Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 26th, 2014
“It begins as a whisper. A promise. The lightest of breezes dances above the death cries of 300 men...”
It may have started as a whisper, but 300 quickly became synonymous with roaring, instant-classic declarations after it burst onto the scene in 2007. Zack Snyder's muscular adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel was an outta-nowhere blockbuster. When a movie achieves that level of success, there's usually a sequel in the works even as the opening-weekend grosses are still rolling in. Of course, that proved to be a bit trickier given what happens to the heroes at the end of 300.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 25th, 2014
When the first Wolf Creek was released it was one of those films that had a lot of hype around it, and when I got around to watching it, I dug it. It’s one of those films where the more I’ve watched it the more I’ve gotten to appreciate it, not just for its gore, but the film has a solid story, and I appreciated that the film at no time allows you to get too comfortable. At any moment a character could be brutally murdered. It’s the character of Mick Taylor (John Jarratt) who could equally make me smile with his crude outback charm or make me squirm with uneasiness the moment his hands took hold of a weapon. We Americans seem to enjoy the notion of our Australian characters being in the vein of the playful Crocodile Dundee, but Jarratt takes his role of Mick to some dark, terrible places.
Writer and director Greg Mclean unfortunately hasn’t had the success I would have expected considering the strong following for Wolf Creek and his fun follow-up Rogue. Now with the release of Wolf Creek 2, Mclean returns to the familiar territory of the untamed outback, and how does he fare? To put it simply, this movie is insane; it’s unrelenting and pretty damn funny at times.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on June 25th, 2014
Detective Carrie Wells (played by Poppy Montgomery) and her former boyfriend/current crime fighting partner Al Burns (played by Dylan Walsh) have been noticed because of their uncanny crime solving percentage in the upper 90% (a fairly common thing in TV crime shows, but nearly unheard of in the real world) and get promoted to the NYPD's Major Crimes unit. With this move, and the fact that this program bounced in and out of cancellation quagmire between the first and second season, all of the supporting cast (except for Jane Curtain as Medical Examiner Joanne Webster) and we are offered a new team of token (read: stereotypical) character types filling the void; including a sassy black female cop, an asian tech guy, and uptight yet quirky boss.
I was coming into this series with no prerequisite viewings of the first season, nor any knowledge of the characters. This was a major annoyance for the first episode as would discover that they had removed the opening narration that explained that Wells has a very rare (and very high functioning apparently) condition called hyperthymesia which grants her the ability to recall everything she sees and hears since she was a teenager. This is both an incredibly convenient ability for someone gathering evidence at crime scene as well as an incredibly convenient gimmick for this show as it takes all of the tough solving out of the police procedures and turns it into Well having frequent pregnant pauses to lay out all of the minuet details she recalled. Said condition would be eventually explained as episodes progressed but it made me wonder what the show title was for a decent amount of time.
The opening episode I found very deterring and I'm glad I was obligated to power through the entire season. All of the characters where very smug in this season opener and it made the show very unattractive to me. Those that watch shows like NCIS or CSI may be more accepting of such cocky attitudes but I personally find those shows hacky and am never charmed by those that are flippant in the face of victim's deaths and would sooner puff up their egos or flirt than be aware of the fact that they are dealing with violent criminals.
As I mentioned before, the episodes do get progressively better and I credit much of this to the humbling of the lead characters when the story-lines get more personal. This is especially true by the episode entitled “Memory Kings” where Wells must deal with the murder of an academic who first therapeutically helped her deal with her condition, that may have driven her insane had he not done so. The plots of each episode are not exactly subtle. Our heroes deal with serial killers, nuclear bombs, hacker terrorists and globe trotting assassins. I can appreciate the almost campy level of how much is at stake in each tale. Though I should note that, although the stories do improve, there is still a lot left to be desired with some of the corny dialogue and character relationships throughout this season.
In my reviews I tend to send out kudos to any show that brings aboard certain actors and/or make reference to another program or film I enjoy. Here I'd like to said such kudos to Unforgettable for the episode “East of Islip” which featured guest appearance by Wayne Knight who works alongside his former 3rd Rock from the Sun cast mate Jane Curtain as a small town coroner/potential love interest. They have a playful energy and charm that stole the episode from the stars.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 24th, 2014
It’s hard to believe it was way back in 2001 when Joy Ride was first released. You can lump me in with the crowd that didn’t expect there to be a sequel, much less a third entry into this series. The second Joy Ride I seemed to have missed altogether, so when I was given Joy Ride 3, I have to admit I was a little hesitant about checking this film out. Now that I have checked out the Blu-ray and all its extras, all I can think is that I had a good time with this film.
The film starts out strong, bringing us into a seedy motel room where a couple of meth addicts are up to no good. When the two are tapped out of meth, they decide to use their CB radio to lure in an unsuspecting driver. It’s no surprise that the trucker they end up getting is Rusty Nail, and he seems to be more than happy to oblige these two addicts. How the rest of the opening sequence plays out is better seen than ruined in a review, but I will say this is one of my favorite openings for a horror film in some time. It’s fun, it’s brutal, and it’s bloody. It’s the perfect way to kick off this kind of film.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 24th, 2014
It’s that time of the year again to dust off the old hunting rifle and shake out the camouflage suits, because Duck Commander is back in action. Duck Dynasty comes to Blu-ray on its fifth season, and though I was a little underwhelmed with the previous season, this new release brings the show back to the backwoods charm that gained my appreciation from the start. Yes, I still have a hard time calling this a reality series, since just about every episode and sequence seems more scripted than most hour-long dramas, but the characters are so likeable and goofy that a lot can be forgiven.
The show gets off to a slow start with “Boomerang Becca” and “Willies Number Two”. The first is about Willie and Korie’s adopted daughter Rebecca, who has come home after completing a fashion internship in Los Angeles. Willie is just nervous her visit is going to evolve into her simply moving back home, and he doesn’t seem too OK with that. As for the second episode, Willie decides he needs an assistant, and Korie asks Willie to give her cousin John David a chance. Willie seems to warm up to having a guy very similar to himself working beneath him, but the Duck Commander crew doesn’t seem to appreciate the new guy giving them orders. These episodes just simply felt as though they were trying to introduce new characters into the show, but neither character worked, and I can’t say they were missed when they never returned for the rest of the season.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on June 24th, 2014
“In 1956, a nationally-renowned fertility specialist met a former nightclub singer. Ten years later, they published a scientific study, which revolutionized our understanding of human sexuality.”
You can't call your TV show Masters of Sex and not expect to elicit a few chuckles. (You also can't be surprised if people go looking for it on Cinemax rather than Showtime.) Titillating title aside, Masters of Sex is actually an engaging, often-excellent period drama that shines when it's conveying the thrill of discovery and exploration. Also, it turns out there's a fair amount of sex.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2014
"Congratulations! You have been selected to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime game show. Of a long list of candidates in financial need, you have been chosen to compete for a fantastic cash prize."
Elliot Brindle (Webber) is having a tough patch in life. He wants to marry the woman who is about to have their baby, but his financial situation isn't going to support a new family. He's behind on his bills, he's supporting his brother's stay in an assisted living facility (instead of an insane asylum), and his father is about to be evicted from his own apartment. If that wasn't all enough, he just got fired from his sales job because his boss doesn't think he has the killer instincts to succeed. It looks like the end of the line for Elliot with no way out until he gets a mysterious call on his cell phone.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2014
"There's a Tibetan word for it. It's called Bardo. It literally means in-between state, the state between life and death."
If you're a fan of the 1985 comedy staring Michael J. Fox, that statement is particularly appropriate. We all remember the cute high school romp where Michael J. Fox discovers that his family has been hiding a long dark secret: they are werewolves. Now the young teen finds himself having to deal with the usual growing pains of adolescence on top of dealing with the family curse. Before long he's a basketball star and the most popular kid in school. A fun time was had by all. The film spawned a sequel with Jason Bateman and an animated series on television. It was all a hoot.
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2014
Our good friends over at Anchor Bay have given us an exciting Blu-ray to pass on to a lucky Upcomingdiscs fan. It's Gina Carano, Luis Guzman and Danny Trejo in the thriller In The Blood. It's action and thrills from director John Stockwell and it could all be yours.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on June 23rd, 2014
What would you do if you spotted your exact duplicate? Would you take a closer look so that your brain could try to confirm what your eyes were seeing? Check with your parents to make sure you didn’t have a long-lost twin they never told you about? And how long before you pinched yourself to ensure you weren’t dreaming? These were the sorts of questions that popped in my head as I watched Enemy, a stylish and mind-bending psychological drama.
The movie, which re-teams French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve with his Prisoners star Jake Gyllenhaal, is based on Jose Saramago’s 2002 novel “The Double.” It’s the story of Adam Bell (Gyllenhaal), a bored history professor who gives the same lectures — and appears to make love to his girlfriend Mary (Melanie Laurent) in the same way — over and over again. While watching a movie recommended by a colleague, Adam notices one of the actors playing a minor role looks exactly like him. After a little online research, Adam figures out the actor’s name, visits the talent agency that represents him, and eventually calls him at home.
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