Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 28th, 2016
Based on the story “The Colorado Kid” by Stephen King, the SyFy series Haven comes to its end with the last 13 episodes for the final season. When we were last in Haven a fog bank surrounded the small coastal Maine town and Duke (Eric Balfour) accidently unleashed all his “troubles” upon the town. Things were not just looking bad for the town; in fact this may be the darkest days they’ve had to encounter. Would 13 episodes be enough to wrap up all the loose ends and finally allow the town of Haven to be normal, or would this take a darker turn and dare to leave the town to suffer its doom to the mysterious Croatoan? Well, I’m not about to spoil anything, so rest easy, fans, but I should say that not everyone is going to make it through this alive; in fact, I can say this season kept me on edge from start to finish.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on April 26th, 2016
Who’s the baddest pimp in town? (Other than yours truly, of course.) Well if you’re a fan of blaxploitation cinema, you probably know the answer to that question is Dolemite! The film makes its Blu-ray debut this week, so be sure to keep checking our site for the review. Meanwhile, Lionsgate retraces its steps with Backtrack, and Comedy Central bids a warm farewell to Hot in Cleveland: Season 6.
Before you go, here's the customary reminder/PSA 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 J C on April 25th, 2016
“We're making history with the first woman president.”
That statement may or may not become a reality in a matter of months, but HBO has real-life politics beat either way. Season 3 of Veep, the caustic, constantly-cussing comedy series, concluded with U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer ascending to the highest office in the land. But lest you think the show jumped the shark by having VP Meyer outgrow the show's title, there's more than enough sharp-tongued mayhem to go around once Selina and her staff — referred to as “an infection of mediocrity” in season 4 — have their finger on the button.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 25th, 2016
Besides the fact that The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun has one of the most excessive titles that I’ve seen since Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, the film just might be one of the most bonkers I’ve seen as well. Not only was the film a remake from back in 1976, but it is also based off the novel from author Sebastien Japrisot. I’ve never seen the first film, nor have I read the book, so when I came into viewing this film I came into it with few to no expectations. Going by the trailer I had figured this would be just a simple straightforward thriller; I couldn’t have been any more mistaken.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on April 23rd, 2016
"You must be kidding."
It is the most requested photograph from the White House archives. I'm talking about a photograph of Richard Nixon with The King. This particular King's kingdom wasn't a nation or political group. Of course, I'm talking about Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll. The meeting occurred in the days before Nixon installed his infamous recording equipment and long before that fateful break-in at Watergate. So no one really knows what was said in the meeting. Now director Liza Johnson attempts to take us behind the closed doors of the Oval Office on that fateful day in December of 1970 when the leader of the free world met with the leader of a generation
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 22nd, 2016
Dr. Temperance Brennan, or Bones, (Deschanel) is the world's leading bone specialist. She works in Washington, D.C. for the famous Jeffersonian (I assume it's intended to be the Smithsonian). Her talents have proven themselves very helpful in solving crimes where skeletal remains are all that there is to go on from the victim. Her FBI agent/liaison is Seeley Booth (Boreanaz). Together they have an uneasy relationship that grows into a kind of friendship and eventually a marriage with a young daughter. The problem is that Bones doesn't have a ton of social skills. She relies on Booth to guide their social interactions. More on that later. The lab is run by Dr. Camille Saroyan (Taylor), who has become a bit of a guiding mother to the team.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on April 22nd, 2016
“There is another story. One that comes long before...happily ever after.”
An unseen narrator — an uncredited Liam Neeson, wisely choosing not to show his face in this film — intones these words at the start of The Huntsman: Winter's War. He's talking about the saga involving a certain magic mirror and Ravenna (a still-captivating Charlize Theron), the wicked antagonist from 2012's Snow White and The Huntsman. But as this flat, uninspired prequel/sequel hybrid unfolds, it becomes clear that this “other story” is essentially an unimaginative mish-mash of Disney (shades of Frozen and Brave are added to the Snow White framework) and Tolkien.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on April 21st, 2016
Daniel Tosh is known for his no-holds-barred approach to stand-up comedy. His latest special, People Pleaser, is no exception: He even admits that he makes a living out of saying outrageous things in the middle of this act. Although he is often criticized for delivering racist and misogynistic humor to the young, white male demographic, Tosh gracefully disagrees through this persuasive performance. Having already seen two of his prior specials, I must admit he hit a beautiful stride in his fourth special that I really wasn’t expecting. There is an impressive retention of attitude and abrasiveness, but he added a large amount of metacognition to his act that forces the audience to really think about his performance.
Posted in: Site News by Gino Sassani on April 21st, 2016
Paul's been with us for a while. Regular readers are familiar with his work because he's just reached his 200th review. He's absolutely the most off-the-wall writer here, but we love him because he makes the rest of us look sane. Hopefully, he'll be driving us crazy for another 200.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on April 21st, 2016
“Due to the explicit sexual nature of the following National Lampoon Radio Hour, it's featured as adult entertainment and not recommended for children's ears without parental supervision.”
Even if you had no idea it originated as a magazine, the name “National Lampoon” instantly conjures images of raunchy, subversive, anti-establishment humor. That's how strongly the iconic comedy brand managed to embed itself into pop culture. (In addition to the magazine, there were stage and radio shows along with at least two classic movies.) This dynamic, uproarious, and aptly-titled documentary does a very good job of illustrating how that happened.









