Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 25th, 2015
With their impossibly beefy frames, larger-than-life personas, and familiarity with staged combat (sorry, buddy), pro wrestlers fit the old-school action star mold perfectly. Unfortunately for them, Hollywood isn’t nearly as interested in action flicks that don’t have superheroes, dinosaurs, or Liam Neeson. And while interconnected cinematic universes are all the rage at the moment, Lionsgate and World Wrestling Entertainment have a pretty interesting partnership themselves. Their latest offering is the dopey, compulsively watchable 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown, which is considerably more entertaining than it has any right to be.
You may have guessed by now that 12 Rounds 3 (even the title is wonderfully ridiculous) is the third film in the saga. However, it’s also the second film in the “Action Six-Pack” series, a recent pact between Lionsgate and the WWE to make a sextet of action flicks starring the latter company’s wrestlers. (The first film in the “Six Pack” was Vendetta.) Even before this partnership, the WWE had found a measure of straight-to-DVD success by plugging its superstars into action vehicles that are only vaguely related to each other. (See, The Marine series.)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 25th, 2015
Whenever I read the caption that says the story is inspired by true events, the first thing I wonder is how much of film is actually truth and how much is poetic license. Am I the only one who wonders that? I’m guessing I’m not. In the case of Dragon Blade, I’m thinking that the opening featuring Jackie Chan’s trademark clumsy marital arts style is likely the latter, a tale that falls short of war epic status due to sentimental tendency. Held my attention in the beginning; however, I felt my interest wane in the middle, and by the conclusion it had lost me completely. Sad, because I was excited for this film when I originally heard about it.
Dragon Blade takes place in 50 BC, and Jackie Chan is Huo An, captain of the Silk Road Protection Squad. As the group’s leader, Huo An with a small coalition does his best to keep the peace in Silk Road, a task that is very difficult given the constantly warring factions. Despite these obstacles, Huo An holds steadfast to his code, refusing to resort to violence without attempting peaceful negotiations first. An honorable man, his life is shortly turned upside down when he and his group are accused of smuggling gold and sentenced to a prison camp.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on December 23rd, 2015
“I'm guessing most of you still don't really know what happened.”
There is absolutely nothing funny about the financial crisis of 2008. Besides the fact that the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble led to the failure of countless businesses and a disastrous decline in consumer wealth, the crisis involved key phrases like “credit default swap” and “collateralized debt obligation.” Those terms are much more likely to make your eyes glaze over in boredom or confusion than they are to inspire laughs. The Big Short cannily recognizes this challenge and crafts a farcical, incisive narrative about a small group of outcasts who saw the whole thing coming.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on December 23rd, 2015
Once again I have the pleasure of reviewing a Blu-ray double feature distributed by Shout Factory. This time out, I have been graced with two sci-fi adventure films from the mid 1980’s: The Dungeonmaster and Eliminators. Although the two films play well as a double feature, the cheesy (yet oh, so beautiful) aesthetics and special effects are not these films’ only connection. Peter Manoogian sits in the director’s chair for Eliminators and also one of the segments of The Dungeonmaster. Manoogian came onto my radar with his 1992 video feature Demonic Toys, so I was really excited to experience his earlier (and arguably better) work.
Starting with The Dungeonmaster: this film is absolutely crazy. If you do not have a clear grasp of the film’s concept, it may be a tough pill of 80’s sci-fi to swallow. The film follows Paul Bradford (Jeffrey Byron) as he journeys into his own computer system to save his girlfriend from the evil wizard Mestema (Richard Moll). While that story seems simple enough, the film is broken into several segments. Each segment is a different challenge set forth by Mestema that Paul must overcome. However, what makes this concept unique is that each segment has a different director. That being said, although each segment is directly tied to the story; with each new challenge, the film changes tone right before your eyes. If you are not aware of that fact going in, I will admit the film might be a little overbearing.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on December 22nd, 2015
Here’s a happy thought: Pan in 3D soars into UpcomingDiscs headquarters this week, courtesy of Warner Bros. And that's just a taste of the fun we're having around these parts, as we count down to Christmas. Lionsgate sharpens Dragon Blade, goes the distance with 12 Rounds 3, and looks up to The Giant King. Finally, Shout! Factory leave us in charge of The Nanny: Season 5.
Now it's time for your weekly reminder that you can 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: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 16th, 2015
"A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..."
It sure does seem like it was a long time ago since Star Wars was actually very good. It doesn't matter if you thought Empire or Jedi was the last good film; few people that I've encountered mentioned the more recent trilogy in the same sacred breath as those original films. Star Wars gave us swashbuckler adventure in the spirit of the early serials. Then it was about a mythical epic story that swept a generation into its colorful universe. What George Lucas created in the late 1970's will never die. But before long it became more about the creator and less about engaging the fans. The attitude turned into "this is my franchise and I'll do whatever the heck I want to do with it." First he changed elements of the first films, most notably the "who shot first" controversy over Hans Solo and Greedo. It was as if Lucas was truly feeling like God now. Lucas giveth and Lucas taketh away. The prequel trilogy was all about getting theaters to change to digital and presenting films that shouted wildly, "Look at me". Many scenes were so crowded with visuals that it wasn't even possible to take it all in. The technology began to overshadow the story. And it was always made worse that Lucas didn't seem to care at all what we thought. Star Wars no longer belonged to us.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 16th, 2015
I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theatre, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too kinky to talk about. Fortunately, Upcomingdiscs has come to the rescue every Christmas with our Gift Guide Spotlights. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. A&E/History have sent some cool sets that we'll also be giving away during our 12 Days Of Christmas Giveaways.
Well...here it all is. Every episode of the first eight years including the Deck The Halls Christmas Special. You get 18 DVD's in all so this is a big present for the Duck Dynasty fan who wants to keep all of his ducks in a row. That means hours of Phil, Si, Willie and Jase. That also means hours of terrific guest stars and crazy antics. You can give someone the business...the family business... the Robertson family business, that is.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on December 15th, 2015
Your mission — should you choose to accept it — is to check out our review of box office smash Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, which is available on Blu-ray today. Also this week, Shout! Factory enrolls in Zombie High and offers a double feature of The Dungeonmaster/Eliminators. Finally, A&E quacks up with Duck Dynasty: Seasons 1-8 and blesses us with a 16-disc Bible Collection.
Don't forget that this post is also your latest 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: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 15th, 2015
I think I see your problem. You have this list. It’s a list of people you need/want to buy a Christmas gift for. The trouble is that they’re into home theatre, and you don’t know Star Trek from Star Wars. You couldn’t tell a Wolf Man from a Wolverine. And you always thought that Paranormal Activity was something too kinky to talk about. Fortunately, Upcomingdiscs has come to the rescue every Christmas with our Gift Guide Spotlights. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. Maybe someone on your shopping list loves movies and loves books. The best place I can offer you here is the folks at Barron's Educational. I've seen two books from them this shopping season that you really want to check out. The first we've already talked about. The second is for that Dr. Whovian on your Christmas list.
The first thing you need to know is that the book isn't laying the claim that these are the very best films ever made. It merely includes movies that for some reason or another demand to be experienced at least once in your life. Many are included because of the influence they have had on those that came after. And while these films might seem primitive by modern standards, we wouldn't have the modern standards without them. Others are included because of some groundbreaking milestone the film measures in the industry. Many are included because of how much they have invaded our pop culture. The movies span all genres, all nations, and all subjects. Each capsule gives us a short description of the film and a brief presentation of the reasons for its inclusion here. The capsules range from very short paragraphs to two-page spreads. There are 75 contributors, so the writing styles vary considerably. The book includes hundreds of wonderful stills from these films and is one of the more informative books I've encountered in the last decade.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by BABY on December 15th, 2015
Baby here again. Yeah, I'm the Shepherd/Chow that runs the whole operation here at Upcomingdiscs. I give the orders and everyone jumps. OK, I made that last part up. You know who does jump? It's those UPS and Fed Ex guys who keep trying to deliver stuff here. They're getting a little too cocky, if you ask me. The problem is that no one around here asks me anything. The only time I get asked for something is when a dog film comes into the house. Then Gino puts on the charm. Me, I think it's racial profiling, and I'm not standing for it any more. Besides, lying down just feels a lot better anyway. The movie is called A Christmas Tail. It's a kind of play on words. You humans think you're so clever. But if it weren't for those thumbs ...
The movie actually starts out with the pretty solid idea that dogs make great Christmas presents. At least that's what Jack (Cupo) thinks when he gets his daughter a dog they name Bear for an early Christmas present. Of course, she loves Bear even if he isn't a Shepherd/Chow mix, and it looks like happily ever after, right? One of the neighbors takes exception to Bear digging in his front yard. So he calls the dog police and has him sent to a shelter where Maggie (West) is also looking for a dog for her son for Christmas. Hey, I'm a dog, and already I knew where this was going. So while Jack is looking for Bear, Maggie and her son now have a new dog named Paisley Of course, it's the same dog. When they finally meet, they decide to share the dog but keep the name Bear. He dodged a big one there. I guess Baby was already taken.
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