hindolio

just a few imho points - take them for what they are... just mho

- i dont see an appeal in a "history" challenge. sounds too vague and kinda boring actually. i mean, i really like history, but when you put "challenge" in front of it...

- why not try one "make your own challenge" and see how it goes? if there is demand, yous guys can figure out the supply later.

- re running multiple and/or concurrent "make your own" challenges throughout the year, where is the comaradarie in that? i feel these structured challenges put like-minded people in a thread and allows them to explore. and people being human, when you put "official" in front of the name of the challenge, it makes it feel a bit more worthwhile.

caligulathegod

I'm kind of there, too. If we have too many challenges, it makes them less special. We probably don't need challenges for every type of film out there and every month. Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Exploitation all have a fetish aspect to them and have obsessive fans and Oscar and Holiday have unique hooks. Animation is another interesting one. Outside of those genres, we start to hit the mundane films, while entertaining and what most people probably watch on a daily basis, there's just not much reason to go out of your way to participate in a Challenge for them.

Travis McClain

Would "A Lot of Movies Based on Real Shit Where Some Badass Mo'fo's Kill Each Other and Blow Shit Up and Did Some Other Impressive Shit Challenge" be more to your liking? I mean, this way, "challenge" comes at the end.

Look, I don't mean to be hostile here, but if you don't want to participate...then just leave that challenge the hell alone. If I--or anyone else--has to defend a challenge even existing, then it's pretty obvious we don't need it. So, here: instead of me waiting for a consensus to tell me whether or not we're doing one and what it will cover and when it will be, I'm officially out. If someone else wants to make something along the lines of a history challenge happen, I'll be more than happy to organize my viewing for a month and mark off little spots on an online checklist. Otherwise, wake me when it's Sci-Fi challenge month so I can make myself dust off A.I.

Trevor

I admire your enthusiasm for Westerns, but didn't expect that sort of a 'take my ball and go home' statement from you.

The main reasons for combining similar genres in a 'History Challenge' were:

• There wasn't much interest in a Western challenge. Only three or four or us seemed interested, and I imagine we would have had ten participants tops.
  
• Many people felt that we were planning too many Challenges, so combining a couple of the less popular ones seemed a good compromise. There are only so many months, but 12+ genres with fans, not counting non-genres like Make-Your-Own and Academy. And the whole idea of combining 'real life' genres into one Challenge seems like a brilliant idea imo.
  
• And yes, I don't think I'm a good Challenge lead and you all wouldn't want me leading more than necessary. Plus, I have enough forum projects and would rather not have the responsibility if someone else is willing to lead them.

The way I see it, we could have had a dedicated Western Challenge and had five to twenty of us participating. We will still have roughly that same number of people concentrating on westerns only that month. I know that I'm doing all western. But by opening it up to the other genres, we are getting slightly more participation. If that content really bothers you just ignore their lists/discussion and go hog wild on westerns with the rest of us. I don't think we'll be missing out on any amount of discussion that we would have had if it was Western only, there will just be bonus discussion of the other genres as well. Win win.

I understand that we will never completely please everyone, but we all have to compromise here.
What?! One person complains and you even slightly consider bailing? Nope. History Challenge is a done deal and you're running it in June. No easy outs!

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I'm thinking one is enough so we could have something like a Foreign one instead. No offense.

Dimension X

None taken. I was just throwing that idea out there "if there's any interest in having more than one." I too think one's enough (we don't even know how much participation it will get yet), but I think having two set six months apart would be a better idea "if there's any interest in having more than one" than ongoing year around MYOCs.

BuddhaWake

I'll officially volunteer to run a foreign film challenge. I'm thinking January would be the best time as those that participate in the oscar one can double dip and not have to stop one or decide between challenges.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Isn't it time for a discussion thread on whatever the challenge is next month?

Travis McClain

Eh? Oh. Yeah. I'm getting to it. It'll get up either later tonight or tomorrow.

History/Historical/Things That Happened Before Yesterday is still on for June, right?

Trevor

Awesome! January sounds good to me too, but I guess we don't have to finalize it just yet. Let it stew here for a few months and see what kind of support and ideas it gets.

BuddhaWake

I know i'm looking forward to it. couple of things I haven't seen yet that I wouldn't mind checking out during june. I guess there is certain leeway as to what would count.

BuddhaWake

yeah and january is a bit far away. just keep me in mind.

Travis McClain

History Challenge discussion thread is now active.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

If anyone's waiting for the sci-fi challenge, I also decided to include fantasy from now on. Couple things made me switch to it, one was some film I watched during the exploitation challenge got me thinking that it really wouldn't hurt, and in a way it makes sense, that it's close enough to be included. What movie made me think this? Can't remember

Second thing was that as a kid, the sci-fi and fantasy sections were always together at the video store.

I also managed to contact sponsors that are willing to put up actual prizes and not giant bags of gummy eyeballs or other things sitting around my house.

Cardsfan111

Cool!

Not that we minded your gummy eyeballs.

lisadoris

Cool, I can watch Buffy as part of the sci-fi challenge. Thank ya kindly.

caligulathegod

Cool

Trevor

Funny story on those gumballs.

I won a bag one year, thanks again MP, but stashed them in my pantry and forgot all about them. Pulled them out at least a year later and tried to eat one. They had evolved into a near life form, some strange gelatinous mass that smelled quite intent on eating me from the inside out.
I've been putting off watching Buffy for years now, have only seen one episode. Perhaps this July will be the time for me to crank through that boxset.

hindolio

last years sci-fi challenge popped my dvdtalk challenge cherry. cant wait for june

Fist of Doom

I think it was caligula who mentioned that the two go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Fist of Doom

The sci-fi challenge is in July.

Darth Maher

This is good news to me.

caligulathegod

Peanut Butter and Jelly, Bert and Ernie, Franks and Beans, Tequila and roofies...

For the record, it isn't just a Bookstore/video store convention. The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year. Then there's The Hugo Awards are given every year for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year by members (supporting or attending) of the annual Worldcon. So, the biggest and most important guilds of the people that produce this stuff consider them together. Plus, as a veteran of many SF conventions, I can attest, that they have a unique symbiotic relationship.

But it's great news. I think the variety helped the Exploitation challenge and this will freshen up the Sci Fi challenge. In fact, there's an extra burden on those watching Fantasy in that those films tend to be longer than average.



For those itching for a casual challenge to fill the time until the SF one starts you can check out the Historical and Western challenge in June. List thread (and maybe a new discussion thread) will be up Monday.

Dimension X

I'll be darned. IMDb does list Buffy as "Fantasy." Now I have too many unwatched things to choose from.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I brought a bag of work, to try and get rid of them. This was probably at least a year after I bought them and they were still fine. After getting through half the bag, they'd all come alive in the same way. It was like they were waiting for something just based on how fast they changed. One day they were fine, next day, not so much.