Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on December 2nd, 2015
“I don’t think I’m going to be at all famous. I don’t think I could handle it. I’d probably go mad.”
Amy Winehouse — the troubled English soul singer who died of alcohol poisoning at age 27 — says these sadly prophetic words early on in Amy. Hearing them almost five years after her 2011 death only adds to the powerfully haunting quality of this documentary. At its core, Amy is like every Behind the Music episode you’ve ever seen…except it is also a masterfully told story with thrillingly original flourishes.
Posted in: Contests, Tuesday Round Up by J C on December 1st, 2015
The calendar says it’s December, but it sure doesn’t feel that way down here at the UpcomingDiscs ranch. While we patiently wait for it to get cold enough to get the fireplace going — or at least make us reach for a light jacket — we’ve got another week’s worth of hot releases to review. Lionsgate gives us Amy, which examines the (tragically short) life of singer Amy Winehouse and is one of the best-reviewed movies of the year. But that’s not all: Lionsgate also doubles down with Mississippi Grind, adheres to a Zero Tolerance policy, keeps watch with The Guardsman, settles down with Some Kind of Beautiful, and washes away Cooties. Meanwhile, Image Entertainment goes Where Children Play, and Cinedigm enlists War Pigs.
And since we had to find *some* way to get in the Christmas spirit around here...congratulations to November's Tuesday Round Up contest winner Sherry McKay, who won Jingle Bell Rocks on DVD.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on December 1st, 2015
I absolutely love it when I go into a film blind, save for my expectations after looking at the cover, and leave with a surprisingly pleasant experience. A Christmas Horror Story provided me with that exact experience. The cover depicts Krampus, the evil Christmas beast of German folklore, battling Santa in a snowy, mountainous area. This particular battle does not surface until the final moments of the film: instead, we are treated to three separate horror tales that are connected by the various characters that occupy them. Each one of the tales does a good job of maintaining the Christmas theme in creative ways.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on December 1st, 2015
Swim Little Fish Swim is, above all else, a very charming film. In fact, it may have been a little too charming for me. I appreciate character-driven dramas, but it is the drama in the film that keeps me engaged throughout. Swim Little Fish Swim introduces some really interesting conflicts into the story, and each conflict has a good variance of high and low stakes. However, the conflicts are either never quite resolved or resolved in a rather unsatisfying way. I did really enjoy the film, but it left me wanting more.
Posted in: News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 2015
It's time to tally up the body count for our 31 Nights Of Terror contests. Thanks to all who entered. If you didn't win this time, keep trying. Thanks also to the studios that made it all happen.
Don't forget we'll be serving up our 12 Days Of Christmas Giveaways in December. That's 12 straight days of contests.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on November 30th, 2015
“Why are people trying to stab you?”
People in action movies aren't usually inclined to stop and ask that question out loud. In American Ultra, a small army of CIA operatives repeatedly try to stab, shoot, gas, and blow up an underachieving slacker and his girlfriend. Seems like a lot of trouble for a panic attack-prone convenience store clerk who sketches a goofy graphic novel about an adventurous ape on his downtime. American Ultra is funny, violent, and tonally-jarring at times. However, it's also a fun subversion of the action genre and (more specifically) “supersoldier” movies.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 30th, 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. Lionsgate has given us a lot of content this year. They also gave us the best film I've seen all year. That would be Mr. Holmes. From television to theatrical releases to direct to video. Lionsgate has something for you to put under the tree this year
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 29th, 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. This time we turn our attention to CBS.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 28th, 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. HBO is the spotlight today. A couple of television's best shows had full-season releases in 2015.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on November 27th, 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. When it comes to getting the current shows out in high definition, no one does it better than Warner Brothers.
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