Flora (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 17th, 2018
When it comes to films about man vs. nature, we typically see films where they are defending themselves in the wild where weather and predators are the biggest dangers they have to face. (The Grey and The Revenant are the titles that first come to mind.) In the new release Flora, writer/director Sasha Louis Vukovic is here to show us that there is more to fear than wolves and bears, but how deadly pollen can be. Somewhere I can imagine M. Night Shyamalan is happy to see that someone else has tackled this subject since his disastrous film The Happening made a whimper at the box office years ago. Fortunately for Vukovic, he didn’t make the same mistakes and instead has crafted a film that is perhaps one of the more realistic horror scenarios that has come out in some time.
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Elena Of Avalor: Realm Of The Jaquins
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on August 17th, 2018
Never before have I seen a series that managed to captivate my daughter the way that Elena of Avalor: Realm of the Jaquins did. I mean, it was amazing. To give you some context, my daughter is six years old and has enough energy to exhaust a brand new puppy. Her attention span is usually no more than five minutes, but when I put this show on; she never looked away from the television. In fact, I’m not even sure that she blinked. I will admit that I enjoyed the series myself, especially the two-part titular episode that focused on the fictional Jaquin creatures that serve as the guardians of Avalor. Charming, and full of catchy original music, Elena of Avalor: Realm of the Jaquins is an excellent bonding experience for both child and parent.
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Strike Back Season 5 (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2018
“Some of you may know he history of The Section. Rumors of operatives going rogue, the Whitehall assassination. None of that matters now. What matters is that Section 20 stood for something. They were the soldiers who kept going when others fell, who saw the odds and didn’t blink, who got the job done, even when it meant paying the ultimate price.”
Two years ago I wrote a review for the fourth and final season of the Cinemax series Strike Back. Now here I am telling you about the fifth season. So what’s up with that?
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NCIS: New Orleans: The Fourth Season
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 17th, 2018
“We don’t have time for square one.”
If you are at all familiar with the NCIS franchise, you know that the show tends to follow a bit of a formula. Each spinoff has some unique style aspects, but the episodes tend to be relatively self-contained. That means you can start with Season 4 of NCIS: New Orleans and still be able to appreciate most of what’s going on. You’ll get to know and understand the characters pretty quickly. The franchise has leaned more toward continuous story arcs of late, and NCIS: New Orleans does that more than the others.
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American Hunter
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 16th, 2018
“It is a remarkable saga. It’s the story of how the American hunter made this country great. Hunting has been a part of the American experience right from the very beginning. Hunting has defined a large part of the American character. American hunting has forged a unique relationship between the nation’s people and the land on which they live and share with its wilderness. Indeed, American hunters were the first conservationists.”
I get it. Hunting isn’t for everyone. Recently Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz drew an unexpected backlash when he posted pictures to his Twitter account of his dog celebrating her birthday among a pile of shot birds.
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Marrowbone (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 16th, 2018
“Nothing…no one…will ever separate us. We are one.”
Four young siblings take this vow shortly after arriving in America from Great Britain, having just experienced their latest tragedy. Unfortunately for them, these words are spoken less than 10 minutes into Marrowbone, so you just know their vow is bound to be severely tested. But while the movie looks and sounds like a typical horror flick on the surface — and is even largely set in what seems like a classic haunted house — Marrowbone is much more of a soulful, spooky family drama than it is a bloody good time.
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Avengers: Infinity War
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 15th, 2018
“Thanos Is Coming…”
Whenever a filmmaker is doing a middle film in a trilogy, or merely a film that’s intended to be a companion film in a series, they often talk about attempting to capture The Empire Strikes Back. For years it’s been the standardbearer for anyone trying to end a blockbuster with a cliffhanger knowing it might be years before the ending is resolved for the audience. That’s harder to do today than it was in the 1980’s. I often say that the only thing wrong with instant gratification is that it simply takes too darn long. The Avengers: Infinity War is exactly that kind of film.
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Predator: 3 Movie Collection (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 15th, 2018
In September there is going to be a new film in The Predator franchise called The Predator. It’s directed by Shane Black, who actually starred in the 1987 original film and soon after went on to develop the Lethal Weapon series and make a bit of a name for himself in the buddy-cop genre. It’s no surprise that Fox wants to capitalize on the release by giving us UHD/4K releases for the other three films in the franchise. Let’s try to forget those Alien vs. Predator disasters and focus on the three films of this particular franchise.
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Arrow: The Complete Sixth Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 15th, 2018
“My name is Oliver Queen. After five years in hell, I returned home with only one goal: to save my city. Today I fight that war on two fronts. By day, I lead Star City as its mayor. But by night, I am someone else. I am something else. I am the Green Arrow…”
Who the heck is this Green Arrow of whom you speak? If that’s your first question, you need to go back a couple of grades and catch up with the rest of us. The comics are good place to begin, but the television universe is its own place and not tied so tightly to the DC comic book universe.
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SEAL Team: Season One
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 15th, 2018
“It’s what I do.”
What David Boreanaz does is create iconic television characters. He has had no trouble getting work over the years. He has had the ability to jump from one successful series to another and enjoy longevity in those roles. Unlike many actors who have had big television roles, he doesn’t get at all pigeonholed or typecast. In Buffy The Vampire Slayer he originated the role of the vampire Angel, who spun off to his own series for several years.
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Tuesday Round Up: August 14, 2018
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on August 14th, 2018
Figuring out which movie to highlight in this week’s Round Up was a snap. We’ll be reviewing Disney/Marvel’s spectacular superhero smackdown Avengers: Infinity War on Blu-ray. The Mouse House will also host play time with Muppet Babies: Time to Play. Elsewhere, CBS returns to the Big Easy with NCIS: New Orleans — Season 4 and goes on high-stakes missions with Seal Team: Season 1. Shout! Factory visits the House of Tomorrow, while HBO gets in on the action with Strike Back: Season 5. Finally, Mill Creek makes a mockery out of some of the most well-known nonfiction flicks with Documentary Now! Seasons 1 & 2.
Before you run off until next week, here’s your customary reminder: 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!
The Meg
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on August 12th, 2018
Ever since Jaws splashed onto the screen back in 1975, Hollywood has been attempting to follow its success, and though some films have been valiant efforts, nothing seems to come close to the Spielberg classic. Sure, effects have come a long way over the years, and through the Hollywood magic of special effects they can create a more realistic looking shark, but to be fair, many of the film’s more memorable moments don’t even have the shark on screen. When I first heard about The Meg, it was going to be in the hands of Eli Roth of Cabin Fever and Hostel fame. This seemed to be like a good pairing that would result in a blood-fest filled with shark carnage that would leave shark fans pleased, but eventually the studio decided to pass, and the project seemed almost dead in the water.
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BlackKKlansman
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on August 9th, 2018
Ever since Do the Right Thing came out in 1989, Spike Lee has been a director critics and fans have kept an eye on. Over the span of his career he’s done everything from music videos with Michael Jackson, documentaries, television shows — but mostly he’s made his claim to fame in film. His films have been all over the place. As critical and box office successes, Inside Man to this day may be his biggest success financially, but of all his films it is the one that feels the least like a Spike Lee film. The man has a distinct visual style; most of his films take place in New York, but the typical thing you’ll find in his films is the “black culture” and the topic of race relations. With his latest film Blackkklansman, Lee ventures into some familiar territory, but for the first time in quite a while he delivers a movie with a strong message but also manages to be entertaining.
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The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island (Blu-ray)
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on August 9th, 2018
The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island is the second film adaptation of the popular literary series of 1920s. Going into the series I knew very little about it. I wasn’t even aware that there it was a book series until the making of featurette, but we will get to that later. The series focuses on the Alden children, who live with their grandfather following the tragic death of their parent. What these children are most known for his going on adventures and solving mysteries. However, the director said it best, “When the boxcar children solve a mystery, it doesn’t end with someone going to jail, but with someone being emotionally healed.”
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The Death of Superman: Deluxe Edition (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 9th, 2018
“You know me, always saving the day.”
After the disappointment that was the recent Suicide Squad animated feature, Warner and DC needed to save the day with the release of The Death Of Superman, and that’s exactly what they did. The Death Of Superman was a major milestone in the history of The Man Of Steel in the comics. It all started in December of 1992. DC announced they were killing off their most iconic hero and ending the Superman run of comics. Of course, that was only partially true. Once Supes was “killed off”, the comic split into four new branches, as the vacuum created by his death needed to be filled both in the fictional universe as well as the commercial side of ours.
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Life Of The Party (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on August 8th, 2018
This Melissa McCarthy film flew completely under the radar for me, with me only hearing a few whispers about it. Ironically, I expected to see her in more films following the conclusion of Mike and Molly. Oh well, Life of the Party will have to suffice. Though it was not as entertaining as The Heat or Spy, it had its moments, and exudes the charm that McCarthy has become famous for. I’m sure many of you are like: a movie about going back to college? it’s been done. Not by Melissa McCarthy.
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Riverdale: Season 2
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on August 8th, 2018
You have to go back to the early 40’s for when Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica first appeared in comic book form. Over the years, though, their characters have changed with the times, though the town of Riverdale always seemed to maintain an innocent charm where nothing bad ever seemed to happen. Well, that is until recently where the comics took a shift and thrust our characters into various scenarios, one even including Riverdale being overrun by zombies. These changes occurred when Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa took over the brand, and now he has brought the town of Riverdale and its inhabitants to the small screen for the CW network.
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Edward II (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on August 8th, 2018
“My knee shall bow to none but to the king.”
In 1996, Aussie filmmaker Baz Luhrmann unleashed a star-studded, outrageously modernized version of “Romeo and Juliet” that retained William Shakespeare’s original language while replacing the story’s swords with gleeful gunplay. But five years earlier, Derek Jarman — an English director who left his mark on both stage and screen — beat Luhrmann to the Elizabethan punch with an even more provocative update of “Edward II,” a play written by Shakespeare contemporary Christopher Marlowe.
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Tuesday Round Up: August 7, 2018
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on August 7th, 2018
Melissa McCarthy tends to be the life of the party whenever she appears on screen. So it’s no surprise that she’ll be livening up our weekly Tuesday Round Up with her latest comedy: Warner Bros. is releasing Life of the Party on Blu-ray this week! Warner is also looking to comics for inspiration by steeling itself for the Death of Superman and returning to Riverdale: Season 2 to check in on Archie, Veronica, and the rest of the gang. Elsewhere, Magnolia cuts down to the Marrowbone, while Shout! Factory goes on summer vacation with Boxcar Children: Surprise Island. Universal looks to break out with Breaking In, while Mill Creek enlists for WWI: The War to End All Wars, seeks out American Hunter: Season 1, and gets the lay of the land with Flora.
And now it’s time for your customary reminder: 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!
WWI – The War to End All Wars
Posted in No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 6th, 2018
The First World War long existed in the shadow of the second. When it was fought, the term World War was not yet in existence. Until after the Second World War, it was referred to mostly as The Great War. The footage from this war is far more rare. Most of us have seen little of it. Clips from the Second World War have been used over and over for countless documentaries. There are no longer any survivors left alive from that Great War. You won’t find them interviewed on television, and you won’t hear their stories told to the extent you’ve heard accounts of other conflicts. The results of that war do still live with us today, but how many of us truly understand any of it? Mill Creek brings us the 10-part documentary series from 2008 WWI: The War To End All Wars.
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Keeping Faith Series 1 (Blu-ray)
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 6th, 2018
“What would you do if the person you loved walked out the front door and never returned? What would you do if the next day you were pulled into a police station and interrogated quite aggressively, under suspicion of murder? And what would you do if your kids were taken away and put into foster care and you were accused of being a bad mother? What would you do?”
That’s pretty much the premise for the Acorn release of the first season of Keeping Faith, or first series as the Brits like to say.
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Christopher Robin
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on August 3rd, 2018
“If anyone wants to clap, now is the time to do it.”
If he were alive today, A.A. Milne would likely find a reason to smile these days. Perhaps he is. Winnie The Pooh has made quite a bit of a comeback in recent years. Last year we saw the impact the creation had on his son, the real Christopher Robin, in the sentimental Goodbye, Christopher Robin. This year Disney continues its recent trend of bringing many of its classical animated features back for live-action remakes using the wonderful world of computer-generated f/x and motion capture performances.
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The Darkest Minds
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on August 2nd, 2018
When a disease begins targeting and killing children, you fear the future of the generation. However, when the children who survive develop dangerous abilities, you fear for yourself. That is the situation that Ruby Daly finds herself in. To compound her issues, not only does she have powers that she can’t control, but among the powerful, her abilities are among the rarest and strongest. Amandla Stenberg stars in this film based on a young adult novel series. Anyone else sensing a franchise in works? Unfortunately, despite the vacuum let behind by Twilight, Hunger Games (which our star was a part of), and the recently ended Maze Runner, I’m not so sure that The Darkest Minds will be the vehicle to fill the gap. Overall it was a solid opening, but I left the film with more than a few unanswered questions.
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The Miracle Season
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on August 2nd, 2018
Sports movies have been something of a cliché for years now. And it’s not really a recent phenomenon. Everybody remembers Ronald Reagan appearing in Knute Rockne All American as the famous George Gipp. That was 1940, and Hollywood is still selling films that ask teams to “win one for The Gipper”. That’s exactly what you get in director Sean McNamara’s The Miracle Season. Substitute high school volleyball for college football, and you likely already know the story before you even order your popcorn and soda. Of course, even with established Hollywood formula and a well-trodden story, things are never quite that simple.
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Counterpart: Season 1 (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 2nd, 2018
“30 years ago during the Cold War, there was an experiment… Something went wrong. They opened up a passage directly beneath us. When you go through this door, you come out the other side, you’re in another world, identical to ours. Same experiment… When this door opened our paths began to branch off more and more over time.”
That setup describes the premise behind the new original science fiction series on Starz, created by Justin Marks, a writer who most recently delivered the script for Disney’s live-action Jungle Book film. This is his first attempt at building a series from the ground up, and it’s absolutely a winner.
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