Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on March 7th, 2016
Eric Jonrosh has written many weighty tomes full of lust and passion and desire and wanton abandon. Perhaps the greatest of these heavy and important contributions to literature is The Spoils of Babylon. He directed a 22-hour film himself that he hoped would reveal the real heart and soul and dark insides of the book. No one was ready for such an intense and unbridled examination of the human experience, so Jonrosh allowed the footage to be bastardized and submitted to television as a miniseries. Jonrosh himself introduces the multi-episode presentation, which now clocks in at two hours and 18 minutes. Jonrosh drinks freely of wine at his favorite restaurant as he is filmed and erratically rambles about the origins of his work and his copious experiences creating masterpieces.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 7th, 2016
Who would have believed that you could do a situation comedy based on Nazi Germany and a group of POW’s in World War II? It wasn’t an easy sell. When Albert S. Ruddy first came up with the idea, it was a contemporary story about a group of guys in a normal U.S. prison. There were a lot of problems, mostly with the idea of making your main characters criminals. Of course, that’s not so much the problem today. But this was the 1960’s, and those kinds of “heroes” were not quite as accepted. Eventually the concept developed to put the characters in a prisoner of war camp in Nazi Germany during the World War II. Remember that we were only 20 years removed from the end of the war and the discovery of the concentration camps and all of the horrid images these things evoked in people.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on March 7th, 2016
Despite how the History Channel continues to churn out more reality shows, the upside of this is that the shows they put out happen to be pretty entertaining. When I first heard about Mountain Men, the first thing that came to mind was how dangerous was this show really going to get? Sure, you can have people hunting in the snow, but would the producers of the show really allow their crew to sit back and record the “cast” as they continue to face dangerous and deadly situations over and over? Well, the answer is yes, and the danger comes in various forms as the men of the show face off against Mother Nature in a blistering struggle for survival.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 4th, 2016
"One last mission."
That’s exactly what we’re talking about here. It’s the last mission for our brave Section 20 team. Strike Back follows the exploits that elite and secret British military team called Section 20. On paper they do not exist, but they've got all the best new high-tech toys, and they're going to need every one of them. But after this season they will no longer exist. This is the fourth and final season of Strike Back. It’s time to say goodbye, but there’s a farewell party planned, and this release is it. Let me assure you that Strike Back is going out with a bang… literally.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on March 4th, 2016
Weaponized can't seem to make up its mind about what kind of action flick it wants to be. It appears to be the story of a grief-stricken military contractor who obsessively pursues a dangerous experimental program, but instead the film focuses on a brawny, brooding homicide detective. On top of that, the Blu-ray's cover art prominently features an imposing robot that doesn't even factor into the plot until about 10 minutes before the credits roll. Most importantly, the movie totally ignores the schlockiness of its botched, cliche-ridden plot and plays everything distressingly straight, which makes Weaponized a pretty joyless trip to the near future.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on March 3rd, 2016
Mill Creek takes a look at the death penalty in America with its 6-part series Death Row: A History Of Capitol Punishment In America. It's a controversial subject, to be sure. One lucky Upcomingdiscs follower is going to follow in the footsteps of some of this country's most notorious killers. Of course, you get to do it from the comfort of your favorite viewing chair.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2016
RLJ Entertainment shows us that the spaghetti western is not dead. Kill Or Be Killed takes the tradition and adds in a little horror to the mix. The film was written and directed by Justin Meeks and Duane Graves. Justin even plays one of the outlaws by the name of Sweet Tooth. I had the chance to talk to the two filmmakers and they had a lot to say about the genre and the film. Now you get to hear it all here. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Justin Meeks and Duane Graves.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on March 2nd, 2016
The last time we checked in on Rocky Balboa was 2006. It was a bittersweet coda to a franchise that provided 30 years and six films of the life and times of Rocky Balboa. Some were truly great films. I'd count the first and last as in that category. Some were near misses like the third and fourth films, while the fifth was pretty much a total disaster. In those years and films we watched Rocky go from a hungry Philadelphia wannabe boxer to the champion several times over. Like the franchise, the character had his own highs and lows. There's no question that the Rocky franchise has gone the distance. And while it might have been a split decision, the Rocky films still stand as the champion of the film genre.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on March 2nd, 2016
When certain stories become public domain, you just have to expect that there will be a lot of people creating their own “unique” versions of the same tale all in the name of making a few bucks. When it comes to adaptations of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, I think we can all agree every attempt to tell the story has not been in the name of preserving the art. What I do find surprising: despite all the attempts to bring the story to the screen, there still isn’t a version that I can say is a perfect retelling of the tale, though each may have its pros, for the most part it just never seems to translate well.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on March 1st, 2016
…“And in the blue Blu corner...weighing in it about 5 ounces...hailing from Warner Bros...the surprise underdog sensation of 2015...Creed!” The boxing hit starring Michael B. Jordan and recent Oscar winner Sylvester Stallone highlights this week slate of Blu-ray and DVD releases. Cinedigm clocks in with The Midnight Man, joins God's Club, takes up arms with Weaponized, and follows James Dean through some of his Life. Cinemax retaliates with Strike Back: The Final Season. And it's either Kill or Be Killed, courtesy of RLJ Entertainment. (Be sure to keep an eye out for our interview with Kill or Be Killed filmmakers Justin Meeks and Duane Graves.)
Adonis Johnson and Rocky Balboa aren't the only contenders around these parts. Congratulations to Ronald Oliver, who wins a DVD copy of Misfire, courtesy of RLJ Entertainment in our February contest.
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