Sheep Movie Review: Walking With Dinosaurs

Walking With Dinosaurs 

Directed by: Neil Nightingale, Barry Cook

PG 

Staring: Justin Long, John Leguizamo and Karl Urban

Plot:

For the first time in movie history, audiences will truly see and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. WALKING WITH DINOSAURS is the ultimate immersive, big screen adventure for families. Meet dinosaurs more real than you've ever seen as you take off on a thrilling prehistoric adventure, where Patchi, an underdog dinosaur, triumphs against all odds to become a hero for the ages. 

After watching the trailer for this film about a million times since the marketing was insane, I thought this would be a great movie to take my seven year old son to. He enjoyed it enough, but he also loves cartoons where farts are trapped inside characters' stomachs. True story, you can view that charming clip HERE.

So while a young boy may enjoy this film, parents will be wishing they waited to rent the DVD for a dollar. From the moment these dinos hatch, you're expecting an epic adventure to take place, a grand adventure filled with quirky moments. That never happens. At the very least, I thought we would get emotionally invested in the characters. That also never happened. This one falls into a shallow grave of emotionless nothing, backed with voice acting that was tedious to listen to at times. 

I paid for the 3D experience, which only added insult to injury. The visuals where fine, beautiful at times, but I really wished the folks writing the script had spent more time on this one. 

On the plus side, there was a good attempt to mix educational learning with a talking film. But we would have much rather gotten this experience at a dino museum, at least I would be getting more bang for the buck. 

Karl Urban does make a quick cameo in the beginning and end of the film and while I love him, I wish his voice would have been used in the film (as one of the dinosaurs). For whatever reason, only the main kid character dinos talked. No idea why. You're left with an annoying bird, bully big brother and gal who's pinning over the runt dino. 

Overall this one was a big let down. Nothing special at all. Save your money. 

Getting 1 Sheep

KD  

Movie Review: Riddick 2013

Riddick
R, 1 hr. 59 min.
Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By: David Twohy
Written By: David Twohy

Stars: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Katee Sackhoff

In Theaters: Sep 6, 2013 Wide
Universal Classics - Official Site


Riddick, the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000's hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004's The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy. The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he's encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty. The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won't leave the planet without Riddick's head as their trophy. (c) Universal

I just love movies like this. Nothing but over the top action, killing and campy dialogue. Riddick is exactly what you think it will be. How could you not like a movie with a monster so bad ass that it eats its own entrails? Unfortunately there is an alien dog, kind of like a greyhound/hyena/zebra mutt, and we all know what happens to dogs in movies. Would it kill a screenwriter to let a damn dog live?

This movie picks up right after Riddick has been crowned king of the Necromongers. And guess what? They try to kill him by dumping him on a barren planet with monsters. If you are going to just see Karl Urban you will get a whole 2 minutes of him on the screen, but you do get to see Katee Sackhoff’s nipple!

There isn't much I can say other than if you like this type of movie then you will enjoy the hell out of it. If you don’t, then don’t go. Definitely worth a matinee price.

4.5 “please don’t rain” sheep

Sharon Stogner

                                     

Sheep Movie Review: Dredd

Dredd, directed by Peter Travis and starring Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, and Wood Harris is a gritty, action-packed, gun-blasting movie that both comic fans and mass audiences will equally enjoy! 

Plot: 

The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One- a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called "Judges" who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge - a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of "Slo-Mo" experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.

Based on a 2000 AD comic strip, Dredd is a law enforcer who's also your judge, jury, and executioner. Badasses that criminals do NOT want to mess with. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where the world has turned into a wasteland and gangs are taking over the city, these elite law enforcers are the city's only hope to bringing the balance of justice to the chaotic population. Sylvester Stallone starred in the 1995 film adaptation of this character but it should be known the current version is a new take on the pulp sci-fi classic.

Karl Urban had the tough job of acting this role which requires never showing his face from the lips up. I had no idea how essential lip acting could be, but there you go, lip acting! Not only is the man a dream boat, beef cake of hunky love but he delivers an incredible performance as the badass judge whose reputation is known far and wide. He's dark and heartless and shamleslessly wonderful all at the same time. I wanted to kiss those pouty lips at every turn! 

Paired up with a rookie cop, who's probably really wishing she called in sick that day, Dredd and his partner set out to solve a blatant murder in a gang-infested apartment structure. Similar to the recent Indonesian film, The Raid, our pair of cops are trapped and cornered by a crazy lady with a really bad hair cut. I for one was terrified of the gal after just a glance, she may want to seek out a new barber. 

In addition, a hot new drug is out on the street called Slo Motion which gives the user a feeling as if everything is moving at an extremely decelerated rate. Had I known there was a market for this I would have bottled my signature slow motion running years ago! Dang! [Drugs are bad, just say no.] 

Overall Dredd makes no apologies for being what it is: a bloodbath, bang-bang, shoot'em up! If you're on the squeamish side proceed with caution. BUT if you love action and don't need a story that's littered with CGI ribbons and bells then get out and see this one! 

Getting 4 'no backup required' Sheep 

KD 

Movie Review: Dredd 3D

DREDD 3D (18)
Directed by: Pete Travis
Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey
Running Time: 95mins

In the wake of a world war, much of the Earth has been left an uninhabitable radioactive wasteland. Near the eastern coast of the United States sits Mega City One, a massive walled off metropolis made up of the remains of the old cities as well as massive tower blocks, 200 stories high that house the remains of humanity. Society has crumbled under the weight of the overcrowded living conditions, gangs and clans battle for superiority through block wars, with the only thing preventing pure chaos on the streets being the Judges – law enforcement officers who are able to carry out the roles of judge, jury and executioner on the spot.

Judge Dredd (Karl Urban), an elite of the Judges is assigned to evaluate Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie who is under-performing and would have failed the academy if not for the fact that she’s a mutant with exceptionally strong psychic abilities. Reporting to a triple murder in a tower block called Peach Trees, the two discover the tower is the stronghold of the Ma-Ma clan, so called after it’s leader Madelaine “Ma-Ma” Madrigal (Lena Headey), a former prostitute who now deals in a new addictive drug known as slo-mo because it makes the user feel like time has slowed down to a fraction of normal speed. Arresting the suspected killer after a telepathic read by Anderson, the two take their prisoner for interrogation, but are stopped when Ma-Ma puts the block in lockdown, trapping them inside with the gang and putting a bounty on their heads.

To those unaware, Dredd 3D is not the first adaptation of the character from a comic book series called 2000 A.D. A previous attempt was made to bring him to the screen with Sylvester Stallone in the lead role in 1995, but the movie made too many deviations from the comic, and was riddled with problems throughout it’s release including heavy editing of the movie to release it with a lowered rating. It was a travesty, with Stallone playing the part for laughs and a comic sidekick played by comedian Rob Schneider. Worst of all was that because of studio pressures, the character of Dredd removed his helmet within the movie’s first 10 minutes, a gross deviation from the character of the comic, and something that was the biggest of many fan issues with the movie.

Here an effort has been made to be not only faithful but also respectful to the character, meaning that not once (with the exception of a shadowed scene with him suiting up) does Dredd remove his helmet in the movie. As a result of this, it does mean that Karl Urban’s performance is relegated to his chin and mouth for the entirety of the movie, something that some actors would struggle with, but with his gruff voice and grimaced frown, he makes for an interesting and compelling anti-hero. Most surprising in the movie is Olivia Thurlsby as rookie judge Anderson, after her role in dismal science-fiction movie The Darkest Hour there was no way to know how she would handle an almost leading role in this, but she holds her own on screen with Urban and even in a couple scenes of her own, managing to show vulnerabilities of a rookie whilst also stepping up in the situation she finds herself. Both her and Lena Headey as the criminal gang leader Ma-Ma are well written and performed, standing out as much stronger-than-average female characters – a refreshing change from movies as of late.

The movie’s plot does share similarities to another movie released earlier in the year, director Pete Travis must have nearly had a heart attack when Gareth Evans’ Indonesian martial arts movie The Raid (a.k.a. The Raid: Redemption) was released as both have the similar plot device of the main characters being trapped in a tower block whilst having to fight off attacks from all sides. Though it may seem like a straight rip-off of this, this is purely a coincidence. Though the timing couldn’t have been any worse, the two movies were both in production simultaneously for some time, with Dredd 3D being in the works with writer Alex Garland working on the script as far back as 2006.

The movie is rated 18 in the U.K. (R in the U.S), and with good reason – it’s extremely violent and graphic in detail. There are scenes of explicit torture and killing, and in one instance numerous innocent bystanders are seen killed on screen as heavy machine guns blast away killing everything in their path (further specific details can be found in the British Board of Film Classification’s rating site here). This and the movie’s very dark, occasionally humorous, and ambiguous moral tone throughout means this is not a movie for those with a weak stomach. Anyone who has seen any of the original comic should be aware of this tone already, and thankfully it’s another right step in the movie being more faithful to the source material rather than doing it’s own thing – which again is rather refreshing.

With regards to the 3D aspects of the movie, it’s being released with an emphasis on the 3D release with the 2D version getting a very limited release. All advertising features the full title heavily as ‘Dredd 3D’ as opposed to simply ‘Dredd’, and the effect, while nice in a few of the shots (a first person slo-mo shot falling down the centre of Peach Trees being a highlight) make impressive use of it, but the movie easily could have done without. It seems that the 3D has been added to the movie more in an attempt to alter the title and distance it from 1995′s Judge Dredd rather than to add the 3D effect for viewing purposes. The slow motion on the other hand has been used effectively, with the movie making use of that to great effect, giving a momentary moving comic feel to some of the scenes temporarily before snapping back to normal speed, while never dwelling on the effect (like in recent Michael Bay styled action movies). Some audience members were discussing this as they left the theatre, saying they were sick of it’s use, but I had no problem with it’s use here, and it made for a refreshing new look at something old.

Dredd 3D was reportedly made for a modest budget of $45 million, not a small amount but tiny compared to the big budget Hollywood blockbusters it will find itself in competition with. As a result of this, the movie has been made without any apparent ‘studio interference’ that has so many times before ruined such movies. At times the style reminded me of the feel of the 2004 adaptation of the Marvel comic book The Punisher (which was made for a similarly modest $33 million). If this does as well at the box office as it deserves to, a sequel will most likely be forthcoming, and it would be nice to see this world expanded on further but only so long as the budget doesn’t get out of control and the people involved are allowed the free reign they’ve been given here.

As already mentioned, a strong stomach is required to handle certain parts, but overall it’s nothing more extreme than we’ve seen in recent movies, only done with a level of control that seems lacking of late. It’s not a 5 star movie, but is certainly among the better action movies of the year and among the better comic book adaptations in recent years. Gritty, dark, violent, graphic, everything that a Judge Dredd movie should be, Dredd is the law, see this or suffer the penalty of more Adam Sandler/Ben Stiller un-funny comedies.

4 Sheep

Guest Review by: Andrew from Following the Nerd

Priest, Black Hat can suck me dry!

Priest, directed by Scott Charles Stewart, stars Paul Bettany (my lemon -flavored love cake), Karl Urban (good lordy you are too fine for words) , Cam Gigandet, Lilly Collins, Maggie Q, Christopher Plummer and Stephen Moyer (yes, that's Bill from TB). Priest started out as a manhwa, a type of Korean comic series, created by artist Hyung Min-woo. While I have not read the series I think that no previous experience would be a good thing as the movie overall lacked a lot of substance....

Storyline:

PRIEST, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, is set in an alternate world -- one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest from the last Vampire War, despite being a famous veteran he now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on a quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece's boyfriend, a trigger-happy young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.

The movie starts out really well, you get to see all the Priests going to hunt down a hive of vamps but it's a set up and my dream man Karl is dragged away by the vamps. A very nice animated bit of storytelling takes place providing exposition on the Priests and how the world has changed. I had no issues so far with anything in the movie, but once Priest sets out to find his kidnapped niece the story starts to fall apart. There are story concepts but are not really explained, for example the audience is introduced to "familiars" but not really told who they are or how they came to be. The vamps don't kill them or do they? Are they slaves? *scratches head* How exactly are these Priests different? What powers do they have? SOMEONE TELL ME! I hope the comic goes far more in-depth about these story elements, but I feel like a lot of stuff got lost in the film adaptation.

Karl and Paul did a fine acting job, these guys are excellent at what they do and I hav

e no

complaints in their ability. Maggie Q and Paul's characters have a major back story that you don't even get to enjoy, I felt the film lost a lot of potential. The best action you see from Maggie is in the trailers, so don't watch those if you want to be surprised. Cam who plays the town sheriff just looked like a lost boy floundering around trying to keep up with everyone, sure he looked good on screen but his character was a little ho-hum. The action was so weak at times that it became hard to invest yourself in the overall film. CGI wasn't bad but I have seen a lot better than this. But the good part is if you like Vamps (like me) you will get to w

atch another new take on them, and you might jump in your seats a few times when the action picks up. :)

Over-all the movie missed its mark for me; while the acting was beautiful and the editing was excellent, a huge plot-hole leaves me scratching my head on this film. I hope Mr. Min-woo is not totally disappointed in this film, and I recommend you either go into it knowing up front that it's missing a lot of meat or just stick to the comics. Proceed with caution.

My good friend Mike who is also our Sheep photographer came with me to see this one and in his words "the movie was weak, the action sucked and I was let down". He gave the film 2 and 1/2 sheep.

I am giving Priest 3 Black Hat Sheep.

KD

WonderCon 2011-Priest

If someone asks me, "Hey, Paul Bettany is going to be at this panel at WonderCon, you wanna go check it out?", what other response would there be than HECK YEAH! Paul is my lemon flavored love cake for life, but we will get to that in a moment. ;) All the Sheep peeps made sure to park our butts front row to check out all the yummy goodness that is Priest.

Priest directed by Scott Charles Stewart, stars Paul Bettany (I love you for life), Karl Urban (good lord you are too fine for words), Cam Gigandet, Lilly Collins, Maggie Q, Christopher Plummer and Stephen Moyer (yes, that's Bill from TB).

Storyline:

PRIEST, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, is set in an alternate world -- one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on a quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece's boyfriend, a trigger-happy young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.

From Wikipedia:

Priest (Hangul: 프리스트) was a manhwa (Korean comic) series created by Hyung Min-woo. It fuses the Western genre with supernatural horror, Gun fu, and dark fantasy themes and is notable for its unusual, angular art style. An interview with Hyung in Priest: Volume 3 states that the comic was inspired by the computer game Blood, which featured a similar horror-Western aesthetic and an undead protagonist.

During the panel we got to learn quiet a bit about how Director Stewart was able to translate the comic to the big screen. He shared with us his views on where he wanted to take the film and how he was able to put all the pieces together and hopefully create something that fans will love. As action plays a large role in the film, Stewart shared that he wanted to blend many different styles of action and Sci Fi to make it a whole new recipe. We shall have to wait and see, but from what I could gather it's going to be one fun ride. ;)

We viewed some unseen footage of the different action sequences in the film, the whole cast had to undergo months of vigorous training to be able to do all these stunts. Of course stunt men were used, but the actors all wanted to do as much as they could. Here is a little bit of Cam and Paul talking about that training program.

Cam: "I don't think I had quiet the rigorous schedule as Paul. I think one of my hardest things was holding up that 70 lb gun. So my muscles right here [points to trap muscle] are quiet large. Aside from that as you guys saw I don't have the skill so I get my butt kicked in that scene. So yeah, Paul can probably answer that better. But he was born with that talent..."

Paul: "Yeah, that was like my Sunday. I don't know what you lot do on the weekend but this is just what I do. No, I am British and therefore I am starting from a butch deficit. I uh, yeah you don't have to clap so loudly. Play nice. I had 8 months of training to make me look like a normal human being. And then a bunch of combat training and a bunch of wire work, which I really loved doing. Then you got a bunch of people who's job it is to make you look REALLY cool. So you're getting a lot of help. And by the end of the movie Cam does get the skills. Not quiet as skillful as me but ya know maybe by Priest 2."

"I think I can speak for the whole cast and crew so I will, cause I am that confident. If you found any of the cast and crew on the street, they will say it was one of the greatest experiences of my professional career. We just, every day was a blast even the days that I got injured. Thanks to Vicodin actually...yeah, yeah so see both things were fairly great. But it was a fantastic shoot."

Lilly Collins talked a bit about her character in Priest, being the exact opposite from her previous role in The Blind Side. Her character Lucy starts outas kinda the damsel in distress, she says. But Lucy has Priest blood in her family, so though she never had to use those skills before she manages to become a fighter fairly quickly. Lilly loved the wire work and doing stunts and action she would like to continue playing these types of roles. She also announced at the panel that just the day before had accepted to play a role in Snow White alongside Julia Roberts.

With all these fine males in one film it's enough to make this girl swoon. No joke. Throw in a slamming good story, action, Sci Fi AND Vamps? This is a movie to die and reanimate for! May 13th you know where I will be. :)

KD