Posted in: Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on April 10th, 2014
Let's all synchronize our calendars. There's an important date, and it's coming upon us quickly. Shout Factory is about to release one of the most influential series in television history. We're talking Hill Street Blues, and the complete 7-season series is coming to home video on Tuesday April, 29th. It's an event worth celebrating, and we here at Upcomingdiscs are going to help you get through these final days with character profiles from the show. I'm hard at work binge-watching episodes as fast as I can to have a full detailed review waiting for you on the 29th. I know. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
Let's start at the top, shall we? Captain Francis Xavier Furillo, played by Daniel J. Travanti.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on April 10th, 2014
Today, Miami is considered one of the most glamorous cities in the world. But long before it became the place where some of the biggest stars in sports and entertainment took their talents, Miami was dubbed the drug, murder, and cash capital of the United States. (Resulting in a drastically different “Big 3” than what locals are accustomed to these days.) Cocaine Cowboys already chronicled this shockingly violent stretch of the city’s history and featured recollections from some of the people who helped Miami achieve its dubious status. Now an extended version of Billy Corben’s 2006 documentary arrives on Blu-ray.
The core of the film remains the same. Both versions of Cocaine Cowboys recount the period in the 1970s and ‘80s when cocaine flooded Miami’s geographically-convenient shores, leading to a major economic boost and (eventually) an outrageous breakout of violence. The film gets its title after one interviewee likens that version of Miami to the Wild West, since killers felt free to commit shootings and murders out in the open. The biggest offenders, according to the film, were associated with the Medellin Cartel from Colombia. It all culminated with a 1981 Time Magazine cover story that proclaimed South Florida as “Paradise Lost.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 8th, 2014
"There are dark spirits, old and full of hate...The world is in great danger."
A trilogy is a hard animal to pull off. Even when you have a popular franchise, it is extremely difficult. All of the pieces have to work just right, or you could have a disaster on your hands. It is even harder when you've already beaten the odds once and delivered a trilogy that is both loved and a huge box office success. You run into an almost insurmountable mountain of expectations. Your pieces must somehow fit together so that they can be viewed as one whole product. They also need to match the world and production style of the previous trilogy even though technology has changed quite a bit in the decade that separates the two. Lightning doesn't often strike the same place twice, unless you happen to live in Florida, or, apparently, New Zealand, where Peter Jackson has managed to do the impossible...so far.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 8th, 2014
On the heels of the reality TV Pentecostal preacher dying from a snakebite, Holy Ghost People delves into the dark side of religion and how those who believe can be corrupted and taken advantage of. It’s not that the film is looking to exploit or demonize a religion or anyone’s beliefs, but instead it explores the people who have no problem using another’s beliefs and weaknesses to manipulate them. Though the film takes place deep in the backwoods of the Appalachian mountains, it could just as easily be about a chapel just up the street; after all, faith and corruption are everywhere so long as there is someone eager to believe. Charlotte (Emma Greenwell) does what she can to make ends meet while working at a small town bar. She’s been saving up all her money with the intention of finding her sister who has joined a community that calls itself the Church of One Accord. With no way to get to the community she asks for help from a stranger, Wayne (Brendan M\cCarthy) whose wallet she finds after he gets beaten up outside her bar. He offers to drive her up to a place called Sugar Mountain where the community is said to be.
The film wastes no time in getting us to the community and into the middle of one of the services. The congregation sings along and cheers on Brother Billy (Joe Egender) as he reaches into a box with the word SATAN written on it, and from inside he removes a giant rattlesnake. Brother Billy continues to tell the congregation it’s the power of the Holy Spirit that protects him. Charlotte and Wayne can see through the act, but for how long?
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 8th, 2014
Ever watch one of those reality shows and wonder what would happen if someone got killed, or what if one of the cast members turned out to be a psycho ax murderer? Well, I’m not ashamed to say the thought has crossed my mind from time to time in hopes that it would make the season of Survivor mean a whole new thing with the stakes raised, and instead of a vote off you were literally cut out of the show. Well, HazMat tackles this very notion of a reality show breaking from the script (come on, we all know by now reality shows are scripted) after the show’s participant gets the thirst for blood.
Jacob (Norbert Velez) has this obsession with an old chemical plant where his father died. It’s an obsession that is about to ruin his friendship with his best friend Adam (Reggie Peters), but Adam has a plan to fix that obsession. He gets in touch with a reality show that specializes in being a prank show that terrifies its cast members. Adam figures if he can get a good scare out of Jacob, and he comes to terms with the brief humiliation on national TV, that it’ll snap him back to reality. Things clearly don’t go as planned after Jacob accidently kills one of the show’s cast members, and once he discovers the truth behind the TV series, well, let’s simply say Jacob does not enjoy being the butt of anyone’s joke.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 8th, 2014
You know exactly what's going on here. It's Rocky Balboa vs. Jake La Motta, and they're not exactly in their prime. For reasons of property rights, of course, this really isn't Rocky or La Motta, but you and I know it is. The film takes great pains to remind us of each of these iconic characters. Sly's character tries to take a shot at some hanging meat after drinking a glass of raw eggs. De Niro's character is found telling boxing jokes in his own club, just as the real-life La Motta did after his fighting days were over. Both of these actors played iconic fighters in their day. It's safe to say that both the characters and the actors themselves are beyond their physical prime. Sly is just three years shy of 70, while De Niro reached that milestone back in August. And that's what makes Grudge Match a better film as a comedy.
It's been 30 years since Pittsburg's greatest fighters Henry "Razor" Sharp (Stallone) and Billy "The Kid" McDonnen (De Niro) left the fight game. They faced each other twice in their careers, splitting the victories. For each, the other was their only loss. A rubber match was going to happen, but Rocky Razor decided to retire before the fight. Since then, La Motta The Kid has not been able to let it go. He wanted to show the world he was best. It doesn't help that they had an issue out of the ring.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by J C on April 7th, 2014
The majority of murders committed on television are presented from the perspective of the people trying to solve them. It's a smart, gratifying strategy because it allows us viewers to play detective from the safety of our couches one hour at a time. Far fewer shows are interested in doing the more difficult/less glamorous work of dramatizing the way a death can shatter a family, along with an entire community. Broadchurch is one of the most outstanding cop dramas I've seen in a long time because it's willing to do that difficult work while also delivering the goods as a satisfying whodunnit.
“You know what happens around a murder? A whole industry grows up, of groupies and rubberneckers, and people who want to touch the case.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on April 4th, 2014
The H.G. Wells invasion story has been told numerous times from a radio show when it allegedly caused a panic when Orson Wells made his infamous broadcast to the more recent imaging brought to the screen by Steven Spielberg. It’s the alien invasion story that has captured our imagination and will continue doing so for decades to come. In the new 3D animated release of War of the Worlds: Goliath, the tale of science fiction is simply the jumping-off point to a new and bigger story about the war that was waged between man and those from outer space.
It begins in Leeds during the original invasion in 1889. Eric Wells is only a child at this point and witnesses the murder of his parents by the giant alien machines that have invaded our planet. The guilt of their death continues to weigh heavily on him as he arrives in New York; now he is an adult and a Captain in the military (Peter Wingfield handles the voicing for Eric). Though there is fear of the impending world war, there has been a recent discovery that the aliens could possibly be planning another attack. Thankfully, though, Tesla and other scientists have been able to use the alien technology from the previous attack to develop battle-tripods they call Goliaths.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on April 4th, 2014
"It's called compartmentalization. No one spills the secrets because no one knows them all."
I was lucky enough to grow up during Marvel's wonderful rebirth of the 1960's and 1970's. Of all of the comics they produced during that time, I was always least impressed with Captain America. I don't think I ever read an issue of any of his mags with the notable exception of The Avengers. So how can it be possible that after dozens of Marvel films, and I'm including the Fox and other-studio-produced stuff, that Captain America: The Winter Soldier can end up being my favorite? Could it be that I've warmed up to the Cap under the compelling performances of Chris Evans. Nah! Could it be I've grown and matured a lot since I was a teenager? Anyone who knows me is certain that can't be the answer. Could it be that maybe, just maybe, this just happens to be their best film yet. No maybe’s or could be's about it. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is even better than The Avengers. It's too early to tell if it'll be my favorite tent pole film of the summer, but it's starting in the pole position, to be sure.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on April 3rd, 2014
“I’m Norma Rae. You know me.”
Chances are you’ve at least heard of Norma Rae, even if you haven’t actually seen the Oscar-winning film that bears her name. You might know it as the granddaddymomma of underdog stories centered on feisty female crusaders; Norma Rae begat Silkwood, Erin Brockovich, North Country and others. Or you might know it as the movie that made Sally Field a serious movie star, although it’d be another five years until she really believed that people liked her. But if you’ve neither seen nor heard of Norma Rae, now’s as good a chance as any to get acquainted: Fox is celebrating its 35th anniversary by debuting the film on Blu-ray.
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