Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 26th, 2010
A first-year film student named Yannick crosses paths with a black cat (literally) and crashes his bicycle, then knocks on the door of a family home in a nice neighborhood looking for assistance. A few minutes later he is held captive by a psychotic family, led by a patriarch who is convinced it is his life's duty to rid the world of those who are “not righteous.” As our hero Yannick slips between clawing desperation and clever tact in his attempts to escape he is offered a chance at freedom. Jacques, the head of the household, is an undefeated, nation-wide renowned Chess champion, and if Yannick can beat him once, he will be released.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 25th, 2010
C.O.P.S aired in 1988, one year after the debut of Robocop, and the future-cop theme and design is clearly influenced by Verhoven's violent satire. As a child I caught onto this influence immediately and a part of me always saw it as derivative (along with some Judge Dredd influence). Watching it now I get an eery knot in my stomach as I realize just how silly and loaded with slapstick this cartoon really is, and yet cannot help but still recognize the design influence of Robocop. Throughout there is this strange paradox of immensely threatening looking characters doing terribly silly things.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 25th, 2010
John Skillpa (Cillian Murphy) has been hopelessly damaged by the monstrous abuse his mother inflicted on him. As a result, he now has two separate personalities: John and Emma. John is a terminally shy bank clerk who exists as of 8:15 in the morning and for the duration of the work day. Emma takes care of the domestic chores and leave notes and meals for John. But one day, while Emma is doing the laundry, a derailed caboose blasts through the fence, revealing her existence to the town of Peacock. Everyone assumes she is John's wife. Coaxed out of her shell by Susan Sarandon, Emma gradually blossoms, much to the distress of John. When Ellen Page shows up with a young child and a dark revelation from John's past, the two personalities find themselves moving closer and closer towards a violent confrontation.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 25th, 2010
The title monster of Irish myth terrorizes people in the middle of the US for no good reason and with no explanation as to why its there, how it came to be or anything else aside from visually demonstrating that it uses sound to make its victims hallucinate. A group of teens on spring break encounter it and every single one of them survives after befriending the misunderstood beast. Of course that's a lie...they die...but doesn't the nice plot sound so much more interesting? It does to me when you've seen countless films about teenagers being ripped apart in the woods.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Annandale on April 25th, 2010
We are in the mid-60s, when, during the glory days of the Stones, the Who, and other colossi of British rock, the BBC allows almost no airplay of said music. To the rescue comes a group of commercial pirate radio stations, broadcasting from ships off the coast. Priggish minister Kenneth Branagh is determined to shut them down, and our focus is on one particular ship, run by Bill Nighy, and boasting such luminaries as Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nick Frost as DJs. Onto this ship of counter-culture rebels comes a young Tom Sturridge, and this wet-behind-the-ears youth becomes the eyes through which we watch the various eccentric goings-on.
![Pirate Radio [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/pirate-radio-blu-ray-large.jpg)
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 24th, 2010
"Two years ago my son was taken from me. Since then I've lost everything: my job, my marriage, even my life. But I came back, and the dead came with me."
Ever since the hugely successful 1999 film by M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense, it was only a matter of time before the idea would spawn copycats both in film and television. The phrase, "I see dead people" became a cultural icon. It was a highly effective scene from a clever and refreshing movie. Unfortunately, not all of its spawn have carried on the same level of quality. Haunted falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. Cancelled after only 11 episodes,
Posted in: Disc Reviews by William O'Donnell on April 24th, 2010
This film is part biography of the immensely popular, African singer Youssou N'Dour, and part documentary of his tour to support his controversial religious album “Egypt.” The film opens with a stirring song that arrives with no context. 2 minutes into the film and Youssou's amazing voice gives me goosebumps...we are off to a great start.
Posted in: Contests, News and Opinions by Gino Sassani on April 23rd, 2010
Upcomingdiscs is finally on Twitter. Be sure to check us out and become a follower. We'll even run a contest or two that will only be open to those who follow us on Twitter.
Check us out today at:
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on April 22nd, 2010
Despite its rather crass and offensive material, Drawn Together lasted three seasons and thirty six episodes before Comedy Central pulled the plug in March 2008. The show featured parodies of popular cartoon characters or archetypes and brought that together in a very funny style that delighted fans who were partial to shows such as Family Guy or Robot Chicken. So it was only natural that when the episodes ended, they would look to other production avenues, like direct to dvd.
![The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! [Blu-ray] dvd cover art](https://upcomingdiscs.com/ecs_covers/the-drawn-together-movie-the-movie-large.jpg)
Posted in: Podcasts by Gino Sassani on April 21st, 2010
Deadly Impact is a rather sweet new drama just released by MGM on April 20th. They'll be a full review next week or so. We talked to director Robert Kurtzman. Next we had a very special treat when we talked to Sean Patrick Flanery about Deadly Impact. Of course, we also touched upon Young Indiana Jones and Boondock Saints.
To listen to my interview with Sean Patrick Flanery, Bang it here: Sean Patrick Flanery Interview
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