Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 27th, 2013
"Poor John Doe, what a way to go."
You might be asking yourself the obvious question here. I know that I was. Who is Arthur Newman? Arthur Newman is Colin Firth. The busy actor has been the king of the hit-or-miss movie. He's scored some wonderful roles in films like The King's Speech. But much of his career has been as a chameleon actor in niche independent festival films. Arthur Newman certainly fits in that latter category. In fact, the film has been making its way through the European circuit for the better part of the past year. Now it appears poised to make the jump to at least a few mainstream multiplex screens. I wouldn't hold out much hope for the chances. Direct to video might have been a better landing place for this one. It's about to get Summer Stomped.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 27th, 2013
You can always tell a SyFy television movie right off the bat; they generally involve some type of scientific principle run amuck, they generally take place in a small out-of-the-way town, and they include at least one actor who has had moderate success on television or films. True to form, Super Storm (known as Mega Cyclone on IMDB) is the embodiment of all those things, and it tends to teeter between mediocre and mildly interesting as the story’s events unfold in unexpected ways revealing that no one is safe, especially the cast.
The story takes place in the fictional town of Heartfield. High School football coach Jason Newmar is in charge of a detention class that includes school newspaper reporter Susan (Cindy Busby, Heartland), football jock Lawson (Reilly Dolman, Stargate Universe), smart girl Megan MacGregor (Luisa D’Oliveira, Seeds of Destruction), and the coach’s son Will Newmar (Brett Dier, The L.A. Complex). The relationship between the coach and his son has become strained with no prospect of resolution. Jason’s ex-wife and Will’s mother, Andrea, urges him to reach out to his son, who doesn’t feel inclined to talk to either of his parents about college or his plans after high school. Will has been working with Megan recently on a project for the science fair, a particle attractor. Little do his parents know, the particle attractor that has been garnered some attention from happy hitters in the scientific community is actually Will’s brainchild, not Megan’s.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 27th, 2013
The surf culture and those involved are like a tribe separate from everyone else. Those who are hardcore into the scene seem to care very little about money or material things, all that seems to matter to this group of outsiders are the onslaught of waves that’ll soon be theirs to ride. Several movies have been made about the sport/lifestyle, Point Break and Chasing Mavericks are the two that stand out the most for me at this time (not sure if admitting my secret love for Back to the Beach is good idea). Storm Surfers follows a pair of surf legends, Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones, who were in their glory days in the 80’s but now in their late 40s and early 50s, they are continuing to take their passion the next level, and it seems that will end up being more than 75 kilometers away from shore.
Big wave surfing is not simply a sport to marvel at, but as the documentary shows, a blend of all the right things happening all at the right time, and even still there is a large amount of risk. Storms tend to bring in the big waves, so the surfers follow the weather reports to find where the next big system is going to roll through. It’s in Australia where we get to see the team first attempt to tackle some waves, where the danger they also have to confront is the sharp rocks that line the shore.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 27th, 2013
Carlos Santana is too cool for words. When I say that, I refer to both his widely-acknowledged status as a “Guitar God” and to the fact that he doesn’t utter a single word until the 30-minute mark of Invitation to Illumination, his 2011 reunion with John McLaughlin. Having another rock deity on stage appears to have inspired Santana, who performs with an extra little bounce in his step during this Montreux Jazz Festival show. This Blu-ray also has the unintended consequence of serving as a tribute to the festival’s late founder.
Claude Nobs, the festival’s general manager and founder, died earlier this year following a skiing accident. The Montreux Jazz Festival was established in 1967, and Nobs crossed paths with both Santana and McLaughlin in the early 1970s. That was also around the time the rock/jazz fusion-loving duo collaborated for 1972’s “Love Devotion Surrender” album, which was followed by a tour the next year. Exactly 40 years later, their first full-length concert in decades makes its Blu-ray debut.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on August 26th, 2013
Any story about a hidden world that exists just outside the view of human eyes is bound to fire up your imagination. It helps explain why the Toy Story movies and Monsters Inc. are some of the most beloved family films of the last 20 years. Epic — the latest offering from Blue Sky Studios — seeks to capture some of the inventive magic of those Pixar films, but too much of the movie winds up playing out like a generic hero’s journey. Thankfully, there are still plenty of things to like in this animated hit, which suggests there’s a big world of little people out there.
“Many leaves, one tree. We’re all individuals, but we’re still connected.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on August 25th, 2013
Chicago Law firm Lockhart & Gardner is facing bankruptcy so each attorney works harder to reel in high profile clients so that they can save themselves from being sold, or shut down. Meanwhile Alicia Florrick (played by Juliana Margulies), who is an attorney at this firm, is caught amidst her husbands election campaign for the office of governor, as well as the temptation to become either an Equity partner in her current firm, or leave to be a name partner in a brand new one.
The fight against bankruptcy eats up at least half a season's worth of storytelling. I'll confess that I find it a bit hard to root for people that talk in terms of millions of dollars, and never have to relinquish their luxurious homes or lifestyles at any point during their struggle to lose their debt. Thankfully the trustee appointed to aid them is played by more subdued by still very charming Nathan Lane, and the cases the attorneys take on during their duress get increasingly engrossing. Said cases keep their topics very current with political references like the gun control debates and the actions of Anonymous (the protest group) becoming key issues.
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on August 25th, 2013
Aerosmith went to Japan and gave the fans a little bright spot after the natural disasters that have struck the country recently. They braved radiation scares to bring the nation some music. Casey Tebo was there with his documentary cameras and has put together a film to chronicle the milestone tour. The result was Eagle Rock's Blu-ray Aerosmith: Rock For The Rising Sun I had the chance to talk to Casey about the trip and the film. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Casey Tebo
Posted in: Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on August 25th, 2013
Our friends over at CBS want to help kick-off the upcoming season of NCIS: L.A. with a copy of NCIS:L.A. Season 4 for a lucky Upcomingdiscs reader. Get all caught up on the explosive action before new episodes start soon.
To win just follow these instructions.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on August 23rd, 2013
It’s hard to believe it was way back in 2004 when Shaun of the Dead first splashed across the screen. The film introduced those of us in the US to Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and since then their impact on geek pop culture is well beyond a simple cultish trend. Shaun of the Dead would be the first film in what the trio would call “The Cornetto Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy”, Hot Fuzz would be the second title, and The World’s End would be the closing chapter. Upon first glance the films have little to do with each other with the exception of the key actors in all three films, but I feel with a closer look what the three films all have in common is simply the bond of friendship. Where SOTD would be lifelong friends sticking together, and Hot Fuzz would delve into the start of a new friendship, The World’s End tackles the hardship of being friends and overcoming the hurt friends can inflict upon us. So for those of you expecting to simply just get a standard alien invasion flick, what we get instead is so much more and is certainly Wright’s most mature work to date.
Things kick off as Gary (Pegg) recounts the epic pub crawl he and four of his closest friends attempted. The crawl is epic and dubbed The Golden Mile, 12 pubs in one night. The narration helps introduce us to his former mates and all the near disasters they encountered that night. Gary seems to be trapped in the events of this night; he wholeheartedly believes that life couldn’t get any better than that night. We soon discover this was no simple narration but Gary retelling the events at a support group meeting. It’s 20 years later and the only thing that seems to have changed about Gary is his hairline. The only regret Gary seems to have about that night is that he and his friends never completed the mile, and now he is suddenly overcome with the urge to complete this wrong from his past.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 23rd, 2013
“It’s been a long time getting from there to here.”
Thirty-five years to be exact. Enterprise is the fourth spinoff from the original 1960’s hopeful series. The Earth is finally ready to send its first starship to explore the vast galaxy. This first starship Enterprise is smaller than the ships we’ve become used to. There are no shields or photon torpedoes. The transporter has only been cleared for inanimate objects. Not that this stands in the way of its occasional “emergency” use. The ship is very much like the cramped spaces of today's submarines. It adds an even greater sense of reality to the show. The crew is composed of Captain Jonathan Archer (Bakula), First Officer and Vulcan High Command liaison, T’Pol (Blalock), Chief Engineer Charles (Trip) Tucker (Trinneer), Tactical Officer Malcolm Reed (Keating), Denobulan Dr. Phlox (Billingsly), Pilot Travis Mayweather (Montgomery) and Linguist/Communications Officer Hoshi Sato (Park).
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