2020 Movie Challenge

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Also answers to Jabba
Speaking of next year's challenge, I have had a fun little idea to add to this that will help us explore world cinema.This could easily be a challenge of its own if expanded, but this condensed version could also work as a part of nightmare mode. Let me know what you guys think and if you want it to be part of next year's challenge or a completely separate thing. I think it could also work as a monthly challenge with 12 trails in total, so you'd have to watch 4 films a month.

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Happy Trails Map

  • To complete this challenge you need to traverse at least 3 trails from the ones listed below.
  • To successfully traverse a trail you must watch one film from at least 4 countries belonging to that trail
  • If a trail contains a chronological period, your selected films must have been released within said period

1. Iron Curtain
[ Countries belonging to the Iron Curtain (1945-1991) ]
Poland, USSR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania

2. Silk Road (East End)
[ Most prominent stops along the east end of the silk road ]
China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan

3. Silk Road (West End)
[ Most prominent stops along the west end of the silk road ]
Kazakhstan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Armenia, Georgia, Syria, Turkey

4. Traversing the Amazon
[ Countries with the Amazon river flowing inside their borders ]
Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname

5. On the Banks of the Danube
[ A selection of countries on the Danube river ]
Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine

6. Across the Sahara
[ Selected countries on the Sahara desert ]
Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Sudan, Tunisia

7. EU: The First Eight
[ The First 8 members of the European Union (1973-present day) ]
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland

8. Yucatan to the Panama Canal
[ A list of countries that have historically been considered as Central America ]
Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

9. The British are Coming!

[ A selection of former British colonies in Africa ]
Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe



The trick is not minding
Speaking of next year's challenge, I have had a fun little idea to add to this that will help us explore world cinema.This could easily be a challenge of its own if expanded, but this condensed version could also work as a part of nightmare mode. Let me know what you guys think and if you want it to be part of next year's challenge or a completely separate thing. I think it could also work as a monthly challenge with 12 trails in total, so you'd have to watch 4 films a month.

-----------------------------------

Happy Trails Map

  • To complete this challenge you need to traverse at least 3 trails from the ones listed below.
  • To successfully traverse a trail you must watch one film from at least 4 countries belonging to that trail
  • If a trail contains a chronological period, your selected films must have been released within said period

1. Iron Curtain
[ Countries belonging to the Iron Curtain (1945-1991) ]
Poland, USSR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania

2. Silk Road (East End)
[ Most prominent stops along the east end of the silk road ]
China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan

3. Silk Road (West End)
[ Most prominent stops along the west end of the silk road ]
Kazakhstan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Armenia, Georgia, Syria, Turkey

4. Traversing the Amazon
[ Countries with the Amazon river flowing inside their borders ]
Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname

5. On the Banks of the Danube
[ A selection of countries on the Danube river ]
Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine

6. Across the Sahara
[ Selected countries on the Sahara desert ]
Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Sudan, Tunisia

7. EU: The First Eight
[ The First 8 members of the European Union (1973-present day) ]
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland

8. Yucatan to the Panama Canal
[ A list of countries that have historically been considered as Central America ]
Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama

9. The British are Coming!

[ A selection of former British colonies in Africa ]
Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Probably best as a challenge of its own.
I like the current idea where the challenges are mostly genre and time period specific with a sprinkling of other countries to represent it.



Speaking of next year's challenge, I have had a fun little idea to add to this that will help us explore world cinema.This could easily be a challenge of its own if expanded, but this condensed version could also work as a part of nightmare mode
I think this is a really cool idea. Since you have 9 "pathways," it could also be a nightmare mode category where you try to watch at least one from each list.

I have a friend who does monthly film challenges (about 15 categories each month) and he always includes "Watch a movie from _____". There are always at least one or two films on Amazon Prime or even YouTube, and the IMDb is a great way to find options.



I have 55 films left to complete the regular challenge and the nightmare mode. Starting in July obviously put me a bit behind the 8-ball, but many of the films I'd already watched this year filled out some of the categories pretty well.

My biggest struggle is that money is tight right now, so I'm really depending on things that are on the subscription services I have (Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Criterion). Finding 2020 films I want to watch has been a bit tricky. Criterion looks like it will be a lifesaver in the "10 films by same director" category.



Also, how do you guys approach this challenge?

Speaking personally, I have a really negative reaction to an incomplete to-do list, so looking at all the empty spaces on my list makes me very anxious.

What I've ended up doing is picking two of the categories (right now it's 2020 films and 10 from the same genre) and switching back and forth between them. When they are done (and I get that "list finished high"), I'll do the same with two more categories.



The trick is not minding
Also, how do you guys approach this challenge?

Speaking personally, I have a really negative reaction to an incomplete to-do list, so looking at all the empty spaces on my list makes me very anxious.

What I've ended up doing is picking two of the categories (right now it's 2020 films and 10 from the same genre) and switching back and forth between them. When they are done (and I get that "list finished high"), I'll do the same with two more categories.
The HOF I joined for the first 7 months helped filled a lot out. After that I look at what is left and plan what to complete first.
I had noticed I have watched a lot of films (all first watched) front eh 1940’s so decided to use that decade for the Nightmare portion.



I'm working on the Oscar categories and, oof.

No offense to any of the 2019 Oscar nominees, but many of them just aren't things I'm interested in watching.

And with the exception of The Irishman and Marriage Story they aren't streaming anywhere that I have access to. I going to see if I can get some of them from my local library. This is the only category that's giving me sass!



Also answers to Jabba
@Takoma11 it makes sense since it is the only closed group category. There is no room for customization in that one, but I think it is important to stay in touch with current cinema. I for instance, tend to ignore recent releases over classic films I haven't seen and this challenge along with "watch 10 films from the current year" means I will watch a minimum of around 20 films released in the past 18 months. It's not much, but it is something.



@Takoma11 it makes sense since it is the only closed group category. There is no room for customization in that one, but I think it is important to stay in touch with current cinema. I for instance, tend to ignore recent releases over classic films I haven't seen and this challenge along with "watch 10 films from the current year" means I will watch a minimum of around 20 films released in the past 18 months. It's not much, but it is something.
Don't get me wrong--I like the category.

This is just the "eat your vegetables" portion of the challenge for me. My only real concern is getting to watch the films without having to spend too much on rentals, but I think I can swing it between my Netflix DVD subscription and my library.

EDIT: The Irishman is 3 1/2 hours long! Good grief. Brace yourselves, guys. There's gonna be some grousing for the next two weeks or so.



Here's a useful link if you are doing Nightmare Mode:

https://www.rogerebert.com/features/...vies-streaming

It's a list of places to find the Great Movies on streaming sites. I think that it might apply mainly to people in the USA.



The trick is not minding
I’ll have an update within the week on my progress. Just about to close out the following in nightmare mode:
decade (1940’s).
Genre (westerns). Mostly watched Spaghetti westerns haha.
Country category (South Korea).
Anyone else care to update by chance?



I finished the 2020 films and the 10 Oscar winners.

Currently working my way through the 2019 best picture nominees and the 10 Ebert Great Movies.



Also answers to Jabba
@Wyldesyde19 and @Takoma11 have you posted your progress here? I can't seem to find it. It would be a fun read (at least for me) if you did, even if it is incomplete.



The trick is not minding
@Wyldesyde19 and @Takoma11 have you posted your progress here? I can't seem to find it. It would be a fun read (at least for me) if you did, even if it is incomplete.
I did a month ago. I plan on updating it this coming week. Stay tuned.......
Ps. I also enjoy reading everyone’s progress to see all of the different films everyone has watched over the year.



Here's my update for August
1. French New Wave
Le Samourai(1967)
3. Italian Neorealism
Divorce, Italian Style(1961)
4. Asia
Late Spring(1949)
5. Steven Jay Schneider's 1001 movies
Salvador (1986)
4. a theatrical play adaptation
Richard III(1995)
2. a foreign language film
Late Spring(1949)
3. a black and white film
Schindlers List (1993)



@Wyldesyde19 and @Takoma11 have you posted your progress here? I can't seem to find it. It would be a fun read (at least for me) if you did, even if it is incomplete.
Mine is in a google doc that is formatted with color coding and bolding (it is a very Type-A document, lol). I've also been reordering the categories by putting ones I done with at the bottom so that I can see everything at a glance that isn't done. There are a few movies listed that I haven't watched yet but plan to (in my doc, these are listed but unbolded). I'll put a * by them here. I'm also reviewing everything I watch in the "Rate the Last Movie" thread--so if you read that thread you're probably very aware of what I'm up to!

Progress So Far