Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on December 24th, 2014
Well, it’s that time of year when the studios make that extra push for awards season, and with Angelina Jolie at the helm directing her second film, Unbroken is the kind of film where after one viewing of the trailer you just know this is Oscar bait. I love this time of year, and I love seeing the best of what the studios have to offer, but sometimes these films with high hopes just don’t deliver as expected. Unbroken takes us on a journey through the life of Olympian Louis Zamperini (Jack O’ Connell) from his early years as a troubled child on through his torturous years as a prisoner of Japan during World War 2.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 24th, 2014
A&E always has something for everyone. They changed the landscape of television by turning the reality show on its head. Instead of losers trying to win a prize by acting like idiots, the cameras of A&E's shows take us in to the often bizarre and hyper-real worlds of pawn shops, ice road truckers and pest control businesses. The team has put together some nice sets to help fill some gaps in the collection of someone on your shopping list. It's time to load up on some of these collectible sets before someone ends up with coal in their stocking
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on December 24th, 2014
It’s the holidays as you all are well aware of by now, and if not, well, you may have some last minute shopping to do. But for the rest of us, finding time between eggnog parties and decorating, to stay in the holiday spirit I try and squeeze in as many holiday films as I can. Unfortunately for my girlfriend, to me a holiday film is Lethal Weapon, Gremlins and Die Hard. But on the bright side, here at Upcomingdiscs we are given titles that we normally wouldn’t give a look to, and in the case of The Nine Lives of Christmas, this little Hallmark film turned out to be a sweet little gem.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on December 23rd, 2014
“Life is always a tightrope or a featherbed. Give me the tightrope.”
Edith Wharton was born into the “featherbeds” of New York’s high society, and some of her most famous books — “The Age of Innocence”, “The House of Mirth” — are set among the well-to-do elite. But this dry, informative documentary — which focuses on her work as a designer, world traveler, and philanthropist — makes the case that Wharton chose the “tightrope.”
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 22nd, 2014
“Space… The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.”
Nearly 20 years after the original Star Trek left the network airwaves, Gene Roddenberry set out to discover if he could catch lightning in a bottle once again. Some say he did an even better job with Star Trek: The Next Generation. There are times I tend to agree. The Star Trek sequel series had a lot more advantages from the moment it was conceived. Star Trek
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 22nd, 2014
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. This time we turn our attention to CBS. You already know about Star Trek releases, but you say you have some drama fans on your shopping list. They don't want aliens or spaceships. They want stories and criminals getting caught. We've got you covered with the best from CBS
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 22nd, 2014
Cursed mummies have been a part of cinema dating as far back as you can likely imagine. That being said, I won’t call it worthy of his own subcategory or say that there aren’t new avenues to take with the premise. However, I will say that I find it difficult to imagine new approaches given that the films of the past have already found some truly entertaining avenues already. Day of the Mummy deserves credit for the unique avenue it attempted to take, but it doesn’t deserve much of anything else after that.
Posted in: The Reel World by J C on December 19th, 2014
- “There she is, our little orphan Annie.”
- “I'm a foster kid!”
“Little Orphan Annie” began life as a comic strip way back in 1924, but the resourceful and irresistible character probably achieved her greatest prominence after the 1977 debut of the Broadway musical “Annie.” Although there have been other theatrical productions and movies, it's been a bit of a while since Annie first became a big deal. So I certainly understand the impulse to modernize the story for 21st century audiences. What I don't understand is why the makers of this new version also seem eager to blow up the beloved source material.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Jeremy Butler on December 19th, 2014
“It is a deliberate mystery the how, when, and if of it all.”
This quote perfectly characterized the entire story of Finding Joy. The reality is this movie has left me questioning: what would you do if you truly believed that your end is near? How would you spend what could be your final days? Would you do charity work as a way of buying your way into heaven?
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 19th, 2014
ABC and Disney have some rather entertaining television sets for that hard-to-please television addict on your shopping list. In recent years more and more of us engage in something called binge-watching. With either a DVR or the season sets releases, we watch an entire season of a show in a matter of a few days. I'll bet you have a binge-watcher on that list of yours. You might want to consider some of the ABC family of shows.
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