived in London. The city’s like a great big pampered baby, with thousands of people feeding it and cleaning it, making sure it’s all right.”
It was 1975. These were the glory days of science fiction on the BBC.
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Dare to Play the Game
Posted in Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on May 5th, 2010
Fallout 3: New Vegas, Super Mario Crossover & When Will I Quit Gaming? – Welcome to the column that dares anybody to rip the controller from his cold dead hands known as Dare to Play the Game.
So, I looked at Tecmo Bowl Throwback all of last week and I simply could not bring myself to buy the darn thing. There is honestly only one reason why.
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Doctor Zhivago Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2010
In many ways the epic story and film Doctor Zhivago echoes the real-life story of Boris Pasternak, who penned the original novel. Pasternak was a firsthand witness to the events that led to and became the Russian Revolution. He collected 50 years of memories that began with the early days before the revolution and ended with his own confrontations with the USSR government. Like Zhivago in the story, Pasternak’s work was banned in his own country. The manuscript had to be smuggled out of Russia and found its way first to Italy, where it was finally published for the first time. But it didn’t stop there.
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Crazy Heart (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 4th, 2010
These last couple of years have seen a resurgence of a particular kind of character study. For me I think it started with The Wrestler. For Mickey Rourke, it was a powerful comeback and led to an example of grand theft at that year’s Oscar celebration. Now, I wouldn’t exactly say that Jeff Bridges was in any particular need of a comeback. He’s had some pretty steady work over the years. Still, you just can’t watch Crazy Heart and not be reminded of The Wrestler. These characters could not be more different in a lot of ways. But they are also cut from the same cloth.
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Saturday Morning Cartoons – 1980s, Volume 1
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 4th, 2010
Most of my growing up and living occurred in the 1980’s. From ages five to fifteen, I grew up in an era that was famous to many different types of cartoons. It helped to shape my personality, from bad jokes to that unmistakable sarcasm. So, it was easy to attract me to a cartoon set that showcased odds and ends from that familiar era. Join me as we take a step back in history, a history that hits very close to home.
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Five Corners
Posted in Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on May 2nd, 2010
It’s the Bronx in the early 60s and a psychotic man named Heinz (John Turturro) is released from jail and immediately starts stalking the girl he tried to rape (Jodie Foster), which landed him in prison in the first place. Upon hearing about his release, the son of a cop turned pacifist/activist is enlisted as protection despite his hesitancy and desire to move to Mississippi to support the Black communities’ struggles there.
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