Good Kids (2016)

After watching the film that I did the day before, I was looking for something to make up for it and I couldn't find a different title. So, I decided that I would once again catch another film from my latest Hollywood crush in Zoey Deutch (Buffaloed) as we watch 2016's Good Kids which was written and directed by Chris McCoy (The Bicycle). The film evolves around four friends who have spent their whole lives in school being good and building up for their futures in College that they forgot to enjoy themselves. So for their last summer before they head off to college, they decided to make a summer of yes and just get wild and adventurous, but even that comes with a cost. The film stars Nicholas Braun (The Year Of Spectacular Men) as Andy, Deutch as Nora, Mateo Arias (Yours, Mine & Ours) as The Lion, Israel Broussard (Happy Death Day) as Spice, Ashley Judd (Kiss The Girls) as Gabby,  Demián Bichir (The Nun) as Yaco, David Coussins (Born Guilty) as Erland, Dayo Okeniyi (See) as Conch, Julia Garner (We Are What We Are) as Tinsley, Virginia Gardner (Halloween 2018) as Emily, Brett Wyman (Dumb And Dumber To) as Plymouth Rock, Eduardo Fernandez-Baumann (Love Is All You Need) as Salavatore, and Nick Chambers (It's Not Funny Anymore) as Cop.

This movie is what would happen if you took the kids from Good Boys as they continued to stay good kids throughout the rest of their school years and then filmed them in a movie again when they're 18. The only thing is that the kids from Good Boys were a lot funnier, but don't take anything away from the Good Kids because they provided me with some really good laughs too. I enjoyed the film because it took everything it meant to be an 18 year old inexperienced kid with no real life experience and summed it up to a T because part of the film was my life and I remember all the awkward moments. I also remember all of the triumphs that came along too and that is what made this film so enjoyable to watch besides the fact that it took place down in Cape Cod (well, it was really filmed in Boston and Duxbury). I kept thinking to myself how I was so jealous that Andy was getting with Ashley Judd who looked fantastic in this film and she is still a fox. I have to say that one of my favorite characters in the film was definitely The Lion who I kept wondering does this kid really know Tai Chi, but when you find out he definitely does not disappoint. One thing that was very prototypical of the type of film we watched is that it has that a-typical storyline where friend finally notices that female friend of the group is actually hot and he becomes jealous. I don't blame them for using it because it was an effective sub plot to use in the film. I thought that this was a really good film and I am happy that I did and with that being said, I am giving the film an B for a final grade.

The Year Of Spectacular Men (2018)

I had to take some time off from checking out a Zoey Deutch (Vincent N Roxxy) film, but after taking some time off I was ready to jump back in. The film I decided to check out is one big family affair as the film The Year Of Spectacular Men was written and stars Madelyn Deutch (Outcast) and it features and was directed by Lea Thompson (Back To The Future) who is their mother (in real life and in the film). Madelyn plays Izzy Klein, a young woman who has just finished college, but can't seem to keep a relationship going. After her boyfriend in New York breaks up with her, she decides to move to LA to be closer to her older sister Sabrina (Zoey) while trying to navigate through life and all of it's challenges including men, finding a job, and more. The film also stars Cameron Monaghan (Vampire Academy) as Ross, Brandon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder) as Logan, Zach Roerig (As The World Turns) as Mikey,  Nicholas Braun (The Stanford Prison Experiment) as Charlie, Jesse Bradford (Bring It On) as Aaron,  Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Sebastian, Melissa Bolona (Acts Of Violence) as Amythyst Stone, D.W. Moffett (How to Get Away with Murder) as Teacher, and Troy Evans (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) as Sketch.

It's a rare occasion when I choose a film and I don't end up enjoying it because I try picking based on what the story is about and what people have said about it. When it came to this film I had no idea that Zoey was the supporting actress, but in the end it didn't matter because this was a really good film. I thought it was actually an enjoyable film to watch and while I must admit that it is a chick flick, I think this may be one that men can enjoy as well. Madelyn who I had no idea was Zoey's sister actually did a fantastic job both in writing the film and in acting because she played a super quirky kind of girl very well in the film. I love how Zoey played the sister who becomes an actress and is entangled in the Hollywood life. There is one point in which they keep referencing a film that she worked on with Zac Efron in which the tabloids want a scoop on her relationship with him. I wonder if that was a poke at what she went through after filming Dirty Grandpa in which she co-starred alongside him in? Throughout the whole film, Madelyn looked like she was the royal screw up when it came to relationships, but by the end of the film she seemed to be the one with her sanity intact. I thought it was a really good film that is available to watch on HULU right now as we speak and I think you should check it out. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)

The film that I chose for today, I had a chance to watch the first time around when I did my first 366 challenge, but unfortunately I never got around to it. The film I chose for today is based on true events and a true experiment that took place at Stanford University. The film and the experiment was called The Stanford Prison Experiment and it was directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (13 Reasons Why). The film stars Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) as Dr. Philip Zimbardo, a professor who decides that he is going to hire equal amounts of men so that he can perform an experiment to see how each person would react when given a certain role which is either prisoner or prison guard. The film also stars Michael Angarano (Almost Famous) as Chris, Moises Arias (Nacho Libre) as Anthony,  Nicholas Braun (Red State) as Karl, Keir Gilchrist (It Follows) as John, Ki Hong Lee (The Maze Runner) as 3401, Thomas Mann (Me, Earl, and The Dying Girl) as prisoner 416, Ezra Miller (Justice League) as 8612, Logan Miller (Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse) as 5486, Tye Sheridan (X-Men: Apocalypse) as 819, Johnny Simmons (Scott Pilgrim Vs The World) as 1037, Olivia Thirlby (Juno) as Dr. Christina Maslach, and the late Nelsan Ellis (True Blood) as Jesse Fletcher.

The film features a lot of the whose who of young actors in Hollywood that we have seen in countless films so this was a chance for some of them to have more serious roles. I am going to start by saying that I really did enjoy the film because you're waiting to see what happens next and if there will be chaos, but the film was definitely well acted and if I had to pick my MVP's of the film, the award would go to Ezra Miller who played that generations whiner and Michael Angarano who literally transformed on screen when he became a prison guard and he was truly fascinating to watch the whole time. None of the other prison guards could come close to him even though Nicholas Braun did well too so I would give him honorable mention. Sometimes you wonder why the ethics board is all over you when you are trying to do something and that is because of experiments like this which could have lasting effects. My only criticism of the film is that while they may have nailed the look as far as hairstyles, but some of these guys looked so goofy and awkward with mustaches. I couldn't take those serious when I saw some of the characters with them, but other than that they pretty much nailed it. If you are in to films that are based on true stories like myself then this is definitely one to watch. For more information like what the real Zimbardo thought of the film and other things, check out this article here. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.