The Monkees

The 8th Annual Academy Award Movie Challenge

Official Rules

-ANY movie that has been NOMINATED or WON an Academy Award counts

-There is NO time limit, meaning it doesn't matter how long or short the item in question is, as long as it has been nominated or won an Academy Award

-You can watch a movie once then count it again if you watch the same film with a commentary

-There WILL BE a separate thread for LISTS ONLY created shortly before the challenge begins.

-You can count the actual Academy Awards Ceremony to be televised on Sunday March 2, 2014 as an entry if you'd like.

-There will be an "In Memoriam" Wild Card option. You can select up to 10 films to watch featuring a celebrity that died during 2013. But only ONE movie per celebrity. For example: You can watch "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" to honor Jonathan Winters but you cannot watch another Jonathan Winters movie unless another celebrity that died during 2013 is in it. If that makes sense... The celebrity has to have died in 2013.

-The challenge begins on Saturday February 1, 2014 at 12:00am CST and will end at 11:59pm on Sunday March 2, 2014

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, REMEMBER TO NUMBER YOUR LISTS

***LISTS THREAD***

Past Challenges

2013 Rules & Discussion Thread
2013 Lists Thread
2012 Rules & Discussion Thread
2012 Lists Thread
2011 Rules & Discussion Thread
2011 Lists Thread
2010 Rules & Discussion Thread
2010 Lists Thread
2009 Rules & Discussion Thread
2009 Lists Thread
2008 Rules & Discussion Thread
2008 Lists Thread
2007 Rules & Discussion Thread
2007 Lists Thread

External Links

TCM's 31 Days of Oscar Schedule
Academy Award Database ---> To check if a movie has been nominated or won an Award
2013 In Memoriam List ---> To See Who Died During 2013

The Monkees

I realize now that I was very absent from this challenge last year. I was just going through last year's discussion thread and saw that I barely posted in there at all and I now remember just being completely out of it last year.

I may not necessarily participate in the actual challenge this year (as I did not last year) but I will definitely be around to comment and answer any questions.

Cardsfan111

I really look forward to this each year. I've actually been preparing for it over the last month or so. I've been separating titles as I've bought them based on what qualifies for this challenge.

lisadoris

My favorite challenge. I'm already getting my potential list together and recording films on TCM.

Trevor

I'm in of course!

shadokitty

I'm definitely in.

Giles

^ me too.

shadokitty

So far, I've looked through two drawers worth of DVDs and Blu rays and found 19 eligible movies. Still have 3 drawers left, plus my regular DVD shelf. Haven't found any eligible 3 stooges yet, but I have two full sets to look through still.

davidh777

My chance to catch up on the movies I failed to watch for last year's challenge, like Life of Pi!

Ash Ketchum

Best Picture winners I still haven't seen, but which I have (on either tape or disc): BROADWAY MELODY (1929), TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (1983) and DRIVING MISS DAISY (1988).

Ones I don't have and haven't seen: THE KING'S SPEECH, ARGO and one or two others from recent years.

BobO'Link

I have a few things I've purchased over the past 12 months or so. I'll probably do a token participation as far as watching movies and continue with TVonDVD for another month since it comprises the bulk of my unwatched piles... Of course I'll follow discussions and chime in on occasion...

shadokitty

When will the 2013 In Memoriam list be posted. Right now I only know one movie I have planned off the top of my head, The Fast and the Furious for Paul Walker.

Mao

I am so ready for this challenge!

mrcellophane

Perhaps this would be the right time to open up my BD of Lawrence of Arabia and revisit Suspicion.

Very excited about the challenge! I saw like five 2013 films so I will probably spend most of my time catching up on the nominees for the upcoming awards. I also have a lot of qualifying films in my unwatched pile that I need to finally watch. I should also watch some of the fourteen Best Picture winners that I've never seen.

Mondo Kane

I'll be in!

Greg MacGuffin

I'm in as well. Looking forward to it.

shadokitty

I have a question that I think I know the answer to, but I want to make sure. Is it only the theatrical editions of movies that count? I believe the answer is yes which means no directors cuts, but I wanted to make sure.

Mao

Good question!

As a completely retentive person, I would say that's a good practice...for instance: the director's cut of "Dances With Wolves" is not the version that won the Oscar. I hunted down the UK version on Blu-Ray (it's region-free!). But sometimes, the extended or director's cut is the only one available.

lisadoris

I don't know that we've ever had a ruling on that one. I think I've watched the director's cut of Aliens or T2 for this challenge before but I don't think I even marked it as the DC on my list. I think the only version of Amadeus on blu is the DC.

Unless the DC is drastically different from theatrical version I would count it. On the other hand I can understand an argument that says only the version that was nominated or won should count.

PCBreakdown

I hadn't planned on participating int his challenge, but a quick check of my IMDB Watchlist filtered by Oscar nominees I haven't seen that I plan on watching in the future is over 300. I'm going to attempt it, as maybe it'll finally give me the push I need to watch Schindler's List, Slumdog Millionaire and Amelie.

ntnon

Good idea!

ntnon

I'm reasonably sure last year's ruling was to allow any cut, but give heavy preference to the version that was actually nominated, for obvious reasons.

That approach makes the most sense, too... if there's little option, or if one can only get hold of the non-theatrical cut, it'd be daft to discount it completely.

Darkgod

I'm in... my second favorite challenge behind the horror.. I am doing my best to watch the films I think will be nominated this year so I can focus on past winners I never saw. Also my DVr is almsost full of movies from TCM that qualify.

Travis McClain

I'm down. Last year during one of Best Buy's Upgrade & Save sales, I snagged a 5-pack of Best Picture winners on Blu-ray for $14.99. I've seen three before (Chicago, Crash and No Country for Old Men). The other two are The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love. Those five alone will take care of about half of the checklist, I think.

Two years ago, I decided to try to watch as many 2001 nominees as I could. It was fun, though I didn't get to 'em all (in large part because I stalled halfway into the challenge). Last year, I missed three check marks. This year, my two goals are:

1) Finish watching all eligible, un-logged titles in my library.
2) Complete the checklist!

At some point in the next week, I'm going to do some research and pick out my documentaries to track down, either on DVD through the library or perhaps I'll find something streaming. Too often, I leave that till the end and have to scramble.

(Who am I kidding? I'm gonna leave it till the end and scramble this year, too.)

mrcellophane

Yep! I always say I'm going to stay on top of things and pace my viewing, but I always end up stuck in a best picture nominee marathon the day before (or of) the awards broadcast.