Zombie Steve Movie Challenge Update

 Hey gang how is it going? The weather is starting to break free of its bitter cold Baseball is on the tube and the girls are about to go back into full theatre mode as they both will be in the Wizzard of Oz this summer. So exciting things happing here in the cave. Wanted to jump in with a quick update on where I'm at during the celebration of Steve and his (Our) love of cinema.

Week One was Sci-Fi Movies

Alien Trespass

2009 

⭐⭐⭐

In 1957 a fiery object crashes into a mountaintop in the California desert, bringing the threat of disaster to Earth. Out of the flying saucer escapes a murderous creature, the Ghota, bent on destroying all life forms on the planet. A benevolent alien from the spaceship, Urp, inhabits the body of Ted Lewis, an astronomer and with the help of Tammy, a diner waitress, sets out to save mankind.

If poodle skirts and saddle shoes are your things then this Sci-Fi love letter is up your alley. Sold story with plenty of ‘50s fluff matched with rubber aliens and a star-studded cast will be having you giggling in your seat.

Week Two Watch A Golden Globe Nominated Feature (Any Year)

The Disaster Artist 2017

⭐⭐⭐⭐

An aspiring actor in Hollywood meets an enigmatic stranger by the name of Tommy Wiseau, the meeting leads the actor down a path nobody could have predicted; creating the worst movie ever made.

What a wild and fun trip this was, could you imagine meeting someone that helps set off your career? I must admit I will be watching the Room and I hope that Greg does a follow-up book with more details someday. If you are a movie nerd who likes to see the production aspect, you will enjoy The Disaster Artist.

Week Three Watch A Movie from the Year you were born.

C.C. and Company 1970

⭐⭐⭐

LOVING, BRAWLING, AND BUSTIN IT UP!
A motorcycle rebel rescues a woman from his gang and fights an outlaw guru for supremacy. 

With a fabulous, poster-stacked cast, and one weird-as-hell theme song, I settled in for some biker gang goodness. Well sort of.

The opening sequence is by far the best part of the movie. We see our star Joe Namath walking around a grocery store as he prepares himself a sandwich while walking up and down the aisle.

Sadly the comedy runs thin the rest of the ride but the biker story mixed with a love story was well done. The soundtrack was underwhelming at times with its tile track being the only real star here.

I was super excited to see Sid Haig rolling in but what the hell was on his helmet? Was it some kind of weird spoon?

Also, the print used by Amazon Prime had issues including how it would hang up or freeze for a few seconds. And unless I blinked at the wrong time I missed the big Ann Margret nude scene.

Definitely worth the look when it comes to biker exploration movies!


Week Four Winter Weather

Ski School 1991

⭐⭐

THE HOTTEST ACTION EVER TO HIT THE SLOPES.

Rival groups in a skiing school do battle on and off the piste. One gang are rich and serious, the other group are party animals.

Well, the 19-year-old me liked this one better in 1990 as for the old me it was just ok. Back in the 80s and early 90s, movies about the underdog that likes to party were the rage, yet life never really did imitate art. Movies full of naked ladies, drunk dudes, and a simple plot don't exist anymore.

Sadly Ski School does not hold up after 33 years with a rather slow plot and predictable outcome. You still get a few laugh's here and there but you are always reminded that this is Animal House on snow and the formula just does not do it.

If your looking to relive some of your spent youth sure Ski School will give you a nice look back, just beware it is the same old story.

Week Five Comedy

Buy and Cell 1988

⭐⭐

SANDY AND SLY WERE DOING TIME. NOW THEY’RE DOING FINE.

Herbie Altman is framed for Stock fraud by his boss when the SEC starts investigating his company. Sent to prison, he helps a fellow inmate successfully invest his money. Soon all the inmates want his help. To manage all the money, he forms CON INC. and runs it from the prison under the noses of the warden and the guards. But when the IRS and SEC begin to investigate this successful company, it looks like he may be in trouble again

Man the power of Tubi is just a hidden goldmine of low-rent movies and becoming the best way to finish watching Empire Pictures catalog. Buy and Cell is one of those Charles Band movies that was impossible to find. Sure there is a crappy version on YouTube but I could not sit through it.

You have to believe this will be somewhat tolerable with an all-star cast. Malcolm McDowell plays the sleazy warden to a T. And we get the same old Michael Winslow charter we loved in the Police Academy movies. Roddy Piper is a nice little comedic player but Robert Carradine just can not shake the Nerds character,

The plot is a good idea just drawn out and boring. This is listed as a comedy yet I do not remember laughing once. Definitely more of a revenge prison movie. In the end, I'm glad I could finally track this one down but sadly it just does not work.

Week Six Movie About Music (Rockstars, Musicals, Documentaries)

Detroit Rock City 1999

⭐⭐⭐

In 1978, a Kiss concert was an epoch-making event. For the three teen fans in Detroit Rock City getting tickets to the sold-out show becomes the focal point of their existence. They’ll do anything for tickets – compete in a strip club’s amateur-night contest, take on religious protesters, and even rob a convenience store!

This one is a rewatch for me but the more I thought about the more I wanted to watch it. Detroit Rock City was one of the last movies Steve and I watched at camp on one of those super hot days. ✌

Week Seven A Football-Themed Movie

Division 3 Football's Finest 2011

⭐⭐

This ensemble comedy follows the Pullham University Bluecocks, a small liberal arts college with a Division III football program (the lowest division in the NCAA). When the head coach unexpectedly dies, the future of the flailing football program is in jeopardy, as they have not had a winning season in decades. In a desperate attempt to create some media attention for the athletic program and the university, President Georgia Anne Whistler hires known lunatic and felon, Coach Rick Vice, for what could be the football program's final season.

The poster art looked like fun and I had never heard of it before. Going in blind does not always help, I had no clue the main character was Andy Dick otherwise I would have moved on to the next movie. Crazier still is Dick made me laugh a few times, and the story is not that bad. It's the same old same old college party movie but with Andy being a Dick the whole time.

A pleasant surprise with football being the main charter and an over-the-top lead that gives you a few moments of laughter but also some pretty cringe moments.

Steve would have liked this one.

Week Eight Rom Com

Never Been Kissed 1999

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Josie Geller, a baby-faced junior copywriter at the Chicago Sun-Times, must pose as a student at her former high school to research contemporary teenage culture. With the help of her brother, Rob, Josie infiltrates the inner circle of the most popular clique on campus. But she hits a major snag in her investigation – not to mention her own failed love life – when she falls for her dreamy English teacher, Sam Coulson.

I love this movie and it is what I kept coming back to when I was looking for something to watch.

Drew at her best, looking amazing as always makes this story fly by.

Week Nine Baseball

Kill The Umpire 1950

⭐⭐⭐

Ex-baseball player Bill Johnson, failing at many jobs when his ball-playing days are over, reluctantly takes the advice of his father-in-law, Jonah Evans, a retired umpire, and enters an umpire-training school. Assigned to the Texas League, he does fine until the championship play-offs when a riot develops over one of his calls. The involved player is knocked unconscious in the proceedings and cannot verify that Bill made the correct call. Despite lynch mob plans to at least tar-and-feather him, Bill’s family - his daughters Lucy (Gloria Henry and Susan and his wife Betty - help Bill reach the ballpark safely the next day through a series of hair-raising encounters.

I read about his movie last year in my quest to find a new Baseball themed movie to watch. Thanks to YouTube I could finally track this one down just in time for Spring Training.

This was an interesting take on the sport with a fan that did not like Umpires but when he couldn't hold down a job to save his life thanks to Baseball he was given a chance to be on the field.

The first two acts are fun and witty bringing plenty of laughs but as the story tries to change over to seriousness it starts to lose out on the fun.

Ultimately, it was still a fun watch and a breath of fresh air for baseball movies. If you want a baseball story from the eyes behind the plate I definitely recommend Kill The Umpire.

Week Ten Documentary

Pennywise the story of It 2021

⭐⭐⭐
 

Thirty-plus years after its release, the popular two-part miniseries “IT” and its infamous villain Pennywise live on in the minds of horror fans around the world. This documentary captures not only the buzz the “IT” saga generated in 1990 but also the lasting impact it has had on an entire generation and the horror genre at large. Several years in the making, the film features exclusive interviews with many of the cult classic’s key players, from cast members Richard Thomas, Seth Green, and Tim Curry, who portrayed the notorious monster clown Pennywise, to director Tommy Lee Wallace and special effects makeup artist Bart Mixon. The documentary also boasts a wealth of archival material and never-before-seen footage.

This was a well-done Documentary giving us the highs and lows of making the mini-series. Tim Curry was great to see as well as hearing from Tommy Lee Wallace.

Week Eleven A Film Directed by a Woman.

The Final Exit of the Disciples Ascensia 2019

⭐⭐

Pulled this off the Top 250 Women Directed list on Letterboxd. I'm not sure what to say about this one. I get it has a cult following but it is ranked #9 on the list. But for me this one falls short I love the animation style and the story is fine I just could not get into it. 

That should not stop you from checking this out, I just might be wrong, you know.

Week 12 Oscar Nominated Movie (any year)

Marcel The Shell with Shoes On 2021

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. But when a documentary filmmaker discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and new hope at finding his long-lost family.

Man, I was not ready for the pure joy of a little guy like Marcel and definitely was not ready for the emotions that come with him. ❤️

Ok, that gets us caught up to April if you would still like to join in the information can be found here. Coming up this month:

13 Watch an Independent Movie (not all movies need a big budget)
14 Watch a Movie Based in Florida (or Illinois if you're having trouble)
15 Teen Comedy
16 Crack Open A Sealed movie in your Physical Collection (if you do not have any then watch a movie you have always wanted to see)
17 Wizards, Dragons, or Elves (Think D&D)