Disc Reviews

Good news, you just inherited a home from a family you never even knew you had; unfortunately, once arriving onto the property you start to lose your sanity.  That is basically The Invoking in a very crude nutshell.  The cover may elicit hopes for a more hard-edged haunted house film or a film revolving around some unseen evil in the woods, but this is not the case. Writer, cinematographer, and director Jeremy Berg sets off on his first- time feature film and delivers a film that underwhelms but does have its merits.

Samantha (Trin Miller) takes three of her friends out into the wilderness to see the home and property she has inherited.  Along for the ride is her ex-boyfriend Mark (Brandon Anthony), Caitlin (Andi Norris) and Roman (Josh Truax).  This is one of those pairings that I feel really only works in the movies, but in real life this group would simply be at one another’s throats the entire time.  After all, Roman seems to be in love with his best friend who is planning on traveling for six months and continues to flirt with Mark despite her best friend’s feelings.  As for Mark, there still seems to be tension between Samantha and him, so of course what better way for this drama to play out than a trip to a house in the middle of nowhere.

It was during the filming of season 2 that original Dallas star Larry Hagman passed away. Hagman had reprised his iconic role for the new generation version of the smash hit series that ran from 1978-1991. The character of J.R. Ewing — and the iconic question of who shot J.R. — is simply a part of the pop culture vernacular whether you followed the show back then or not.

I came into the second season of Dallas without watching any of the previous episodes and only a vague recollection of the original series from the days I watched the show with my grandparents. Larry Hagman is one thing I do remember though, and seeing him chew up just about every scene he’s in while playing the infamous and ruthless J. R. Ewing is simply a treat.

You know a show is kind of a big deal when it reaches the 200-episode mark. Seth MacFarlane has more than just made his mark on the television landscape with Family Guy, American Dad and The Cleveland Show; he’s made a name for himself as a modern icon of pop culture. MacFarlane has led the Griffin family through 200 episodes of raunchy humor while sneaking in a message or two between the jokes and gags.

As Fox releases Family Guy: Volume 12 on DVD, it’s surprising to see how far the show has come, where only The Simpsons and South Park have managed to hang around longer. But the longevity of these shows isn’t always a sign of greatness. After all, many would argue The Simpsons has lost its stride for years. But since 1999 — when Family Guy first hit the airwaves — to the show's credit, it has never been afraid to challenge topical subjects that many would deem inappropriate or simply vulgar. Whether it’s characters dabbling in the meth trade to make ends meet on a farm, or characters simply dealing with getting old, MacFarlane and his team of writers continue to produce a show and deliver a moral message despite how muddled it may be in its delivery.

“There is something seriously wrong with this sorority.”

Well, well what would life be without its little mysteries? It was only just yesterday that I found myself watching old episodes of Kevin Sorbo in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and now here I am reviewing one of his movies. Coincidence or fate, you tell me? Albeit the man of god-like strength is not the focus of the film, but, of course, with a title like Sorority Party Massacre, I trust you will have no trouble figuring out what takes place in this movie. And if you do have trouble, I would recommend another movie altogether.

"The way of life depicted in this program dates back 300 years. Hunting, especially alligator hunting, lies at its core. Some images may be disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised."

And they're not kidding. Gator hunting is a bloody business, and this show gets you right up close and in the action. The hunters set hooks with bait, and once a gator is hooked they must reel it in and shoot it in a very small vulnerable spot in the back of the head. Let me warn you that animals were indeed harmed in the making of this film, and you're going to witness that harm. If you're an animal activist, I suggest turning to the Disney Channel for this particular hour. The rest of you will get a front-row seat to a truly thrilling non-stop alligator hunt.

The idea of a vigilante priest hitting the streets to clean up crime is something I can easily get behind. The Reverend is said to be an adaptation from a graphic novel of the same name, though it’s a title I found very little about when doing a cursory search over the internet.  What I did find had the plot centering on a Reverend caught in the trappings of the battle between good and evil. Mixing in a supernatural element, some may start to think about The Preacher graphic novels; well, don’t fret, this film doesn’t pack the punch that those beloved graphic novels do, but it’s a noble attempt in the indie horror collection.

The film does open promisingly enough as Rutger Hauer plays the role one would assume to be as something evil, while confronting a man in white surrounded by several officials of the church armed with swords  Some may recognize Doug Bradley (Pinhead from the Hellraiser series) as Reverend Andrews.  The heated exchange is a negotiation over the soul of an individual.  This scene is an introduction to the forces of good and evil doing their bidding for winning souls onto their side.  Unfortunately the scene simply works as a cold opening to do nothing more than show us that religious figures in the church are at odds with those who are evil.  Basically a common-sense notion, and the scene bears no importance on the film that follows.

It is never an easy thing to have to pick up the pieces to a former life that was believed perfect, especially when you are completely blindsided by that life’s destruction. That is the circumstance that both leads Garcelle Beauvais and Brian White find themselves in And Then There Was You. The film features a couple of familiar faces including Leon, Lynn Whitfield, as well as Greg Vaughn, who I haven’t seen since his short stint on Charmed.

Natalie Gilbert (Garcelle Beauvais) and Joshua Gilbert (Leon) have always appeared to be a picture perfect couple: gorgeous house with manicured lawn, financially secure, and the two simply just looked good together; to everyone around them as well as Natalie they just seemed to have it together, or at least that’s how they appeared. So as you may imagine, it came as quite a shock for Natalie when she arrived home one day to find Joshua packing his belongings into a U-Haul, dropping the bomb on her that during the last five years of their eleven year marriage that he has not been faithful, not only straying but actually having a family with kids on the side. Natalie is devastated by the knowledge that he is leaving her to be with his true family (in his words), the icing on the cake being that he also cleaned out their bank account, leaving her with nothing. (If you listen closely you may be able to make out of the chorus of women’s outrage all over the world).