My Pet Dinosaur stars Jordan Dulieu as Jake Emory, a young boy living in a small town apparently besieged by UFOs and secretive government experiments. After discovering a mysterious slimy substance with his friends, Jake accidentally brings a small reptilian creature to life, naming it Magnus. As his newfound friend begins to grow, Jake struggles to keep Magnus hidden from his troubled family and the military outfit attempting to cover up their nefarious activities.

Sharing in the nostalgic trend that we’ve been seeing a lot in current film and television, this simple premise is an obvious homage to 80s family films, borrowing elements from movies like ET: The Extraterrestrial and even The Goonies, then remixing them in a smartphone-generation-friendly package. While the idea is solid, My Pet Dinosaur ends up feeling almost like a parody of this genre instead of a good example of it. At times, it’s almost as if the filmmakers were simply going down a checklist of what’s expected in this sort of movie, rather than allowing the script to develop on its own terms.

In all honesty, there’s nothing particularly offensive about this film, as almost every aspect of the production was handled competently, and even the digital effects are surprisingly solid for a low-budget family picture (well, most of the time). However, it’s hard to shake the feeling that there’s some vital creative spark missing from nearly every scene, making this story seem way too familiar.

These questionable creative decisions are also coupled with a few production slip-ups, as the film is constantly trying to cover up the fact that it was produced by an Australian crew. The movie would actually have been a lot more interesting if it simply accepted the fact that it was set in Australia and incorporated that into the story somehow. There are also a few instances of awkward line delivery, but I don’t think it’s fair to expect Oscar-worthy performances from kids in a low-budget Australian dinosaur flick.

Surprisingly, this isn’t Drummond’s first dinosaur-themed outing, as he also wrote and directed Dinosaur Island back in 2014, a film with similar problems to this one, but which I ended enjoying quite a bit more. Curiously, though that movie was praised for its unique depiction of feathered dinosaurs, My Pet Dinosaur’s commitment to scientific accuracy is dubious at best with its fantasy-like designs.

I can’t truthfully claim that My Pet Dinosaur is an awful movie, but personally, I can’t quite get over its formulaic approach to storytelling. Some of the effects work can be impressive, and there are a few legitimately heartfelt moments and clever references sprinkled throughout the feature, but in the end, you’ve definitely seen this film before. Some younger viewers might be more willing to appreciate this movie, but if given the choice, I think they’d still prefer to re-watch ET on Netflix.

My Pet Dinosaur is available now on VOD!

The post [Review] ‘My Pet Dinosaur’ is Missing a Creative Spark appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After a near-drowning in a lake, and what she experienced while underwater, Madison (Michelle Mylett) has developed hydrophobia, or a fear of water. Crippled by the fear, she misses her best friend Hanna’s (Caroline Korycki) wedding, where Madison was to be the maid of honour. Madison’s friends enlist the help of a psychic medium (Clare Bastable) to try and help Madison face her fear. Unfortunately for the group, the intervention only unleashes what was initially only fixated on Madison — The Drownsman. Now The Drownsman is after Madison’s friends, able to appear in any body of water and pull them into his lair to be drowned. Madison must now find a way to stop The Drownsman before he takes them all.

I have to say, that while the concept of the film is derivative (Wes Craven, anyone?), I do find the idea of a killer potentially popping out of any body of water pretty intriguing. It opens up so much potential for what you can do, and it’s clear that director Chad Archibald (who also co-wrote the story) is a fan of 80s horror. There’s a focus on the psychological horror rather than gore. Having something so innocuous as a glass of water as a potential portal for The Drownsman to reach through is a definite plus. Add in some nice camerawork with good use of shadows, and it’s an impressive-looking film.

Of course, the main draw is The Drownsman himself. Working within budget and mood, we never really get a good look at The Drownsman until much later. Keeping the creep in the shadows and low-lit scenes also heightens the effectiveness of the makeup, which is honestly pretty cool on its own. To complement The Drownsman, his lair is also quite the mood maintainer. Sure it looks like your typical sunken ship, but the set is appropriately creepy. With his appearance, presence and all of this potential, do we actually find out how he came to be, and his motivations beyond just being a psychopathic killer?

Disappointingly no, which is what can be said of a lot of The Drownsman. Seems that in crafting the story for the film, Archibald forgot to give attention to the substance. For starters, the film’s characters are flat and underdeveloped. While Mylett does a great job of portraying Madison, she’s not given a lot to work with, leaving the character practically interchangeable with the other girls, who are just as undeveloped. Frustrating is the idea that Hanna (who was just married the day before) ignores giving attention to her husband, and instead devotes her time to Madison. Plus, why would you hire a psychic for someone with what appears to be a psychological problem? The Drownsman character amounts to nothing more than a few grunts. We don’t find out how he came to be this supernatural force, we just get a silent, one-note killer. Sure that works in other films, but those films at least put the time into establishing and building up the antagonist in some form. Hell, Freddy is given his motivations and a bit of his background, which counterbalances the fact that we never find out why he has his power. That made the character scary. The Drownsman character isn’t afforded that luxury, especially given the film’s 86 minute runtime. Add in the fact that the story unfolds over a couple of days rather than a single day or night makes these issues stick out even more.

The Drownsman could have most definitely been a nice throwback to 80s horror with some great potential in a water-borne killer, but instead falls flat thanks to an equally-flat and undeveloped script. Stylistically impressive, the film lacks the innards that would have made it memorable and a blast to watch. Instead, we’re given characters for which we couldn’t about, a villain that lacks staying power, and a story that compounds those problems even more. Watch it out of curiosity, but you’ll be wanting to go back to A Nightmare On Elm Street right afterwards to see how a film like this should be done.

Video/Audio:

Presented in AVC-encoded 1080p 2.39:1 widescreen, the video sports some great detail, courtesy of the RED Epic camera. Skin details are always clear, as are the makeup effects for the killer. Colours are well-defined and consistent, even in lower-lit scenes. Black levels are also strong, although there was some slight banding in spots, and the picture noise does creep up near the end of the film. Overall, the image is very good, and typically what you’d expect from a RED camera.

Audio-wise, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless track is also strong, except for one glaring problem. While the ambient effects such as water drips take full advantage of the surrounds and the subwoofer gets in some good punches, the overall mix is weird. The score isn’t given as much a priority as it should, and the dialogue is placed way too high in the mix, resulting in clipping during certain moments. It’s a nice compliment to the video, but the mix definitely needed to be tweaked.

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Billy (Jamie Dufault) is a devout Christian who sings in the church choir, but longs to express himself in another way. His non-Christian girlfriend, Shannon (Sarah Nicklin), suggests Billy join her community theater group, headed by director Lou Perdition (Steven O’Broin). At first Billy is unsure of how to deal with those outside of his religious circle, but it soon becomes a regular activity. Unfortunately for the group, Perdition has ulterior motives. Namely, he plans to use his latest production, Jonestown Jubilee, as a means to provide the innocent blood needed to resurrect Count Dracula himself (Michael Thurber) and build an army of undead misfits.

Chemistry between principal actors is always key in a film, but especially so in a film such as this. Thankfully, there’s great chemistry between Nicklin and Dufault. The two have made appearances in Griffin’s previous films and are seemingly at home here, bouncing their lines off each other and other actors with believable smoothness. O’Broin as Lou Perdition is also quite good. There’s a good mix of flamboyance and menace that while you can easily see the character’s sinister motives, it still works. Taking a cue from Hammer horror films, Thurber doesn’t talk a lot as the Drac Man, but lets his presence and body language do it for him and makes it fun.

As touched on previously, The Sins of Dracula is meant to be a satire of those Christian scare films that browbeat viewers into following the straight-and-narrow. The parody works for the most part, poking fun at the stereotype while also being funny (Dufault’s talk with God where he convinces himself to sleep with Shannon is a highlight). The film also scores points with various homages to 80s horror films. Not content with just the Hammer horror Dracula, Griffin also throws in a nice reference to Dario Argento with the use of coloured lighting (I miss that), as well as dropping references to The Lost Boys and Fright Night. It all makes for a fun time when the jokes are on point.

Negatives are in the minor. Some of the jokes, while funny, don’t quite hit the mark as they were intended. As such, some of the material ends up coming off feeling a little on the awkward side. Aside from the main cast, the supporting actors aren’t quite as strong with their performances, making their characters feel uneven when compared to Dufault’s and Nicklin’s performances. Lastly, while I dug the majority of the practical effects, some that were used as an establishing shot sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s a small complaint, but it felt incredibly awkward, especially when compared to the rest of the film.

Overall, The Sins of Dracula is a nice slice of satire, helped along the way with some great acting and multiple nods to classic 80s horror. While the humour might not always connect, there are still plenty of moments that do elicit a chuckle. Dufault and Nicklin are a treat as an onscreen couple, and Thurber does a nice homage to Christopher Lee’s Dracula in his performance. While it’s not for everyone, those in the mood would do well to check this one out.

Video/Audio:

Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, the video presentation boasts some great colour and good detail (love the coloured lighting). Being shot digitally, there’s little in terms of film grain. Overall, it’s nothing that’s going to blow you away, but it looks as high quality as it can be for an indie film.

As is with the video, the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is adequate. Dialogue is clear and easily understood with no level issues. There’s no distortion or hiss present to distract. Again, nothing spectacular, but it’s presentable.

Extras:

First up are two audio commentary tracks. The first one has director Richard Griffin and writer Michael Varrati talking about the origins of the film, its look visually and in costumes (and how many 80s references ended up on the cutting room floor), behind the scenes tidbits and more. Quite the informative track.

For the second commentary, Griffin and Varrati are joined by actors Sarah Nicklin and Jamie Dufault. This is the more livelier of the two tracks, as the group discusses the planning of the sex scene (and how Dufault looked like “a milk bottle with shoes”), how Dufault’s singing was actually dubbed by his brother, the actors’ theatrical backgrounds and how it prepared them for certain scenes, and talk of scenes that were cut for pacing.

Lastly, there’s a short film (more like a trailer) called “They Stole The Pope’s Blood” (which was banned in 47 countries, especially Peru). It’s done in the typical Grindhouse style, complete with bad dubbing, faded and scratched-up video. The premise for the film has criminals stealing a vial of Pope Jean Paul’s blood from the Vatican, and features gangsters, Scotland Yard detectives, nuns and Nazis. Goofy fun.

As a bonus that you sadly don’t see very often these days, there’s an Easter Egg where Jamie Dufault ad-libs progressively dirtier sex talk for several minutes while filming his love scene with Nicklin.

Given the two commentaries, this is a nice little package for the film, although sadly we don’t get the film’s actual trailer.

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Below is a gallery of 18 album covers. However, the band’s name on these pictures has been removed or isn’t visible. What you need to do is see if you can guess the right album cover when presented with the band name. There’s only one album cover per band.

Trust me when I say that it starts out easy but definitely becomes a challenge. I’m not going to post my score because I’m rather ashamed. However, I have a feeling that some true metalheads here will hit that perfect 18/18!

Give it your best show below and let us know how you did!

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