Showing posts with label dinosaurs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dinosaurs. Show all posts

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Land of the Lost - The Complete First Season (1974) Review

Land of the Lost - The Complete First Season (1974)
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Wah Chang and Gene Warren were two VERY famous OSCAR winners for special effects in the original George Pal production of "The Time Machine" in 1960. They also did work on "The Outer Limits" for those that remember that sci-fi show. These legends were called upon once again to work in this landmark television series for kids that was a part of Saturday morning programs meant to stimulate the imagination and entertain. There were also quality writers gathered from Science fiction to write some of the plots that you will see here in this first season of shows. In describing the show it is much like a children's version of a Doctor Who adventure. Short on budget but excellent in imaginative designs and well written plots. So, like Doctor Who, you have to ignore the low budget stage pieces and let your imagination along with the dialog rule how you will judge it. The most interesting and innovative idea are a race of "silurians" known as "The Sleestak". One intelligent version of the Sleestak controls travel through time and we see experiments using "crystals" (ala' George Pal) as a means of power to alter the time universe. As the series progressed the plots became thicker and if you are a fan willing to look beyond the constraints of the program you will find it fascinating. Well recommended for kids and older "kids" too!

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Free-fall through an open time portal . . . to a world where menacing dinosaurs roam free! Get reacquainted with Cha-Ka even if it means having to come to blows over a gigantic vegetable or two. Then stumble once again onto the ruins of Lost City. No matter which path of adventure you choose to follow - above all else: Beware of Sleestak! For heeding that last little bit of advice alone should assure you survival in this anything-but-routine expedition with Marshall, Will, and Holly. Grab hold to the side of the raft! The falls lie just up ahead. Hang on, now! You'll soon be glad to have rediscovered the LAND OF THE LOST.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World - Season One (1999) Review

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World - Season One (1999)
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This is very loosely based on "The Lost World" written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So loose that if you took away the character names it would pretty much lose all resemblance. That however does not take away from the wonderful stories and characters. The acting is quite good and the sets, special effects, and music are better than adequate. The dinosaurs may not be up to Jurassic Park standards, but they are fairly good. My whole family enjoys this series. Devout fans of the book may find it a let down, but anyone that enjoys light TV series like Hercules with Kevin Sorbo, Zena, or Mutant-X should find it fun. Even fans of more in depth series like Stargate SG-1 will probably like it.

The set includes six slender cased DVDs with twenty-two episodes. It is 16 hours and 8 minutes of entertainment. The first two seasons have all the original cast. The cast includes Peter McCauley as Professor George Challenger, Rachel Blakely as Marguerite Krux, Will Snow as Lord John Roxton, David Orth as Ned Malone, Jennifer O'Dell as Veronica, and Michael Sinelnikoff as Dr. Summerlee. After that the Australian TV industry intervened with tax laws at the the end of the second season, both Ned and Veronica had to be guest stars and the series started to go down hill after that. I highly recommend the first two seasons. The picture and sound quality is good and although the set does not includes any extras it is well worth the price.

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Determined to prove the existence of The Lost World, dashing adventurer and scholar Professor Edward Challenger mounts a British expedition team consisting of a mismatched group of enthusiasts, all with less than selfless reasons for making the journey. Traveling through the uncharted Amazon jungle to this prehistoric plateau, the group encounters incredible adventures: tribal headhunters, vicious ape men, giant crocodiles, and terrifying dinosaurs! This thrilling spectacle from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, brings cliffhanging action into your home with this special box set! 22 action-packed, one-hour episodes the entire first season of this exciting TV hit! As seen on WGN and in National Syndication Still a Viewer Favorite from Coast to Coast! Dinosaurs Are Huge Business! Market to fans of the Jurassic Park series and Walking with Dinosaurs From Executive Producer John Landis, Creator of An American Werewolf in London and National Lampoon's Animal House Eye-Catching Deluxe Slimcase Packaging with Collectible Artwork! Each DVD case highlights a different personality from the TV program. Episodes include: The Journey Begins, Stranded, More than Human, Nectar, Cave of Fear, Salvation, Blood Lust, Out of Time, Paradise Found, The Beast Within, Creatures of the Dark, Tribute, Absolute Power, Camelot, Unnatural Selection, Time After Time, Prodigal Father, Birthright, Resurrection, Prophecy, The Chosen One, Barbarians at the Gate.

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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Land of the Lost (2009) Review

Land of the Lost (2009)
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"Captain Kirk's nipples!"
...and if that quote didn't tell you the new big budget big screen "Land of the Lost" film isn't exactly directed at the Saturday morning TV crowd... I fondly recall spending those mornings in the 70's with Will, Holly, Dr. Marshall and the Sleestak, so when I heard Will Ferrell would be taking the lead I was content in the knowledge that the campiness of the original Sid and Marty Kroft show would be preserved. As fate would have it this preservation extends even to the cheesy theme song which Ferrell nearly performs in one scene...this theme song pretty much covers the series and movie's premise...the aforementioned characters, on a "less than" routine expedition via an earthquake and a tachyon gadget (this part is new) end up in a parallel space they call the "Land of the Lost" complete with prehistoric critters and lizardmen. Unlike the series they need to find Dr. Marshall's misplaced gadget in order to get home, this leads to lots of mishaps and sight gags. But as I mentioned, this is not your father's "Land of the Lost" this is a Will Ferrell, albeit watered down, but nonetheless, a Will Ferrell film, so as you'd expect there is overt crude references flying aplenty, including hot Sleestak-on-Sleestak action (not really on screen), nothing to cringe-worthy...although some drug and vague sexual jokes.
"LOTL" is bookended by a "TODAY" show sequence in which Matt himself interviews Dr. Marshall about is kooky space/time theories and then again later interviews a vindicated Dr. Marshall at the movie's end. Dr. Marshall is classic Will Ferrell, the pompous, dimwitted boob he plays soooo well, so you know precisely what you will get upon entering the theater. This time he is a nutty paleontologist who has a strange fixation on "Chorus Line" and comfort food binges. "Land of the Lost" is more "Elf" than "Anchorman", I guess. What is new here is the digital dino and big bug eye candy, not really the norm for a Ferrell film, more in the spirit of Ringo Starr's "Caveman" than "Jurassic Park" though (especially the cave-boy-speak).
The kitsch aside, if possible, "LOTL" includes some impressive sets, some true to the original show, like the Sleestak ruins and some less Kroft, but equally cool, parallel world Bermuda Triangle parallel world clutter ala desert complete with missing ships, planes and gas stations. Also true to the Kroft look are the Sleestak lizard people (one of which is voiced by Leonard Nimoy a.k.a Spock) who look largely unchanged, but I'd have bought a ticket just for them anyway.

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Comedic genius Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, who gets more than he bargained for when his expedition takes a wrong turn into the Land of the Lost. Now, Marshall, his crack-smart research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and a redneck survivalist named Will (Danny McBride), have no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in a world full of marauding dinosaurs, fantastic creatures and laugh-out-loud comedy!

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Monday, June 18, 2012

Primeval: Volume 1 (Series 1 and 2) (2008) Review

Primeval: Volume 1 (Series 1 and 2) (2008)
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Possibly a few scattered SPOILERS...
Okay, the Brits have sure been bringing it to the TV sci-fi genre. Originally aired on the U.K.'s ITV network, PRIMEVAL is the latest offering to reach the States, and, to me, it's just as addictive as DOCTOR WHO (Doctor Who - The Complete First Series) or TORCHWOOD (Torchwood - The Complete First Season).
PRIMEVAL basically plonks prehistorical and futuristic monsters into the present and has them scaring the bejesus out of the unsuspecting British population. These often frightening beasties come from rifts in the space-time continuum which are manifesting unpredictably in the U.K. A small team of scientists, led by maverick evolutionary professor Nick Cutter, investigates these temporal doorways. But Cutter and company are often hampered by the British government, which (perhaps understandably) seeks to keep a lid on these mind-boggling goings-on. But it's hard going, keeping it all on the covert, what with these things occasionally popping up in public areas and a certain young member of the team unable to quite keep his mouth shut. Anyway you slice it, to quote the resident nerd Connor Temple, "I think the scientific term is 'really bad news.'"
As the team encounters each new anomaly, the mystery just deepens. Each anomaly presents its own challenge, as a different and often lethal entity seems to emerge each time. Cutter states that "Some force out there ripped the boundaries of space and time to shreds." I can't say how far away this show is from answering that big conundrum, but the journey to that revelation can't be any more fun and exciting. Meanwhile, a running story arc involves Cutter's long-vanished scientist wife, Helen, whose mysterious disappearance eight years ago has been torturing him ever since. Ensuing episodes provide an answer, and it's one that Cutter doesn't feel too good about. Anyway, Cutter's wife proves to be crucial to figuring out what's going on.
What first jumps at you is how convincing these paleontological horrors look. And what a range of nightmarish creatures. The pilot features a killer dinosaur and a lovable flying lizard. Further episodes would provide creepy arachnids and monster centipedes skittering and crawling in the London Underground, sea monsters in the basement, dinosaur raptors tearing up shopping malls, and a mammoth rampaging on the freeway. It makes for an arresting contrast and it's so dang cool, seeing these fantastical hundred-million-years-old creatures messing about in modern-day U.K. That they're so realistically rendered allows these episodes to generate ample levels of suspense and fear. Those spiders... Uuuuggghhhh...
But not all the creatures are gross and scary. One of my favorite and funniest episodes features the now extinct dodos, who are cute and bloody stupid (they also come carrying deadly parasites). By the way, I really like this one also because it shines the spotlight on Andrew-Lee Potts, who is simply fantastic in the episode's closing minutes.
The acting is far from shabby. While the characters initially play second fiddle to the creatures, most of the cast do grow on you. I happen to think that the most endearing ones are the aforementioned Connor Temple (Andrew-Lee Potts) and Abby Maitland (Hannah Spearritt). Connor is the most sympathetic character here, a student of Prof. Cutter, although Connor never went to any of Cutter's seminars. He also gives us the most laughs. Abby is the reptile zoologist but, more importantly, she looks smoking in skimpy undies. The team's leader, Nick Cutter, is reserved and brooding and obsessed in all the ways that render me indifferent. Stephen Hart is the lab technician, and, for purposes of good TV ratings, fills in the role of all-around handsome devil and intrepid man of action. As a fellow guy, I'm rather jealous of him. Rounding out the core characters of Series 1, the lovely Claudia Brown, of the British Home Office, serves as the team's supportive government liaison.
Meanwhile, a character pops up the third episode, someone who's been temporally around the block and now touts a more clinical and longview perspective with regards to humanity and its future. This character would prove to be the most fascinating person in the series.
Series 2 introduces several new key characters: Jenny Lewis, a public relations officer, and Oliver Leek, another of Cutter's assistants. I don't want to spoil anything, so the less said about them, the better. Series 2 tends to focus more on futuristic and even more dangerous predators. Series 2 also really puts the characters thru the wringer.
There's a bit of a soap opera factor here. These actors are beautiful folks, so romantic tensions are expected. Assorted crushes and pinings develop, and, yes, I've my own ideas as to who I want paired up. Connor's my dude, and he's liking someone fierce. But the odds are against him. To my regret, PRIMEVAL doesn't even try to be as racy as, say, TORCHWOOD. Did I already mention that Abby looks really good scampering about in her undies? It bears repeating, says the pig in me.
Time twists and shocking reveals and the deepest of betrayals. And heaps of cool monster action. Keep on watching, and don't be too surprised when you get rapidly drawn into the story. PRIMEVAL - THE COMPLETE SERIES 1 & 2 collects Series 1 (six episodes) and Series 2 (seven episodes). The good news is that production for Series 3 is already underway. With the bar having already been raised so high, I can't imagine what's in store for us in Series 3, which is projected to contain 10 episodes. But keep raising that bar, ITV...

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PRIMEVAL VOLUME ONE - DVD Movie

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Walking with Dinosaurs (2006) Review

Walking with Dinosaurs (2006)
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This series is brilliant. The special effects are truly impressive, the style (made like a fake nature documentary, as if the filmmakers are just observing the dinosaurs in the wilds) is clever, and it's all just fascinating. Some of it is quite graphic with dinosaurs battling each other, eating each other and dying off in lots of different ways, so I was worried that my almost-four-year-old wasn't ready for it. But he's started to ask questions about dying and animals eating each other and this has actually been a nice segueway into those discussions. We've especially enjoyed the "making of" featurette - lots of information there well beyond how they acheived the special effects.

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New Blood, Time of the Titans, Cruel Sea, Giant of the Skies, Spirits of the Ice Forest, Death of a Dynasty. Ride the ultimate time machine from the beginning of dinosaurs to their spectacular end! Using the latest in computer animation, this series puts you in the middle of Jurassic stampedes and T Rex battles, through 155 million years of pre-history.

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Saturday, February 4, 2012

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (DVD + Digital Copy) (2009) Review

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (DVD + Digital Copy)  (2009)
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"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" marks the third CG animated film for 20th Century Fox via Fox's CGI division Blue Sky Studios and the third "Ice Age" film directed by Carlos Saldanha (also directed "Robots" and "Gone Nutty"). The film is co-directed by Mike Thurmeier ("Horton Hears a Who", "Robots", "Gone Nutty") and a story by Jason Carter Eaton and a screenplay by Pete Ackerman, Michael Berg (both worked on previous "Ice Age" films), Yoni Brenner and Mike Reiss ("The Simpsons", The Critic", "It's Garry Shandling's Show"). Music is composed by John Powell ("X-Men: The Last Stand", "United 93", "Kung Fu Panda").
Back in 2002, the original "Ice Age" film focused on the friendship between creatures Manny the woolly mammoth (voice over by Ray Romano, "Everybody Loves Raymond"), Sid the weird looking, not-so-bright and clumsy ground sloth (voiced by John Leguizamo, "ER", "Miracle at St. Anna", "Titan A.E.") and the saber-toothed tiger (aka smilodon) named Diego (voiced by Denis Leary, "Rescue Me"). Also, seen outside of the main core of the group is side-story featuring a squirrel known as Scrat who has a passion towards acorns.
With the first film focusing on the migration to avoid the Ice Age and the main character's friendship, the second film "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006) features the melting of the ice and focuses on Manny finding another woolly mammoth named Ellie (voice by Queen Latifah, "Mad Money", "Chicago").
This time around for the third film "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs", Ellie is now pregnant and is soon to give birth. Being the worried and concerned father, Manny is highly anticipating the birth of his child and each kick, he often accidentally tells the whole herd that Ellie is about to give birth.
Meanwhile, his friends are not in a better place. Diego is getting older and feels that he is not the agile fighter as he once was as he now gets dizzy and can't even chase after his prey like he once used to. So, Diego feels as if he has to leave home. Sid feels alone now that his best friend has other responsibilities. As for the nutty squirrel known as Scrat, upon discovering his beloved acorn, he becomes smitten with a female squirrel named Scratte who is also passionate for the acorn.
Manny creates a playground for his upcoming child and surprises Ellie with it. Meanwhile, Sid feeling that he has no one ends up falling through a hole and discovering three eggs. Wanting to be a parent himself, he brings the three eggs to the village. Because of the size, Manny tells Sid to return the eggs back to its mother but Sid of course has other plans. Not wanting to be alone, he ends up sleeping with the eggs and when hatched, three baby Tyrannosaurus Rex's come out and Sid becomes the designated "mother" for the three which he names Eggbert, Shelly and Yoko.
Excited about being a parent, he tries to introduce to his new children to his friends but instead brings the three to Manny's playground (which was supposed to be for Manny and Ellie's child). The kids of the village then join in on the fun and because of the Tyrannosaurus Rex's nature, they begin to roughhouse the children and end up swallowing a few of them. Also, in the process...the three young dinosaurs end up destroying the playground.
Manny and Ellie arrive to find the destruction and Manny is upset that Sid didn't listen to him and now the playground he built is destroyed. To make things worse, the true mother of the three baby Tyrannosaurus Rex now wants her children back and leads the huge dinosaur right into their village.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex ends up getting her children back but with Sid not willing to give up the children, he is taken as well by the dinosaur.
Now Manny, Ellie, Diego along with the two weasels Crash (voiced by Seann William Scott, "American Pie" films) and Eddie (Josh Peck, "Drake & Josh", "The Wackness") end up going after the dinosaur to find Sid and find themselves away from the ice and into a new land where there is no snow and dinosaurs exist. Not knowing how to survive around the dangerous dinosaurs, they run into a one-eyed weasel named Buck (voiced by Simon Pegg, "Hot Fuzz", "Sean of the Dead", "Star Trek") who knows his way around the area.
So, the group try to survive the dangerous dinosaurs, tough terrain but most importantly trying to be careful for the nastiest dinosaur of them all...Rudy.
"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" on Blu-ray comes with three discs. The original Blu-ray is accompanied with the movie on DVD and also a digital copy.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray. Presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1, AVC@36 MBPS), I'm always impressed to see how hair/fur continues to look better and better via CG and the sheer detail found in each character and its surroundings are much more evident now than ever. In fact, this is probably the most vibrant "Ice Age" film due to the fact that the film is taken outside of its ice habitat and into the land of the dinosaurs where there is a lot of lush plant life, sunlight, etc. Overall, CG animated fans will love the picture quality of this film. Sky Blue Studios did a fantastic job!
As for the audio, the film is presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (also, Spanish, French and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital) and as fantastic as the picture quality was, the audio quality is just as magnificent. Talk about an immersive soundtrack, dinosaur growls all around you and how its utilized through the surround and rear surround channels are nicely done. Front and center channels feature the dialogue and the music which are crystal clear. Also, good use of LFE during the action sequences.
Both video and audio quality for "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur" receive high marks! Fans of the film will definitely enjoy this Blu-ray release.
As for subtitles, subtitles are provided in English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese and Mandarin.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" comes with the following special features:
* Audio commentary - A commentary featuring Director Carlos Saldanha, co-director Michael Thurmeier, producer Lori Forte, John C. Donkin and many more from the Bly Sky Studios crew. Entertaining commentary with some interesting tidbits of behind-the-scenes making of the film.
* Ice Age Storybook Maker - Using your remote, you can create a storybook for ages 1-5 (Bronze Age), 6-11 (Stone Age) and 12 and up (Ice Age).
* Evolution Expedition Featurette - (18:24) A tour through the George C. Page Museum at the Los Angeles LA Brea Discovery featuring Trevor Valle, Assistant Lab Supervisor. Introduction to the predators at the zoo and how they relate to the characters in the film.
* Buck: From Easel To Weasel Featurette - (7:12) The creation of Buck and how his character became to be. And the various designs to create his character and more.
* Unearthing the Lost World Featurette - (8:39) Behind-the-Scenes of "Ice Age". Interviews with cast and crew for "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs". The sketches, the character designs, 3D animation, the voice acting and more.
* Unfinished Deleted Scenes - (4:33) Featuring unfinished deleted scenes for "Mission" and "Headbutters". Although, the voice acting is heard, these are unfinished and are still in their B&W sketched out format with some animation.
* "Walk the Dinosaur" Music Video - (1:32) A short music video clip of the characters performing to the song "Walk the Dinosaur".
* Fox Movie Channel presents Making a Scene (Ice Age: The Meltdown) - (9:20) Behind-the-scenes on the making of "Ice Age: The Meltdown" featuring interviews with the crew.
* Fox Movie Channel presents In Character with John Leguizamo - (2:48) Interview with John Leguizamo about doing the voice of Sid the Sloth.
* Fox Movie Channel presents In Character with Ray Romano - (3:22) Interview with Ray Romano about doing the voice of Manny the Mammoth.
* Fox Movie Channel presents In Character with Queen Latifah - (3:06) Interview with Queen Latifah about doing the voice of Ellie the Mammoth.
* BD LIVE - Live Lookup as powered by iMDb - (5:24) Scenes from "The Third Man" left untranslated to show Holly Martin's confusion of the surroundings of postwar Vienna.
* The Scrat Pack - (2:22) Included are the following shorts: "Gone Nutty: Scrat's Missing Adventure" (4:44) and "No Time For Nuts" (6:50). Both shorts are CG animated.
* Scrat Featurettes
- The Sabre-Toothed Squirrel: Nature's Nutty Buddy (1:46) - A parody of nature films feat. Scrat.
- Scrat: From Head to Toe (Drawing Tutorial) (8:22) - Peter De Seve teaches you how to draw Scrat
- Scrat: Breaking Story -(1:50) A film-like featurette showing scientists discovering a million year old Ice Age animal known as Scrat.
- Scrat: News Report (2:28) - A continuation of the "Breaking Story" and featuring a news cast interview with the scientists about their discovery of Scrat and more.
- Falling For Scratte (8:29) - Crew talk about Scrat and why people love the character and why the creator's created Scratte.
DVD:
The accompanying DVD comes with the filmmaker's commentary featuring Director Carlos Saldanha, co-director Michael Thurmeier, producer Lori Forte, John C. Donkin and many more from the Bly Sky Studios crew. Entertaining commentary with some interesting tidbits of behind-the-scenes making of the film, trailers and a Marley meets Puppy Chow commercial.
JUDGMENT CALL:
I was actually quite pleased with "Ice Age: Dawn of...Read more›

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ICE AGE 3:DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS - Blu-Ray Movie

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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Jurassic Park Adventure Pack (Jurassic Park/ The Lost World: Jurassic Park/ Jurassic Park III) (2001) Review

Jurassic Park Adventure Pack (Jurassic Park/ The Lost World: Jurassic Park/ Jurassic Park III) (2001)
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Yeah, I know the title of this review is corny, but you have to admit that this is a pretty nice boxed set. It contains all three films from the "Jurassic Park" film series. The first film stands alone as one of the most impressive and progressive films of its time. It featured the best special effects of its time and each film builds on these effects. Let's break each film down:
"Jurassic Park" Five stars
Perhaps the greatest dinosaur film ever made, "Jurassic Park" features brilliant special effects, wonderful acting and a great plotline filled with suspense and horror. With Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough heading up a small cast of characters including Samuel L. Jackson, this film is sure to be a winner in anyone's collection. Briefly, this is the tale of a man who hopes to cash in on genetically bred dinosaurs by creating a sort of theme park that allows the average man to get an up-close-and-personal look at T-Rex, stegosaurus, and those wicked velociraptors. Of course, when a small group arrives to approve the park, things go awry. Highly recommended flick worthy of multiple views.
"The Lost World" Three Stars
The weakest flick in the series. Jeff Goldblum reprises his role from the original flick as he goes to a second island where the dinos from the original film were allowed to grow before being shipped to the park. He's there to help a small group study the dinosaurs in an environment untouched by man. Then a gang of hunters come along in a last ditch effort to save the pocketbooks of the JP stockholders and bring a T-Rex back to San Diego, CA to cash in. Unfortunately, this film was weighed down by eco-terrorism and way too many characters. Though the cast was very good, there just wasn't enough to work with here. Not worthy of many viewings, but it's nice to have in the set.
"Jurassic Park III" Four stars
The best sequel and it saves the saga from the forgettable "Lost World." This film brings back Sam Neill's character who gets conned into going back to the islands and ends up having to save the son of a wealthy and on-the-outs couple(played wittingly by William H. Macy and Tea Leoni). It has a brief but wonderful cameo by Laura Dern and takes a potshot at the purple dino, Barney. This film is the most wide open of the bunch as it ditches the suspense of the original and the morality tale of "Lost World" and goes straight for the action. It's a wonderful popcorn flick that works well for what it is. Definitely worthy of multiple viewings and definitely worth owning.
As a whole, this set is really wonderful to own. You get all three films for less than the price of two of them if you purchased each separately. The packaging is pretty cool since it resembles the opening gates that are so famous from the first film. There are plenty of extras for folks into that kind of stuff and two out of three of these films is worth watching more than once. The original flick is timeless, "JPIII" is a rollercoaster ride, and "The Lost World" is nice to have if you're a completionist. Get this set today if you can't get enough of the dino-action and dino-horror that is the "Jurassic Park Adventure Pack."

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Friday, August 12, 2011

Caveman (1981) Review

Caveman (1981)
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Everyone has a favorite "stinker" in their home video collection, and this is mine. My girlfriend thinks I'm nuts. My friends cringe and turn the other way whenever I mention it. And my family offers me "special medication" if I try and get them to watch it...again.
But what can I say; I love this film. It's banality, shallowness, and out-and-out unscientific approach to modern man's changes and discoveries throughout the eons is just hilarious to watch. It's a ridiculous film, and so should be watched with that in mind. Why?
The story is about Atouk played by former Beatle master Ringo Starr, who is kicked out of his caveman tribe by the muscular and massive chief Tonda (probably lineman John Matuszak's only role on film, I'd guess) because he's in love with the chief's woman, Lana (a VERY busty Barbara Bach).
Once out on his own, Atouk begins to make new friends. They include Lar (Dennis Quaid), Tala (Shelley Long), Gog (Jack Gilford), Ta (Cork Hubbert), and a gazillion others. Among this rag-tag grouping comes the ability to stand up straight, how to cook a dinosaur egg, how to kill a rather large dragonfly by using someone's face (my favorite part in the film...but I felt bad for Dennis Quaid), the discovery of fire, music, drugs, homosexuality, and weapons, and just about a million years of evolution and discovery all wrapped up in one short, foolish film.
So call me a moron. Go ahead, it's okay. But this film is a great no-brainer, laugh-a-minute flick.
Now I'll go grunt in the corner for while...

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Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Barbara Bach and Shelley Long band together in a hilarious love story for the ages'the stone ages! With an all-star cast and fun special effects, this cult comedyclassic is a "cheery, playful" (The New York Times) romp through BC that "aims for belly laughs and gets them" (Variety)! Prehistoric life is tough for poor, lovesick Atouk (Starr). As the smallest and weakest caveman of his tribe, he is unable to win the heart of the beautiful Lana (Bach) and is banished from the cave by Lana's mate, Tonda (NFL star John Matuszak), the hulking chief of the tribe. Forced to wander the ancient wilderness, Atouk meets a variety of unlikelyallies who, after hearing his story, want to help him get back in with his clan. And before Atouk knows it, he's the chief of his own tribe of misfits! Leading his rag-tag band of oddballs into battle, Atouk has one mission in mind: to knock Tonda off his throne and carry Lana away by her hair!

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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Dinosaurs - The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons (1991) Review

Dinosaurs - The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons (1991)
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In my opinion, the final episode of "Dinosaurs", entitled "Changing Nature", is the best final episode of ANY series ever shown on television. It gives its own comedic and touching version of why the Dinosaurs became extinct, and it has an obvious relevance to the current environmental situation. Unfortunately, it appears as if the episodes are presented on the DVD not in production order, but in release order. In other words, there are several originally unaired episodes which are presented on the disc after "Changing Nature". If you buy this set, which I heartily recommend, do yourself a favor and watch "Changing Nature" last.

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They're huge. They’re pre-hysterical. The Sinclairs are back in their final two seasons of Earth-shaking fun as they face the challenges of everyday life in sixty million and three BC. Baby turns two – and into a total terror. Daddy Earl confronts his "diaperphobia." Charlene’s theory that the world is round lands her in scholastic hot water. Robbie deals with overwhelming pubescent urges, and in the final controversial episode, the family’s jumpin' Jurassic lifestyle gets the big chill. The brainosauraus of Jim Henson, the award-winning comedy series brings state-of-the-art puppetry and audioanimatronics to the screen -- and a whole new meaning to the words "family fun." Add Seasons 3 and 4 to your collection of evolutionary entertainment – and get ready to rock your funny bones. Includes featurette "I'm the Baby, Gotta Love Me," with music video located at the end of episode five.

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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) Review

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
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Took my nephew to see it and he loved it. I thought it was hilarious as well. Why can't some of you people just enjoy the movie for its entertainment? Is there a need to pick everything apart? Wahhh waahhh just another sequel to make more money. Ok? Who cares. I thought the dinosaurs were extinct in the first one. Again who cares!! Enjoy the freakin movie!

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ICE AGE 3:DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS - DVD Movie

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Sunday, April 3, 2011

We're Back A Dinosaur's Story (1993) Review

We're Back A Dinosaur's Story (1993)
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Not unlike everything else produced under Steven Spielberg's Amblimation company, "We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story" was a critic's punching bag and a rare find for anybody who didn't catch its original 1993 release...but even more so than An American Tail - Fievel Goes West or Balto, the story of four dinosaurs in New York seems forsaken by popular animation history, with seemingly more people not even having heard of it than not. While the film does have its faults, this is a lamentable fate for a feature that puts to shame a lot of what's on the market today and whose DVD release was way overdue.
The story: four dinosaurs - Rex (John Goodman, Monsters, Inc.), Elsa (Felicity Kendall, Good Neighbors - The Complete Series 1-3), Dweeb (Charles Fleischer, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), and Woog (Rene La Vant) - gain intelligence and transported across time by the benevolent Captain Neweyes (Walter Cronkite) so they may fulfill the wishes of the children of the modern world. Dropped off in New York City, they swiftly meet up with Louie (Joey Shea) and Cecilia (Yeardley Smith, "The Simpsons") - two young runaways from opposite sides of the tracks - and find themselves fleeing from wary grown-ups as they search for the Museum of Natural History...only to find themselves the target of the spooky ringmaster Professor Screweyes (Kenneth Mars, Young Frankenstein), who harbors sinister plans for the dinosaurs...
"We're Back!" is a children's movie, first and foremost, and was most likely aimed at kids no older than nine or ten. In other words, there's limited action, few scary parts, and completely inoffensive humor. Problems are solved by talking and understanding rather than fighting, and you don't have to be told to know from the start that there's going to be a happy ending. This rather harmless approach carries over to the characters themselves: the dinosaurs are very cuddly, and generally everybody is proved to be very warm-hearted - almost too warm-hearted for me, and probably also for anybody else who grew up watching animated films where peril was commonplace.
The production, overall, is very good. In addition to Goodman, Fleischer, Smith, Kendall, and Cronkite, the cast boasts Jay Leno, Martin Short (Treasure Planet), Julia Child, and Blaze Berdahl (Ghostwriter: Season One) in supporting roles, creating one of the most unique voice ensembles for any film, and they all tend to do good jobs with their roles. Though it retains the trademark big-budget style prevalent in "Fievel" and could still go toe-to-toe with a Disney movie's visuals, the animation has a flaw: the outlines of human characters' features occasionally stuttering inbetween frames - making a nose, mouth, or pair of eyes look less defined from one second to the next. It's not a debilitating error, but is a bit disappointing to watch happen repeatedly.
What the film does hold in its favor, though, is its ability to inspire the inner child. I know it sounds corny, but consider: who hasn't dreamed of having a special friend that no one else had or seeing a real dinosaur in your own backyard...or even having a dinosaur as a special friend? That wonderful ability to warm hearts that Spielberg neglected when he began to tackle adult fare is well at work here, with New York City seeming as magical a place as any wonderland before it became associated with modern disasters. The film pulls off the nostalgia factor incredibly, taking us back to a time before animation turned to 3D and we had "Shrek" shoved down our throats. I'm not sure how much this means to other people, but this aspect saved the movie for me.
In all, it's not difficult to see why "We're Back!" didn't do very well when it was first released, but why it remains so largely unremembered continues to perplex me. Disregard the technicalities of my three-star rating and know that the film's strengths outweigh its faults effectively, and that the movie is a secret opus for fans of classical animation. Don't deprive yourself - give it a look.

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For every kid who ever wanted to meet a real dinosaur, Steven Spielberg presents We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story – the animated tale of four prehistoric pals in the most awesome adventure since the dawn of time! Join Rex, Woog, Elsa and Dweeb as they time-travel to New York City to meet their biggest fans – modern-day kids – and make all of their wildest dreams come true. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, Jay Leno, Martin Short and Rhea Perlman, We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story is a magical film the whole family will enjoy.

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