30 Day Film Challenge: The Way It Should Be Done

So the month of June is almost upon us and I wanted to do something different for that whole entire month and so I came up with a better version of the 30 Day Film Challenge. I said a better version because isn't the whole point of a challenge to challenge yourself? I mean it's easy to watch a film that you have already seen, but the real challenge is in films you have not seen. I took the time to think the list through and this is what I came up with. If you want to join in on the fun then feel free to because the more the merrier, but I will be starting this challenge on June 1ST. Check out the list below:

30 Day Film Challenge
1. A film starring your favorite actor
2. A film starring your favorite actress
3. Watch an Action film
4. Watch a Horror film
5. Watch a high rated Rotten Tomatoes film
6. Watch the lowest scored Rotten Tomatoes film
7. Watch an animated film
8. Watch a film with a number in the title
9. Watch a film from the year you were born
10.  Watch a film from your favorite director
11. Watch a film adapted from a book
12. Watch a film adapted from a play
13. Watch a foreign film
14. Watch a chick flick
15. Watch a comedy
16. Watch a film that is based on a true story
17. Watch a film that won the Oscar for Best Picture (any year)
18. Watch a Disney Channel Original film
19. Watch a film that has a color in its title
20. Watch a musical
21. Watch a movie from the 80’s or 90’s
22. Watch a film that came out before 1960
23. Watch a sci-fi film
24. Watch a Netflix Original Film
25. Watch a Lifetime/or Hallmark original film
26.  Watch any film that was nominated for Best Independent Film at the Saturn Awards
27. Watch one of the top 10 films on IMDB’s Top Rated Movies List
28. Watch one of the films that was nominated for Best picture in the year you are doing this challenge
29. Repeat any previous option (your choice)
30. Watch the worst picture winner (if not available then watch any of the nominees) for the Razzies

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)

In 2018, the Halloween franchise did something no other franchise has been able to successfully do and that was to forget every single sequel film or reboot ever made and just start over. They basically said that only the first film was cannon, brought back the original director in a producing capacity, brought back some actors, and knocked it out of the park. So, Hollywood natural follows in those footsteps because they look at numbers, So, here comes Terminator: Dark Fate which tells you to ignore everything that has happened after Terminator 2: Judgement Day and they did what I said in bringing back James Cameron as a producer and originally lead actress Linda Hamilton. It seems that the future has been changed thanks to Sarah Connor and skynet is no more, but there is just one question. Why is a terminator being brought back to the past and what does he want with Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes)? That is for Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an enhanced human from the future to answer as she tries to protect Dani from this fierce Terminator. The film also stars Gabriel Luna (Bernie) as Gabriel/Rev-9, Diego Boneta (Rock Of Ages) as Diego, Arnold Schwarzenegger (T2: Judgement Day) as Carl/T-800, Edward Furlong (T2: Judgement Day) as John Connor Reference, and the film was directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool).

Spoiler Alert: Do not read on if you do not want to know any details about the film because some information will be spoiled. One thing is for certain and that is I didn't really like the film, but there are elements that I did like about it. So, they had to explain why there was a new Terminator coming to the past if Skynet was no more and that was because if it didn't happen then how can we learn from it? They basically tell you that society was doomed to create the problem anyways because we are obsessed with AI and technology. So while Skynet is no more, there is just another company waiting in the wings to become the leaders in technology and the earth is doomed. Now, what I didn't like about the film is that for a while it felt too nostalgic and it felt like a pissing contest that hey I am way cooler because I am the original savior. The other problem is that Grace's story which in turn is also Dani's story is just so uninteresting to begin with. Why are we supposed to care about someone who becomes a super soldier? It was one of those moments when I was like OK let's move on. The other thing was Arnold Schwarzenegger appearance in this film because if we are ignoring all the sequels then he shouldn't exist. Well what made sense is that Skynet had dispatched multiple Terminators and this one caught up to Sarah Connor in the past, but what he becomes is a little lame. You're meaning to tell me that after almost 30 years, you wife can't tell that you are a robot? There was just too much wrong with the story to care about the action making up for it. I know the film did well in the box office (it at least made it's money back and then a little some), but hopefully this is the last of the franchise. I am going to give the film an C- for a final grade.

Phantom Of The Megaplex (2000)

Disney is a company that has been entertaining us for countless generations with their cartoons, films, and TV shows. When the Disney Channel started in 1983, they had to give us programming which meant original TV and films and it all started with Tiger Town. Unfortunately, there are a heck of a lot of Disney Channel original movies that I have missed over the years and Disney + is my ticket and I chose 2000's Phantom Of The Megaplex for today. The film stars Taylor Handley (Battle Los Angeles) as Pete Riley, the youngest assistant manager in the Megaplex theater's history. Well, Pete's skills are put to the test on the night of a huge Hollywood premiere when the Phantom of the Megaplex shows up and starts trying to sabotage the event. The film also stars Mickey Rooney (Breakfast At Tiffany's) as Movie Mason, Corinne Bohrer (Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol) as Julie Riley, Caitlin Wachs (Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood) as Karen Riley, Jacob Smith (Small Soldiers) as Brian Riley, Rich Hutchman (Transformers: Dark Of The Moon) as Shawn, Colin Fox (Tommy Boy) as Nedermeyer, Ricky Mabe (Preacher) as Ricky, Julia Chantrey (Mean Girls) as Terri, Joanne Boland (Saw IV) as Hilary, Larissa Gomes (Saw VI) as Madison, and the film was directed by Blair Treu (Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy).

This was definitely an interesting movie to say the least, but there is a reason that it was a made for TV movie. These were films that were made to be enjoyed by kids and certainly were not going to be nominated for Oscars for best picture or anything. Although isn't that the beauty about watching these kinds of films in that you're just supposed to go in and enjoy the cheesiness of a film like this that structurally was well written. They have all of the subplots laid out right in front of the main plot as we are also trying to answer the question of just who is the Phantom of the Megaplex? You are probably going to be a lot like me and you'll suspect one man throughout the film that it has to be him, but when it is revealed as to who it really is, you're like I should have seen that coming. The acting for the most part is pretty made for TV-esque in where some are a little over the top when it comes to their acting which includes Rooney if you ask me. The character he portrays is your typical old guy and I understand that, but he'll go from bast shit crazy old man to charming old man all in one film. Some of the scenes in the film are a little cheesy as well, but what you can expect from a Disney Channel film other than family oriented entertainment cause they're not going to push the envelope. It was definitely a fun film to watch considering I work in the theater business myself, but this is a one and done for me. So, I am going to give the film an C- for a final grade.

Deep Cover (1992)

It's funny to me that 28 years ago, the only reason that I knew that a film called Deep Cover existed was because of a Gangsta Rap track of the same name by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. The other funny thing is that I waited till now to check the film out, but better late than never is what I always say. The film stars Laurence Fishburne (Boyz n the Hood) as Russell Stevens Jr., a cop with a bit of a past. You see when he was a kid, he saw his father rob a liquor store only to be shot in the back and killed before he could get away. Russell swore that he would never lead the same life that his father did and he became a cop. Well one day, he is tasked with going deep undercover as a drug dealer to try and take down a drug dealing ring that is looking to expand it's horizons. The film also stars Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park) as David, Gregory Sierra (The Towering Inferno) as Barbosa, Roger Guenveur Smith (Dope) as Eddie, Clarence Williams III (Tales From The Hood) as Taft, René Assa (Baywatch) as Guzman, Victoria Dillard (Coming To America) as Betty, Charles Martin Smith (The Untouchables) as Carver, Julio Oscar Mechoso (Planet Terror) as Hernandez, and the film was directed by Bill Duke (Commando).

For the most part, it was a decent film in the fact that it kept my attention for the whole film and why not it has Jeff Goldblum as a gangster wannabe drug dealer in it. For the most part, I was just not impressed with the writing in this film because some of it felt rushed and to be honest I could have done without the child angle. We already know that Fishburne's character is a good guy, but I suppose that the kid represents the innocence that he once had before he went deep undercover. I thought Clarence Williams III was his usual brilliant self playing some sort of intense, whacked out character, but the question is did he know that Fishburne was a cop? He would always preach the religion stuff and tell them that they were the same, but in the end I think that Fishburne sort of looked at him like he represented a father figure in some weird way. Other than the writing, I thought that everyone did a fantastic job as far as the acting was concerned, but Fishburne had this moment where it was supposed to be a loss of his moral code. It's that moment when a character in a film has lived to a certain code for a while, but then something happens that he goes against it and that happened to Fishburne's character, but I wish they had expanded on it better. If you love old 90's gangster/undercover cop films then this is one to give a shot to for at least Goldblum's performance which was fantastic. I am going to give the film an C+/B- (somewhere in there) for a final grade.

Godsend (2004)

You will notice over time that there are certain actors in the world that I am trying to knock down their filmography because of how legendary they are or I just want to see more from a certain actor. Robert De Niro (The Irishman) is definitely one of those actors whose had a legendary career and I am just trying to watch a lot of his films which is why I chose Godsend for today besides the fact it was showing for free on Youtube. How many of us in the world have lost a loved one whether it be that they left this earth too soon? That is what happened to Paul and Jessica Duncan (Greg Kinnear & Rebecca Romijn) who lost their son Adam (Cameron Bright) who was hit by a car. That is when they are approached by Richard Wells, a famous Doctor who specializes in children approaches them with an idea of bringing back Adam through stem cell research. The only problem is that the procedure is successful, but once the new Adam approaches the death age of his original self he begins to change and have night terrors that worry the Duncans. The film also stars Munro Chambers (Turbo Kid) as Max, Deborah Odell (Horseman) as Tanya, and the film was directed by Nick Hamm (The Hole).

Godsend is one of those films where they tease what kind of an amazing decision it is to basically clone a child then all of a sudden they turn the tables and here are the negatives about cloning. The great thing about this lesson in why you shouldn't is because there is a twist at the end of the film that I definitely didn't see coming. I definitely thought that Greg Kinnear did an excellent job in the film and I would even say he was the MVP of the film. I'm not saying that Rebecca Romijn did bad in the film, but she didn't carry the film like Kinnear did as he commanded the screen. Robert De Niro was kind of a minor character in a way where he was only in certain parts of the film, but when he is there he commands the screen as well. I also have to say that I didn't think Cameron Bright did a bad job, but he just wasn't interesting enough at times when he would change to his evil self. He didn't do a great job of revealing it like Jackson Robert Scott did in The Prodigy. The film is definitely worth checking out for free on Youtube, but would I own it? Probably not if I am being honest, but there are things to like like the overall tones of the film is very gloomy even after Adam's birth. The cinematography for the film is very good as well, but it gets better when they move to the rural town. So, I am going to say at least give it a watch and I am going to give it ab B- for a final grade.

Overlord (2018)

The first time I saw the trailer to today's film, I knew it was a film that I wanted to see, but I never had the chance to until now. In a lot of Adolf Hitler's speeches, you always heard this thing about a thousand year reich and you wondered what in the hell was he talking about and how would he even achieve that? Well, what if we took that statement and we expanded on it for a film and that is today's film's Overlord which was directed by Julius Avery (Son Of A Gun) and the film is about a group of soldiers that are tasked with having to blow up a radio tower in a small French town so that the US can begin storming the beaches in Normandy. The only problem is that when they get there it proves to be challenging and they discover just what kind of sinister plans the Nazis have to accomplish this 1000 year goal. The film stars Jovan Adepo (Fences) as Boyce, Wyatt Russell (22 Jump Street) as Ford, Mathilde Ollivier (The Misfortunes of François Jane) as Chloe, Pilou Asbæk (Game Of Thrones) as Wafner, John Magaro (The Big Short) as Tibbet, Iain De Caestecker (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D) as Chase, Dominic Applewhite (The King's Speech) as Rosenfeld, and Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man: Homecoming) as Rensin.

If you are looking for Saving Private Ryan, Flags Of Our Fathers, or any other World War 2 movie like that then turn away because this is more in the style of Inglorious Basterds than that. This is just supposed to be a fun monster movie that happens to take place during the second World War and it would have played at a Grindhouse. I thought the film was a lot of fun and you see this transformation in Jovan Adepo's character where he is this grunt that is not respected by his peers because he's afraid and his head is just not in the game. Over the course of the film, that begins to change as he is just put through the ringer and he begins to get hardened by the war or at least in the situation they are in. There is one thing that I did like about the film and that is they have no idea what these re-animated corpses are. They are not calling them zombies because that term hasn't been thrown around a lot and Boyce can't seem to explain what he has seen. As far as they know, this serum is masking them into super soldiers that just kill everything they see in sight. The special effects are great in my opinion and it's no surprise as they have J.J. Abrams as a producer and that gunfire that we see in the opening sequence is terrifying. The makeup special effects were also amazing and I loved what they did with Wafner towards the end because they make him the true super villain of the film. If you want something fun to watch that is also bad ass at times then check out Overlord. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.