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

Lars And The Real Girl (2007)

There are some creative minds in the independent filmmaking world that Hollywood has missed the ball on and some that get it. Ryan Gosling (Only God Forgives) has had a knack in his career for giving himself roles that not too many would take which includes today's film Lars And The Real Girl. The film was released in 2007 and it was directed by Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) and in the film Gosling plays Lars, a very awkward, shy, and disconnected young man who has had a tough time with what life has thrown at him. After hearing about sex dolls at work, he decides to buy one, but something very strange happens. Lars believes that his doll Bianca is a real person and soon the whole entire town goes with it because they know how special Lars really is. The film also stars  Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns) as Karin, Paul Schneider (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) as Gus, Kelli Garner (Godzilla: King Of The Monsters) as Margo,  Nancy Beatty (Sea Of Love) as Mrs. Gruner, Patricia Clarkson (Maze Runner: The Death Cure) as Dagmar, Nicky Guadagni (Ready Or Not) as Mrs. Petersen, and Karen Robinson (Bad As I Wanna Be: The Dennis Rodman Story) as Cindy.

I honestly did not know what to expect when I first decided to watch this for free on on the VUDU app, but I have to say that I was pleased with the film overall. The film has this ability to show how caring the world can be no matter how weird the situation is. I mean this had to be a hard situation for anyone to get used to, but they did it because of how special of a person Lars is. I love the contrast too because here you have this brother (Gus) who feels that he is a failure because his brother is in love with a sex doll while his wife (Karin) understands what is happening and she goes with it. Lars has dealt with a lot in his life from the death of his mother and the weird behavior of his father so in order to move on he manifests all of his emotions into this doll as sort of a healing process. By the end, the town is shaken up by the events that it seems like everything will be OK and it's beautiful. This truly is a touching movie about how we should treat those with emotional detachments or struggles. It's so easy to treat someone like they are an outcast or a weirdo instead of taking the time to care for them and get them the help they need. Ryan Gosling puts on a masterful performance in this film proving why he was one of the best young actors in Hollywood in 2007 and why I enjoy his works today. This is definitely a film to check out with all of the amazing performances from everyone in the film. The movie is not completely sad, there is a happy ending of sorts, but you should check this one out if you love Ryan Gosling. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

A Ghost Story (2017)

There are films that completely fly under the radar that when I read about them I have to check them out. A Ghost Story is one of those films that I once saw in the coming soon section of my Redbox app that just never came to my area which in turn also means I never got to watch the film. Now that has all changed thanks to the fact that Netflix has to step up their game in a big way and I checked it out for today. The film stars Academy Award Winner Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea) as C, a musician who has a hard time letting go of things like the house he lives in even though his wife wants to leave. One day C is in a car accident and he dies leaving him a spectre that follows his newly estranged wife back to the house that he will not spend all of eternity in as he learns to let go. The film also stars Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) as M,  Kenneisha Thompson (The Old Man & The Gun) as Doctor, Liz Cardenas (Never Goin' Back) as Linda, Barlow Jacobs (The Old Man & The Gun) as Gentlemen Caller, Sonia Acevedo (Queen Of The South) as Maria, Will Oldham (This Must Be The Place) as Prognosticator, Ke$ha (Jem And The Holograms) as Spirit Girl, Brea Grant (Halloween 2) as Clara, and the film was directed by David Lowery (Pete's Dragon).

One thing that I found super interesting about the film was the fact that time does not really exist for ghosts as seen in this film. One minute he is looking at a family living in his house in the summer, he turns one cheek, and the next it's Christmas time. I thought that was amazing because here is not willing to let go of the house until he can get that note out of the wall and it's so far into the future and the house is being knocked down. Now what does he do with his time? Does he let go? It's super interesting to see what happens in the film because he is still tied to the land and he has to start all over again. There is an article on IMDB.com that lists the ten films that influenced this one and the director breaks it down for you with each film. If you want to check that out you can do so here. There are times when there is not a lot of dialogue because he's a ghost after all and he has a sheet over him so it wouldn't make much sense, but this was a film that didn't need it. The film conveys it's thoughts through actions and through those actions you can definitely see how he is feeling. If you have a chance and you want to check out some great story telling, then head over to Netflix and watch it. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.