“31 Nights Of Terror” Snake Outta Compton
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2018
“You are about to witness the strength of snake knowledge.”
That’s me. In addition to being the senior writer here at Upcomingdiscs, I also have been a snake breeder for an even longer period of crimes. So, when a box arrived from our friends at Lionsgate with a rubber snake, a couple of syringe pens, and a movie called Snake Outta Compton, I knew this was one I was going to tackle. The snake in the box was rubber and caused no fright here. The syringe pens on the other hand… Let’s not talk about those. Snake Outta Compton attempts to bring the world of Snakes On A Plane to Straight Outta Compton.
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Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 25th, 2018
“I don’t know how to sing about love when I’m not feeling it.”
I have a surprising confession to make: I’m a huge movie musical nerd (that’s not the surprising part), but I thought the first Mamma Mia movie was absolutely terrible. Obviously, I was in the minority: the 2008 ABBA jukebox musical grossed more than $600 million worldwide. So the second least surprising thing about the perfectly-named sequel, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, is that it took 10 years to get the band back together. The first most surprising thing is that I actually thought this movie was…kinda good.
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Black Sails: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 25th, 2018
“My father told me about these men, about their natures. All I knew were the stories I was told of monsters and the valiant men sworn to slay them. I fear the stories I’ve heard may have been clouded, the truth more than clouded. It would seem these monsters are men, sons, brothers, fathers. And it would seem these men face their own monsters…”
Move over, Captain Jack Sparrow.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Interview With A Pirate Toby Stephens From Black Sails
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on October 24th, 2018
Black Sails fans rejoice. 31 Nights Of Terror takes you on-board a pirate ship with the infamous Captain Flint. I had an opportunity to chat with Toby Stephens who plays Captain Flint on the show. He had some insightful things to say. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Toby Stephens. It’s all to celebrate the release of Black Sails: The Complete Series on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.
The Affair: Season Four
Posted in No Huddle by J C on October 24th, 2018
“Why make things simple when they can be painful and difficult?”
The current TV landscape is overflowing with “limited series” and anthologies that reboot themselves each year with new characters and storylines. The Affair, which premiered in 2014, seemed ready-made for that formula: each season could’ve followed different adulterous encounters in a wide variety of settings. Instead, the perspective-shifting Showtime drama has followed the same group of sad sacks through multiple years as they deal with the fallout of a single Long Island dalliance. The good news is this fourth season serves as both a soft reboot for the series and a swan song for a couple of major characters.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Slice (2018)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 23rd, 2018
I’m going to say from the start that Slice isn’t for everyone, but those who come across this film and give it a chance will come away having a good time with this film. It’s a new release from A 24, which quickly got my attention considering the numerous films the company has been releasing that I’ve enjoyed. While it’s a horror-comedy, there is more going on in this little film, as it injects a sociopolitical message in it. I like a film that can function on several levels, but I never expected to find it in a film about pizza delivery guys being killed by monsters.
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Tuesday Round Up: October 23, 2018
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on October 23rd, 2018
Here we go again, indeed! It’s time for another Tuesday Round Up, and Universal takes it all with Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (4K), the sequel to the blockbuster ABBA musical. Meanwhile, Shout! Factory heads out west for Valley Girl and goes Hollywood with Get Shorty. Finally, Lionsgate plunders Black Sails: The Complete Series and slithers into the hood with Snake Outta Compton.
Keep checking back each day for our “31 Nights of Terror” and enter to win a free prize in our many contests. Also, if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week!
Reprisal (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 23rd, 2018
It seems there isn’t an action film Bruce Willis can say no to. It feels as though every couple of months there is an action film that has an appearance from Willis, and frankly it’s a little disappointing. He’s a guy who can bring in the major box office dollars, but it seems more and more of the action stars are settling for the direct-to-video route for the simple paycheck and moving on to the next. With the number of films being churned out for the cinemas, DVD and Blu-ray, and the streaming services, it seems the film industry is simply becoming a business of quantity rather than quality due to the amount of demand needed. Reprisal is the latest example of this demand for quantity rather than quality as we get a pedestrian action film that plays by the numbers and will be forgotten by the year’s end, and that’s a shame considering its two leads.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Contest: Win Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein On Blu-ray
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on October 22nd, 2018
This will be our last giveaway for 31 Nights Of Terror. We’re giving away Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein on Blu-ray. Bela Lugosi returned to the role of Dracula for the 2nd and last time for this farce. It was also the final appearance of Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man. It marked the end of an era and it’s going out to one lucky winner.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
- Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.
- Do not post your address as an actual comment! What is the worse horror film you ever saw?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed. Winner announced this week!
Upcomingdiscs NEVER sells or shares your information with anyone.
Old Man and the Gun
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on October 22nd, 2018
When Robert Redford first announced that The Old Man and the Gun was going to be the last film he was going to be acting in, it became a film that shot to the top of my must-see list. Since that announcement he’s backed off on his comment, but if this were his last film, this would be one heck of a way to close out an amazing career. What writer and director David Lowery has delivered here is sort of a love letter to all of Redford’s greatest hits, and by the time the credits end, well, you simply know you’ve watched something special. It’s a film from another era, when special FX didn’t come out of a camera, and cinema just was different.
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City Slickers (Collector’s Edition) (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 22nd, 2018
“You came out here city slickers, you’re gonna go home cowboys.”
I still remember pretty clearly my dad suggesting we go check out a matinee of City Slickers. I was visiting him in New York City during the summer of 1991, and my 8-year-old self had no idea what a “city slicker” (or even what a Billy Crystal) was. That being said, I was completely delighted by the movie and have re-watched it many times throughout the years. (The calf birthing scene, in particular, stuck to my innocent, 8-year-old brain.) I recently got a chance to revisit the crowd-pleasing, cowboys-and-yuppies comedy once again thanks to this new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Ash vs. The Evil Dead: The Complete Collection
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 20th, 2018
From the moment that STARZ announced that they were pulling the plug on Ash vs Evil Dead after its third season, my heart has been a bit crushed. The Evil Dead franchise has always been special to me. Growing up I watched the trilogy of films to the point one may consider I had an unhealthy obsession with these films, and to be fair, they may have had a point, but these movies were a blast. These were the films where writer and director Sam Raimi made a name for himself in the horror genre with his cinematic style, over the top gore, and injecting his love of The Three Stooges. For decades fans had waited patiently for a fourth installment in the franchise, with teases of there even being an Ash vs Freddy vs Jason, but alas that concept fizzled as a film. So when the news came along that STARZ would be bringing Ash (Bruce Campbell) to the small screen for a 10-episode series, well, it was something horror fans could get excited about
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Halloween (2018)
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2018
“I always knew he’d come back. In this town, Michael Myers is a myth. He’s the Boogeyman. A ghost story to scare kids. But this Boogeyman is real. An evil like his never stops, it just grows older. Darker. More determined. Forty years ago, he came to my home to kill. He killed my friends, and now he’s back to finish what he started, with me. The one person who’s ready to stop him.”
I was 17 years old when John Carpenter released The Shape, aka Michael Myers, on the world in 1978. It was a milestone film. Of course we didn’t know we were watching something that would become so culturally huge.
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The Oath
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 19th, 2018
I was quite reluctant to attend the screening for The Oath. My reluctance wasn’t based on my willingness to see the film. People like us will go to any kind of a movie. I love films. My issue was the impression I received from the trailer. The film appears to be ripped from today’s political climate and quite possibly to be a close parody of the actual present political situation. No matter on what side of that issue I might personally happen to fall, we here at Upcomingdiscs try our best to keep our politics out of our work. It’s not fair to fellow writers for them to be brushed with any other writer’s ideals, and it’s simply unnecessary to create a hostile environment here for any of our readers or staff. So I approached the screening with the caveat that I might not actually review the film. When the studio agreed to those terms, I set out to experience The Oath. I’ll give you a little “inside baseball” into the movie review business.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Exclusive Interview With Jordan Horowitz: Writer/Director Of Painless
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on October 18th, 2018
Painless is out on DVD from Indican Pictures. 31 Nights Of Terror takes you behind the scenes with writer/director Jordan Horowitz. Joey Klein stars as a man who can’t feel pain and Painless covers his desperate search for a cure. I had a nice talk with Jordan Horowitz about the film. he let me in on some nice inside stories. Now you can eavesdrop on the call and you won’t even need any help from the NSA. Bang it here to listen to my chat with Jordan Horowitz.
Catch the film at Amazon Painless
Ant-Man and The Wasp (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 18th, 2018
This past summer, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was turned upside down in a snap. Avengers: Infinity War was the culmination of 10 years worth of origin stories and world-building. That blockbuster featured (almost) every MCU hero in the galaxy, universe-spanning stakes, and an unforgettable cliffhanger. So you can excuse Marvel for scaling things back (waaaaay back) with its next entry. Of course, any superhero flick that came immediately after Infinity War was going to feel small by comparison, so who better to take on that task than the tiniest hero of them all?
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“31 Nights Of Terror” 3rd Night
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on October 17th, 2018
3rd Night is one of those films that sneaks up on you. It’s shot on a low budget, there are no big named actors involved, and it doesn’t have a big studio backing. It’s the kind of film that seems to be released hoping that by word of mouth or sheer luck, people will stumble upon this film. You go to your random Wal-Mart or Target and you see these small, independent titles all the time, and I’ve always wondered how many of these are picked up as a cold buy, simply from the customer looking at the cover and reading the box. 3rd Night is a film that is going to have to go through this struggle, but for those who do decide to pick this up or find it on some other platform, it’ll be a delightful little surprise. It’s a 71-minute horror fest that is better than you’d expect despite having some strange flaws that left me questioning some of the film’s choices; despite that it still works.
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Arizona (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 17th, 2018
“I’m sorry…I’m a really good person.”
I absolutely loved The Big Short, which managed to extract smart, insightful comedy from one of the gloomiest chapters in recent American history. But if there’s one minor critique I had, it’s that the 2015 Adam McKay film sort of glossed over the human cost of the nationwide financial collapse. On the other hand, Arizona — a violent, over-the-top black comedy that’s billed as being “from the producers of Eastbound & Down and Brooklyn Nine-Nine” — is set in 2009 and focuses almost exclusively on a handful of hard-luck losers trying to survive the housing crisis.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Contest: Win Painless From Indican Pictures
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on October 16th, 2018
31 Nights Of Terror delivers yet another giveaway. Indican Pictures has given us a copy of their new horror film Painless. I’ll be talking soon to the film’s director and writer Jordan Horowitz. Please be sure to give it a listen when we post it. What would you do to end your own pain? That’s the question this new horror film puts to the test. Enter to win a copy and find out the answer.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
- Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.
- Do not post your address as an actual comment! Who is your favorite horror actor/actress
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed. Winner announced this week!
Upcomingdiscs NEVER sells or shares your information with anyone.
Tuesday Round Up: October 16, 2018
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on October 16th, 2018
This week’s Round Up can be summed up in one word: Groovy. Lionsgate takes up arms (and chainsaw) for an epic battle in Ash vs. Evil Dead: The Complete Series, while also seeking retribution in Reprisal. Elsewhere, RLJE faces the dry heat of Arizona (4K), Indican Pictures doesn’t feel much with Painless, and Showtime stays unfaithful with The Affair: Season 4. Finally, Shout! Factory saddles up to revisit the Billy Crystal comedy favorite City Slickers: Collector’s Edition.
Meanwhile on the big screen, Fox Searchlight is locked and loaded for The Old Man and The Gun, Roadside Attractions takes The Oath, and Michael Myers comes home (again) in Halloween. Keep checking back each day for our “31 Nights of Terror” and enter to win a free prize in our many contests. Also, if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week!
“31 Nights Of Terror” The Haunting Of Hill House (2018)
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on October 15th, 2018
Over the years there have been attempts to adapt Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting at Hill House, but each attempt seemed to fall short of what the book accomplished. So when Netflix announced that they were going to be attempting to turn the novel into a ten-episode TV series, well, to be honest, it didn’t exactly get me excited. Helming the show is Mike Flanagan, who had some success with Netflix before when directing Gerald’s Game and is currently directing Doctor Sleep, a sequel to Stephen King’s The Shining. It wasn’t till a couple weeks ago when a came across a trailer for The Haunting of Hill House that I was convinced that perhaps I should give this show a shot. Once it hit the streaming service and I watched the first episode “Steven Sees a Ghost”, well, I was hooked, and what unfolded over the course of the season resulted in an exceptional television experience.
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Vikings: Season 5 Vol 1 (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 15th, 2018
“All things change. This world is impermanent and deceiving. Many things are not what they seem. You will have many adventures here. And if we live, many stories to tell at the Great Hall. If we live.”
When Vikings started five years ago, I found it to be quite an ambitious task for a network that usually featured documentaries and reality shows about odd jobs. I approached this one with some caution. Now I’ve thrown caution to the wind for these compelling characters. I was particularly drawn into the lead. Travis Fimmel was outstanding as the Viking leader Ragnor Lothbrook. When his character was killed off after three years, I suspected things would be winding down for this experiment.
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First Man
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2018
“That’s one small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind.”
July 20th, 1969. If you were alive and even somewhat old enough to be aware of your surroundings, you likely still remember that date. There are many such dates in history; unfortunately so many of them revolve around tragic events like 9-ll or the attack on Pearl Harbor. But on that night I was eight years old, and I know exactly where I was. I was watching Walter Cronkite on television as he brought us the first landing on the surface of the moon. Today that’s a bittersweet memory.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Contest – Win Strait-Jacket and Berserk Double Feature From Mill Creek
Posted in Contests by Gino Sassani on October 14th, 2018
31 Nights Of Terror just keeps giving and giving. This time our buddies at Mill Creek offer you a Joan Crawford horror double feature. Get William Castle’s Strait-Jacket and Berserk on Blu-ray. Crawford is known for her real-life mother/daughter issues and these films put a killer edge on mothers and daughters. It’s all yours for the taking.
To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
- Fill out your name and email address in the comment form below – your email address will remain private and visible only to us.
- Do not post your address as an actual comment! What, if anything, will you dress up as this Halloween?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed. Winner announced this week!
Upcomingdiscs NEVER sells or shares your information with anyone.
“31 Nights of Terror” Constantine: City of Demons — The Movie (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on October 13th, 2018
“But this place…too much light.”
To put things mildly, Warner Bros. still has a bit of a ways to go before its stable of DC Comics superheroes catches up to Disney’s dominant Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Warner and DC have long had the upper hand on both the small screen (The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow) and with their animated, direct-to-video offerings. Constantine: City of Demons represents the best of those latter two worlds: City of Demons began its life as a short-lived TV series before bringing smart-ass occult detective John Constantine back to life for this moody and thoroughly entertaining feature-length adventure.
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