Cardsfan111

One of the creative "Make Your Own Challenge" ideas floating around my head has been picking an actor, choosing a film he/she appeared in. Once finished, the next film would have to include someone else who appeared in the film just finished.

Don't know if I'll stick with that or not, but it opens itself up to lots of variety, even going from film to tv and back.

Trevor

I think I have at least 40 ideas for the Make-Your-Own-Challenge, hope I live long enough to use them all; and all the ideas here are great too. It really has monstrous creative potential.

I think I'm going to stick with my every possible bit of LOTR for this year. My second choice is to watch one film from every year of surviving film history. So I'd start with the first (?) film from 1888, then proceed chronologically through 2010.

Dimension X

I plan on starting the discussion thread Tuesday (March 30).

I'm not sure how I feel about a different theme for each week though. I like the idea of month-long themed marathons. I'll have to think that one over.

RobCA

For those of us who can only watch a movie or two a day (and I hate that I'm now in that category, but oh well) a week just isn't long enough. Hell, a month doesn't seem long enough, I was already thinking that I wish the "Make Your Own Challenge" challenge lasted two months, although that would conflict with Westerns or War, or whatever genre is scheduled for June, I just know it's one I have no interest in. Anyway, I definitely prefer the month-long schedule, but then again, since it's a "Make Your Own Challenge", I guess there's no reason why someone couldn't just come up with a different challenge for themselves each week during that month.

Rob

Trevor

Exactly. One of the beauties of the Make-Your-Own-Challenge is that it will be so easy to run. No rules! DX just has to build the threads and try to get people into the spirit of it. Maybe some PR work too.

Travis McClain

I can't sleep right now, so I turned on ESPN to catch up on baseball. I got to thinking, sports would be an interesting challenge topic--far more, I would think, than "action" or "drama" by themselves. "But, we already have too many challenges on the docket," you say. I have a solution!

We don't call it the History Challenge; we call it the Social Studies challenge. Every social studies teacher I ever heard of doubled as a sports coach. Sports-related movies would count for that challenge as well. In the checklist, there would be a specific item or two related to sports. I'm thinking "High School Athletics" (think Varsity Blues or Friday Night Lights) and "Sports History" (think Knute Rockne, All-American or The Jackie Robinson Story).

As for folks using this just as a sports challenge, I thought about that, too. Coming from Kentucky, I can guarantee you it's actually more in the spirit of a social studies challenge to focus entirely on sports and not actual history-related subjects. Plus, we're talking about a challenge in the month of June. Basketball has just ended its post-season, baseball is in full swing, football pre-season is around the corner. I know it seems to add too much to the challenge we'd been discussing (first, war, then war & westerns, with some room for period pieces and now this), but I think as long as we're clear that movies like BASEketball are excluded, it could work.

The Monkees

A good idea for me anyway for the Make Your Own Challenge is as follows:

Week One: Favorite Actor
Week Two: Favorite Actress
Week Three: Favorite Director
Week Four: Something I can't figure out, I thought Favorite Writer but my favorite writers either have only written a handful of movies or is the same as my favorite director

Trevor

Whatever it's called, my thinking for the June Challenge is that as long as the film/show is based primarily on 'real life', it will count.

I was definitely thinking about some of the sports biopics I have, like Rudy. But I don't think stuff like Varsity Blues should count, although I've never seen it so maybe it is based on a true story.

And as for War stuff, it would have to be at least vaguely 'true'. So stuff like Rambo wouldn't count.

Of course, this thinking throws out a lot of the Westerns I planned to watch.

So I don't know. I was thinking that everyone was thinking the same thing, that it was for stuff that was largely 'real', but maybe not.

Travis McClain

Nah; it's pure fiction. I suggested a "High School Sports" item simply in the spirit of the Social Studies nature of the challenge, since high school was such a unique time in most of our lives (for better or worse). But, yeah, I suppose we're better off at least trying to focus on depictions of actual events.

I hadn't even thought that far ahead. I was just prepared to eliminate movies like Space Cowboys, where the military involvement is not really the focus of the movie at all.

And here is where the "must be based on actual events" clause gets tricky. Myself, I'm inclined to give Westerns a pass. Westerns are the great mythology of America, and societies need their myths as much as they need their truths. Or, to paraphrase from one of the greatest Westerns I've ever seen: "When the legend becomes fact, watch the legend."

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Most war movies end up being like computer movies. Based on something real but oh god do they have shit wrong. Not saying it's a war movie but as an example, all the missile stuff they talk about in Air Force One makes me want to shoot myself in the head.

I'm going to watch any type of war movie. Possibly even about wars in the future.

Fist of Doom

^I tend to ignore signatures, so I just noticed - do you really own 10,000 DVDs, Mister Peepers? Holy cow!

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Movies, not just discs. So I have blu-rays, DVDs, and a hundred or so things on VHS that aren't out on DVD. When they are, they I upgrade but I love collecting rare stuff and a lot of it isn't ever going to see the light of day on DVD.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

How would a Foreign Film Challenge work for those that are native Japanese?

Trevor

Something to be ironed out once someone commits to running it and we start the discussion or planning thread I guess.

Personally, I was born and have lived my whole life in the USA, so for me it would be any film from outside of the USA.

If one was born and lived in Japan, it would be any non-Japanese film.

For people born one place and live another, or consider a certain country their home, or travel a lot, or whatever other variance we come up with; I imagine it would be up to them to choose their 'home' country, the country/language that they prefer to watch films in; and watch everything else that month.

Just my personal opinion, I doubt I'll run it, so whoever ends up 'in charge' of it may feel differently.

Dimension X

I was thinking about posting a similar question. I know we have people posting from all over the globe, but I couldn't remember if the ones not in the US participate in the Challenges. It could make for some amusing lists.

caligulathegod

[Cheech]"Mexican-Americans love education so they go night school and take Spanish and get a Beeeeeeeeee."[/Cheech]

Darth Maher

A year or two ago, I brought up the idea of a "Make Your Own Challenge" thread that just runs concurrent with all the other Challenges. Back then, there didn't seem to be much interest. But then again, there were only like 2 challenges. Now that we have challenges coming out of our ears (and I mean that in a good way), I thought I'd toss my idea back into the ring.

This way, if someone has little or no interest in the current challenge, they could have one of their own and post their little list in the "Make You Own Challenge" thread, which could also double as the discussion thread since, if it's ongoing (and successful), it would probably extend into more anyway (Part 2, 3...).

For example, I don't see myself participating much in the "Exploitation/Drive-In Challenge." But I've always wanted to do a little "Baseball Movie Challenge" right around the start of the the baseball season. With a "Make Your Own Challenge" thread, I could do both... and so can you!*

* Feel free to substitute "Baseball Movie Challenge" with challenges of your choice.

Good idea?
Ask us again in a few years?
Go to hell, Darth Maher?
¿qué?

Trevor

I like it, and it makes me wonder if the whole concept of the Make-Your-Own Challange can be slightly altered to make it not a set month, but a continual sort of thing. So not a concurrent to any other Challenge thing, or not a set month, but just an open-ended always ongoing thread.

No rush to change things Dimension , but maybe we can think about this for a bit? Chew on it for a couple weeks?

Of course, anyone is always welcome to do their own Challenges at any point. I've done several personal Challenges over the years. You could always use the monthly unwatched threads to document your progress, but I like the idea of keeping them in one place, so that we can inspire each other.

RobCA

Let me just say, I love this idea. I was already thinking that we should do this more than once a year. I was thinking more like a couple of times throughout the year, but every month suits me just fine. That way, we can participate when we want to, and just skip it when we don't. I already have several ideas for challenges, and this way, I could use a couple during June and September, instead of waiting until next year. I may even try to come up with challenges that go with existing ones, like a "horror TV" challenge in October, for instance.

If we do decide to do this, I'll put my "LGBT challenge" on hold until June, so it'll coincide with Gay Pride month, and just use one of my other ideas for May.

Rob

NoirFan

Personally, I'm not interested in a History Challenge at all - whatever happened to the purely Western Challenge? There's certainly more than enough film and TV choices available to watch in that genre. A sports/war/western/whatever hybrid is just silly. Count me out.

Travis McClain

I thought someone already addressed the idea of the "ongoing make-your-own" as being unnecessary, since we already have generic "What are you watching/what did you last watch" threads. In any event, I think multiple MYO's threatens to not only devalue the MYO Challenge proper, but the entirety of challenges, since anyone would then have the option of watching whatever they wanted and there'd be no real theme among discussions.

Tell you what: You guys figure this damn thing out and let me know. I don't even care any more. First it's War, then it's Westerns, then we're combining them and expanding to a History challenge and now we're back to just wanting one of those things. I don't even care anymore. Let me know when the Sci-Fi challenge gets going; I'm determined to re-visit A.I. after all these years.

Dimension X

I get that it would be an alternative for people that don't care for whatever the Challenge is for that month, but it seems like doing something like that will ultimately subtract from participation in the other Challenges. For example, doing something like Rob's horror TV challenge example is just setting up a way to get around the Horror Challenge rules. It'd be like watching Sci-Fi and Fantasy movies in a separate make your own challenge in July instead of participating in the "Official" Sci-Fi Challenge.

One of the reasons I saw for having the "Official" Make-Your-Own Challenge was to give people the chance to watch horror TV shows, or Fantasy movies, or listen to commentaries and watch extras, or whatever else is not allowed under the rules of the other Challenges.
What's stopping you from only watching Westerns during that Challenge? That's probably what I'll do (unless I throw something else I happen to watch on the list just because it qualifies).

Dimension X

That might've been me , but Trevor has said pretty much the same thing too.

I think your War Challenge was combined with June's Western Challenge (to form the Historical Challenge) mostly because Trevor didn't want to run another Challenge. Like I said, I don't see any reason people can't concentrate on one genre if they want to, and the expanded theme could encourage more participation (which is a good thing).

Dimension X

Since November is (mostly) open, we could have a second Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge then (they'd be six months apart) if there's any interest in having more than one.

Travis McClain

If I recall, November was the original idea for the War Challenge. It was suggested to be merged with Westerns in June because of overlap with the Holiday Challenge. I suppose a Make-Your-Own works better in a "shortened" month because then there's not as much concern about whether there's a lot of time for people to meet uniform goals.