DUCK DYNASTY - BEFORE THE DYNASTY: EARLY HIJINKS

The popularity of the Robertson family as seen through the eyes of their show DUCK DYNASTY has astounded those in the TV industry, including their home network of A&E. Where they were once thought to be just another “reality” show, they’ve become such a phenomena that people talk about them in the news and their products in stores are selling astronomically. So where did they come from? How did their show come about?

That’s easily answered. They made duck calls and eventually produced their own series of hunting videos that they sold as well and appeared on the Outdoor Channel. The videos they shot included the homespun humor that fans have come to know over the past few years as well as their devotion to God. It was these same videos that caught the eye of A&E producers who came calling and with the help of the Robertson family turned that show into what we now have.

But what if you never saw those original programs? What if you wanted a sampling of what they had to offer back then or to see what started it all? That happened last year when during their season hiatus they began to show a new series called BEFORE THE DYNASTY. With newly shot introductions from the cast these short spots were highlighted featuring those earlier shot programs, not in their entirety but in small dosages. Those programs have been collected to form this video.

But don’t think that all of these feature nothing but hunting techniques. It’s much like the show we see now but perhaps just a tad bit less polished. The same as if you were watching a pilot for a show rather than the finished product. The same cast of characters are there to be found, the whole Robertson clan. And the antics fans have grown to love are all on hand as well. If you love the show, you’ll love this as well.

Segments include a pair of NYC firefighters who win a trip to go hunting with the Robertsons and a trip to Las Vegas for a business convention. Both those and other episodes come up with just what you would expect from this series. At just over 3 hours’ worth of shows this DVD offering should keep fans happy while waiting for the next season to begin or the last to arrive on disc.

The popularity of the show isn’t likely to disappear soon but eventually like all other TV series the odds are it will end. That’s not something fans will be happy with. It’s one of the reasons why DVDs like this are worth picking up. If you love the show and want to enjoy it forever pick up this and other seasons today.

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TWILIGHT SAGA EXTENDED EDITIONS: A STARTER PACK

Fans of the TWILIGHT movies are dedicated to say the least. Theaters were flooded with this legion of fans when each movie was released and when the DVDs came out new sales records were being set left and right. When the series ended the question was left what they would do with no more movies coming out?

New series of films featuring young casts have been released like THE HUNGER GAMES and INSURRGENT. Both are doing well but not near the same as the TWILIGHT saga did when released. So what was it that made it so special? Why was it the hit that it was? Most importantly did you even see this series?

Well if you missed out on it somehow or felt that the purchase price of all those different movies wasn’t worth it then this release is perfect for you. Not only will you get the first three movies you’ll get the extended versions of each featuring deleted scenes from the films’ original releases. Best of all will be the price which runs about the same as each movie costs when originally released and on sale.

The first film TWILIGHT introduces us to the main characters, in particular Edward, Bella and Jacob, a love triangle that tops most. Why? Because Edward is a vampire, Jacob a werewolf and Bella a human being who feels deeply for both but has a more deep rooted love it seems for Edward. The love story found here resulted in fans choosing sides of either Team-Edward or Team-Jacob battling it out online with one another throughout the run of the series of films. This movie was the one that started it all and a great way to find out not only what it’s all about but if you will enjoy the rest or not.

The second film, NEW MOON, carried on the story of the three. With Edward having gone away this left Bella longing for him with such an extreme display of emotions that for me it went overboard. I tired quickly of the moaning, crying and screaming that left her an emotional mess. But eventually things changed and the two reunite. No, that isn’t a spoiler since we know there were three more movies to follow. It did add new complications to their story though.

ECLIPSE, the third film in the series and contained here brought things from the first season back again. As Bella finally makes the decision of just who she wants to spend her future with, Edward or Jacob, a vampire from the first film returns with revenge in mind. As more and more murders occur in the area the trio knows a confrontation is coming. A final battle between bad vampires facing off against a combination of vampires and werewolves make this one pretty exciting at the end. It also sets up the last movies in the series, the split movies of BREAKING DAWN PARTs 1 & 2.

So why weren’t the last two included here? My guess is to promote sales of those two DVDs or the “Complete Saga” set. At the same time for the price this set is offered it makes for a nice introduction that makes buying the final films worth their price as well. If you’ve not jumped on the TWILIGHT bandwagon or hesitated in buying the movies this is a good point to jump on. It seems hard to believe it’s been 3 years since the last was released and amazing how quickly fans have jumped off for the most part to new series. That being said this makes it easy to discover or rediscover at an affordable price.

 
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THE STRANGER: VAMPIRIC TWIST

Most of us are well acquainted with the vampire movies made in the past. Every so often a new film comes along that tries to alter the understanding we have of these bloodsucking creatures. Take for instance the glittery heart throbs found in the TWILIGHT series that had young girls longing to be loved by the good looking vampire and dedicated horror hounds groaning at the change to their beloved icon. THE STRANGER doesn’t really take on either role as dictated by these films, giving us something else instead.

A stranger named Martin (Cristobal Tapia Montt) arrives in a small northwestern town and stops at the home of Peter (Nicolas Duran) to ask if his girlfriend is there. Peter informs him that she died several years ago and a distraught Martin leaves. That evening Martin is sitting in a park when a group of young troublemakers come upon him. Led by Caleb (Ariel Levy) they beat him while Martin puts up no resistance, leaving him for dead. All the while Peter, a talented spray paint artists/tagger, has watched from nearby.

Peter calls in the incident to the police and Officer De Luca (Luis Gnecco) arrives on the scene. The only problem is that De Luca is Caleb’s father and he recruits his son to help get rid of the body. Summoned on another call, he leaves and tells Caleb to finish burying the body. A total slacker, Caleb leaves it under a tarp. Having watched it all, Peter pulls Martin from the hole in the ground and takes him home to help him.

When evidence at the gravesite leads De Luca to the realization Peter has watched it all, he sends his son and the gang to take out the boy and Martin. This sets in motion events they had no clue would happen as Martin is actually a vampire tired of life. Peter is beaten within an inch of his life and his home set on fire. Martin rises to help defend Peter, setting Caleb on fire and nearly killing him.

With De Luca seeing that Peter has miraculously recovered from the beating he had taken earlier, he forces him to do the same to save Caleb. Now with both turned into vampires the story moves forward and an eventual showdown between all involved is inevitable.

While adding something new to the genre the movie doesn’t really do enough to maintain your interest from start to finish. It’s not that it’s terrible it just feels like it spins in circles and ends up going nowhere. The self-deprecating vampire wants to die and end the line of vampires he is a part of and yet feels compelled to save Peter for a reason I won’t reveal here. But in so doing he completely reverses his goal from what he intended, the cycle has a chance to continue.

The effects work here is minimal when it comes to gore but make ups wise very well done, especially the burn make up on Caleb after he tries to incinerate Peter. The film is dark most of the time including day shots which didn’t work for me. While this end results might be a step up from a few terribly made low budget flicks in the end this one for me was okay but not enough to recommend it with the exception of vampire flick fans.

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