Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 12th, 2016
For the Gasparilla International Film Festival, to nab the latest film from writer/director Richard Linklater is kind of a big deal. GIFF was the second festival to show Everybody Wants Some after its debut at the acclaimed South by Southwest festival. With the film being lauded as a spiritual sequel to Linklater’s cult hit Dazed and Confused, I had to admit I was a bit skeptical about this film and its ability to even match up to its predecessor, after all it was the indie darling that helped launched the careers of Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, and many others. This ensemble of talented up-and-comers managed to capture this cinematic lightning in a bottle about high school, that for me is a film I manage to watch at least once a year when I come across someone who hasn’t yet seen the film. So how does the film hold up in the face of such expectations? For me this isn’t just a fun film, but I’m taking a stand and calling this the best party film to date (and yes, I’m daring to say it’s better than Animal House).
It’s time to take a trip back to 1980, a time before social media was ever a thing, and when cars came with tape decks filled with cassettes and people who had record collections were not hit with being called hipsters. The star of this film for me is the music that is beautifully strung through the film, whether we’re listening to Van Halen, Sugar Hill Gang, or The Knack, what we have is a great assortment of music to set the tone of the film, and we get a musical bag of ear candy to indulge.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 12th, 2016
For years I've been hearing about how "hot" vampires were on television and in the movies. It all appeared to start with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it actually goes back a lot longer ago. Zombies, on the other hand, were the sole property of feature films, usually extreme low-budget affairs. AMC's The Walking Dead has changed all of that. Suddenly zombies are very hot and populating one of the highest rated shows on television. Add a spin-off, and the domination continues. It wasn't going to take long for someone else to join the field. Enter iZombie, and we're off and running.
iZombie isn't really anything like The Walking Dead. Yes, both are taken from comic book source material. But if you're looking for the gore-fest and dark drama found on AMC, you might be a little disappointed. If you're looking for a fresh approach to a rotting corpse, iZombie will provide that and some.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on July 12th, 2016
I have previously reviewed movies from the Bible Stories collection including Samson and Delilah and David. I also reviewed Abraham, which was one of the earliest stories in the Bible but not as early as Noah or, of course, Adam and Eve. The Bible Stories: Jacob (or The Bible Collection: Jacob) follows up on the story of Abraham, since Jacob is his grandson. I have also just watched The Bible Stories: Joseph which I will review later, but I mention it because Joseph is Jacob’s son.
Isaac (Joss Ackland) had two sons who were very different, Esau (Sean Bean) and Jacob (Matthew Modine). Esau is the first born and seems a natural leader. Esau is a great hunter and fighter who is pursued by many women in the area. Jacob is a shepherd who is gentle and somewhat unsure of things. Jacob is favored his mother, Rebekah (the famous Greek actress Irene Pappas, The Guns of Navarone, Zorba the Greek). Esau is the natural choice of his father, Isaac. Rebekah says that she had a vision when she was pregnant that the elder will serve the younger. Jacob is uncertain and hesitant about many things but at times seems to covet the role of heir. Esau makes a deal to give his inheritance away for porridge that Jacob is making. Time passes and Isaac grows old and blind, and it is time to pass on leadership of the tribe. He is to give his blessing to Esau. Rebekah conspires to deceive Issac and have him give the blessing to Jacob. Jacob reluctantly agrees. The plan succeeds but infuriates Esau who vows to kill Jacob when Isaac dies. Rebekah persuades Jacob to take provisions and a dowry for marriage to the land of her brother, Laban (Giancarlo Giannini, Casino Royale, Hannibal). During his journey, Jacob is robbed by one his brother’s warriors. Jacob arrives in Harran penniless. Before he arrives, though, he has a vision in which God speaks to him and tells Jacob that Jacob will always be safe and prosperous. Laban welcomes his nephew but is disappointed that he has arrived empty-handed. Jacob has already been smitten by the younger daughter of Laban, Rachel (Lara Flynn Boyle, Twin Peaks, Red Rock West, Men in Black II). Laban proposes that Jacob be an indentured servant for seven years to earn Rachel. Jacob agrees. After the seven years are over, Laban ingeniously deceives Jacob by secretly consummating a marriage in the dark to the older daughter, Leah. Jacob is furious. He has brought great prosperity to Laban’s house, and Laban proposes that Jacob can have both his daughters, but he must work another seven years to earn Rachel yet again.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on July 12th, 2016
We’re in the midst of another brutal, life-sapping Florida summer around these parts, so I apologize if this week’s Round Up feels a little dazed and confused. The good news is you can stay indoors and pop in the Blu-ray for Paramount’s Everybody Wants Some, Richard Linklater’s spiritual sequel to his beloved 1993 cult classic. Magnolia Home Entertainment looks back on My Golden Days, while Broad Green Pictures places a bet on The Dark Horse. Shout! Factory goes on a pair of 4K journeys by climbing aboard the Rocky Mountain Express and tracking the Flight of the Butterflies. Finally, Warner Bros. shuffles along with iZombie: Season 2, while Lionsgate lures us into The Green Room.
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: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 12th, 2016
"They once roamed the earth by the tens of thousands. Their whistles spoke of distant places, of adventure and romance."
No, we're not talking about dinosaurs or some other extinct animal. Of course, we're talking about the steam-engine train. I'm old enough to have ridden them myself. I had a grandfather who realized in the early 1970's that these steam trains were about to disappear. He made it a point to explain this to me and made sure I appreciated my rides from Reading, Pennsylvania (literally a train city) to Philadelphia, where my Mom was sure he was a bagman for the mob and was using me as a cover. My grandfather wasn't a bagman; we never visited any Don. We would explore the various wonders of America's birth city. We'd visit the zoo or some historic site. Often we'd take in a Phillies game or hang out at the Italian markets in South Philly. I may not remember the details of everything we did. But I never did forget riding those steam-engine trains. And my grandfather was right. They've disappeared except for amusement parks and tourist attractions. But if you want to take a ride just like I did with my grandfather, all you have to do is pick up your ticket from Shout Factory and hop aboard The Rocky Mountain Express on UHD and in the dynamic color of 4K.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 12th, 2016
“You have a convenient way of remembering things.”
Buried somewhere deep in The Adderall Diaries — a hybrid family drama and true crime thriller centered around a blocked writer — there's an interesting exploration of how the past isn't necessarily set in stone and how two people can recall the same exact event in divergent ways that serve their needs. Unfortunately, the film almost entirely muddles that message beyond recognition, and we're left with a movie that is neither convenient nor particularly memorable.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on July 11th, 2016
Our friends at Warner Brothers have given us a copy of The 100 The Complete Third Season on DVD for one lucky winner here at Upcomingdiscs. The series stars Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Henry Ian Cusick and Isaiah Washington. It's the end of the world as we know it, and you can be there for all 16 episodes on DVD.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on July 11th, 2016
“I’m too young and too pretty to die in the f*&$ing woods.”
Those sound like famous last words if I ever heard them. The Levenger Tapes is without a doubt one of the more intriguing thriller films that I have seen this season, featuring not only a found-footage technique but a subplot involving the authorities investigating a kidnapping case simultaneously. The thing that ties it all the together, the discovered footage, is the only tangible link to solving the other crime.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on July 11th, 2016
I am somewhat angry right now. I am increasingly stunned at what is being praised in this culture. We are trapped in an era that is supposed to be enlightened but is ladled on top with layers of rotting organic material (which is a euphemism for a rather rude word). There seem to be no interest in certain things that are very important and increasingly relevant to us. There are subtleties and complexities about ourselves that we don’t understand and that is why the world is still enmeshed in violence and madness. I am talking about people who should know better. People who pontificate and tell us what we are supposed to think. Critics. Pundits. Prognosticators. I am one and I try to stand apart and formulate my own thoughts but it is difficult when you feel alone sometimes. The Free State of Jones has been called boring. It is not. It is one of the best historical films I have seen for a while. It is the best film of the year so far. 12 Years a Slave was a magnificent film and I would say The Free State of Jones is better. All sorts of modern entertainment is paraded before us, and it is all somewhat repetitive and pointless. It is mindless entertainment. I will try not to get too specific because I don’t really object to mindless entertainment. What I do object to is that when all this mindless, jaded and scattered opinion then turns its back on anything academic and well researched. Many historical films are somewhat staid and a little boring. The Free State of Jones is not one of those films. It is a war film and a film of constant conflict and battle that takes many forms. It is complex and unexpected in its story telling. It is brilliantly acted by everyone from the smallest part to the man who plays Newton Knight (Matthew McConaughy).
Knight is the central character of the film. His story is true and part of forgotten history. Forgotten history is all that history that they deliberately don’t tell us. It is an amazing, vital and important story. Knight was a fearsome fighter and a man of unbreakable will and keen intellect. He was also a poor farmer in Mississippi during the Civil War. His journey was to organize a rebellion against the confederacy. Years before Communism he created a pocket in the South that existed to band all the poor and disenfranchised together to share in a common goal. The story takes remarkable turns and I was honestly surprised how much depth, complexity and relevance was brought to the story. I will not even try to summarize it. If you like history, I cannot recommend the film highly enough. If history bores you, then you are likely a boring person. True history is full of guideposts to learn from. Our world is in turmoil because too many leaders have not learned the lessons of history.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on July 9th, 2016
"Stop me if you've heard this one before."
The first thing you need to know about The Secret Lives Of Pets is that it's not terribly original. Fans of the Pixar Toy Story Franchise will find pretty much every element of this script has been lifted from one of the three Toy Story films. Of course, if you're going to lift an idea, you might as well steal from the best. Of course, there are always formulaic ideas in films, particularly animated films geared mostly toward children. And while I really did enjoy almost everything about this film, I just can't escape the fact that I've seen it all before. Sometimes that feeling got a little uncomfortably obvious. And by sometimes, I mean the entire length of the movie. Look beyond the plagiarism, and you will find the film a delightful collection of characters and circumstances that just so happened to have been ripped off from Toy Story.
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