Wonder
Posted in The Reel World by John Delia on November 19th, 2017
Touching and inspirational, the movie Wonder opens the eyes of its audience to the medical anomaly of Treacher Collins Syndrome. It’s a gene glitch that causes a facial difference that happens in one of 50,000 people*. Based on a book by R. J. Palacio, the film handles the material in the novel in such a way that one cannot help but fall in love with a boy with TCS named Auggie Pullman. The movie becomes an inspiration to all children and a force behind anti-bullying.
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Justice League
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 16th, 2017
“We have to be ready. You, me, the others… there’s an attack coming from far away.”
The DC and Marvel rivalry can be quite fierce at times. I never completely understood the polarized fan base, however. Some of us are just fans of the genre and will welcome a good comic book movie from either and preferably both studios. When it comes to a cinematic universe, however DC has had some real issues with trying to bring together a combined hero world. Most of the films leading up to Justice League have been dark and filled with brooding heroes.
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Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (25th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 16th, 2017
“We did it again!”
I can still remember sitting in a movie theater in Puerto Rico watching Home Alone 2: Lost in New York for the very first time. (With Spanish subtitles, of course.) I was basically the same age as Kevin McCallister — the precocious, pint-sized pre-teen played by Macaulay Culkin — and I’d pretty much worn out my VHS copy of Home Alone by the time the second movie was released. So it’s wild to think that this film is now old enough to rent a car! Fox has released a 25th anniversary Blu-ray of the blockbuster comedy sequel, and it’s a fun, fascinating re-watch for a variety of reasons.
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Atomic Blonde (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on November 16th, 2017
John Wick was an action film that seemed to sneak up on everyone. Sure, it had a great trailer, but I don’t think anyone expected just how great it actually was. What made it so effective weren’t just the well-choreographed fights and the stylish look of the film, but it was the characters who while over the top, were also ones the audience could relate to. Atomic Blonde is helmed by half the directing team that gave us the first John Wick, and from what the trailers first teased us with, I came into it with hopes we’d get something special. While on the surface I can’t say that this film surpasses John Wick, what it does is stand alone for being a culturally and socially important film as it delivers not just the ultimate badass female in an action film
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Teen Wolf Season 6 Part 2
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on November 16th, 2017
“I’m going to tell you a story. Maybe it’ll sound familiar. There was this kid. Sixteen, alone and running for his life. He couldn’t see them but he could hear them getting closer. They had guns, crossbows. They were hunting him. It came on the night of the full moon. Something came at him. Something bit him, and it changed his life. It changed everything.”
And it’s all about to change once again. Teen Wolf started in 1985 as a horror/comedy film featuring then-rising Michael J. Fox as a high school basketball player who discovers that he’s a werewolf. It was one of those awkward coming of age films with a lycanthrope twist.
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Patti Cake$ (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 15th, 2017
“My verses full of curses cuz I’m stuck in dirty Jersey.”
Between 8 Mile and Hustle & Flow, we’ve seen —and heard — our share of hip-hop underdogs. But we’ve never seen one quite like Killa P, aka Patricia Dombrowski…aka “Piggy Azalea” to the haters who want to take shots at her appearance. Either way, she is the white, overweight, wannabe female rapper at the center of Patti Cake$, a Jersey-set indie that became a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
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Tuesday Round Up: November 14, 2017
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 14th, 2017
They say that blondes have more fun, and Charlize Theron certainly seemed to be having a blast kicking all manner of butt in Atomic Blonde. With the action hit arriving at UpcomingDiscs HQ this week, we are absolutely in for a treat ourselves! Thanks to Universal, we will soon have our take on the UHD release of Atomic Blonde (4K). Elsewhere, MPI Media Group tries to cover up for an Indiscretion. And a little later this week, we’ll have a review of the latest superhero smackdown when Justice League arrives in theaters.
Before you run off until next week, here’s 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!
Wonderstruck
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 13th, 2017
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Going to see Wonderstruck is like going to see two movies at the same time. It’s a rather clever narrative that tells somewhat parallel stories from two different ages. There is a story that happens in Minnesota in 1977, while the other takes place in 1929 New Jersey. It isn’t hard to know which period you happen to be in, because they are filmed with distinct styles that match the environments of each time and place. The film is often beautiful to look at.
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Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Posted in The Reel World by J C on November 11th, 2017
I have to start by talking about the mustache. You’ve probably already seen the outrageous facial hair Kenneth Branagh rocks as Hercules Poirot, the brilliant Belgian detective who appeared in 33 Agatha Christie novels (including 1934’s “Murder on the Orient Express”). But it is truly a sight to behold on the big screen! Up close, it looks like a fake, ridiculously twirly mustache has been layered on top of an even longer fake, ridiculously twirly mustache. I bring this up because the two things that truly separate this sumptuous, all-star take on Poirot’s most famous case from previous (and superior) adaptations are the film’s eye-popping production values and…well, Branagh’s mustache.
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Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 10th, 2017
Hans Zimmer has composed the music for some of the most iconic films of the last 20 years. That list includes Gladiator, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Crimson Tide, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Dunkirk, and even some of The Lion King. He’s the go-to composer for directors like Ridley Scott and Christopher Nolan. His music is on par with household names like John Williams. I own a few scores that I’ve felt compelled enough to pick up over the years, and one of my favorites has been Gladiator for some time. When I heard that Eagle Rock Entertainment was going to release a Blu-ray containing a tour stop of this incredible music live, I was quick to sign up to review.
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The Limehouse Golem
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on November 10th, 2017
When it comes to Victorian era serial killers, Jack the Ripper is pretty much a household name. Whether you know much about the terror he caused in White Chapel, all these years later you still know the name and what he did. With The Limehouse Golem, the filmmakers create a more sinister serial killer and deliver a Hammer-esque murder mystery. I’m all for a dark murder mystery, and when a film is channeling other successful films like Seven and From Hell, you’d imagine that you’d be witnessing a terrifying gory spectacle. The result, however, left me frustrated, as the film seems to pull from other films but never quite presents an engaging story to go along with the quirky mix of characters.
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The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Posted in The Reel World by J C on November 10th, 2017
“Maybe it’s all psychological.”
The Killing of a Sacred Deer takes its title from the tragedy “Iphigenia at Aulis” by the Greek dramatist Euripides. I’ve published more than 800 reviews for this site, and that’s almost definitely the most pretentious opening line I’ve ever written. That might sound like an insult, but it’s actually quite fitting for this deeply unsettling movie, which uses a series of grandiose and idiosyncratic flourishes to explore one of the oldest and simplest concepts known to mankind: “an eye for an eye.”
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Cars 3 (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 8th, 2017
“I’m about to commit a moving violation.”
When I go to a Pixar film, I always find myself in a situation where I’m predisposed to love the movie. There have been so many greats like Toy Story and Monsters Inc and so few horrible examples like Ratatouille. So I never really expect a Pixar film to be bad, and Cars 3 certainly wasn’t bad. There are more than a few things to love about the latest collaboration between Disney and their Pixar division. The animation company also continues to push the boundaries of digital animation technology.
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Westworld: Season One — The Maze (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 8th, 2017
“Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality.”
As things in our world become exponentially more chaotic and inexplicable by the day, the theory that we’re all living in a computer simulation becomes a little harder to completely dismiss. The idea that our reality is an illusion dates back to the 17th century but most recently gained traction thanks to a 2003 paper published by Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom. It’s also been a popular theme in classic sci-fi works like Blade Runner, Total Recall, and The Matrix. To that list, we can now add HBO’s Westworld, a slick and star-studded sci-fi/Western mash-up that features the requisite shoot-em-ups and pay cable sexcapades, but is actually most interested in exploring the nature of humanity.
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Vikings: Season 4 Vol 2
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 7th, 2017
This is quite a step up for the History Channel folks. They’ve certainly produced a great number of historical dramatizations and documentaries, but nothing they’ve ever done before compares with this series. We used to review a ton of their stuff here for years, so you know I’ve liked a lot of the things they’ve done. But Vikings puts them in a totally new stratosphere. This is historical drama that you’ve only seen before in the likes of Rome or The Tudors. Of course, there’s a very good reason for that. Michael Hirst created the series and is the creative force behind it. He served the same positions on The Tudors. That puts expectations here very high, and the show has met or exceeded them all.
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Tuesday Round Up: November 7, 2017
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on November 7th, 2017
Giddy up, pardners! Last week, our Tuesday Round Up took a mini-break to recharge its batteries. This week, we are back and ready to transport our readers to the rootin’ tootin-est, most high-end vacation destination in all of television. Warner Bros. is releasing HBO’s hit sci-fi Western drama Westworld: Season 1 — The Maze in 4K! Elsewhere, Disney zooms toward the finish line with Cars 3 (4K). Finally, Eagle Rock Entertainment’s Hans Zimmer: Live in Prague offers a fresh look at the legendary composer, while RLJ Entertainment goes searching for a killer terrorizing merry scary ol’ England in The Limehouse Golem.
On top of this week’s home video releases, we’re reviewing a pair of upcoming big screen entries. So check back to see how weird things get in The Killing of a Sacred Deer and whether or not you should hop aboard the remake of Murder on the Orient Express. While this is the start of a new month, you’re going to get the same ol’ 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!
Into the Night (Blu-Ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on November 6th, 2017
One thing that you can probably surmise about me fairly quickly is that I am a product of the 80’s. I still wear Converse shoes when I’m not working. I watch a regular dose of Transformers (first generation, 1984) and my favorite movie is Escape from New York (1981). My wife was even born in the eighties. Probably not the same thing, huh? Anyway, I usually jump at the chance to review an 80’s movie and today is no different. The movie is called Into the Night with Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Pfeiffer from 1985. Never heard of it? Surprisingly, me neither. Let’s take a look.
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Thor : Ragnarok
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2017
“Well, I tried to start a revolution, but didn’t print enough pamphlets so hardly anyone turned up. Except for my mum and her boyfriend, who I hate. As punishment, I was forced to be in here and become a gladiator. Bit of a promotional disaster that one, but I’ m actually organizing another revolution. I don’t know if you’d be interested in something like that? Do you reckon you’d be interested?”
DC has finally gotten a recent comic superhero movie right with Wonder Woman. We’ll know in just a few days if they can bring the streak to two films when Justice League hits the box office this month. Marvel, on the other hand, has a streak going that dates back to 2008
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Soul on a String
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on November 3rd, 2017
Soul on a String is the latest from director Yang Zhang, a very methodical filmmaker from Beijing, China. Now, I say methodical for two reasons: he’s been making films since the late 90’s and has only released a total of nine, and the ones I have seen are very slow-paced, but absolutely deliberate when paying attention to narrative, editing, and cinematography. To be fair, I have only seen two of his films. My first exposure to his work was in graduate school, as one of my colleagues who came from China invited me to watch Zhang’s 2005 film, Sunflower. Where I had some solace in recognizing the lead actress, Joan Chen (from Twin Peaks, of course), I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed the intense and complex emotions that the narrative drew out of me.
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Firefly: 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on November 2nd, 2017
“Here’s how it is: the Earth got used up, so we moved out and terraformed a whole new galaxy of Earths, some rich and flush with the new technologies…some not so much. The Central Planets, thems formed the Alliance…waged war to bring everyone under their rule. A few idiots tried to fight it, among them myself.”
Sound familiar? A crew of scrappy underdogs skirting the edge of the galaxy to avoid an oppressive interplanetary alliance. Exactly 40 years ago, Star Wars used that formula to capture moviegoers’ imaginations, and it is currently being replicated by the uber-popular Guardians of the Galaxy series. But in between those two behemoths there was a little show called Firefly.
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“31 Nights Of Terror” Release Announcement: RLJ Entertainment Announces The Limehouse Golem
Posted in Release Announcements by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2017
THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM
**World Premiere – Toronto International Film Festival 2016**
**Official Selection – Sitges Film Festival 2016**
Available on DVD and Blu-ray on November 7, 2017
LOS ANGELES (October 12, 2017) – RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE) is set to release the action film THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM on DVD and Blu-ray on Nov. 7, 2017. Based on the novel “Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem” by Peter Ackroyd with a screenplay by acclaimed writer Jane Goldman (Kingsmen, The Woman in Black), the film is directed by Juan Carlos Medina (Painless) and produced by Stephen Woolley (Their Finest, Interview with a Vampire), Joanna Laurie (Hyena) and Elizabeth Karlsen (Carol). THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM stars Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Underworld), Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, “Bates Motel”), Douglas Booth (Pride, Prejudice and Zombies, Noah), Daniel Mays (“Line of Duty”) and Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Homes, “Ray Donovan.”) RLJE will release THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM on DVD for an SRP of $27.97 and on Blu-ray for an SRP of $29.97.
The city of London is gripped with fear as a serial killer – dubbed The Limehouse Golem – is on the loose and leaving cryptic messages written in his victim’s blood. ?With few leads and increasing public pressure, Scotland Yard assigns the case to Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) – a seasoned detective with a troubled past and a sneaking suspicion he’s being set up to fail. ?Faced with a long list of suspects, including music hall star Dan Leno (Douglas Booth), Kildare must get help from a witness who has legal troubles of her own (Olivia Cooke), so he can stop the murders and bring the killer to justice.
THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM DVD and Blu-ray have bonus features that include behind-the-scenes featurettes about the cast, locations, look, and the making of THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM.
Goodbye Christopher Robin
Posted in The Reel World by Gino Sassani on October 29th, 2017
“Once upon a time there was a great war that brought so much sadness to so many people. Hardly anyone could remember what happiness was like. But something happened that changed all that…”
“Winnie the Pooh doesn’t know what to do …” starts a popular song written by Kenny Loggins, recorded first in 1970 by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with a more popular and enduring version by Loggins And Messina a year later. Hundreds of millions of children since the 1920’s know who Winnie the Pooh is. He’s the happy-go-lucky bear who lives in the 100 Acre Wood with Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo. But Pooh’s best friend of all was a young boy named Christopher Robin.
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“31 Nights of Terror” The Park (Xbox One)
Posted in Game Reviews by Michael Durr on October 29th, 2017
When I was growing up in Charlotte, NC I grew up within spitting distance of an amusement park called Carowinds. To this day, I remember being dropped off by my parents at 11 or 12 years of age for a fun day at the park (which is pretty much unheard of these days). I always thought it was neat because there was a place in the park where I could be in North Carolina and South Carolina at the same time. It never bothered me that I was by myself. These days, I’d probably be scooped up by park security or some creepy guy in a white van. Which leads to our game review today, The Park. Somehow, I don’t think this experience is going to be quite as fun (and probably will include a van and a creepy guy too).
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“31 Nights of Terror” Oxenfree (Xbox One)
Posted in Game Reviews by Michael Durr on October 28th, 2017
During the 31 Nights of Terror, we here at Upcomingdiscs.com always like to do something a little different. Lots of other sites could sit here and write an essay on why Silent Hill is the greatest horror movie of all time…wait what? I was supposed to say Psycho or The Exorcist? Hrmmm, that’s funny, I could have sworn I wrote it right for my notes. There has to be a reason, or it could be a fancy way of saying this 31 Nights of Terror, your favorite author’s posts (That’s me) will be focused on scary games rather than scary movies. The first such game is Oxenfree, we’ll call it a ghost tale. And by the way, the original Silent Hill movie was quite awesome, seriously.
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Bushwick (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 27th, 2017
Ever since Birdman was released, it seems many filmmakers have been attempting to pull off the continuous take and outdo all the others. It was impressive when we all saw it the first time, but since then everything just seems like a bad knockoff. The newest film to follow this trend is Bushwick. While the camera work in the film does allow for an immersive experience, honestly it felt like I was in a first-person shooter video game, which was cool, but it seemed like the camera work was a distraction from the story. This is a frustrating film. On the technical side there is a lot to appreciate, but the moment you start looking at the story, the film seems to simply fall apart.
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