Travis McClain

September is upon us, so it's time to actually watch those Criterion discs we bought in July during the Barnes & Noble sale and get as many viewings out of our Hulu subscriptions as we can before the Criterion Channel launches on Filmstruck later this year! CardiffGiant has done a fantastic job hosting this challenge the last several years, and here's the overview of this challenge that he's crafted:

The goal of the Criterion Challenge is to watch Criterion content and share your experience with the rest of us. There is no specific number goal, no winners, no losers, no prizes.

Rather than compile long lists, watch what you would normally watch in a month, but concentrate it on Criterion content as much as you can/want. In fact, bulk watching is discouraged, as that will limit your time for discussion and for immersing yourself in a film. Participants are encouraged to explore fully a film and its supplemental material.

There will be a separate thread to include your lists as linked above. A daily journal sort of entry is recommended for your list. Since counting is not required or "scored" in any way, you are free to be as creative as you wish in how you list items. Bolding of your item titles is encouraged, if only to make them stand out to allow others to quickly see if they have seen the same items and wish to comment. Give reviews. Even if it's just a mini-review, a simple /, or a one word description. Be creative and personalize it however you wish - use one post for the whole month, daily posts, weekly posts, give reviews, provide IMDB links, add YouTube videos, add images, etc. It's recommended that you provide a link to your list(s) in your signature for easy access. Last year's List Thread should give you a good idea how participants format their lists.

What qualifies? Any film, short, video or supplemental feature that is planned for release or has been released by Criterion/Eclipse qualifies. The film does not have to be watched on an actual Criterion disc. You may watch the film on any format, provided that it is the same film that Criterion has released. For example, the film On the Waterfront was released by Criterion on DVD/BD. But you don't have to watch the movie on that particular DVD/BD. You can watch it on VHS, on broadcast TV, on the Internet, Netflix, HuluPlus, iTunes, or any of the other DVD/BD releases On the Waterfront has had. Additionally, any title released by Criterion exclusively on streaming (See: HuluPlus) is eligible for this challenge.

Check out the full list of Criterion and Eclipse DVD and BD releases here. Criterion's website allows for sorting by Brand, Format, Director, Country, Decade, and Features. This will allow easy searching for working through needed checklist items.

There are some titles currently streaming on Netflix, including a number of OOP titles. On rare occasions, you can find an Eclipse title there as well.

There are many Criterion titles available on Hulu Plus. Any title available on Criterion's Hulu Plus site counts. These include titles that Criterion has the rights to, but has yet to release on DVD/BD. Hulu Plus offers a standard 1-week free trial. Additionally, Criterion regularly rotates new titles for "free" viewing on Hulu.

Criterion titles occasionally appear on broadcast television. Keep an eye on this discussion thread for upcoming broadcasts.

Titles originally released on Criterion Laserdisc are also eligible for the challenge.

Optional Checklist

The checklist is completely optional. It is just a "fun" inclusion to give one a sense of accomplishment, to help one diversify viewing, or to use as a guide on what to watch next.

Each film can count for multiple sections, but only one check mark per section. Example: Pierrot le fou could count for the 1960's in Decades and Jean-Luc Godard in People, but it could not count for Godard and Anna Karina in People. You would need a separate film for Karina.


The challenge officially begins August 31 at dusk in whatever location you are in at the time, and ends on October 1st at dawn in whatever location you are in at that time. Also, feel free to time your final Criterion film(s) to coincide with the start of the Horror Challenge.

Online Resources

shadokitty

Looking forward to this. Been watching horror movies lately, and now I can watch ones that actually count for a challenge.

Trevor

So I finally had a new Challenge starter ready to start the thread, after having no luck contacting CardiffGiant, and here you go and steal their thunder.

Travis McClain

I did go ahead and make one tweak to the checklist; I increased the increments in the spine section to 100 instead of 50. That reduces that section to 10 checks instead of 18.

Additionally, I've reorganized and expanded the section of links. New additions include links to previous years' discussion and list threads, Criterion's official pages on Facebook and YouTube, Barnes & Noble's Criterion online storefront, the Criterion store in Google Play, the Criterion section on Hulu, and the pages where you can find the signatures from iCheckMovies.com for Criterion and Eclipse.

If there are any other suggestions or requests, now's the time!

Dimension X

Ask him or her if he or she would like to host the November Comedy Challenge. I may not have the time to do it this year.

shadokitty

Thanks for pointing out that Google Play has Criterion movies. I just bought Videodrome, and when I get paid, plan to buy Jellyfish Eyes.

Travis McClain

There's also a Criterion storefront in iTunes, but I can't figure out a way to share a link to it. Here's what I get when I click "Copy Link". Whenever I click on it to test it, it opens the Apple.com page to download and install iTunes, rather than going to the Criterion store in the iTunes Store.

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/...fcId=473364283

malazar

As someone who completes the checklist every year, I like this change a lot. It will give more freedom to watch stuff I'd rather watch than being a slave to the groups of 50 where sometimes I had already watched everything and would prefer to watch something I hadn't seen already.

popcorn

Nitpicking here but the counts are off. See 101-100 for example.

Travis McClain

Good catch! Fixed that.

Travis McClain

Presently, there are 21 films in the disc library from the 1920's, and 26 from the 2010's. I think it's time to spin out the 10's as their own check mark, which will bring that section up to 10. Anyone feel strongly one way or the other about this?

malazar

That makes sense to me. They seem to add a couple things from the 2010s every year anyways, so it shouldn't really be a problem finding something to watch in both decades.

Travis McClain

Done!

Travis McClain

Has anyone worked out what your objectives are for this year? I have three:

1) Complete the checklist, which I've never done.

2) Pursuant to completing the checklist, watch all of Steve Buscemi's Top 10, which I can finally do because most of it is accessible via streaming and I've just placed an inter-library loan request for Short Cuts on DVD.

3) Watch my In a Lonely Place Blu-ray in its entirety. It was a blind buy during last month's B&N sale, for which I used a gift card a friend kindly gave me for Christmas (despite my no-gifts policy). I've been saving it for this occasion. There are two other Criterion titles in my disc library I need to get to (Certified Copy and 12 Angry Men), but I've already seen those films and as this will be the last challenge to use Hulu Plus, I intend to emphasize that over discs.

LJG765

No real plans. I may not even start until after the first week, to be honest. The last couple years I tried to watch the eligible Hitchcock films, but I'm pretty sure I finished those off. I may have to find another director or actor to do the same with.

shadokitty

My only goal is to enjoy myself.

orlmac

I struggle with a goal for this challenge since I try to make it unique from other challenges and therefore watch all of the extras. That means, for me, I can't watch the movies on Hulu or Netflix or even get Netflis discs sometimes, the only option I can figure out is either buying them or getting them from the library. Does anyone know of a streaming sight that includes the extras?

Trevor

Plan to dig into some of my unopened Crterion blus, and complete my personal checklist. Set a goal of 7 films for myself. First will be an animation crossover if my work schedule allows.

malazar

I have a few goals this year.

1) Complete The Checklist - I have been successful with this one the last few years and enjoy using it as a way to give my viewing some different choices than I may otherwise make which has led to some great discoveries in prior years that I may have not otherwise ever watched.

2) Watch at least one of my boxsets and Eclipse sets. I have more of these lying around in my backlog than I would like to admit, so it is time to make some progress there.

3) Watch around 25 films and as many extras as I can. There seem to have been a large number of English language releases in the last year that I have picked up so it will be easier than ever to watch extras on those discs while I work my always insane hours.

That's about it for now, but I may very well choose to focus on a director, actor, or certain theme at some point once the ball gets rolling. I still need to plot out my initial plan of what to watch.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Same here, that's why I'm probably not going to do any blind watches. I've seen way to many that are long and horrible.

I have a few I bought in the last sale but it's all upgrades of things I've already seen. Probably won't do any extras unless they look really good or I'm stuck in my seat and can't change anything.

Whiskey Warfield

Same thing I do every challenge, knock off as many of the 1001 movies as I can. I'm hoping for a nice round 50.

mrcellophane

I have an embarrassing backlog of Criterion releases in my unwatched pile. For several years, my birthdays and Christmases would initiate a flood of DVDs and BDs from friends and family. I'm definitely going to watch my new copy of Persona and explore the bounty of extras included. I've planned a way to finish the checklist, but I'm usually pretty mercurial when it comes to these challenges and my goals.

Travis McClain

Criterion has uploaded some of their disc supplements to Hulu and Criterion.com, though obviously not all. I'm unaware of any streaming version that includes all disc supplements. Perhaps you might feel content focusing on streaming titles that have had bare bones disc releases? For instance, I know that the original DVD release of Summertime only included the original trailer. Similarly, Blue Is the Warmest Color also only includes its original trailer (with a note that a fuller edition will follow later).

There's also the Essential Art House line. Many, if not all, of those titles do have feature-laden counterparts in the Criterion Collection proper, but it could be a convenient little loophole for you to at least satisfy yourself that you're watching the films that were selected for that spotlight series.

I've had disappointing experiences with selections I've made in previous years of this challenge, but I've found enough gems that I'm happy to keep rolling the dice.

Looking back over your previous years' lists, I'd be curious to hear what your favorite gem and/or greatest disappointment was each time you've participated in this challenge. Here are mine:

2010
Gem: M
Disappointment: Sans Soleil

2011
Gem: L'heure d'été [Summer Hours]
Disappointment: Dazed and Confused

2012
Gem: The Horse's Mouth
Disappointment: The Circus

2013
Gem: Copie conforme [Certified Copy]
Disappointment: Koyaanisqatsi

2014
Gem: Ugetsu
Disappointment: The River

2015
Gem: Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages
Disappointment: Sweet Movie

Travis McClain

I treated myself to the Persona Blu-ray release and gorged on its supplements during last year's challenge. After you get through your set, I'd love to hear your thoughts on those features. I dashed off a Letterboxd diary entry about them. In case you or anyone else might be inclined to compare notes, here it is. Obviously, there may be some spoilers in comments about bonus features since the presumption is that anyone who's watching the supplements has already seen the film proper.

orlmac

[QUOTE=Travis McClain;12884687]Criterion has uploaded some of their disc supplements to Hulu and Criterion.com, though obviously not all. I'm unaware of any streaming version that includes all disc supplements. Perhaps you might feel content focusing on streaming titles that have had bare bones disc releases? For instance, I know that the original DVD release of Summertime only included the original trailer. Similarly, Blue Is the Warmest Color also only includes its original trailer (with a note that a fuller edition will follow later).

There's also the Essential Art House line. Many, if not all, of those titles do have feature-laden counterparts in the Criterion Collection proper, but it could be a convenient little loophole for you to at least satisfy yourself that you're watching the films that were selected for that spotlight series.[QUOTE]

Thanks for those suggestions. Both looking for the bare bones releases and looking for those that have the supplements on Criterion.com sound like good options. I really appreciate those suggestions, they could really open up the challenge for me.