Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 14th, 2011
At the turn of the millennium a decade ago, lists were pretty popular. It didn't matter if you were into the world of sports or movies, everybody was looking for the all-time best of everything. The American Film Institute got into the trend by releasing top-100 lists. Heroes, villains and memorable quotes all got the treatment. We all argued about the "classics" we felt were unfairly slighted and the "idiotic" choices that did make the lists. If only the lists were so much larger. Then everyone's favorites would be included and we could all finally find a list we could agree on. But, what number would that be? 100 was too small. A million was just too large. What number might be just right? 1001?
The millennium passed and the manic number of lists subsided. 2007 came and we all learned what a Bucket List was. We all started thinking about those wonderful things we felt we simply must experience before we kick that figurative bucket. If you're reading these pages, you likely included a list of films that you had to see before you die. It seems that the folks at Barron's Publishing have attempted to answer that question for us with their encyclopedic book: 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 14th, 2011
"Within the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit are rapid response teams known as RED CELLS. These nontraditional teams operate outside the bureaucracy of and report solely to the Director of the FBI. "
It started as a back-door pilot last year on an April episode of Criminal Minds called The Flight. We are introduced to the Red Cell Team. The team is headed by one Sam Cooper, played by Forest Whitaker. Sam's talent is that he can really get inside of a killer's head. He has a kind of empathy for the killer and can easily put himself in the killer's shoes. Of course, it takes a mental toll, and he suffers for the skill. Don't confuse empathy for feeling sorry for the killer. Michael Kelly plays his right-hand man John Sims, or as he's affectionately called, Prophet. He's an ex-con who has received a full pardon for his crimes. He dedicated himself to using his insightful abilities to predict behavior for the good guys. Next up is Gina LaSalle, played by Beau Garrett. She's the heart of the team and the brains. Matt Ryan plays Mick Rawson who is an ex-military sharpshooter and one of the coolest behind a long-range rifle. The weak link of the group was not actually in the back-door pilot. Irritating as hell Janeane Garofalo might have single-handedly brought the promising show to its knees and off the schedule after a mere 13 episodes. She plays Beth Griffith, who is just as bleeding-heart and outspoken as the actress who plays her. She's been fired from unit to unit only to settle on this squad. It's obvious that someone on the crew is a huge fan of this idiot and decided she'd make a wonderful addition to the team. They figured we'd love watching her abrasive personality and thin acting skills on a weekly basis. Yeah, how's that working out for ya?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on September 13th, 2011
“One – you can't do it. You just can't. This isn't a personal attack towards you, I'm just saying that no man can do it, it goes against nature. The male was biologically designed to spread his seed. You're gonna piss off the seeds, Matt! It goes against science! You wanna be the guy who goes against science?”
In 1988, director Michael Lehman brought us Heathers, one of the great, all time classic black comedies so ballsy it could never get made our current post 9/11 and Columbine culture. Then something happened to him and began to spit out tepid, careful comedies like Hudson Hawk and The Truth about Cats and Dogs. 40 Days and 40 Nights taps into the abstaining-from-sex-and-keeping-the-reason-from-one's-potential- mate premise Judd Apatow mastered with the far superior 40 Year Old Virgin.
![40 Days and 40 Nights [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/40-days-and-40-nights-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on September 13th, 2011
The folks at Warner have doubled down for the readers here at Upcomingdiscs. In honor of their release A Cinderella Story on DVD they have offered a copy of the film to a lucky Upcomingdisc reader. They've also provided a wonderful playground online to celebrate the release. To win a copy of this prize, follow these instructions.
Contest is now closed Winner was Judy W
Posted in: Site News by Gino Sassani on September 9th, 2011
Please join me in welcoming our latest member of the Upcomingdiscs family.
John Delia has been writing reviews for decades. He's been a popular contributor to local Tampa radio and many newspapers and publications.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on September 9th, 2011
Not all documentaries can make a mark in society, but I found Genius On Hold a remarkable film that takes a crack at big business and proves positive. Genius On Hold is eye opening, courageous and extraordinary. It’s a father and son story of fate that intertwines life struggles, crime and monopolies, which decide their future. If there’s one documentary you see this year, make it be Genius On Hold.
From a meager life to a chance at gaining a fortune, Walter HL Shaw starts out as the model for the epitome of the American dream. Raising a family, Shaw took any job he could get leading to his union with Bell Telephone who discovered that he could invent things for Bell that others of his ilk could only take a back seat. With his development of the telephone like two-way communications, feedback neutralization, etc. for the sole telephone giant Shaw was dismayed that he was not receiving credit or monetary recompense equal to the task.
Posted in: The Reel World by Archive Authors on September 9th, 2011
Slick, compelling and gripping Contagion uses the fright brought on by past outbreaks of deadly virus attacks around the world to punch home a ‘what if’ plot that succeeds in scaring the pants off accepting moviegoers. The recognizable actors saves the plot from being hard to follow as it jumps from country to country in this thriller that ‘could actually happen’.
Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns home from a trip with flu-like symptoms only to die a short time later after being rushed to a local hospital. The doctors are puzzled as to the cause, her husband Thomas (Matt Damon) distraught that they could do nothing for her. On the other side of the world and in other US states the airborne and contact virus is spreading. Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) has a blog on the web that exposes government cover-ups and his millions of followers are starting to get scared that the virus will be devastating causing panic in the streets.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 9th, 2011
“Ride into this world all alone. God takes your soul. You're on your own.
The crow flies straight, a perfect line on the devil's back until you die.
Gotta look this life in the eye”.
When these guys send a message, they don’t use Western Union. Not only will they blow up your warehouse, but they’ll catch one of your guys and plant a stick of dynamite in his butt cheeks to set off the explosion. That’s the world of the motorcycle club, the Sons Of Anarchy. In the wake of The Shield, FX stays true to form with the latest from that show’s alumni Kurt Sutter. Sons Of Anarchy has a familiar tone and quality to it for fans of that now-gone cop drama. There’s a lot of handheld camera stuff, and you have very similar themes.
![Sons of Anarchy: Season Three [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/sons-of-anarchy-season-three-blu--large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 9th, 2011
Imagine a time when Joel and Ethan Coen weren't household names. The two have become something of Hollywood legends with films like No Country For Old Men and the superior remake of True Grit. But every legend has to have a beginning, and the story of the Coen Brothers goes back to 1984 and a quirky little film called Blood Simple. The film had only a limited release and pulled in a mere couple of million bucks in its initial release. Even the cast with the notable exception of M Emmett Walsh was pretty much unknown at the time. The movie came and went without very much fanfare. It would be about three years later with Raising Arizona that the Coen Brothers would finally arrive in our collective consciousness where they have continued to have a strong impact through the present day.
Blood Simple is not a great film by any standards. The pace is quite slow, and it fails to fully realize the film noir nature that it so strongly emulates. In truth, it deserves to be overshadowed by the many Coen Brothers films that have come since. That doesn't mean it's a particularly bad film either. MGM has released the bare-bones Blu-ray more for an eye toward the historical value that the movie offers. It was not directed by both of the brothers. In those days they still functioned less as a whole. Only Joel is credited with directing the film, but if you believe that then I have some prime swamp property here in Florida I'd love for you to take a look at. They collaborated on the script and the film is a wonderful peek at their developing style. Already many of the trademark Coen Brothers style points are clearly on display. It all started here from the intense close-ups of trivial objects to the odd angles and rather dark lighting. It's all on display in a movie that no fan of the duo should not see at least once.
![Blood Simple [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/blood-simple-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2011
"A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another, the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one other, it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden."
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