Post by Quorthon on Nov 16, 2007 12:53:45 GMT -5
Black Sheep
Horror/Comedy
2006
Color
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: Jonathan King
New Zealand
No. This isn’t that movie where David Spade and Chris Farley essentially remade Tommy Boy. This is a completely different kind of film. This is a horror movie from New Zealand. And unlike that “other” Black Sheep movie, this one actually has quite a bit to do with actual sheep.
Mutant killer sheep, that is. At it’s core, this is a pretty average horror film with a pretty average horror story. Unlikely grouping of people get together and end up fighting a mysterious, though immensely threatening hoard of mutant killer… sheep. Yes. Sheep. Who are sorta like “were-sheep.” If you get bitten by a mutant sheep, then you will turn into a monstrous, mutant, man-sheep or sheep-man or… well, okay, something like a were-sheep, but without the convenient ability to turn back into a human. However, all the sheep in a large New Zealand ranch get infected, some people are killed, others mutated, and the heroes struggle to overcome their own demons to face the, eh, sheep… demons… Hey, I know, it sounds like some Sci-Fi Channel original trite, but it’s actually much higher quality than most of that stuff.
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--Actually, this isn’t all that bad of a film, believe it or not.
--For those like me, the gore was very entertaining. Actually pretty inventive and pretty high quality, overall. No CG gore!
--Believe it or not, the music was of an incredibly high quality. Who would’ve thought?
--The movie is pretty silly, overall. Not stupid, not retarded, not dumb or lame. Silly is about the only word to describe it. They took what, on the surface, could be little more than your average Sci-Fi Channel piece of crap (the story certainly fits with most of the shlock they do), but it has some real depth and effort put into it which negates what would normally be a very “B” or even “C” picture into something entertaining with a wash of quality.
--Nice cinematography, classically inspired—none of these modern techniques (like the shaky camera in Saw or bullet-time) that Hollywood uses to “glitz-n-glam up” an otherwise mediocre offering.
--Genuinely humorous and entertaining dialog and scenes. The hippie heroine girl was given some of the most ludicrous things to say in an effort to make fun of the whole “earth-loving, total vegan, crusader neo-hippie” trend.
--Pretty decent character development, although the “guy with a phobia of sheep” is a plot device, it’s also played for laughs.
--Decent number of surprises and unique moments scattered throughout.
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--Little to no actual CG pretty much anywhere in the film. It’s done in that classic way, puppetry, costumes, make-up effects, camera tricks and the like. It’s refreshing to see that in a horror film these days where we are overly bombarded by Hollywood-esque reliance on CG effects.
-- This movie is not exactly a horror comedy, nor is it some horror film that takes itself too seriously. It’s essentially an old-school horror film with a retro vibe to it (harkening back to the “mutant creatures on the loose” stories), and a decent mix of fun dialog and interesting characters to mingle with some generally good special effects and atmosphere.
--The story and style of the film will not appeal to everyone. Like I said, it has a tendency to be silly, but then, this is a pretty silly story. The overall feel was one that the filmmakers knew that while they were indeed working with a topical issue (genetic engineering), that they also were working with one which made sheep into monsters.
--Some of the dialog and acting isn’t perfect. Most is pretty good. The hippie people have pretty much the worst lines in the movie, but it’s clearly intentional.
--You can’t help but laugh at some parts of this film. But to be fair, overall the film is pretty damn fun.
The Bad:
--Some story elements are a little unclear. At one time, it sounds like the head scientist woman was actually trying to mutate people into sheep (or something like that), but little is explained about the whole “whys” of the science that mutated these fun-loving powder puffs into meat-eating monsters. It’s just a general “genetic engineering is bad” parable stuffed in there.
--Some predictable elements, a scant few dull parts.
--A cab driver is waiting for the main character in the movie. Halfway through, all of a sudden he’s forgotten! Whaaa…?
--As is typical in a film of this nature, some of the elements of horror are hurt by the humor, even though the overall atmosphere works pretty well.
The Ugly:
--Baby mutant sheep.
Memorable Scene:
--Man really loves his sheep…
Acting: 8/10
Story: 6/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Character Development: 8/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10
Dialog: 8/10
Music: 9/10
Direction: 8/10
Nudity: 1/10
Sexuality: 2/10
Violence: 7/10
Gore: 8/10
Cheesiness: 5/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 7/10
Overall, this film is pretty damn enjoyable and pretty entertaining. Some minor quips. Not for everyone, to be sure, but relatively high quality. Recommended to horror fans, especially those that like some gore and humor in their horror.
Horror/Comedy
2006
Color
MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: Jonathan King
New Zealand
No. This isn’t that movie where David Spade and Chris Farley essentially remade Tommy Boy. This is a completely different kind of film. This is a horror movie from New Zealand. And unlike that “other” Black Sheep movie, this one actually has quite a bit to do with actual sheep.
Mutant killer sheep, that is. At it’s core, this is a pretty average horror film with a pretty average horror story. Unlikely grouping of people get together and end up fighting a mysterious, though immensely threatening hoard of mutant killer… sheep. Yes. Sheep. Who are sorta like “were-sheep.” If you get bitten by a mutant sheep, then you will turn into a monstrous, mutant, man-sheep or sheep-man or… well, okay, something like a were-sheep, but without the convenient ability to turn back into a human. However, all the sheep in a large New Zealand ranch get infected, some people are killed, others mutated, and the heroes struggle to overcome their own demons to face the, eh, sheep… demons… Hey, I know, it sounds like some Sci-Fi Channel original trite, but it’s actually much higher quality than most of that stuff.
Here’s the breakdown:
The Good:
--Actually, this isn’t all that bad of a film, believe it or not.
--For those like me, the gore was very entertaining. Actually pretty inventive and pretty high quality, overall. No CG gore!
--Believe it or not, the music was of an incredibly high quality. Who would’ve thought?
--The movie is pretty silly, overall. Not stupid, not retarded, not dumb or lame. Silly is about the only word to describe it. They took what, on the surface, could be little more than your average Sci-Fi Channel piece of crap (the story certainly fits with most of the shlock they do), but it has some real depth and effort put into it which negates what would normally be a very “B” or even “C” picture into something entertaining with a wash of quality.
--Nice cinematography, classically inspired—none of these modern techniques (like the shaky camera in Saw or bullet-time) that Hollywood uses to “glitz-n-glam up” an otherwise mediocre offering.
--Genuinely humorous and entertaining dialog and scenes. The hippie heroine girl was given some of the most ludicrous things to say in an effort to make fun of the whole “earth-loving, total vegan, crusader neo-hippie” trend.
--Pretty decent character development, although the “guy with a phobia of sheep” is a plot device, it’s also played for laughs.
--Decent number of surprises and unique moments scattered throughout.
Didn’t Hurt It, Didn’t Help:
--Little to no actual CG pretty much anywhere in the film. It’s done in that classic way, puppetry, costumes, make-up effects, camera tricks and the like. It’s refreshing to see that in a horror film these days where we are overly bombarded by Hollywood-esque reliance on CG effects.
-- This movie is not exactly a horror comedy, nor is it some horror film that takes itself too seriously. It’s essentially an old-school horror film with a retro vibe to it (harkening back to the “mutant creatures on the loose” stories), and a decent mix of fun dialog and interesting characters to mingle with some generally good special effects and atmosphere.
--The story and style of the film will not appeal to everyone. Like I said, it has a tendency to be silly, but then, this is a pretty silly story. The overall feel was one that the filmmakers knew that while they were indeed working with a topical issue (genetic engineering), that they also were working with one which made sheep into monsters.
--Some of the dialog and acting isn’t perfect. Most is pretty good. The hippie people have pretty much the worst lines in the movie, but it’s clearly intentional.
--You can’t help but laugh at some parts of this film. But to be fair, overall the film is pretty damn fun.
The Bad:
--Some story elements are a little unclear. At one time, it sounds like the head scientist woman was actually trying to mutate people into sheep (or something like that), but little is explained about the whole “whys” of the science that mutated these fun-loving powder puffs into meat-eating monsters. It’s just a general “genetic engineering is bad” parable stuffed in there.
--Some predictable elements, a scant few dull parts.
--A cab driver is waiting for the main character in the movie. Halfway through, all of a sudden he’s forgotten! Whaaa…?
--As is typical in a film of this nature, some of the elements of horror are hurt by the humor, even though the overall atmosphere works pretty well.
The Ugly:
--Baby mutant sheep.
Memorable Scene:
--Man really loves his sheep…
Acting: 8/10
Story: 6/10
Atmosphere: 7/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Character Development: 8/10
Special Effects/Make-up: 9/10
Dialog: 8/10
Music: 9/10
Direction: 8/10
Nudity: 1/10
Sexuality: 2/10
Violence: 7/10
Gore: 8/10
Cheesiness: 5/10
Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 7/10
Overall, this film is pretty damn enjoyable and pretty entertaining. Some minor quips. Not for everyone, to be sure, but relatively high quality. Recommended to horror fans, especially those that like some gore and humor in their horror.
