Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on July 20th, 2015
How long has it been since you’ve spent some time with Mama? It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 25 years. Our good friends at StarVista have decided that it’s just been too dang long. Of course, we’re talking about the television classic Mama’s Family staring Vicki Lawrence. We’re teaming up to give you a good deal of time to spend with Mama. It's called Mama's Favorites and it's a DVD with 6 of Vicki Lawrence's hand-picked favorite episodes from season 6.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 20th, 2015
“Who is that masked man?”
That's actually a loaded question when it comes the famously troubled 1981 film The Legend of the Lone Ranger. It obviously refers to the masked former Texas Ranger who battles outlaws in the Old West, but it also applies to star Klinton Spilsbury, who never made a movie after this one. The question could also be a nod to the producers of this film suing actor Clayton Moore — who famously played the Lone Ranger on TV and film in the 1950s — to prevent him from appearing as his signature character in public. Unfortunately, none of that fascinating information is included (or even hinted at) on this bare bones Blu-ray.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on July 19th, 2015
The Singularity Principle has two recognizable character actors, John Diehl (Miami Vice, The Shield, Escape From New York, Stripes) and William B. Davis (the smoking man from The X-Files), but is a low-budget Canadian production. It was filmed at the Canadian light source Synchrotron in Saskatoon, which adds considerably to its production value. It is a believable technical and scientific workplace. The film is co-written and directed by physicist Dr. David Deranian and is very focused on the scientific aspects of the story, at least those are the most successful elements of the film. The story deals with experiments conducted involving the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, which involves what is on the other side of black holes and wormholes. It posits theories of infinite universes with us in it. Infinity is the one concept the challenges our ability to comprehend. We can say we understand infinity but that is only in the most facile and cursory way. Because of infinity, anything is possible.
Dr. Peter Tanning ( Michael Denis) is being supervised in advanced revolutionary experiments by Professor Jack Brenner, played by Diehl. Both Tanning and Brenner have experienced fleeting examples of other dimensions. They are both obsessed, in a purely scientific way, of course. The story is told in flashback while Brenner is being questioned by Lawrence Cason, played by Davis. Cason is part of a mysterious government agency investigating Brenner's disappearance. It is clear that Tanning has been opening a door allowing alternate versions of himself to interact in this universe.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on July 19th, 2015
"Different thing, entirely."
I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was a kid. Mixed amidst those Universal horror films I watched with my Pop on weekend chiller shows was an occasional Universal Holmes film with Basil Rathbone as the master of deduction. Soon followed the Doyle books, and a new world was opened for me forever. Since those days we have seen every kind of incarnation of the character possible, or so I thought. I've seen Holmes as a child in Spielberg's Young Sherlock Holmes. There have been several comedies and even a musical or two. Robert Downey Jr. has turned him into an action hero, and Benedict Cumberbatch has brought him into the modern world. I even remember Larry Hagman's television version of a motorcycle cop who has a head injury and believes he's the famous detective, gaining the requisite deductive skills in the process. It was called The Return Of The World's Greatest Detective. Star Trek fans reveled in Data's immersion in the detective's world, even bringing back his infamous nemesis as one of The Next Generation's more sympathetic bad guys. But in all of these incarnations I have never seen anything as truly remarkable as Mr. Holmes. It is most decidedly something different entirely.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on July 17th, 2015
“Just imagine...a soldier the size of an insect.”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now seven years into an unprecedented run of success. It's a consistent, well-oiled machine that has engendered enough goodwill to allow the company to take chances on properties that were previously considered deep cuts. (Before last summer, most people's reactions to Guardians of the Galaxy likely would've been, “Who?!”) Then again, if you believe in the idea of a “Marvel machine,” it could just as easily conjure something heavy or mechanical. As a result, the thing I enjoyed most about Ant-Man is that it felt refreshingly (and appropriately)...small.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 17th, 2015
"The devil can touch you and leave his mark. Just so he doesn't steal your soul."
You might say that the devil made them do it. Shout Factory utilizes their Scream Factory moniker to deliver another doubleheader horror-fest from the 1980's. Many of us love to be touched by a little evil, so long as it's some harmless fun from a horror movie. While I'm not a huge fan of having two or more films on one disc, this pretty much amounts to the same as the standard four episodes on a disc that you'll find in many television releases in high definition. So, for the sake of a little nostalgia and the fact that these prints aren't what you would call pristine or high-budget, I'm going to get on board another Scream Factory ride.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on July 17th, 2015
by Dustin P. Anderson
Gary is a low-level demon trying to find different ways to make it up the corporate ladder in hell. He is also a slacker who doesn’t know the first thing about being a demon, despite his length of time in hell. Claude is a new demon who is sent to intern for Gary but ends up outshining him. As Claude rises to the top, Gary must attempt to gain some sort of recognition for his years of servitude to the dark lord, lest he be forced to shovel coal into hell for eternity. This show isn’t one of Adult Swim’s funniest creations, but it is still funny. This isn’t going to be an instant favorite of mine, like Metalocalypse or Too Many Cooks, but it was a nice watch nonetheless. Gary is one of the most laughably pathetic characters I have seen in a while. It is funny to see him as a “too nice for hell” type, like when Gary refuses to play dirty to win a competition that would give him a water cooler in hell. Satan is a great boss that everyone can find something of their own boss in, and can easily invite the phrase “dude, my boss is the devil.” I found that the scene I identified with the most was when Satan walked Gary down the hall into the break room, and Gary knew what “the break room” meant so he tried to find every excuse not to go. The great part about Satan in this is that you never forget that Satan is the ruler of hell. He never turns out to be nice like the devil in Bedazzled, but he also doesn’t beat you over the head with evil like… well any other movie featuring the devil as an antagonist (let’s say End of Days?). He is the secret jerk character, the character that you think is kind of nice and may have gotten a bad reputation, but then reminds you of why he got that reputation by putting you through…hell.
Posted in: Site News by Gino Sassani on July 15th, 2015
We've been thinking about changing our look. Over the years we've asked you guys what you wanted to see change. Most of you told us to leave things alone. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We agree. We did decide to change our logo. Thanks to our reviewer Deb and her company The Write One Creative Services we finally have a logo of our own. For 6 years we've had Kate Beckinsale and The Enterprise watching over us. Don't worry. They're still at our Facebook page. We hope that you like it. Please feel free to leave your comments. Better yet, enter the Freedom contest and give us your feedback while entering to win a free DVD. At Upcomingdiscs: the best is yet to come.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on July 15th, 2015
Our friends at ARC Entertainment have sent over three copies of their latest DVD release. It's called Freedom and it has a stellar cast that inlcudes Cuba Gooding, Jr. and William Sadler. It's the tale of two different men and their daring path to freedom. One braves the high seas while another is a slave fleeing a Virginia plantation, a slave hunter always hot on his trail. The stories are inspiring and three lucky winners will own the film.
To win a copy, just follow these simple instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 15th, 2015
At the end of 2013 Shout Factory released a horror marathon on DVD called Scream Factory All Night Marathon. OK, so it only had four films averaging about 90 minutes each, hardly all night. But it was a nice collection of more obscure 1980's horror that made a rather nice night in with the boys...or the girls. Two of those films have now found their way to a single Blu-ray disc and released by...you guessed it, Shout's Scream Factory division. While I'm not a huge fan of having two or more films on one disc, this pretty much amounts to the same as the standard four episodes on a disc that you'll find in many television releases in high definition. So, for the sake of a little nostalgia and the fact that these prints aren't what you would call pristine or high budget, I'm going to get on board this ride.
"Why don't you rub it?"
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