Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on August 6th, 2014
“Few screenwriters could’ve invented the story of Grace Kelly.”
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say there’s never been a movie star quite like Grace Kelly. Within the space of just 11 films, the actress won an Oscar and starred in a handful of bona fide classics on her way to becoming Hollywood royalty. Of course, the reason Kelly made less than a dozen films and retired from acting at the ripe old age of 26 is because she became *actual* royalty after marrying Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 5th, 2014
"You're different. You don't fit into a category. They can't control you. They call it Divergent."
In the wake of Hunger Games and Twilight studios have been snatching up the rights to young adult fiction and gearing up for franchises, all in the name of capturing the hearts and wallets of the legions of fans of these book series. Though there have been a few hits, the failures have been plentiful i.e.: City of Bones, The Host, and The Vampire Academy. As a guy approaching his mid-thirties, it’s safe to say I’m nowhere near being the target audience for this film, but call me crazy, I actually dug it.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on August 4th, 2014
Arc Entertainment decided to turn up the heat this summer, and they want Upcomingdiscs readers to share in the action. They've sent over 3 copies of Jesse on DVD for us to give away. This one's got it all: corrupt cops, mafia guys and Stephanie Finochio in the middle of it all as Jesse, a rather troubled cop. The film also stars Eric Roberts, William Forsythe, and one of my favorites, Armand Assante.
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Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 4th, 2014
When it comes to films with Dolph Lundgren, let’s face it: you know before it even starts there is no chance of this movie having what anyone would call an “inspiring performance.” Thankfully Lundgren seems to understand the limits of his abilities and tends to stick with the run-of-the-mill action/adventure films that seem to go direct to DVD. Sure he had hits in the past like Universal Soldier, Masters of the Universe (my personal favorite), and, of course, his most famous role as Drago in Rocky IV. This week I got to check out Lundgren’s new cinematic romp and (to my surprise) I had a good time with it.
When we first meet Harker (Lundgren), he’s part of a scientific team that is hunting a giant bear. I’m not talking about your standard grizzly bear. This is a towering beast; the kind you only hear about while telling campfire tales. This scientific team specializes in discovering cryptid beasts and is led by Travis (Scott Adkins), who seems to hate everything Harker stands for. Harker could care less about the science behind the animals he’s hunting, he is simply in this for the bragging rights of saying he slayed this cryptid beast. Things, of course, go wrong while hunting the bear, and the rivalry between Travis and Harker only intensifies.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on July 31st, 2014
“Are you telling me that the fate of thirty million inhabitants is in the hands of these criminals?”
Now that we are in the middle of phase two of Marvel’s movie universe, a new batch of characters have been given a movie of their own to help set the stage for what is to come in the ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe. The Guardians of the Galaxy announcement for many left fans scratching their heads; after all, just how would a talking raccoon, a lumbering tree and various other space aliens fit in with the established Avengers team comic and film fans have grown to love already?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 31st, 2014
"Make no mistake. Blood will be spilled. Lives will be lost. Fortunes will be made. Men will be ruined. There will be betrayal and scandal and perfidy of epic proportions."
With a statement like that, how can you not want to check out AMC's newest drama series Hell On Wheels? I've been told the title sounds like it's about motorcycle gangs, and I couldn't agree more. The term refers to the mobile tent city that housed the workers on the Union Pacific Railroad and the support entourage the camp attracted. It was a virtual tent city that had all of the essentials: a church, bar, and whorehouse. It was just after the Civil War, and the American government believed that a railroad connecting the east and west coasts was just the kind of project the country needed to pull back together and heal still-festering wounds. As one of the filmmakers accurately points out, this was the Apollo moon project of the day. Long believed impossible by the brightest engineers of the day, the railroad would cut the time it took to go from coast to coast from six months to just under seven days. It was a truly remarkable feat, and it carried with it more than a fair dosage of corruption and blood. Now AMC has brought those days from 1865 back to our television screen with an ambitious and smartly produced series. It's a must see.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on July 31st, 2014
The impending death of a loved one tends to dredge up a complex mix of emotions. (Unfortunately, I speak from relatively recent personal experience.) In addition to the obvious sadness, there can be guilt, resentment, anger, relief, and other sentiments that combine to create a messy stew of feelings. Putting those feelings on the page or on a screen is an emotional minefield, since you risk veering jarringly from one tone to the next. The task becomes even trickier when you attempt to introduce humor into the equation. Lullaby stumbles over a few of those mines, but is otherwise a well-acted, modestly-affecting dramedy.
The movie opens with a close up of Lowenstein family black sheep Jonathan (Garrett Hedlund) taking a long, luxurious drag off a cigarette. Soon enough, we learn the gesture functions as a middle finger on a couple of different levels. On one hand, Jonathan is smoking on an airplane lavatory, which almost gets him arrested by a strict flight attendant. On top of that, it turns out Jonathan is on his way to visit his well-to-do New York City family because his father Robert (Richard Jenkins) is dying of lung cancer.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 30th, 2014
No matter how far removed you may be from Sunday school — or even if you never attended in the first place — chances are you know that God spoke to Noah. You also know He told him to build an ark in anticipation of a catastrophic flood meant to wipe out mankind. What you may not have realized (or remembered) is that, in the Bible, Noah himself doesn't speak at all until well after that rain starts. So in adapting the famous Book of Genesis story to the screen, any filmmaker is going to have to take a certain amount of liberties. And when that filmmaker is Darren Aronofsky, the result is a strange, uncommonly thoughtful blockbuster that is as flawed as the hero it presents.
“In the beginning, there was nothing...”
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on July 29th, 2014
Those real cool cats up at Nasser Entertainment must love you guys. They've given us 5 copies of Amber Alert: Terror On The Highway to give away to our Upcomingdiscs faithful. That means you've got 5 chances to dig your teeth into this dramatic thriller. It stars Tom Berener, Torri Higginson and Britt McKillip and produced by real reserve police officer Joseph Nasser. It's a rare look at the national Amber Alert System and an edge-of-your-seat thriller. It's out this week on DVD.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on July 29th, 2014
“Don't you ever get tired of vanilla?”
There's a special breed of '80s movie that appears hopelessly dated on the surface yet remains impulsively watchable. (Insert your own, “So you mean *every* '80s movie?!” joke.) The Legend of Billie Jean — with its hilarious-in-hindsight fashion and Pat Benatar theme song — certainly fits the “trapped in the '80s” bill. However, the 1985 film — now making its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment — still manages to entertain by tapping into the timeless spirit of teenage rebellion.
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