Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 19th, 2015
“Before we start, I want you to know something...I'm not a rat.”
I could get into *a lot* of trouble if anybody found out I was talking to you. After all, there is absolutely, positively nothing worse than a rat, a point that is made crystal clear in Black Mass. But I'm putting my neck on the line here because I figured you'd want to know this fact-based crime drama marks the welcome return of Johnny Depp, who has spent the better part of the past decade in the Magic Kingdom loony wilderness.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on September 18th, 2015
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials causes a great deal of confusion for me. First, I have to figure out how it is different from two other YA (Young Adult) phenomenons, Divergent and The Hunger Games. It's not that it's that hard to tell the difference between them, but there are so many nagging similarities for me that watching the three series in succession would become a difficult experience. It doesn't help that Maze Runner II has so many tropes from so many different movies that it is somewhat overwhelming. More than overwhelming, it is absolutely confusing. Adding to the confusion, this new installment of Maze Runner no longer has a maze.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 18th, 2015
"The wilds of Sri Lanka, land of myth and legend where rocky pinnacles overlook cast tropical forests. And an abandoned city lies shrouded in the jungle. The kings who once reigned here are long gone. These days, there's a new dynasty in residence. But this one is governed by the law of the jungle."
From such a majestic intro told against a backdrop of beautiful vistas we find our tranquility broken by an invasion of primates rushing across the landscape to the voice of Micky Dolenz singing the theme song to the 1960's comedy classic The Monkees. Hey, Hey, it's Disney Nature's latest adventure into the life of a family of animals. Enter Monkey Kingdom.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 17th, 2015
After 15 years CSI is finally calling it a day. CSI is one of the longest-running shows on television. Most of the original cast members have moved on, and the series managed to bring in some pretty solid talents to replace them. It appeared as though the long-running show still had legs. It outlasted two spinoffs both which ran 10 and 5 years themselves. CSI: Cyber has just finished its first season and will remain, for now, the only surviving member of the franchise. We'll be offering up our look at that show next week. Until then, join us in a farewell review of the series that launched it all. CBS is treating us to CSI: The Final Season.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 17th, 2015
“You need to promise…something goes wrong, you need to drop a bomb on this whole mess.”
The biggest literal bang on Homeland came courtesy of the explosion that wiped out CIA headquarters in the season 2 finale. However, many fans and critics would argue the subsequent third season was an even bigger bomb. (I thought season 3 at least finished strong following that dismal start.) Nevertheless, season 4 of Showtime’s cracked, crackerjack spy drama represents a soft reboot for the show. It’s also a return to its Emmy-winning season 1 form.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on September 17th, 2015
The films in this BluRay double feature are connected through two commonalities: the actor Gene LeBrock, and each having an Italian director. The films were produced around the same time, one in ’89 and the other in ’90, and they are both your typical schlocky Italian horror films. Although they may not be as noteworthy as the films of Mario Bava or Dario Argento, they most certainly emulate many of the aesthetics within the “giallo” genre. In other words, where they lack in story and acting talent, they make up for in cinematography, set design, and editing.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 16th, 2015
Gotham City. You know the name just as you know the names of Metropolis and Smallville. These are important places in the DC comics universe that have existed as part of modern American mythology since the 1930's. Warner Brothers has decided to tackle Gotham in much the way it spent 10 years bringing us to Smallville. But there is a decided difference to be found here. Smallville was indeed the origin story of Superman, and while the obvious answer might be that Gotham serves the same role for Batman, I found that to be a bit of an oversimplification.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on September 16th, 2015
If something seems too good to be true, then it probably is. It’s a lesson that’s hardwired into our brains, yet often proves impossible to resist. That idea is also what jumpstarts the action in The Legacy, which is equal parts stylish, campy, and compulsively watchable. The 1978 thriller, directed by future Return of the Jedi helmer Richard Marquand, now makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Shout! Factory.
Posted in: Tuesday Round Up by J C on September 15th, 2015
That sound you hear blaring out of UpcomingDiscs headquarters this week is probably The Who. We’ll be saying B-Y-E to CSI, as The Final Season of the long-running procedural crime drama arrives courtesy of CBS/Paramount, which also delivers CSI: Cyber — Season 1. If you listen closely, you might also catch a little Electric Light Orchestra as Universal Music Group offers up ELO: Live in Hyde Park. HBO dives into the disturbed psyches of Nightingale and The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Shout! Factory passes down The Legacy and The Bold Ones: The Protectors — The Complete Series.
Disney swings by with Monkey Kingdom, MPI Home Video rockets Closer to the Moon and cops to The Seven Five, while A&E Home Video revisits The Returned: Season 1. Warner Bros. geeks out with The Big Bang Theory: Season 8, and you can already check out our take on Peanuts: The EMMY Honored Collection.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 14th, 2015
"My name is Walter O'Brien. I have the fourth highest IQ ever recorded: 197. Einstein's was 160. When I was 11 the FBI arrested me for hacking into NASA to get their blueprints for my bedroom wall. Now I run a team of geniuses, tackling worldwide threats only we can solve..."
By now you are used to the geeky technical expert that is a requisite part of many television crime-solving teams. It's become such a stereotype that it's more formula than character by this point. So what if you had an entire team of these super-intellects, and there was only one normal person in the line-up.
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