All The Way (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on September 14th, 2016
“Accidental president…that’s what they’ll say.”
Lyndon Baines Johnson became the 36th President of the United States under the most tumultuous circumstances imaginable. Besides being thrust into office after the shattering assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Johnson had to immediately contend with multiple political crises. Most notably, LBJ faced pressure from several different fronts as he worked to pass what eventually became the Civil Rights Act of 1964. All The Way, buoyed by a funny and ferocious lead performance, offers a thought-provoking and entertaining look at a truly complex figure.
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The Ones Below (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 14th, 2016
When a movie that so clearly lifts its inspiration from the films of Roman Polanski and Alfred Hitchcock, I would have expected to simply embrace this film for the nail-biting thriller it is attempting to be. Instead I found myself sitting back wondering why I just couldn’t get into this film. Is it because the storyline seems uninspired? Whatever it is when it comes to The Ones Below, it may hit all the right notes when it comes to what to expect with a thriller, but that’s the problem; it plays everything by the book and doesn’t dare to take unexpected twists.
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Tuesday Round Up: September 13, 2016
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on September 13th, 2016
Summer’s winding down, and the chillier temperatures of fall and winter are just around the corner…well, at least for those of you who live outside of Florida. As we brace for another unseasonably warm autumn — fingers crossed I’m wrong! — UpcomingDiscs HQ will get a blast of wintry air this week. Join us as we bundle up to explore Wonders of the Arctic in 4K courtesy of Shout! Factory, which also dives underwater to explore The Last Reef in 4K. Lionsgate steals from the rich with Marauders, and ABC/Disney undergoes rigorous training at Quantico: Season 1. Finally, Eagle Rock invites us to come sail away with Styx: Live at the Orleans.
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!
The Flash: Season 2 (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 12th, 2016
“My name is Barry Allen, and I am the fastest man alive. When I was a child, I saw my mother killed by something impossible. My father went to prison for her murder. Then an accident made me the impossible, and I became the Flash. I used my powers to find the man responsible for my mother’s death. I thought I would finally get justice for my family, but I failed. It’s been six months since the Singularity. I’m on my own now. Decided it’s better that way. Keeps the people I care about safe. There’s only one thing I can do now. I run…”
The Flash is CSI with a twist. Barry Allen (Gustin) is a police scientist working in the CSI lab of Central City.
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Live At The Orleans Arena Las Vegas (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 12th, 2016
It all started back in the early 1960’s when Chuck and the late John Panozzo got together with another kid on their Chicago block named Dennis DeYoung and started to play a little music. By 1970 guitarist James “JY” Young joined the band, and they recorded a few minor albums. In 1975 their first hit Lady would put the band on the map, and when Tommy Shaw joined as a singer/writer/guitarist for the Crystal Ball album, the top of the pop charts would be the band’s new neighborhood for the better part of a decade. There’s little doubt that the band peaked in the late 1970’s with The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight. It’s amazing how many hit singles came from just two LP’s
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Mountain Men
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on September 12th, 2016
I have a new opinion, newly formed, that Tyler Labine is underrated, because it goes without question that his performance was the crown jewel of Mountain Men, a story about two estranged brothers who find themselves without a vehicle, trapped in the winter wilderness, and must trek their way back to civilization. This movie features some of the quips and brotherly banter that I’ve seen all year. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that the two look nothing alike, I would be inclined to be believe that they were actually related.
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Sully
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on September 11th, 2016
Clint Eastwood is 86 years old. He is also one of the best film directors working today. His latest film shows no signs of a man winding down his life, let alone his career. I obviously hinted that most other actors (or directors) his age have long ago died or checked into a nursing home. Eastwood looks lean and mean and still directs that way. Eastwood is interesting, as well, because he tends to pick projects that are outside the Hollywood studio corporate thinking. In other words, Eastwood is his own man and does pretty much anything he wants. His films as an actor and director have courted controversy way back to the days of Dirty Harry and A Fistful of Dollars.
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High-Rise (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on September 9th, 2016
“High Rise,” the novel written by the late English author J.G. Ballard, was published in 1975. The story follows a diverse group of characters who live in a luxurious skyscraper that features every amenity imaginable. Things are so convenient, in fact, that the tenants gradually become less interested in the outside world. The idea of people becoming increasingly uninterested in the outside world is obviously still relevant more than 40 years later, since many of us prefer to order everything online and only venture outdoors if there’s a rare Pokemon to be caught. But while this movie adaptation has its moments of inspired lunacy, it’s ultimately too slight and scattershot to leave a lasting impact.
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Arrow: Season 4 (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2016
“Six months ago The Arrow died. But what he stood for didn’t. It lived on in the heroes who took up his mantle. People who believe that this city should never descend into hopelessness. Who believe although life is full of darkness, that darkness can be defeated by light. And tonight I am declaring my intention to fight with them for this city. To be a symbol of hope that The Arrow never was. I am the Green Arrow.”
The first three seasons of Arrow have to almost be considered one large origin story. Oliver Queen finally takes the name that he’s used in the comics for decades… The Green Arrow. Not to be confused with the same-colored Hornet or Lantern. Who the heck is this Green Arrow of whom you speak?
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Grey’s Anatomy: Season 12
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2016
“When we strike that match, we like to think we can control the burn. We like to think we have any control at all. But fire is wildly difficult to contain. And just when you think you’ve extinguished the blaze… it reignites. It sucks in air, and it burns hotter and brighter than ever.”
Grey’s Anatomy has continued to surprise fans and critics alike. As far back as the seventh season there was strong talk that the show was drawing to an inevitable close. Since that time we have seen the end of the spinoff series Private Practice, which I always considered to be a better show.
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Friday the 13th: The Series – The Complete Series
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2016
If you come to this DVD set in the hopes of discovering something to do with Jason or even his machete-wielding mama, you will be very disappointed. There is no Camp Crystal Lake, and no one’s wearing a hockey mask. The fact is that this series, syndicated from Canada, had absolutely nothing to do with the film franchise. They have no characters in common. They have no connection to the stories in the film franchise. Basically the name is the only thing they share. CBS has finally put together the entire series in one release.
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The Night Manager – Uncensored Edition (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on September 7th, 2016
“Anyone can betray anyone.”
The word “spy” tends to conjure images of international intrigue and attractive people getting into exotic adventures. But don’t blame John le Carre. Despite being one of the most successful and prolific spy novelists of the past century, le Carre’s stories tend to be aggressively un-sexy, morally murky tales that focus on the psychological toll of intelligence work. That’s why it’s interesting to find that The Night Manager — a British miniseries that also aired on AMC — manages to straddle both sides of the spy fiction fence.
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Castle: Season 8
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 6th, 2016
“I mean the guy’s abducted, like what, twice a year? I think that’s a tad above the national average.”
After eight long seasons, the book on Richard Castle has finally come to a close. It started when Stana Katic decided that she was leaving the show after the eighth season. That did not spell doom for the show immediately, and honestly it shouldn’t have. It was obvious in the first couple of episodes that the powers that be were experimenting with a new look to the show, and I thought it was actually a pretty good idea. More on the new look later. The Beckett character is not essential to the success of the show, and it never was.
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NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 7
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 6th, 2016
NCIS: LA differs in several ways from NCIS or JAG. While LA is still a military show, that angle is downplayed here. The atmosphere for the team is more civilian-looking all the way around. There are seldom folks walking around in uniforms. The operations utilize more of the standard surveillance and undercover work. There’s a lot more street work to be found here. That means car chases and lots of shootouts. The cases often deal with terrorists, so these guys break a lot of the rules. They don’t let any silly Constitution stand in their way. The show is about to enter its eighth year. In this seven-season release, the show reaches its 150th episode landmark. The franchise has passed 500.
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Tuesday Round Up: September 6, 2016
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on September 6th, 2016
Time flies when you’re having as much fun as we are cranking out our patented TV and movie reviews for you. But it still doesn’t move quite as fast as a certain superhero making a long awaited return to home video. Warner Bros taps into the speed force to bring us The Flash: Season 2 and still finds time to go monster hunting with Supernatural: Season 11. CBS/Paramount tries its luck with Friday the 13th: The Complete Series, goes on down to South Park: Season 19, logs on to CSI: Cyber — The Final Season, and devotes brainpower to Limitless: Season 1. Finally, Magnolia Home Entertainment becomes acquainted with The Ones Below, while HBO goes All the Way with its Lyndon B. Johnson TV flick.
Here’s your weekly reminder as we kick off a new month: 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!
Criminal Minds: Season 11
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 3rd, 2016
Things are really going to change over at Criminal Minds. Season 11 is going to be your last chance to see the team as it’s been for several years. I’d say it’s in for the biggest change since Mandy left early in the show’s run. Now two more of the show’s original actors will be leaving. One of the changes was totally planned. After 11 years on the series, Shemar Moore decided it was time to try something else. Derek’s exit is part of the show’s finale, and there’s room for him to return if he wishes. The second exit was not quite so planned. Thomas Gibson has had a history of violent outbursts on the series in the past. He’s been known to push people around…literally.
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The Interior
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on September 3rd, 2016
I have seen an incredible number of independent horror films that are either shot in or around the woods. The setting makes sense for budget purposes: you are able to create a mysterious, brooding atmosphere for absolutely no cost. These films were produced even before The Blair Witch Project made the aesthetic popular in 1999. Even I hear the call of the woods as an amateur filmmaker, but I’m careful not to give into temptation and create a guaranteed flop just so that I can have a film set “in the woods.” I may seem pessimistic, but I have been disappointed by too many of these films to understand that it is not just being “in the woods” that makes the film. For these films to succeed, you need excellent writing and an unsettling/uncanny presence of which to be afraid. As is the case with The Interior.
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Exclusive Interview With Scarlet Red From All American Bikini Car Wash
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2016
With all of our trips to The All American Bikini Car Wash you might have noticed that we have yet to speak to any of the actual Bikini Babes. We’ve finally fixed that particular problem. Meet Scarlet Red who plays Tori in the film. You might expect that Scarlet had a lot of fun in Vegas working the Car Wash. You would be correct. Don’t take my word for it. I had a delightful time talking with Scarlet and she gave us all the juicy details. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Scarlet Red.
Clown (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 1st, 2016
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I have a fear of clowns, but more of the people beneath the paint. I’m not sure if anyone has recently seen in the news, but there are reports of people dressing up as clowns behind an apartment complex in South Carolina attempting to lure children into the woods. First off I immediately think this is a prank, but also there is the side of me that is curious as to there being something more sinister at play; after all, it seems like a good start to a horror film. Going back through my childhood, I can’t think of any one moment that caused me to despise clowns, but I do remember a trip to Circus World that left me convinced all the clowns there were bad.
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Elementary: Season 4
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2016
Modernizing Sherlock Holmes has been a popular trend in film and television lately. We have seen two slick action film adaptations courtesy of Guy Ritchie, a contemporary BBC adaptation (Sherlock), and now there is Elementary, which transplants Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Watson from Victorian Era England to modern New York. We might be a long way from Doyle here, but the possibilities are very intriguing. This is the season that Elementary really finds its legs.
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DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Season 1 (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2016
“In 2166 an immortal tyrant named Vandal Savage conquered the world and murdered my wife and child. I’ve assembled an elite team to hunt him throughout time and stop his rise to power. Unfortunately, my plan was opposed by the body I had sworn my allegiance to: The Time Masters. In the future my friends might not be heroes, but if we succeed, they will be remembered as legends.”
Marvel may have beaten DC to the superhero team-up film. But while Marvel continues to blow away the DC filmatic universe, DC has had its best and most brilliant successes here on television. DC Legends of Tomorrow is pretty much the first television comic book team-up, and it’s a direct spinoff from both Arrow and The Flash shows.
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Gotham: Season 2 (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 31st, 2016
“The bad guys in this town are changing. They’re not playing by the old rules, or any rules. We need every measure at our disposal, and I’m not just talking more guns…”
The first season of Gotham was pretty much a straight criminal story told in a film noir environment where just a hint of the future comic book heroics is uncovered. The bad guys were pretty much standard mob guys. Were they eccentric? Yes. There were really no meta-humans or gadgets to speak of. This season we get a flood of the more familiar kinds of villains you know so well from this universe.
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Lucifer: The Complete First Season
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on August 31st, 2016
It seems there is no end in sight for comic book properties being bought and turned into movies or television series. Lucifer is one of the newest additions getting the television treatment, and personally this was a title I was looking forward to. With Tom Kapinos (Californication and Dawson’s Creek) at the helm, this seemed like it would be a good fit, though one thing did nag at me. When you have a show called Lucifer, and it is about the devil taking a vacation on Earth, is standard television really the proper outlet for broadcast? As a fan of Californication, I was excited to see what Kapinos would do with the material, and for the most part the show doesn’t disappoint.
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The Nice Guys (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on August 31st, 2016
Writer/Director Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3) has a way of writing flawed characters who manage to leave more lasting impressions than the films they populate. But where he shines is when he can thrust these flawed individuals into the confines of a detective story. Most people grew their fondness for Black and his quick-witted dialog when he first penned Lethal Weapon, but for me it goes back to The Monster Squad and The Last Boy Scout, where I found myself becoming a fan even in my early years of film watching. So is the fanboy in me excited to see what Black brings to the table this time around? You betcha. In a summer popcorn season filled with comic book movies, sequels, and other films targeting the teenage demographic, it’s nice to have an action film that harkens back to the good old days (the 80’s and early 90’s) for a fun comedy/action romp that has a foul-mouthed edge.
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The First Monday in May
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on August 31st, 2016
The First Monday in May is a documentary that traverses many worlds. It caters to mass culture but also explores the inner sanctums of high art. What is art? This is one of the questions the movie asks. In this case, it examines the ignored stepchild of high art, which is fashion and costume design. The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art languished in the basement for many years, never truly respected. Something called the Met Gala has changed all that. It is one of the most important social events of the New York City social scene. The invitation list is ruthlessly trimmed every year to only include the most glamorous and relevant celebrities.
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