Shrek: Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on July 7th, 2016
“Oh…you were expecting Prince Charming?”
Shrek really did pick the absolute perfect time to emerge from his swamp. The 2001 computer animated sensation from Dreamworks arrived just as rival studio Disney was winding down its decade-long hot streak of hand-drawn new classics like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. In other words, it was the ideal moment for someone to come along and take shots at cartoon musicals and fairy tales that end with “Happily Ever After.” (Shrek‘s biggest target, however, was probably the Mouse House itself.) But how does the movie play 15 years later? Fortunately, Fox and Dreamworks have released a new Anniversary Edition to help us figure out the answer.
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The Facts Of Life: The Final Season
Posted in No Huddle by Archive Authors on July 7th, 2016
I wrote about The Facts Of Life before (Season 7 in October 2015 and Season 8 in February of 2016). The final season (Season 9) made it one of the longest-running sitcoms up to that time. It was never a number one show, but was consistently popular over the years. There is no George Clooney (Clooney had moved on to Rosanne) in the final season, or Charlotte Rae (who was just tired and left in Season 7). The focus in Season 9 was on the four girls, Blair Warner (Lisa Welchel), Jo Polniaczek (Nancy Mckeon), Natalie Green (Mindy Cohen), and Dorothy ‘Tootie’ Ramsay (Kim Fields), because they were growing up and becoming adults.
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Independence Day (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on July 6th, 2016
“Hello boys…I’m baaaaaack!”
You probably know that Independence Day — the spectacular, shameless sci-fi smash that introduced the world to “Will Smith, Global Superstar” — dropped a sequel last month. What you may not know is that the original film has been granted a 20th Anniversary Blu-ray and UHD release. I was 13 when ID4 came out in the summer of 1996, which means the movie’s deluxe destruction and alien shoot-em-up antics were right in my wheelhouse. So I was curious as to how an older and wiser, um, taller version of me would feel watching it with a critical eye.
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Jeepers Creepers Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on July 6th, 2016
“I don’t know if it’s a demon or a devil, or just some hungry thing from some dark place in time. I just know it’s not going to stop coming after you or anyone else it wants to. ‘Cos once it has the scent of something it likes, it can’t be stopped.”
Just days before the tragic events of 9/11 brought so much real-life horror into our lives, Victor Salva attempted to resurrect some old-school monster movie magic on the movie-going public. The low-budget thriller hit the box office with a bang. Its $13 million opening weekend was a record for Labor Day and is partly responsible for studios taking a closer look at the traditionally slow release weekend.
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Swiss Army Man
Posted in The Reel World by Archive Authors on July 6th, 2016
If a film is highly original, that is usually a good thing. If it completely defies logic, that might be good or bad, depending. If it defies common sense and intelligence, that would be a bad thing. Swiss Army Man does all of those things. It is tantalizing with possibilities that are explored, but frustrating in execution. It is rude and unpleasant, and not in a good way. Some people will respond to its ridiculous rudeness in a positive way, like the way that most children laugh when someone farts. That is not the real problem with this movie.
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Tuesday Round Up: July 5, 2016
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on July 5th, 2016
“Dear diary: the ringing in my ears from last night’s fireworks display in my backyard stopped a few hours ago, so why am I jotting down my thoughts here instead of speaking them aloud?” Apparently, this week’s crop of releases — which includes a pair of Diaries and a set of Tapes — has put me in an introspective mood. Lionsgate focuses on The Adderall Diaries, while Anchor Bay takes the law into its own hands with The Vigilante Diaries. If you’re more of an A/V person, you can just pop in The Levenger Tapes courtesy of Lionsgate, which also operates by a Code of Honor. Finally, Cinedigm finds inspiration in the Bible to tell the story of Joseph & Mary.
It’s time for your weekly 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 Other Side Of The Door (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on July 5th, 2016
We’ve all heard and seen the story before; a family loses a loved one and consumed with grief they meddle with unknown forces to see their loved ones again. The Monkey’s Paw is one of my favorite stories that cover the topic. I’m sure everyone at some point had to read this short story in school. Having read the story and seen the numerous films that have covered the topic, you’d think by now people would have learned to not mess with forces they don’t understand. The Other Side of the Door is the new paranormal horror film to cover the subject, and it seems people still just haven’t learned. Is the film worth taking a look to see what lies beyond the door, or is this one better left alone?
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How to Get Away with Murder: Season 2
Posted in No Huddle by Gino Sassani on July 5th, 2016
“What does sex have to do with criminal law?”
Shonda Rhimes pretty much has an answer for that. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hospital or a law firm, Rhimes knows how to interject the musical-beds routine about as well as anyone can. Of course, it’s really Peter Nowalk who is the creator and showrunner for How To Get Away With Murder, but while Nowalk might be driving the bus, Rhimes’ touch can be found in every corner of the sophomore ABC series. It’s a formula that appears to work for both Rhimes and the ABC network which finds her first hit, Grey’s Anatomy, just finishing its 11th season. I guess you can’t argue with success. Let’s see if I can argue with How To Get Away With Murder Season 2.
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All American Bikini Car Wash
Posted in No Huddle by Brent Lorentson on July 5th, 2016
With the summer in full swing it’s time dust off those swimsuits and enjoy getting some sun with friends and family. For those of you who want to avoid the bugs and heat, well, you can always crank up the AC and enjoy a film or two. But if you’re staying inside with your Corona or whatever your drink of choice is, you’ll be sadly missing out on all the bikini-clad babes who will be lying out by the pool or beaches. No need to fret, because I think I have just about the next best thing, All American Bikini Car Wash. Sure, go ahead, roll your eyes and think I’m nuts, but if you’re looking for a fun little movie to watch alone, or with friends while throwing back some drinks, this is the film for you. And even better, this is a film you don’t have to feel weird about or hide from your girlfriend while watching, because it actually has a charming little story to go along with it.
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The Legend Of Tarzan
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on July 2nd, 2016
I’ve always been a fan of Tarzan; I loved the old series and the films basically because I just dug how he was this fearless character who lived in the jungles that fought the bad guys and a few wild animals as well. As I got older that was when I discovered the books of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and I just had a blast with all these pulp tales about the civilized Wildman and the beautiful Jane. I even remember how excited I was about seeing Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan as a kid; even though this screen adaption bored me to tears, it was still exciting to see the character up on the screen. Now it’s 2016, and the character is swinging into action on the big screen again, and with a large budget to back it up.
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Paramount Offers Disc Replacement For Star Trek The Wrath Of Khan Director’s Cut
Posted in Site News by Gino Sassani on June 30th, 2016
My review of the Director’s Cut of Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan pointed out some glitches in the audio presentation. I promised I would seek an answer from Paramount. That answer has arrived. You can get a replacement disc. The paramount response is below:
It has come to our attention that there is a slight master assembly error on the recent Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Director’s Cut Blu-ray release. Fans who would like a replacement should contact our customer service department at wrathofkhanreturns@tce.com or toll free at 844-898-4365. The corrected product will be shipped free of charge.
It is always our intention to distribute the highest quality product and we apologize for any inconvenience this error has caused.
Knight of Cups (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by J C on June 29th, 2016
After a tidy, 20-year gap between making 1978’s Days of Heaven and 1998’s The Thin Red Line, director Terrence Malick has morphed into a regular workaholic. Since 2005, the enigmatic filmmaker has cranked out a whopping (for him) four movies, including 2015’s Knight of Cups. Malick’s most recent effort strikes many of the same lyrical, dazzling, and confounding notes as Tree of Life, which is the best-received film from the director’s surprisingly prolific recent run. But while Knight of Cups undeniably has glimmers of grand beauty and ambition, it mostly plays as if someone made a spot-on parody of a Terrence Malick film.
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Ballers: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 26th, 2016
American football has been making the news of late, and not just in the sports pages. For the last couple of years there has been an increasing concern for players’ safety. From our president declaring he wouldn’t let his fictional son play the game to the hard-hitting Will Smith film Concussion, football has taken some heat over its violent nature. Players are retiring early, and the subject of life after football becomes more of a social question than ever before. That’s where HBO’s Ballers comes in. It’s a half-hour look at the NFL from the player perspective, both current and retired. It’s intended as a light bit of dramedy, and it certainly is that. Even so, the series doesn’t hide from some of the brutal realities of the sport, from the trappings of fame and fortune to the realities of its eventual end.
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The Funhouse Massacre
Posted in No Huddle by Dan Holland on June 26th, 2016
It is with a rather heavy heart that I give this film a low rating, because it really has so much going for it. The concept of having several psychopaths escape from an asylum, only to slaughter the patrons of a horror-themed amusement park has a lot of potential when you think about it. During the times when horror attractions such as Halloween Horror Nights have become so popular, it’s hard to believe that a film like this hasn’t already been made. (Perhaps one has, but I have not heard of one yet.) Regardless, the film is pitched as a horror comedy, which is a genre that can easily lose control of itself. Predictably, I would have been much more satisfied without the comedic elements put into the film.
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The Shallows
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on June 26th, 2016
You’d have to go all the way back to 1975 when Jaws was released that a film has come out that has given us a reason to be afraid to go into the water. There have been several attempts to capture the magic that we saw in Stephen Spielberg’s classic film about a large great white shark that preyed upon the swimmers in the town of Amity. Now that summer is upon us and the heat has us flocking to our A/C units or to the beaches, it couldn’t be a better time to unleash another killer shark film upon the masses. I have to admit when the trailers came out for this, all I expected from it was to be a campy film that just happened to be well shot. Instead director Jaume Collet-Serra (Run All Night & Orphan) delivers an enjoyable thriller.
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Exclusive Interview With Ashley Park From All American Bikini Car Wash
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on June 25th, 2016
We’re heading back to the All American Bikini Car Wash. This time I got to talk with Ashley Park who plays Brittany. Ashley is also the reigning Miss Asia USA. She also has a pretty busy slate of new stuff coming out. We had a lot to talk about and she was a total blast to interview. Get the inside scoop from the set in Vegas. Bang it here to listen in on my chat with Ashley Park and
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The Neon Demon
Posted in The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on June 23rd, 2016
“Are you food, or are you sex?”
When it comes to director Nicolas Winding Refn, he’s a director I’m never all too sure what to expect from. For me, Drive is one of my favorite films in the past ten years, while Only God Forgives simply bored me; despite the stunning imagery, it had nothing else going for it. His films going even further back are just as much of a mixed bag, so coming into The Neon Demon I knew better than to get my hopes up, and that I should just go ahead and let the film stand on its own, as it should.
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Star Trek: The Original Series: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2016
“Space…The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!”
Paramount was bold indeed when they undertook the remaster project of the original series. Not only did they clean up the prints, but they took the decidedly risky option of redoing most of the f/x shots from the original prints.
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X-Files: The Event Series (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 23rd, 2016
“My name is Fox Mulder. Since my childhood, I have been obsessed by a controversial global phenomenon. Since my sister disappeared when I was 12 years old in what I believe was an alien abduction. My obsession took me to the FBI, where I investigated paranormal science cases through the auspices of a unit known as the X-Files. Through this unit, I could continue my work on the alien phenomenon, and the search for my missing sister. In 1993, the FBI sought to impugn my work, bringing in a scientist and medical doctor to debunk it… which only deepened my obsession for the better part of a decade, during which time that agent, Dana Scully, had her own faith tested. In 2002, in a change of direction and policy, the FBI closed the X-Files, and our investigation ceased. But my personal obsession did not.”
Just in case you don’t know what the heck we’re talking about here.
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Exclusive Interview With Patrick Rodio: Writer Of All American Bikini Car Wash
Posted in Podcasts by Gino Sassani on June 22nd, 2016
Summer is here and Upcomingdiscs has been cooling off at the All American Bikini Car Wash. We thought it would be a good idea to talk to the guy who came up with the whole thing. That would be writer Patrick Rodio. I had a chance to talk with Patrick about the film. It was a lot of fun and I got the story behind the story. Bang it here to sit in on my chat with Patrick Rodio.
Star Trek (2009) (UHD Blu-ray) (4K)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on June 22nd, 2016
“Space…the final frontier. These are the continuing voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!”
Every Star Trek fan has had that phrase beaten into their brain about as many times as Uncle Ben’s mantra about great power and great responsibility. Who knew that the tagline was appropriate to filmmaking? When J.J. Abrams signed on to direct the reboot/remake/reimagining/rehash (insert your own word here) of Star Trek, he quickly made it known that he was not really that into the franchise.
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The Wave (Blu-ray)
Posted in Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on June 22nd, 2016
Disaster films are something that for me screams American cinema of the 90’s. I know there were films before that had come out, but a good portion of my teen years of the 90’s were of the mega-blockbuster variety like Twister, Dante’s Peak, The Perfect Storm, and so forth. Now we have The Wave, the first disaster film to come out of Norway, and from the looks of the trailers they were going for something BIG. This is a film that comes out with so much potential and is a film that could even possibly find an American audience that could look past the fact that subtitles may be involved. With the way technology has come along over the years, smaller countries have been able to produce films as big as anything released in our cinemas here in the states. Now here’s the question: is it any good, though?
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Casual Encounters
Posted in No Huddle by Jeremy Butler on June 22nd, 2016
I laughed more than I expected to. That best summarizes my experience with Casual Encounters, a modern day depiction of what the dating world has essentially become these days. Trust me, I have witnessed it firsthand, and the days of positive connection are nearly gone. Tragic but true; however, there remains hope that people can find true love in some of the most low-tech ways, which is another good addition to the B movie.
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Tuesday Round Up: June 21, 2016
Posted in Tuesday Round Up by J C on June 21st, 2016
It’s officially summer, but you don’t have pack up your car and drag yourself to the beach to catch a wave. Thanks to Magnolia Home Entertainment, you can do that in the comfort of your own living room. We’ll be reviewing The Wave, a Norwegian drama about a scenic town threatened by a tsunami. And if it’s some toned bodies in two-pieces you’re craving, then come on down to the All American Bikini Car Wash! (Heads up…you already have a chance to win a free DVD of this film by clicking here.) Broad Green Pictures shuffles the deck and comes up with the Knight of Cups. And Comedy Central implores us all not to be Workaholics: Season 6…make sure to have some fun in the sun these next few months.
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!
Anton Yelchin (1989-2016)
Posted in Tribute by J C on June 20th, 2016
It seems the Forever 27 Club, a collection of rock stars who didn’t live to see 30, isn’t exclusively for musicians. In something of a sad coincidence, the most recent onscreen role for Anton Yelchin — who died early Sunday morning after a freak car accident at his home — was Green Room, in which the Russian-born actor starred as…the leader of a punk rock band. While Yelchin has tragically left us much too early, the talented and prolific performer leaves behind a filmography with more than 60 credits. (And we’ll still be able to see his final turn as Pavel Andreievich Chekov in next month’s Star Trek Beyond.) In the meantime, join us in celebrating Yelchin’s work by taking a trip through the UpcomingDiscs archives.
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