2021 Film Challenge

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I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way
watch 10 animated films

The Wolf House*
Spies in Disguise
Happily N’Ever After
Everybody Rides the Carousel*
Kirikou and the Men and Women*
To Your Last Death
The Croods*
Afro Samurai Resurrection*
Hey Arnold: The Movie*
Loving Vincent*


Much more of a mixed bag here.

I'd recommend the starred ones, though only The Wolf House, Kirikou and Loving Vincent really did a lot for me.

Happily N'Ever After and To Your Last Death I would actively avoid.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Thought I would post a Progress Report.

Watchlist films
Viewed films

"Main Challenge"
A. Get lost in the movement:
[Watch one film belonging to each of the following cinematic movements]
1. French Impressionism J'accuse! (1919)
5. Mumblecore Lonesome Jim (2005)

B. Times are a-changing
[Watch one film from each of these iconic decade-genre combinations]
1. 1930s Musical The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
2. 1940s War film Rome, Open City aka Roma città aperta (1945) REVIEW

C. I coulda been a contender:
[Watch a film that has won the following awards in any category]
1. Cannes Film Festival La Dolce Vita (1960) REVIEW
3. BAFTA Marty (1955) Best Picture/Foreign Actor/Actress 1956 REVIEW
4. Independent Spirit Awards Gods and Monsters (1998)
5. Sundance Film Festival Rudderless (2014) REVIEW
6. Venice International Film Festival The Last Circus (2010)

D. Let's break this down, shall we?
[Pick one of the following genres and watch one film from each of its subgenres list below]
1. Crime: Courtroom Drama La Vérité (1960) REVIEW
3. Crime: The Cat aka Die Katze (1988)
4. Crime: Buddy Cop Memories of Murder aka Salinui chueok (2003)

E. It's a big world out there:
[Watch a film from the following regions]
1. North America White Boy Rick (2018) REVIEW
2. South America The Secret in Their Eyes aka El secreto de sus ojos (2009) REVIEW
3. Europe Aniara (2018) REVIEW
4. Asia Chocolate (2008) REVIEW
6. Oceania Breaker Morant (1980) REVIEW

F. I see dead people:
[Watch one film from each group of deceased directors, actors & cinematographers]
1. Elia Kazan (Director) A Face in the Crowd (1957)
2. Robert Bresson (writing & directing) Pickpocket (1959) REVIEW
4. Janet Leigh Act of Violence (1948) REVIEW
5. Sven Nykvist (Cinematography) Shame aka Skammen (1968) REVIEW

G. I have always depended on the lists of strangers:
[Watch one film featured in each of the following prominent lists]
1. Roger Ebert's Great Movies The 400 Blows (1959)
2. Sight & Sound's top 100 (any category) Roshomon (1950)
4. IMDb's top 250 (2020 finalized edition) 1917 (2019) #83
5. Steven Jay Schneider's 1001 movies The Servant (1963) REVIEW
6. Criterion Collection A Man Escaped aka Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956) Spine #650 REVIEW

H. We've met before, haven't we?
[Watch a film that migrated to cinematic form from another medium]
2. a novel adaptation Great Expectations (1946)
4. a theatrical play adaptation Irma la Douce (1963)

I. War, what is it good for?
[Watch one film centered around each of the war themes below]
1. World War I All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
2. World War II Enemy at the Gates (2001) REVIEW
3. Cold War The Front Line aka Go-ji-jeon (2011)
4. Vietnam War We Were Soldiers (2002)

J. Are we there yet?
[Watch one film for each of the miscellaneous challenges listed below]
1. a film more than 160 minutes long The Count of Monte Cristo (1954) 3h 3min
3. a silent film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) REVIEW
4. a film directed by a woman The Nightingale (2018) Directed by: Jennifer Kent REVIEW
5. a 2021 release Boss Level (2021) REVIEW
6. a film suggested by another participant of this challenge (Wyldesyde19) The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) REVIEW


"Nightmare Mode"
You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in Paris?
watch 10 foreign language films
1) Tokyo Story aka Tôkyô monogatari (1953) (Japan)
2) Rosemary aka Das Mädchen Rosemarie (1958) (Germany)
3) Volver (2006) (Spain)
4) Wild Strawberries (1957) (Sweden)
5) Germany Year Zero aka Germania anno zero (1948) (Italy)
6) The Tin Drum aka Die Blechtrommel (1979) (West Germany)
7) The Cranes Are Flying aka Letyat zhuravli (1957) (Soviet Union)
8) Shoplifters (2018) South Korea

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!
watch 10 films released in the same decade
1930s
1) À Nous la Liberté (1931)
2) Vampyr (1932) REVIEW
3) Zouzou (1934)
4) The Devil Is a Woman (1935)
5) Desire (1936)
6) Madame Bovary (1934)

The stuff that lists are made of
pick any one list from section G of the main challenge and watch 10 films in it
Criterion Collection
1) A Taste of Honey (1961) Spine #829 **REVIEW**
2) The Lady Eve (1941) Spine #103
3) Ikiru (1952) Spine #221
4) Army of Shadows aka L'armée des ombres (1969) Spine #385 REVIEW
5) Mafioso (1962) Spine #424
6) Alphaville (1965) Spine #25
7) The Second Wind aka Le Deuxième Souffle (1966) Spine #448 REVIEW
8)Samurai Rebellion aka Jôi-uchi: Hairyô tsuma shimatsu (1967) spine #310 REVIEW
9) Au Revoir Les Enfants aka Goodbye Children (1987) Spine #330

Chekhov, Method or Meisner?
watch 10 films featuring the same actor
Jean Gabin
1)Port of Shadows aka Le quai des brumes (1938)
2) The Sicilian Clan aka Le clan des Siciliens (1969)
3) Two Men in Town aka Deux hommes dans la ville (1973)
4) Le Jour Se Lève (1939)
5) Inspector Maigret aka Maigret tend un piège (1958) REVIEW
6) Touchez Pas au Grisbi (1954)
7) Les Misérables (1958)

I have a vision...
watch 10 films from the same director
Fritz Lang
1) Destiny (1921)
2) Human Desire (1954)
3) The Woman in the Window (1944)
4) Fury (1936)
5) Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)
6) Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922)

I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore
watch 10 films from the same country
France
1) Purple Noon aka Plein soleil (1960)
2) Le Million (1931)
3) The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie aka Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972)
4) Bob le flambeur (1956)
5) Le Doulos (1962) REVIEW
6) The Rules of the Game aka La règle du jeu (1939)
7) Band of Outsiders aka Bande à part (1964)
8) The Damned aka Les maudits (1947) REVIEW
9) Casque d'Or (1952)

Round up the usual suspects
watch 10 films from the same genre
Historical Pieces
1) The King and the Clown aka Wang-ui namja (2005)
2) Farewell My Concubine aka Ba wang bie ji (1993)
3) Yojimbo (1961) REVIEW
4) The Earrings of Madame De... (1953) REVIEW

I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way
watch 10 animated films
1) In This Corner of the World (2016) REVIEW
2) Le roi et l'oiseau aka The King and the Mockingbird (1980)
3) Ne Zha (2018) REVIEW
4) Paprika 'Papurika' (2006)

How soon is now?
watch 10 films released in 2021
1) The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021) REVIEW PENDING
__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio



Round up the usual suspects
watch 10 films from the same genre (horror)

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker
Madhouse
The Devils
The Dead Center
The Villains
Possessor
Grandmother’s House
Next of Kin
Possum
Dead & Buried


Since horror is a pretty broad genre, this time I decided to watch 10 films whose titles and/or posters I really liked.

Despite this superficial approach, there was only really one dud in the bunch, The Dead Center.

My favorites were definitely Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker, The Devils, Possessor, Next of Kin, Possum, and Dead and Buried



If you have a link for a proper copy, please PM me. I've only found ones with French title cards and no subs.
Yeah, I watched it on YouTube and paused it constantly to use Google Translate to figure out what the title cards were saying.

I will say that even if you didn't follow the title cards, you could still probably really enjoy the film.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Round up the usual suspects
watch 10 films from the same genre (horror)

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker
Madhouse
The Devils
The Dead Center
The Villains
Possessor
Grandmother’s House
Next of Kin
Possum
Dead & Buried


Since horror is a pretty broad genre, this time I decided to watch 10 films whose titles and/or posters I really liked.

Despite this superficial approach, there was only really one dud in the bunch, The Dead Center.

My favorites were definitely Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker, The Devils, Possessor, Next of Kin, Possum, and Dead and Buried
Movie Posters really do the trick for me. I've found all kinds of favorites that way throughout my life. It varies a little when researching on IMDb, where I meander through deeper aspects, but a movie poster can, will and does "speak" to me.
If you have a link for a proper copy, please PM me. I've only found ones with French title cards and no subs.
Yeah, I watched it on YouTube and paused it constantly to use Google Translate to figure out what the title cards were saying.

I will say that even if you didn't follow the title cards, you could still probably really enjoy the film.
The youtube version I've found is broken into 3 parts with a CC option for English subtitles. It also has different colored monochrome along with B&W depending on the scene. They appear like really good copies as well.
Also, though obvious, be sure to click on link on the video to take you TO Youtube to view it.

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Whoops! I was thinking of La Dixième Symphonie, not J'accuse.
That was the two final choices that I got down to. Depending on how much I enjoy J'accuse I just might check out Dixième.



I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore
watch 10 films from the same country (Japan)
An Autumn Afternoon
Hana-Bi/Fireworks
Ikiru
Harakiri
Tokyo Story
Tokyo Drifter
A Colt is My Passport
Take Aim at the Police Van
Stakeout
Intimidation


Overall a strong group! Some classics in there, obviously. A Colt is My Passport was a fun surprise.



Newest Update (In Blue...seen it; In Black...plan on seeing it):
Edited as of April 8 (E.I.P):

Main Challenge  



Nightmare Challenge  



The trick is not minding
Can the films you watch in the nightmare challenge overlap with the normal challenge or do they have to be different films?
Prefer to be different films. That’s the point of the nightmare challenge.



How soon is now?
watch 10 films released in 2021
Moxie
Map of Tiny Perfect Things
Sentinelle
Tina
Bliss
Kid90
Black Art: In the Absence of Light
Stallone: Frank, That Is
Yes Day
Blood Moon


More of a mixed bag. I am, how you say, very cheap. So many 2021 releases that interest me I just can't bring myself to shell out $6 for to rent.

I would recommend Moxie, Tina, Kid90 and Black Art. The best was easily Tina.

None of them were bad, just mediocre.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore
watch 10 films from the same country (Japan)
An Autumn Afternoon
Hana-Bi/Fireworks
Ikiru
Harakiri
Tokyo Story
Tokyo Drifter
A Colt is My Passport
Take Aim at the Police Van
Stakeout
Intimidation


Overall a strong group! Some classics in there, obviously. A Colt is My Passport was a fun surprise.
Some really great films here, and after checking out Colt Is My Passport, I do believe, like with a few previous films from your list, I'll be adding that one to mine.
The beauty of it was that I had been waiting for a good "gangster" film that I HAVEN'T seen, and this so wonderfully fits the bill.
THANK YOU!



The trick is not minding
Some really great films here, and after checking out Colt Is My Passport, I do believe, like with a few previous films from your list, I'll be adding that one to mine.
The beauty of it was that I had been waiting for a good "gangster" film that I HAVEN'T seen, and this so wonderfully fits the bill.
THANK YOU!
If you’re looking for a good Yakuza (don’t call us gangsters) film, might I suggest Battles Without Honor and Humanity? Specifically the first one, although the second one is decent as well.