Village of the Giants (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 23rd, 2022
“And I thought we were pals.”
Bert I. Gordon and I shared a friend. He was one of Forry Ackerman’s favorite people, and when I would see Forry, he never failed to mention Gordon. Bert I. Gordon was once the king of schlock. He was as much a marketing genius as he was a filmmaker. Like William Castle, he knew how to find something zany and odd which was just different enough to bring in the audiences. I saw most of his films of the 60’s and 70’s at drive-ins where most of his films were shown in those days along with many of the Hammer and AIP Poe films from Roger Corman. If you look at the B films in the science-fiction/horror genres from that time, you will find them dominated by Gordon, Corman, and Castle. Gordon often used stories in public domain so that he didn’t have to pay a writer and he would adapt them with some clever “hip” idea and out would come a cheapie, but something that was always a hoot to watch.
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Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 23rd, 2022
For me the promo art for Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins is without a doubt one of the most memorable VHS covers I can remember from my childhood. The hero dangling by one hand from the tip of the Statue of Liberty has always stuck with me. As a kid, when finally getting to see this over-the-top action sequence, it left an impression on me to the point that when I made my first trip out to Liberty Island as a kid, all I could do was stare in wonder at how they could have pulled off such a crazy scene. As I’ve gotten older, my impression of the film has changed, but this sequence is still up there when it comes to favorite action sequences of all time. Now Kino Lorber has put out a remastered copy of a film that has fallen through the cracks, though I know it does have a cult following. What are my thoughts on this action spectacle, and is it worth revisiting?
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Uncharted
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on February 18th, 2022
The Naughty Dog series Uncharted has been a bit of an obsession in my home since I played the first game. I always viewed the series as the Indiana Jones video game fans always wanted but just never got. There’s a reason for the game’s popularity. Each game comes with a great story, fun action game play, and memorable set pieces. It’s no surprise that it would eventually become a blockbuster movie, but what has surprised me is how long it has taken to bring the character of Nathan Drake to the big screen. Sure, you can argue we’ve gotten a new Tomb Raider film, and some could argue Uncharted is simply an Indiana Jones knockoff. But then I’d have to ask those people, have they actually played the game? Even with another Indiana Jones film in post production, and as much as I love that franchise, that fourth film simply left a bad taste in my mouth, and I’m slightly concerned about what could happen with a fifth film not helmed by Spielberg. It’s these thoughts that have me gotten me so excited about the prospect of an Uncharted film, a passing of the torch for a new adventure franchise that’s filled with treasure hunting, exotic locations, and plenty of action. After a decade of development, does the film live up to my expectations, or does it disappoint like so many other video game adaptations that have been released over the years?
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Heels – Season 1
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on February 17th, 2022
Wondering what happen to Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig after wrapping up their separately widely popular television series? I mean, what is there to do after playing a superhero and a king? Apparently, the answer is to star in a series about a local independent wrestling league, as the two bring us Heels. Amell and Ludwig play brothers, Jack and Ace Spade, sons of a local legendary wrestler (played by David James Elliot), carrying on their family business, the Duffy Wrestling League (DWL), of playing out scripted wrestling matches in a small town in Georgia. Amell plays the heel, or villain, while Ludwig acts as the face, or hero of the promotion. Despite their bond, the brothers find themselves at odds over the direction of the wrestling promotion, as they vie for national attention. Outside their ring, their lives are just as messy, as their personal relationships also face scrutiny by their very public personas. Rounding out the cast are Alison Luff as Jack’s wife, Staci, Mary McCormack as Willie Day, Jack’s business partner, Allen Maldonado as Rooster, a star performer for the DWL, and Chris Bauer, a former member of the DWL who went on to find national success.
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Murphy’s Law Special, Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on February 16th, 2022
Kino Lorber has plundered the vaults of MGM and released one of the better known Charles Bronson films, Murphy’s Law. To me this is one of the Cannon classics where it was simply a fun tough guy film filled with everything that would make today’s woke audiences cringe. There is no way a film like this would get made now, and it’s a shame, because, well, this is pure escapism and is a good time from start to finish. I’m not saying that this film is perfect, but it captures the energy of what made Cannon films fun during the 80’s and early 90’s. Charles Bronson is playing Jack Murphy, a detective who has hit hard times with his wife wanting a divorce, though he’s not ready to give up on that relationship. Things are about to get much worse when Jack is framed for the murder of his ex-wife and her new boyfriend who runs an exotic dance club.
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Death On The Nile (2022)
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on February 13th, 2022
“It’s simple. You’ll grow a mustache.”
Now here is a movie that the pandemic hit hard. Originally slated for December 2019 release, this Kenneth Branagh directed and starred sequel film is finally coming to theaters after a two-year-and-some-change delay. Branagh reprises his role as director, as well as his role as one of the most famous detectives both fictionally and in the reality, Hercule Poirot. Adapted from another Agatha Christie classic novel, this follow up to the Murder on the Orient Express takes us from the railroad tracks to the Egyptian Nile River, as Poirot once again finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation, where the suspects are aplenty. Just like in the previous film, Branagh is joined by a star-studded cast that includes Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Leticia Wright, Annette Benning, Rose Leslie, Russell Brand, and Sophie Okonedo.
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Apex (Blu-ray)
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on February 11th, 2022
The hunted vs. the hunters. Now here is a premise that has seen its fair share of movies. Ever since Jean Claude Van Dame’s rendition in Hard Target, filmmakers have been coming up with new and sometimes cliches version of the idea of a man being hunted for sport. Personally, I’d rather just get my fix of this idea by reading Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game. It’s just hard to imagine that there is any unique way left to come at this idea. Apex tries, but it falls short of the desired effect. In the case of this film, they bring in action veteran Bruce Willis to serve as the prey. Given his pedigree, you’d expect him to deliver one-liners while dispatching folks in creative manners. He delivers on the one-liners, but as far as the creative kills, he actually isn’t the person doing the most of the damage. In fact, Willis barely rates above a bystander in this film. I suppose it was ambitious to expect Willis to be duking it out like he did back in his Die Hard days; I mean, the man is in his mid-sixties now. However, if he wasn’t going to be the agent of chaos, why even bother putting him in the movie at all?
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The Capture (Blu-ray)
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on February 11th, 2022
“This wasn’t a game of cops and robbers. We were playing for keeps. It boiled down to a duel between me and an unknown fellow waiting up in the rocks or struggling on ahead of me. I never had the slightest doubt that he was there and that I would find him. But I didn’t like it. It was all wrong somehow.”
John Sturges has directed some of the biggest classics of his era. He became known as a huge action director and knew how to put to together large and powerful ensemble casts. Among his classic films you’d find The Magnificent Seven (1960) with Yule Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, and Robert Vaughn.
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DC’s Stargirl: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on February 8th, 2022
“There’s a new superhero in town.”
The original Starman was created by Gardner Fox and Jack Burnley back in 1941. Since that time there have been quite a few DC characters who have taken on the mantle of Starman. When DC executive and veteran comics writer/creator was asked to do a series on one of Starman’s sidekicks, Pat Dugan and his eventual comic Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E., he was given a directive that he could not use the iconic S.T.R.I.P.E. armor, and that just would have made the series so much weaker. Instead he counter-pitched an idea from the same era of the comics. He pitched the idea of a new Stargirl who would be somewhat based and named after his daughter Courtney, who was tragically killed in a plane crash when she was just 18 years old.
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Moonfall
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on February 7th, 2022
In the 1970’s Irwin Allen went from doing campy television science fiction shows like Lost In Space, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, and Lost In Space to becoming the king of the disaster movie. From The Poseidon Adventure to The Towering Inferno, Allen brought us to the brink of disaster time and time again. While others have followed in his footsteps, no one has taken that genre to heart as much as Roland Emmerich. Films like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow filled our screens with technology that Irwin Allen could only dream about. But Emmerich worked best when he was partnered with Dean Devlin. Since that collaboration ended it appears that Emmerich has been in a kind of a rut. That wouldn’t be so bad, because he knows how to put a big budget film together and give us a lot of bang for our buck with milestone f/x and mind-blowing set pieces. But it appears that a lot of that luster has been eclipsed by his latest sci-fi/disaster entry, Moonfall.
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Jackass Forever
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on February 5th, 2022
Over twenty years ago, we were introduced to a slapstick television series known as Jackass. While the series only ran for three seasons, it was a show like no other, as it featured its cast intentional doing dangerous things and often risking injury and death for our entertainment. It also went on to spawn multiple spin-off series before transiting to the big screen in what is now four movie adaptations. It also introduced the world to the charisma of Johnny Knoxville, who without question was the most fearless and daring member of the cast; on several episodes, we witnessed as he got seriously injured while performing stunts that included getting gored by bulls, shot with tasers, shot from cannons, and contending with professional heavyweight boxers.
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Superhost
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on February 5th, 2022
Superhost is a not-so-flattering social commentary on the youth of today who seem to be driven more by the amount of likes and subscribers they have than the actual human interactions they encounter in the course of a day. Whether it’s Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or any number of platforms you can think of, it seems people have just become obsessed with seeking the approval of “followers” instead of taking stock in the friends they have in their “real” social structure. The pandemic, of course, doesn’t help any of this, as it seems every week there is some new dance or challenge people are doing in the name of clicks. Also recently it seems suicides and murder-suicides have been occurring more with these “social media influencers”. Maybe it is just the old man in me coming out, but I look at the social media culture and wonder if man has reached his peak and we are all simply on a steady decline from this point forward.
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Exclusive Interview With Osric Chau Of Superhost
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on February 1st, 2022
Superhost is out on Blu-ray and DVD today from Shudder. A pair of vacation home bloggers find themselves facing sinking numbers, but that’s going to be the least of their troubles when they pick the wrong house to review. Osric Chau and Sara Canning star in the new horror film, and I had a chance to talk with Osric about his experiences on the film. Osric Chau also played the lovable Kevin on Supernatural, and now he’s appearing here at Upcomingdiscs. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Osric Chau.
The Amityville Uprising
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on January 28th, 2022
When it comes to Amityville Uprising, it felt like I spent the film’s entire runtime waiting for it to start. I mean, the film literally spent ninety percent of the time building towards the action, which basically took place at the very end of the film. There are sporadic events that occur earlier, but even those don’t start until halfway in. I expect for zombie movies to get the action rolling much sooner than that, but in the case of this film, the plot moves at the pace of a walker in the Walking Dead. That paired with the low production quality, nonexistent character development, and subpar acting makes for a less than enjoyable experience. Granted, I was not expecting box office quality from this production, but I at least hoped that there would be one or two tidbits for me to be able to point to and say that the experience had some good parts. Sadly, that wasn’t the case with this film.
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The Dry (Blu-ray)
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on January 25th, 2022
Twenty years ago, he left his hometown of Kiewarra, a farming town in Australia, under a black cloud. His girlfriend was found dead under suspicious circumstances, and all the evidence pointed to him. If it wasn’t for a friend willing to lie for him, he would have ended up in jail. When that same friend’s family is killed in a murder-suicide with all the evidence suggesting that said friend was responsible, he will return to investigate. However, time has not improved the community’s feelings about him, as the people have long memories. Eric Bana stars as federal police detective Aaron Falk in The Dry, a film based on Jane Harper’s 2017 book of the same name. Having been a fan of Eric Bana for some years, I looked for this this opportunity to watch him play detective. While the story does drag at times, I will say that overall, the quality of the storytelling made the experience worthwhile.
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Dune (2021) (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 21st, 2022
“A great man doesn’t seek to lead, he’s called to it. But if your answer is no, you’ll still be the only thing I need you to be. My son.”
Given that this was most likely the most anticipated movie of 2020, I must say that I expected much more from it. Especially given the who’s who list of Hollywood stars who were brought together for this production. Names like Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, and the list goes on. I suppose another thing that somewhat worked against the film was the long wait, as this was a movie that was slated for a year earlier, and then the pandemic complicated that, so anticipation for this film was high. Not to mention that this is a reboot of a beloved series that has already been adapted and garnered a large cult following. It is also my understanding that previous adaptation had the benefit of having the creator of the franchise on set to help guide it.
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Billions: Season Five
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on January 21st, 2022
Every era has their Hollywood good guys and their Hollywood bad guys. Back in the early days, we had Nazis to pit against our heroes. When they didn’t quite fit the bill, we had the Japanese. For much of the Cold War, we had great Russian villains to test the mettle of our heroes. Terrorists fit the bill a lot today, but perhaps the only group hated by large segments of American audiences more are the 1%ers. Anyone who makes an obscene amount of money must have cheated to get there. It doesn’t hurt that financial power companies have been immersed in the last couple of economic disasters. Michael Douglas taught us that greed is good, and while every single one of us wants to be at the top, it’s not quite the politically correct thing to express … at least out loud. Billions gives us the kind of power broker who is just too much fun to hate.
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Scream (2022)
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on January 14th, 2022
In 1996 when Scream first came out, it’s hard to explain to this new generation of teens just how much it changed the genre and the film industry. To say the horror genre was dead is an understatement. Sure, the early 90’s had a handful of good films, but when you look at where the genre was in the 80’s and earlier, you can see the difference. Then when you look at how the genre has evolved since the first film premiered, what Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven did has been emulated but not quite surpassed. Even with the three sequels that followed, they had the same spirit but just not quite as good. Sure, better horror films have come along in the 25 years since, and several have changed the genre for better or worse. We’ve seen horror go with the intense hyper realism and the re-boot which Scream 4 (2011) took its meta take on, but where could the series go next?
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Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness – Season 01
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on January 11th, 2022
This appears to be the time of Resident Evil, it would seem. Fresh on the heels of a live-action reboot to the franchise (Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City) comes the home media release of this CGI miniseries based on the popular Capcom video game. If you want to be technical, the miniseries preceded the reboot, as it was originally released on Netflix back in July of 2021. Set between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, the miniseries follows Leon S. Kennedy as he attempts to uncover a conspiracy that reaches all the way up to the White House. Now, in reference to that time period, I should mention that it is the video game continuity, not the film’s, that is an important distinction, as Milla Jovovich was only loosely based on the source material. While the story does take some time to develop, by the final episode, I was fully vested in its outcome.
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The Mitchells vs the Machines (Blu-ray)
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on January 11th, 2022
This film was a new experience for me. As you all know, movies like this afford me the opportunity to share my passion for film with my daughter. However, as I put the movie on, she turns to me and says, “Daddy, you know what’s funny? I’ve already seen this.” I found that to be a confusing statement, as I was operating under the impression that this was a newly released title. However, as it turns out, though it is a new release for home media, the film was actually released on Netflix back in April 2021. At this point, I expected that she would attempt to excuse herself and occupy herself with one of her many new Christmas acquisitions. But no, she didn’t do that. Instead, she sat back and prepared herself to watch it again. That’s when I knew it had to be good, because my daughter doesn’t usually do repeats. Lo and behold, it was far better than good. I dare say that The Mitchells vs. The Machines was the best animated film that I saw all year.
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Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: Paramount Presents
Posted in Holiday Gift Guides by Gino Sassani on December 24th, 2021
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. Keep checking back to see more recommendations for your holiday shopping. These gift guides ARE NOT paid advertisements. We take no money to publish them. With conditions as they are, shopping won’t be easy this season. The nice thing about discs is that they’re so easy to get from places like Amazon that you can give a great gift and stay perfectly safe while you do it. Paramount Presents
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The Matrix: Resurrections
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on December 24th, 2021
I wanted to believe that it was possible. I really did. I wanted to believe that it was possible to make a quality addition to the iconic franchise despite nearly twenty years having gone by since the third film. But alas, here we are and it clearly wasn’t possible to make a quality addition to the franchise. I should have trusted my instincts. While the The Matrix: Resurrections may provide us with answer regarding the ultimate fate of Neo and Trinity, those answers come at the cost of entertainment. I am a firm believer in letting sleeping dogs lie, and I can honestly say that this franchise would have been better off without this latest installment, which in my opinion adds nothing to it. I’m honestly shocked at the fact of how disappointed I was with the film given that two-thirds of the main cast came back for the film. Trust me, we are also going to discuss the one-third that didn’t and the dishonorable way that they chose to continue the character.
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The Many Saints Of Newark (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on December 24th, 2021
In 1999 when The Sopranos first premiered on HBO, I don’t think anyone was expecting just how much it would change the television landscape. In its run it made cable TV a main contender for the Emmys, but it also changed the way we see TV, as it took the gangster movie dynamic and stretched it out into a series that ran successfully for 86 episodes. Then there was the way the series came to a close that has had fans and critics talking nearly 15 years after it last aired. It’s the show that raised the bar for what television can be and has been the standard since which only a handful of shows have been able to match in quality. Personally (and I know this is a controversial take), I’m only a fan of the first three seasons, but even a bad episode of The Sopranos is better than most television shows out there.
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King’s Man
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on December 23rd, 2021
This is an origin story. That is the best way I can sum this movie up. I will repeat it again, so it is clear. This is an origin story. It was hinted at in the first film (Kingsman) how the Kingman intelligence agency was started; however, while it was excellently explained by Colin Firth, how the agency truly came to be was just sort of glossed over. With The King’s Man we get to experience the tale of the organization’s founder and his motivation for creating the organization. The story is informative and at times entertaining, but I must confess that it was missing the wit that the original film had. I would have to characterize this as a case of the original film being the best. In this instance, it is because of the wit and the manner in which the story flowed. I know what you are thinking, I’m disregarding the second film, and you are right; I am.
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Venom: Let There Be Carnage (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on December 23rd, 2021
“80 billion light years of hive knowledge across universes would explode your tiny little brain.”
Sony released two films from their corner of the Marvel universe in 2021. On October 1st we got Venom: Let There Be Carnage. October was a good spot for the film that taps into the horror film vein as much as it does the comic book superhero world. The first film did pretty well, and Sony really wants to expand their little corner of Marvel. The film did quite well in this post-COVID reality and pulled in $500 million in 11 weeks. That was impressive, to be sure. Spider-Man No Way Home was the other Sony/Marvel film. It had the unfortunate timing of releasing just as the Omicron variant of the virus hit, and as some states are going back to various restrictions there was some question if audiences would venture out into the cinemas in enough numbers to give the film any kind of return at all. After all, we’ve seen big-budget films fall to the wayside enough to understand this is risky business. That question has been answered
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