Trailer for “The Forbidden Kingdom” starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 16th, 2007
A discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation – The Complete Seventh Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 15th, 2007
You would think that after seven years, CSI would begin to show a little wear and tear around the edges. When you factor in the dilution of the two other versions of the franchise with a combined 8 years of episodes, you end up with 15 years and over 250 episodes of CSI total. Certainly even the best of shows with the most imaginative writers can’t stay fresh for that long. Still, somehow, the gang at CSI continues to crank out compelling drama, rarely repeating itself. Every year I go into a new season of CSI expecting to find it starting to show its age a bit, and every year I continue to be amazed.
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Fox announces the Fox Digital Copy plan, allows you to copy DVDs legally.
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2007
From Tech Crunch:
The DRM camp is now saying that copying is good—to a degree. The upcoming DVD release on November 20 of Live Free or Die Hard will be the first to allow digital copies to your PC and one other USB-attached device. That’s two copies for the price of one DVD. The folks at Fox are calling this a Fox Digital Copy, and plan to roll it out with future DVDs as well. The catch: any device you put it on needs to be compatible with Microsoft’s PlayforSure DRM technology. That excludes all iPods, Sony PSPs, and even Zunes.
Ghostbusters 3 is now offically in the works….as a videogame
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2007
According to Game Informer magazine(December issue) Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis have all come together and started work on a Ghostbusters video game. The story will take place after the events of Ghostbusters 2. The game is being developed by Zootfly(primarily a strategy game maker). Earlier reports from Dan Akroyd said the game would play like Gears of War with a very gritty feel to it. The game should release sometime next year for all major game consoles. The screenshot featured is on the cover of Game Informer.
You Kill Me
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 15th, 2007
I only know Tea Leoni for a couple of things, the big thing being that she married David Duchovny (The X-Files) and grew a couple of demon seeds with him. But I guess she was bored and inexplicably took on the role of producer and actress in a film starring an Oscar winner, Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi), in a low budget independent film named You Kill Me, which was a script that had been kicked around Hollywood for a few years.
Do you miss Mystery Science Theater 3000?
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 14th, 2007
Well fret not. Almost everyone involved with the old sci-fi channel mainstay has moved to continue the shows tradition in some way.
First, there’s Rifftrax, created by Mike Nelson the second host of MST3K. Rifftrax is a series of downloadable commentaries for ever growing collection of movies. Each commentary stars Mike himself and usually accompanied by 1-2 guest stars. These stars are usually his fellow comrades Kevin Murphy(2nd Voice of the robot Tom Servo) and Bill Corbett(2nd voice of the robot CROOOOOOOOOW!). Some of the special guest stars have been Sean Patrick Harris(Doogie Hauser) and Fred Willard. Each commentary features the same quality rapid fire puns, insults and meanderings that made MST3K such a hit with movie buffs.
Jump for more info.
See Brian de Palma’s new film, “Redacted” tonight
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 14th, 2007
Tonight on HDNET movies, 10:15 PM ET and again at 12:00AM ET. This is an exclsuive sneak peak. HDnet movies is included with most Dish network HD packages. Check with your provider to see if you can get HDnet movies by tonight. Note: The DVD will be available from Magnolia films online in a couple of weeks.
Dare to Play the Game
Posted in Dare to Play the Game, Regular Columns by Michael Durr on November 14th, 2007
Dating in WoW, Hacking in Orange and 360 goes VC – Welcome to the column that pretends to go by an acronym but then realizes it just isn’t quite cool enough known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another addition of Dare to Play the Game. I’m addicted to Puzzle Quest. Big time. So much, Sarah and I are two achievements from finishing up the whole bloody thing. Lord Bane and Level 50 are the only things left. I would venture to say Lord Bane goes down long before level 50 since we are both about level 35 and just finished rebuilding Sartek. In fact the only thing I’m really messing with in other games besides that is Smackdown vs Raw 2007 and working on some small achievements there. I’m pretty determined to crack open Half Life Orange by weekend time. I’m split on Mass Effect, I know it looks awesome and I do want it in my collection but we’ll see if I can hold out until Christmas.
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The Psychic
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 14th, 2007
As a woman commits suicide by leaping to her death on the English seacoast, her daughter in Italy has a vision of her fall. Years later, the now-grown Virginia (Jennifer O’Neill) is married to a wealthy businessman, and is suddenly plagued by visions again. Following the evidence, she discovers the skeleton of a young woman who has been walled up in her husband’s ancestral home for years. He is immediately arrested. Virginia works to prove his innocence by investigating the other mysteries of her visions, but she is letting herself in for more than she bargained for.
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Crazy About Clockwork: All That’s Wrong About Warner’s HD DVD Release
Posted in Blog Posts, Phil on Film by Archive Authors on November 13th, 2007
[Editor’s Note: Phil emailed us an impassioned commentary on the recent HD DVD release of “A Clockwork Orange” – which seemed like it should be shared with the world. I asked Phil if he wanted to re-work as a guest post, which he did, and here we are – Welcome aboard, Phil!]
Hello, and who am I?
I’m Phil Smoot, born and live in North Carolina, will be 57 a few days before Christmas of this year (2007), and I have been invited to be an occasional contributor to UpcomingDiscs.com.
Why?
Well, maybe Geritol is a potential sponsor for the site [Not yet, but we’d be happy to take their money – ed], but I hope it has more to do with my background and passion of film (and video and electronic media and tomorrow land—the real one, not just the Disney park rides).
Background? What’s some guy from Asheboro, NC, got to offer? (Yeah, Asheboro, where the only thing of note is that the state has one of the few natural habitat zoo’s in the world. I live close enough to apes, lions, polar bears and other predators that make me feel right at home in the film industry).
Okay, I love new technology, and I’m excited about the future, and I have some history in film. I’ve worked on some 65 to 70 feature length motion pictures —And continue to do so and hope to do so for many years to come–plus some 3,000 commercials, short films, industrials and TV productions. In 1973, I graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) with a double major in Radio-TV-Motion Pictures (RTVMP, a department that is no longer there but combined with Communications) and Dramatic Art (whatever that means, I just had enough credits to add it to my diploma).
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Vintage Erotica Anno 1960
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 12th, 2007
After going all the way back to the 20s with the last entry in this series, now Cult Epics gives us a collection from 1960s, a period that marks the beginning of the end for this kind of pornographic short. Theatrical hardcore is just around the corner, and things will never be the same. In the meantime, though, things are remarkably the same. Other than some clothing styles (in those brief moments when clothes are actually on), it’s interesting to note that there is very little to distinguish these twelve entries from those of any other decade, a point driven home by the bonus short from the 1940s, which doesn’t feel very different from the rest of the offerings. Artistically, there is not much going on here (surprise, surprise), but the star rating indicates the fact that, despite this, there is some clear archival value here.
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Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – The Complete Series
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 12th, 2007
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Five years ago, Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme were riding high with the best drama on Television, The West Wing, which is hands-down my favourite show ever. When word got out about a new Sorkin/Schlamme project set for the ’06-’07 season, I was more excited than a monkey at the banana harvest. Expectations — mine and everyone else’s — were sky-high for this new series, a behind-the-scenes drama about an SNL-type sketch comedy show. It would be the finest new show since The West Wing debuted in ’99, Sorkin would once again raise the bar in prime-time entertainment and the collective intelligence of the human race would be elevated to the stratosphere.
Ok, not so much. While Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip premiered with much fanfare and critical praise, the series quickly slumped and never recovered. That made me angry, like a monkey whose monkey-mom made him stay home from the banana harvest. It’s just not fair! So this review is about a good show killed by hype. Alas, Studio 60, you died too young.
The Tripper
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 12th, 2007
Bad horror movies are like watching a trainwreck. There are bodies all over the place and everybody is screaming in agony like a little school girl. And you can’t turn your head away. So imagine my complete enjoyment when I received the Tripper to review. I screamed like a little school girl, my rabbit fainted and my girlfriend actually was able to turn her head away several times. I understand why they are the stronger sex cause I watched intently and was considering therapy when my 90 minutes was up.
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Day Night Day Night
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on November 12th, 2007
The premise of Day Night Day Night is relatively simple; a young woman decides to be a suicide bomber in Times Square. The motivations for her doing this, as in the outside forces who convince her to do it, aren’t really explained at all, so what makes it unique is that it focuses on the preparation the girl makes. She is portrayed by Luisa Williams, who appears in the film in her first role.
DuckTales – Volume 3
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2007
Disney Studios reinvented the afternoon cartoon when they introduced something they called Disney Afternoon. It was the brain child of studio animation head Bob Jacquemin. He saw the potential of taking famous Disney cartoons that were already beloved by millions and spinning them off into regular television cartoons. Not willing to take chances with the studio’s icon, Mickey Mouse, Michael Eisner allowed the Donald Duck universe to serve as the launching pad for this new venture. In 1987 Disney Afternoon and Duck Tales was born.
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TaleSpin, Volume 2
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2007
The Jungle Book was a milestone event in the history of Walt Disney’s animation history, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the studio would tap this source for future adventures. The Disney Afternoon series has been a chance for the studio to continue many of the beloved characters. Tailspin was just such a series. The show is set in the Jungle Book world but minus little Mowgli. Now lovable bear Baloo runs an airline service with his new little friend baby bear Kit Cloudkicker.
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Sony CEO wishes he could have united the HD movie formats.
Posted in News and Opinions by Archive Authors on November 9th, 2007
Today Sony’s CEO made some intriguing statements:
We were trying to win on the merits, which we were doing for a while, until Paramount changed sides
“It doesn’t mean as much as all that,” Stringer said. He added that he believed there was an opportunity of uniting the two camps under one format before he became CEO, and he wishes he could travel back in time to make that happen.
The battle rages on in our hearts and our wallets.
The Last Word on Exploitation Cinema?
Posted in Brain Blasters, Regular Columns by David Annandale on November 9th, 2007
Many a month back, I talked about some essential reading material for fans of the cult/exploitation scene. Time (past time, actually) for an update on that subject, because there’s a recent book out there that, while taking nothing away from the excellent Sleazoid Express and Bold! Daring! Shocking! True!, at the same time sets the bar impossibly high for anyone else wanting to contribute to the field.
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Perry Mason – Season Two, Vol. 2
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 9th, 2007
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote crime fiction, and while many of his 100 or so works are unknown to most of us, he created a character that has become as identified with criminal lawyers as any other in fiction. It was in these crime novels that Perry Mason first faced a courtroom. He developed a style where he would investigate these terrible crimes his clients were on trial for. He would find the real killer, and in what has become a
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Cutting Class (Unrated Version)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 9th, 2007
It’s probably a pretty bad sign when a film’s star makes a public apology to his fans for doing the film just when it is getting released on DVD. Brad Pitt did just that, and you know what? He should be sorry. This film is an absolute mess all the way around. I think it’s supposed to be a slasher film, but there are never any good 1980’s slasher moments to be found. It’s true that at this point in his career Pitt wasn’t exactly being offered the cream of the crop. He wasn’t paling around with George Clooney and friends just yet. So perhaps it’s not Pitt but the folks who made this film who should be apologizing.
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Wings – The Fifth Season
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 9th, 2007
Wings was one of those unusual sitcoms that depended more on the characters than the situations they were in. While the setting was a small
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The Intruder
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 8th, 2007
Roger Corman is fond of saying that only one of his movies ever lost money. It was this 1962 release (shot in 1961), and it is his bravest film, and still arguably his most powerful. William Shatner plays Adam Cramer, a white supremacist associated with the “Patrick Henry Society” (read: John Birch Society), who arrives in the southern town of Caxton on the eve of racial integration of the school. The demagogue whips up the hatred of the white townspeople, leading to cross-burning, church-bombing, and worse.
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Ratatouille
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 7th, 2007
I must admit that from the moment I first heard about this Pixar film I was abnormally indifferent. I can’t explain exactly what it was that kept me from the theaters, but this is the first time I missed a Pixar film in its original release. I like rats, so it wasn’t the subject matter. Perhaps the unpronounceable title is to blame. I will admit it conjures nothing for me, so I found it hard to get excited about what I might see. This is rare, because I have eagerly awaited these outings based not only on the story idea but knowing it will be a treat in every aspect from design to technological wizardry.
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Futurama: Bender’s Big Score Official Announcement
Posted in Blog Posts, Release Announcements, The Reel World by Archive Authors on November 7th, 2007
Direct to DVD comes #1 of 4 direct-to-DVD Futurama feature length movies – “Bender’s Big Score.” Of note: lots of PR flackery over the fact that this production is “carbon neutral” with Fox apparently ponying up for offset credits against CO2 releases from energy and materials used in production. The extras (after the jump) also include a “Terrifying Message from Al Gore” – Huzzah!
Uncancel your plans for the future — Futurama is back! In this all-new, feature-length epic, evil nudist aliens send Bender on a rampage through time, forcing him — slightly against his will — to steal all of Earth’s priceless historic treasures. Will the heroic Planet Express crew save the planet? Will Leela find true love? Will the ancient and terrible secret of Fry’s buttocks be exposed? All will be revealed in Futurama: Bender’s Big Score, the greatest adventure of our time, and also the greatest adventure of several other times! In the words of a certain beer-fueled robot . . . “We’re back, baby!”
Pricing: $29.98 U.S. / $37.98 Canada
Special Features follow after the jump…
Frostbitten
Posted in Disc Reviews by David Annandale on November 7th, 2007
Stop me if this sounds familiar: in a far-northern community, night lasts thirty days, which makes the area highly hospitable to vampires. Yes, Frostbitten shares a very similar premise to the excellent 30 Days of Night. And while the Swedish film predates its American counterpart, it is more recent than the graphic novel. At any rate, the similarities pretty much end there, as Frostbitten is more interested in comedy than its cousin, and is also nowhere near as good.
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