Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 31st, 2015
“We're in hell.”
The Blu-ray cover for Bone Tomahawk features a grizzled Kurt Russell donning a cowboy hat. That image immediately indicated to me that I would be in steady, exceedingly capable hands for the forthcoming Western adventure. What I didn't necessarily expect was for Bone Tomahawk to also deliver one of the more frightening, engrossing, and pulse-pounding movie-watching experiences of the year.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 30th, 2015
My Favorite Martian The Complete Series. This is quite the little treasure we have here. MPI has put together an impressive list of extras and every episode of the Bill Bixby / Ray Waltson classic. Long before The Avengers Bixby was The Incredible Hulk. (Okay, he was Banner and Lou Ferrigno was the big green guy). Long before Mork arrived from Ork Uncle Martin arrived from Mars and into the life of newspaper reporter Tim O'Hara. We're talking hours of memories here that you really want on your video shelf. This might well be one of my favorite giveaways.
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Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on December 30th, 2015
Does anyone remember Full House? Of course you do. It was recently given a kind of reboot which is supposed to debut on Netflix in 2016. That’s pretty good for a show that debuted in 1987. It ended in 1995 with 192 episodes. That is a very successful run, and it launched the Olson twins as mega-moguls. The twins apparently no longer act, so they will not be in the reboot. I hear they are very, very rich ($300,000,000?). I also hear that Ashley might have Lyme disease, which is a long term ordeal and difficult to overcome. Apparently The Unauthorized Full House came about because Lifetime had success with The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story. I will say that I expected juicy dirt about the various cast members. It isn’t particularly juicy, but it is full of embarrassing details on just about everyone. It is also full of a fair amount of inaccuracies, some due to legal constraints (such as not being able to use sets, theme songs, catch phrases, etc.). It’s more of a behind-the-scenes look at the struggles of producing a network television show. There have been a few alleged scandals, but they did not make the cut of this somewhat friendly look at the show. The original cast included John Stamos, Lori Loughlin, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson. The actors portraying them are almost entirely unknown faces. The only cast member who I even remotely recognized was Peter Deluise, who plays Stamos’s father. Stamos goes to the pizzeria that his father owns looking for advice about his faltering career. That all changes when he gets the show. We get to see all the cast members as they fret about their futures, but once the show takes hold, we focus on some personal tragedies like both Saget and Coulier suffering the deaths of their sisters. The show’s creator, Jeff Franklin, is depicted as a somewhat stressed out killjoy, constantly having to watch that Saget won’t say bad words in front of the kids. The show’s run is dutifully handled year by year even going to the effort of hiring new actors for the child actors as they grow. I may be giving the impression that I don’t know why they bothered.
The entire effort seems so lackluster and generic that it might have seemed more in place if had been broadcast back in 1987 instead of 2015. Whatever chemistry the original cast may have had is certainly not translated into this version. As a tribute, it seems well-intentioned but substandard. I would say if you are a huge fan of the original series, you might want to see this. If you are a fan of television, in general, you might find some behind-the-scenes information somewhat useful. But if you have any interest in a quality program that stands on its own, it is completely and totally useless. It is boring, dull, and sleep-inducing. The original Full House was probably something of a retread of routine sitcom situations, so this movie is a retread of a retread.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on December 29th, 2015
Well, partners, it’s time for the final Tuesday Round Up of 2015…and we've got plenty of fireworks before year's end! We’ll be setting our sights on Hitman: Agent 47, courtesy of Fox. Lionsgate pulls one last major Heist, and Image Entertainment cuts straight to the Bone Tomahawk. Finally, the end of the year also means it’s Showtime! Reviews for two of the cable channel's series are on the way: Warner Bros. is utterly Shameless: Season 5, while CBS/Paramount reacquaints us with Ray Donovan: Season 3.
This is actually the fifth Tuesday of the month, which means you fine people are getting an extra chance to win free stuff. Once a month we’re going to give away a surprise DVD title from our archives to a lucky winner who comments in our weekly Round-Up posts. All you have to do is comment in a Round-Up post — like this one! — and tell us which of the featured titles you’re most curious to read about. (Quick reminder: You're not telling us which title you'd like to win; your free DVD will be a surprise.)
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 29th, 2015
We have some great friends over at Time Life and Star Vista. They’re you’re friends, too. This time it’s season 4 of The Wonder Years. Take a trip back in time to what it was like to be a kid in the 1960?s. Plus there’s Joe Cocker’s version of A Little Help From My Friends. It’s all here for a lucky Upcomingdiscs winner. 'Tis the season for some wonder.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 28th, 2015
CPO Sharkey The Best Of Season One. It's Don Rickles as Sharkey. His job is to make everyone's life miserable. But our friends at Time-Life and StarVista want to add a little laughter to help kick off your 2016. We've got a 6-episode Greatest Hits disc from the show's first season. It's going to an Upcomingdiscs follower.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 27th, 2015
If you didn't have a large enough Christmas library to share with that special someone, Hallmark wants to hook you up for next time. We've got a collection of 4 Holiday films on DVD: Christmas At The Cartwrights , A Cookie Cutter Christmas, Best Christmas Party Ever and Ice Sculpture Christmas. It's hours of romance for the Holidays. We want to help extend that Christmas season for a lucky Upcomingdiscs follower.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on December 27th, 2015
Football is extremely important to many (or most, or all) Americans. That would be an understatement, since football is a national obsession that can reach the level of mania at times. Football is close to a religion for some people. You don’t mess with football, but that is what Will Smith’s new film, Concussion, does. It tells the true story of a Nigerian doctor who has an extremely rigorous and conscientious approach to his work performing autopsies in the Pittsburgh coroner’s office. He supervised over the deaths of Mike Webster, Terry Long, Justin Strzelczyk, Andre Waters and Dave Duerson, who all died before the ages of 51. These autopsies were instrumental in uncovering the connection to a disease that had been associated with boxers, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The connection with boxing was never made by the National Football League until Dr. Bennet Omalu, played by Will Smith, starts going to extraordinary lengths to investigate. Numerous lawsuits have occurred since 2008 when Omalu began this work showing that the NFL had covered up their knowledge of this issue. The main outcomes many players suffer are dementia, depression, and suicide. His one early ally is his boss, Cyril H. Wecht, MD, JD (Albert Brooks). Wecht supports Omalu despite growing opposition and expensive testing. The testing initially exceeds $20,000. Omalu pays for the tests out of his own pocket, because he is driven by a search for the truth despite the growing obstacles he faces. The opposition starts to rise to levels of potential death threats and pressure from all sorts of law enforcement agencies including the FBI to stop the testing. Corruption in the NFL is evident in their use of the name of football to exert influence on everyone and anyone to protect the sanctity of the game. The movie starts to play out like a medical thriller, but this is a true story.
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Stephen Moyer (True Blood), Eddie Marsan (Ray Donavan), Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket), Mike O’Malley (Yes, Dear), and Paul Reiser (Mad About You) all play doctors on the various sides of this issue. There is a change in regime in the NFL when Roger Goodell (Luke Wilson) comes in as the investigation starts to pick up traction.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 26th, 2015
They'll quack you up. It's the Robertson Clan and they could be coming to your house as a late Christmas gift. Those busy little elves over at Lionsgate have sent us A&E's Duck Dynasty Seasons 4-6 on DVD. It's an 8-disc collection that delivers three full seasons of Duck Dynasty fun and games. It's going out to a lucky Upcomingdiscs follower. We already know if these guys have been naughty or nice. How about you?
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on December 25th, 2015
It's back. Upcomingdiscs proudly presents our 12 Days Of Christmas Giveaways. We're running a new contest for each of the 12 Days Of Christmas.
The Original Christmas Classics Anniversary Collector's Edition. This DVD collection features some of the biggest Christmas Classics from the vintage days of the television specials. In one collection you're going to get 7 all-time classic specials. We're talking Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty The Snowman. Those are two of the best there ever was. The set also includes the rare Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. In this day of super heroes this is one of the earliest. It's Santa's origin story told in wonderful stop-motion. I haven't seen it since I was a kid. What a blast to share it with my family. The set also includes The Little Drummer Boy, Cricket On The Hearth which stars Roddy McDowall and Danny Thomas, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol and Frosty Returns. You want this collection on your shelf before the next Christmas season rolls around. Now you can win it on DVD thanks to our Christmas buddies at Dreamworks.
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