Day #20 - of the 30 Day Film Challenge

[shadowkat]

Day #20 - of the 30 Day Film Challenge.

A Film That Changed Your Life - is the prompt.

Ugh. I don't know. Films don't change my life. I don't give my entertainment that level of importance. I mean I guess you could say "Star Wars" changed my life in some respects, but not really. I'd still be me if it didn't exist.

So, if like me, you are drawing a blank on this one? I'm providing an alternate prompt.

A Non-Animated Live Action film that has an animal as the lead character

Watch on YouTube

I remember seeing this as a little girl in 1974 - I adored it. So much that I also wanted the book. Did it change my life, no. But I did love it back then.

Comments

[petzipellepingo]

I'll go with Lassie Come Home .

[shadowkat]

I remember that movie - I loved it at the time. It's similar to The Incredible Journey, and The Black Stallion.

[cactuswatcher]

A Non-Animated Live Action film that has an animal as the lead character

Most of these seem to be from decades ago. And in most the animal was a central character, but maybe not *the* lead, which was usually a kid like in this one:

Free Willy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk0XY83eEuM

[cjlasky7]

Happy birthday, cw 🎂!

[cactuswatcher]

Thanks!

[shadowkat]

Oh, didn't know it was your birthday - happy birthday!

[cactuswatcher]

Thank you!

[shadowkat]

Benji is one of the few in which the dog really is the central character - everyone else is kind of supporting.

You're correct though there's a lot in which it's really a kid. Where the Red Fern Grows, and Old Yeller = kids. As did Free Willy and The Yearling.

But I'll count them, considering I let cjlasky use a horror film about killer bunny rabbits.

I rather liked Free Willy.

[cjlasky7]

I love the new topic. I could go with a 1993 schmaltzburger like Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (or a recent one, like A Dog's Purpose); I could do a comedy like Beethoven, or a Disney confection like That Darn Cat!

But no.

The whole family recently sat down to the 1972 classic horror movie, Night of the Lepus (dir. by William Claxton), in which giant killer bunny rabbits run wild through the American southwest.

(Maybe I use the word "classic" too loosely.)

Stars Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, and DeForest Kelley (yes, "Bones" McCoy himself) watch in terror as rabbits stomp through scale model sets and giant rabbit puppets are hurled at helpless citizens, their fangs dripping with ketchup. (The rabbits, not the citizens.)

For bad cinema connoisseurs, this one is a must:

https://youtu.be/AfDDTZhQxso

[shadowkat]

I'm not entirely sure killer rabbits that are threatening all the lead characters/heroes counts as the lead character in the movie...but okay. It's certainly amusing. Probably would give Anya nightmares.

Wait...you forgot to mention that it has Rory Calhoun in it. Rory Calhoun - Western Star. (You know old obscure horror films, I know old obscure Western films...mother who adores Westerns.)

You should look up Tremors - that is possibly the best low-budget bad horror movie that I've ever seen.

Certainly better pick than A Dog's Purpose...which...the commercials annoyed me, well that and various co-workers would not stop going on about it as the best thing ever. LOL!

[cjlasky7]

Well, technically speaking, the rabbits are the "title" characters....

Yes, Rory Calhoun does co-star in this movie, too. It should be noted that director William Claxton helmed dozens of episodes of Bonanza and High Chaparral, which made him a good choice for the movie's setting (but not for the horror).

Tremors is not a great "bad" movie. It's a good movie, period! (Don't say anything bad about Kevin Bacon with my wife in the room...)

[shadowkat]

Tremors is not a great "bad" movie. It's a good movie, period! (Don't say anything bad about Kevin Bacon with my wife in the room...)

1. Tremors is a low-budget horror film, that is poorly written, and while it contains excellent actors - actually my favorite actor in the film is Fred Ward, an underrated character actor - it is cult horror flick, which is basically a B movie or possibly a C movie depending on your point of view. In comparison to Night of the Lepus - definitely a B, since Lepus is an F. But in comparison to Jaws - definitely a C.

Again may not be fair to compare at all. I'd say B horror movie. You love C horror flicks...so...LOL!

2. Your wife is not in the room and even if she was - how does this apply? I love Kevin Bacon, but he has done quite a few bad horror flicks and movies in his lifetime, all actors have - it's the nature of the business. Hello.

[atpo_onm]

Since you bent the guidelines a bit for this prompt, I'll bend them a mite more by noting that while I suppose technically, Sigourney Weaver is the lead in this film, exactly where would it be without the gorillas? Eh? Yes?

Yeah, thought so!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PPSIwe7sb8

Hmmm... wonder how the Planet of the Apes flicks would fit in here?

Discuss!

:-)

[shadowkat]

Planet of the Apes is digitized and not really live real animals, so it does not work. I'm not entirely sure cjl's works because those rabbits are also digitized or puppets.

Yours fits with Cactuswatcher's choice - which does kind of work.

Also, I liked the movie.

You guys honestly can't come up with a movie where the animal is the lead and not supporting to humans? Really?

Am I the only person who has watched a lot of nature programs in my lifetime? Granted I picked Benji - but even that is mainly on the dog, the humans are all supporting.