Wonder Woman: Commemorative Edition
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 18th, 2017
With its original release in 2009, DC and Warner Bros have set up the release of Wonder Woman the animated film to help ramp up excitement for the live-action release of the new Wonder Woman film that is set to hit the big screen in a matter of weeks. For some of those readers who may think animated film means it’s just for kids, what WB and DC have done together with the animation department I wish managed to translate to their live-action releases. The DC/WB animated films in my opinion are phenomenal and honestly have set a high bar for me, because these translations have just been superior to the live-action films, and most come in short of the 90-minute mark
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Divorce: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on May 17th, 2017
“Look, as lousy as the marriage is, the divorce is going to be much, much worse.”
The subject of divorce isn’t exactly a laugh riot in real life, so the makers of HBO’s comedy series tracking the dissolution of a decade-long marriage had their work cut out for them. Divorce (not surprisingly) takes a darkly comic approach to the hostile material; the problem is the show seemingly forgot about the part where we’re supposed to want to spend time with these people every week. The series also marks the HBO return of star/executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker…call this new show No Sex in the Suburbs.
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Heat: Director’s Definitive Edition
Posted in Disc Reviews by Archive Authors on May 16th, 2017
There was a 20th anniversary edition of Michael Mann’s Heat planned a couple of years ago by the folks at Warner Brothers. There was hope of a 4K restoration and more. The rights ended up reverting to 20th Century Fox before any of that could happen. Now Fox has released something they are calling The Director’s Definitive Edition, but it is the same cut and print of the film as used in the last Warner Brothers’ Blu-ray release. So I really can’t tell you what is definitive except for a couple of new and more recent bonus features.
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Tuesday Round Up: May 16, 2017
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on May 16th, 2017
The surprise box office smash of 2017 has arrived at UpcomingDiscs HQ! (You might not believe me, Elaine, but it’s true.) Universal was generous enough to send along a copy of Get Out, Jordan Peele’s socially-conscious thriller. We’ll have a review of the movie’s Blu-ray release later this week. Meanwhile, Eagle Rock Entertainment does it their way with The Frank Sinatra Collection: The Timex Shows Vol. 1 and 2, while Entertainment One keeps things cool with Ice: Season 1. Finally, Warner Bros. gets animated with Wonder Woman: The Commemorative Edition, which spotlights the Amazonian icon in cartoon form a few weeks before she is set to hit the big screen.
But wait…there’s more! We’ll also have an out-of-this-world review for Alien: Covenant shortly after Ridley Scott’s latest sci-fi opus hits theaters this Friday. Now it’s time for your customary reminder before signing off for the week: 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 Wall
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on May 12th, 2017
Director Doug Liman has been a director whose career I’ve enjoyed following since I was in high school and first saw Swingers. It was one of those cool independent films that appeared in the mid-90’s when independent films were all the rage. A couple years later he did the film Go which I felt beautifully captured the rave culture that had taken the states by storm but the film was quickly overlooked. Then he got his big break with The Bourne Identity and as his career expanded to Mr. and Mrs. Smith so did the budgets ie: Edge of Tomorrow. Now with the release of The Wall Liman seems to have gone back to his roots in a way in creating one of the most intimate and intense war films to hit the cinemas, despite its major release being set by Amazon Studios.
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King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Posted in The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on May 12th, 2017
So it finally happened; I found a Guy Ritchie film that I didn’t enjoy. I wasn’t expecting much from King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, but it is worth noting that I got even less than I expected. I know that sounds cruel, and I will admit that there were a few thing that I did enjoy, but the amount of things that went wrong versus what went right is not a close margin. Before we get into it fully, let me issue this disclaimer: the sword in the stone, which is known in the film as Excalibur, according to Arthurian legend is not really Excalibur, which is a different sword that Arthur was given after he became king.
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Contest: Win Chicago Cubs: 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 (Ultimate Edition) From Shout Factory
Posted in Contests, Expired Contests by Gino Sassani on May 12th, 2017
Baseball season is underway across the country and it won’t be long before we’re into another World Series. It will have to be some series to compete with last year’s Chicago win over the Indians in 7 games. What better way to get into the spirit than to revisit that famous 7th game of the 2016 World Series? Shout Factory has you covered and they’re playing along with us at Upcomingdiscs to throw out the first prize of the baseball season. They’ve given us a copy of The 2016 World Series: The Complete Game 7 Ultimate Edition on high definition Blu-ray. You get the complete game along with highlights of the Cubs’ play-off run to the final game.
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! Instead tell us – What is your favorite baseball team?
- Only those comments that answer our question will be considered.
Contest is now closed Winner is Allan Farrell
Winners are notified by E-mail. If you did not get a confirmation E-mail from us, check your Spam filter and contact us. Any prize not claimed in 2 weeks will be forfeit and be placed in the end of year contests next Holiday Season.
The Expendables 2 (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 11th, 2017
“I got this…”
When Sly Stallone delivered his homage to the 1980’s action film in The Expendables he hit a lot of the action film requisites. It was old-school fun with a new-school level of effects and production design. But with all of his efforts to bring back the 1980’s action star hero, there was one beat he couldn’t have connected with until a couple of years later. You see, action films are like potato chips. You can’t have just one. Films like First Blood, Die Hard, Terminator, and all of the others always had one final thing in common…the sequels. In case you thought that The Expendables was a one-off, the sequel was inevitable. And this is one case where the second film might be a little better than the first. Sure, it’s somewhat of a two-hour cliché, but who says there’s anything wrong with that?
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Fifty Shades Darker – Unrated Edition (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on May 11th, 2017
From the suggestion of the title, you would think that we would be diving deeper into the world of BDSM, but after watching, the only thing that I can say about Fifty Shades Darker is that it’s a love story. Yes, I know that it was always a love story, but the first film possessed an edge and intensity which no longer exist in the sequel. Disappointing is too pale a word for the film. From its failure to properly capture the essence of the source material, less than engaging performance of the leads, and the vanilla nature of the sex scenes, the movie does not live up to the hype. If 50 Shades of Grey pushed the envelope with its sexuality, 50 Shades Darker embraces the commercialism of a sequel for profit rather than effect.
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The Godfather & The Godfather Part II: 45th Anniversary (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 9th, 2017
It’s hard to believe that it has been 45 years since The Godfather first graced theater screens. The Godfather films changed storytelling forever. Films before that time, mobster or otherwise, had some very simple but unshakable rules. There was always a fairly clear distinction between the good guys and the bad guys. The good guys always win in the end, and the bad guys always succumb to justice before the final credits. For perhaps the very first time, we were given characters that we knew in our souls were evil men. They killed. They broke laws. They manipulated everyone around them through fear and terrorism to bend to their wills.
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Saving Banksy
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on May 9th, 2017
When it comes to graffiti art there is only one name that comes to mind, and it’s Banksy. Before checking out this documentary I had no clue that graffiti art was actually something people took seriously, beyond gang tags and little kids marking up a wall for fun. Apparently there are numerous acclaimed graffiti artists around the world, artists who define themselves with their own unique style and message they’d like to share with the rest of the world, even if their message will most likely be painted over. In 2010 Banksy came to San Francisco to vandalize some walls with a little paint, and it was enough to create a buzz across the city about what the artist would do, and out of that spawned this unique documentary that explores the value of graffiti art.
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Tuesday Round Up: May 9, 2017
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on May 9th, 2017
The official start of summer is only a couple of weeks away, so it’s no surprise that things are starting to Heat up around UpcomingDiscs HQ! Michael Mann’s classic cops-and-robbers action drama — starring screen legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino — gets a spiffy new release with Fox’s Heat: Director’s Definitive Edition. Meanwhile, Universal aims to make things a little steamier with 50 Shades Darker in 4K, while CBS prowls the Streets of San Francisco: The Complete Series. IndiePix Films introduces us to Millie and the Lords, while HBO squabbles and haggles throughout Divorce: Season 1. Finally, this weekend brings a new spin on a very familiar legend as Guy Ritchie’s take on King Arthur: Legend of the Sword hits theaters, so be sure to check back for our review.
One last reminder before signing off for the week: 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!
Rings (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on May 8th, 2017
When The Ring (2002) first came out, if you looked hard enough you could still find movies on VHS, so the thought of a mysterious tape that kills you seven days after watching it wasn’t so entirely farfetched. Now that we are in 2017, if someone were to find a mysterious VHS tape, well, they’d be out of luck for the most part, since I’d wager most of the US population no longer has a VCR. But Hollywood won’t let this stop their successful franchise from moving forward, even though it’s been 12 years since The Ring Two, this weekend is the release of the third film in the series, and quite frankly, I have to wonder if anyone really wanted this.
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Streets of San Francisco: The Complete Series
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on May 8th, 2017
If you weren’t around in the 1970’s you might be surprised to find out that film superstar Michael Douglas was once in a television cop show. It was this influential crime drama that allowed Douglas to show off the acting chops that would earn him a spot in the Hollywood elite for decades to come. It didn’t hurt any that he was able to team up with Karl Malden, an undervalued talent in his own right. The two of them literally bring the show to life. The series was run by Quinn Martin, himself no stranger to groundbreaking television. Martin was the same talent who created the crime drama with The Untouchables. His uncanny ability to come up with a clever premise was responsible for such milestones in television history as The Invaders and The Fugitive. Later he would continue to shape the look of television
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Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on May 4th, 2017
“Of course I have issues; that’s my father.”
When I walked out of the theater in 2014 after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy I knew I had just seen something special, and knowing a sequel was already guaranteed had me excited to see what was next for this band of misfits. Since the release in 2014 the film hasn’t just become my favorite Marvel film; it is one of my favorite films, period. So as photos and trailers began to trickle out, I began to wonder if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 could actually hold up to the first. For many the first film was a surprise hit that no one saw coming, something so toe-tapping fun between the soundtrack and action scenes, but most importantly it was the chemistry of the Guardians that had won over the audiences.
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Apocalypse Child
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on May 4th, 2017
It is always interesting to see how the history of cinema weaves its way back into the art form, especially when it is incorporated into the narrative itself. For example E. Elias Merhige’s Shadow of the Vampire (2000) constructs its narrative around a fictional filming of F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922). Recently, Gary Oldman announced his interest in writing and directing Flying Horse, a biopic of Eadward Muybridge, one of the founding fathers of moving images as we know them. Cinema is the only art I am aware of that artists take strides to be self-reflexive for the sake of appreciation of the medium. Apocalypse Child (2015) toys with self-reflexivity, but in a very unique way: It portrays cinema as a quasi-mythical presence through alluding to Francis Ford Coppola’s hellish stretch of filming Apocalypse Now (1979) in the Philippines.
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The Affair: Season Three
Posted in No Huddle by J C on May 4th, 2017
“I thought it was dull…unless it was supposed to be a satire.”
Television has been trending toward shorter, more self-contained stories. Successful shows like American Horror Story, Fargo, American Crime, and others reboot themselves every year with new characters and storylines in an attempt to offer viewers something fresh each season. The Affair 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 is determined to chronicle the far-reaching effects of a single Long Island dalliance. So while the show brushes up against some interesting relationship dynamics, it feels like it has stretched a thin concept beyond its breaking point.
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The Expendables (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on May 2nd, 2017
“Man, we’ll die with you. Just don’t ask us to do it twice.”
Remember the old days of the action movie? Those films where someone like Stallone or Schwarzenegger would run around and take out armies of bad guys while barely breaking a sweat. You know the kind of movie I’m talking about. The ones where the hero goes up against a hail of bullets and explosions and manages to pick off the bad guys without catching a single slug himself. These were the days when a guy like Bruce Willis could fall thirty floors, get a spike impaled in his ribcage, have a ton of concrete wall fall on his head, and get run over by a truck, but still manage to take out the bad guy while muttering some witty little catchphrase that we would all be repeating, because if we could deliver the line just right that meant we were tough guys too
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A Dog’s Purpose (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by John Delia on May 2nd, 2017
When’s the last time you saw a good dog movie with love, devotion, and heroism? Not the animated type, but one that stars dogs doing some awesome stunts, creating the love for animals and even inspiration. Well, you can find all that and more in the movie A Dog’s Purpose, a fun, adventure of a dog’s life that runs full circle. It’s fun for the whole family, but don’t be surprised when your youngster starts begging for a new furry friend. After escaping from a cage, a starving young pup gets saved by Elizabeth (Juliet Rylance). Her son Ethan (Bryce Gheisar) wants to keep the dog, and after an intervention with his father, Elizabeth wins out.
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Tuesday Round Up: May 2, 2017
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on May 2nd, 2017
This week’s Round Up stars a group of muscle-bound action movie all-stars like we’ve never seen them before! Lionsgate was kind enough to spare copies of The Expendables and The Expendables 2 in 4K, so be sure to check back soon for our reviews. And speaking of icons of yesteryear, Paramount has taken (dance) steps to ensure that John Travolta’s big screen breakout stays alive thanks to Saturday Night Fever: 40th Anniversary Director’s Cut. (Our longtime friend Michael Durr came out of retirement to review this one.) Time Life goes to war with Bob Hope Salutes the Troops, while Passion River Films gets in touch with its artistic side in Saving Banksy. Finally, CBS/Paramount rolls the dice with Vega$: The Complete Series, while Universal spotlights some four-legged friends with A Dog’s Purpose.
Now it’s time for your weekly reminder before signing off: if you’re shopping for anything on Amazon and you do it through one of our links, it’ll help keep the lights on here at UpcomingDiscs. See ya next week!
Saturday Night Fever: Director’s Cut (Blu-Ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on May 1st, 2017
Even though I was born in 1975, I don’t remember a thing until I was about 5 years old, therefore I missed most of the “Disco” era. My dad would play music from the 70’s, but that consisted of Led Zeppelin, Queen and Black Sabbath among other bands; no disco in sight. But one faithful day in my middle school years, I did find my mother’s record and 8-track collection. There was some Barry Manilow, Julio Iglesias, and something called the Bee-Gees. I wouldn’t say anything crazy like it turned my life around, but after listening, I clearly understood. I clearly understood that my mother was crazy and I was much better off listening to Whole Lotta Love. Anyway, we have a movie to review, let’s continue with Saturday Night Fever.
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Vega$: The Complete Series
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on May 1st, 2017
By 1978 the television detective model had been nearly complete and possibly already a cliché. Dan Tanna might have well been the complete model as far as the formula goes. It was almost as if you could go down a checklist and, like Dr. Frankenstein creating a monster, you would check off the necessary elements. The scripts could then almost write themselves, and you let the show fly on autopilot for three seasons or so until someone decides to look behind the curtain.
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The Vampire Bat
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on April 30th, 2017
The early 1930’s was an excellent time for production of horror films. 1931 saw the classic productions of Frankenstein and Dracula, and 1932 The Mummy and White Zombie. These are all what I would call genre-defining films: they have refined the formulaic plots (mad scientist, supernatural threat) that came before them, but did so while incorporating the famous images we see today. Think about it; 80 years later and we still see Frankenstein’s monster with a flattened head and bolts, or Dracula with the jet-black widow’s peak and cape. As iconic as these films have become, there are countless productions that have flown under the radar of popularity. Frank R. Strayer’s The Vampire Bat is one such film that is worthy of more attention.
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OPPO Releases UDP-205 Audiophile Universal Player
Posted in Uncategorized by Gino Sassani on April 28th, 2017
This is an announcement. This is not a review. We will likely have one posted as the unit is made available to us soon.
MENLO PARK, California – April 24, 2017 – OPPO Digital announced that its UDP-205 4K Ultra HD Audiophile Blu-ray Disc player is available for purchase. A step-up version of the recently released UDP-203, the UDP-205 brings top-of-the-line audio performance to a universal player that supports 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and many other digital audio and video formats.
The OPPO UDP-205 carries many of the same features as the UDP-203: playback of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD, Audio CD and many other formats; High Dynamic Range (HDR10) and firmware upgradable to Dolby Vision; dual HDMI outputs – HDMI 2.0 for UHD and HDMI 1.4 for audio; and an HDMI 2.0 input port for external streaming devices or set-top boxes.
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Animal Kingdom: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on April 28th, 2017
“Everyone outside the family is a mark. Family comes first.”
Meet the most dysfunctional crime family since The Sopranos. Not quite at the same level either on-screen or in quality, but once again we’re drawn toward another dangerous clan with criminal intent. I guess we could call them The Baritones. Actually Animal Kingdom is an apt description for television’s latest baddies. They’re about to head into their second season of mayhem on TNT where the series was the network’s top ratings winner during its run. Now that first season is out on Blu-ray from Warner Brothers, and it’s one crazy ride, of that you can be certain.
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