30 Day Movie Challenge: Day 4- Blood Quantum (2020)

We are now well into our 30 day movie challenge (done the right way) and today was a day that I was looking forward to the most because today called for a horror film and I am a huge horror freak. So to help me on this journey of fulfillment, I turned to the one horror app everyone should have in Shudder to help me find my film. The movie that I chose for today gained a lot of buzz due to covid-19 and that film is 2020's Shudder exclusive Blood Quantum which was written, directed, music by, and edited by Jeff Barnaby (Rhymes For Young Ghouls). Something strange is happening near the isolated Mi'gMaq reserve of Red Crow as the dead keep coming back to life. The kicker to all this is the only ones immune to this pandemic are the Native Americans that live in this reserve. The film stars Michael Greyeyes (Fear The Walking Dead) as Traylor, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open) as Joss, Forrest Goodluck (The Miseducation of Cameron Post) as Joseph, Kiowa Gordon (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) as Lysol, Olivia Scriven (Degrassi: The Next Generation) as Charlie, Stonehorse Lone Goeman as Gisigu, Brandon Oakes (Bad Blood) as Bumper, William Belleau (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) as Shooker, Devery Jacobs (American Gods) as James, and Gary Farmer (The Score) as Moon.

This was actually a very interesting take on the zombie genre and thank whoever for that because we have had the zombie genre shoved down our throats forever now so it's nice to see it done differently. My screenwriting professor once told me that you can choose to do this particular genre and this particular type of film, but what are you bringing to the table that is fresh and new? If you do not have anything fresh or new to bring then you are just mimicking what everyone else has already down and there is nothing wrong with that if you are paying tribute. I lied the fact that this pure blood Native Americans were immune to the virus because I think the film was a play on the actual Blood Quantum Laws which was a way for the United States to be able to judge who was full blooded whatever. It was a way for the government to control how things were done and if you want to read more, then click here. The film actually has some pretty sick kills within and one character even has his penis ripped off and you see the girl chowing down on it like it's a Johnsonville Bratwurst. The film's subplots are there, but there very subtle at times, but they do play a big effect in what happens towards the end of the film so pay attention to relationships. Some details are hazy and what I mean is is this zombie thing a nationwide problem or only a problem int his reservation town. Other than that, I really liked it and I recommend it to anyone looking for something different in their zombie genre. I am giving the film an A- for a final grade.

The Score (2001)

I have always been a fan of the one and only Robert De Niro and as you can tell I have already seen him Godsend, Silver Linings Playbook, Limitless, and Ronin. There was always one film that was lost in the bunch that I had always wanted to see for the reason of who starred alongside De Niro and the film is called The Score which was directed by Frank Oz (The Muppets Take Manhattan) and released in 2001. The film stars De Niro and veteran safe cracker Nick who believes in his heart of hearts that he has done his last job because he wants a little bit of normalcy. That is until his long time partner Max (the late Marlon Brando) convinces him to take one last job with a hot shot newbie that is guaranteed to make them some big money. The film also stars Edward Norton (Keeping The Faith) as Jack/Brian, Angela Bassett (Olympus Has Fallen) as Diane, Gary Farmer (Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai) as Burt, Paul Soles (The Incredible Hulk) as Danny, Jamie Harrold (Natural Born Killers) as Steven, Serge Houde (The Kennedys) as Laurent, Jean-René Ouellet (The Barbarian Invasions) as Andre, Martin Drainville (King Of The Airways) as Jean-Claude, and Claude Despins (Ceci n'est pas un polar) as Albert.

This was an excellent film that really was all about Robert De Niro and Edward Norton as everyone else were just supporting cast. I think they could have done the whole film with literal nobodies and it would have been great with just those two. I loved that Marlon Brando was in the film because he was a legend, but his character could have been played by just about anyone. I am not saying he did a terrible job, but his character was kind of unmemorable. One thing I will say is that I loved most of the film that showed the setup of the operation and what not, but the last 35 minutes of the film is where all the excitement is because there's the anxiety of whether they accomplish it or not plus there is some backstabbing through in along with some master trickery. That last 35 minutes is definitely worth the price of admission and it ended the film on a high note. The number one lesson is that you may be the young gun, but you do not mess with a guy with experience whose been around the block because he will school you. The writing for the film was on point as it never really felt like there were holes that were left unfilled and there was always some sort of risk reward that was definitely worth it. The cinematography was great with all of the amazing shots of Montreal along with all of the action shots during the actual heist. So, I am going to come and say that I definitely suggest this film for anyone who loves De Niro and Norton because they put on quite the masterful performance. Therefore, I am going to go and give the film an A- for a final grade.