DVD Talk Forum - May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

DVD Talk Forum (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/)

- DVD Talk (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-talk-3/)

- - May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-talk/571664-may-2010-make-your-own-challenge-challenge-discussion-thread.html)

May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

This thread is for discussion only. The list thread will be put up in a couple of weeks.

List thread is now active.

Now that the April Challenge is underway (or will be in a few hours), it's time to start talking about May's Challenge: the Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge. It's like the other DVD Talk Challenges, but you choose the theme.

Maybe you have a favorite genre, or a genre you'd like to explore, that didn't get its own "Official" Challenge. Or you have a director, actor, writer, costume designer, etc. whose work you want to revisit or explore for the first time. Or maybe you're just tired of looking at those unwatched box sets on your shelves. Here's your chance to make yourself watch those movies (or TV shows) you've been putting off.

You're in charge of your own Challenge, so you make the rules. There are a few guidelines however.

Challenge Guidelines:

The Challenge runs from May 1 through May 31.

Since the 31st day of the Drive-In Challenge overlaps with the first day of this one, if you're still watching B-Movies and they qualify for your personal challenge, go ahead and include them on both lists.

Please state your challenge theme and your challenge goal and rules (if any) at the top of your list(s) in the list thread so others can tell what you're up to.

Don't duplicate an existing "Official" DVD Talk Challenge.

The "Official" Challenges as of now are: Horror, Holiday, Academy Award, Sci-Fi, Criterion, and B-Movie/Exploitation/Drive-In. With Animation and Historical upcoming (see Trevor's "Official" DVDTalk Challenges Compendium thread for details and links to individual challenges).

The main purpose of this guideline is to encourage participants to focus on genres not already covered by a Challenge, and to not subtract from participation in any other Challenges. However, as with other challenges, you may watch stuff that qualifies for one or more of the other challenges. With this in mind, if you want to narrow the focus of one of the broader existing challenges to a specific sub-genre, you can.

The "no duplication" guideline only applies to "Official" challenges. More than one participant may do the same (or similar) challenge(s). If you see a theme you like, feel free to "borrow" it, or contact the creator and see if he wants to collaborate on Challenge rules and "compete" toward a goal.

As is traditional with these Challenges, this discussion thread and the list thread will be here in the DVD Forum. This does not mean you have to watch DVDs only.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Here are some earlier discussions on this Challenge from other threads for those who missed them:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimension X (Post 10056130)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10055860)

Not quite officially announced, but I think they are both 100% on.

May is going to be the Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge run by Dimension X.

I guess I should be thinking about starting a discussion thread on that soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10055860)

I'm getting excited for this one. The basic 'rules' will apparently be to watch whatever you want, hopefully themed in some way, but to not duplicate one of the other Challenges.

I think there should definitely be a theme, but people can be as creative as they want about what constitutes a theme.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimension X (Post 10056712)

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkees (Post 10056480)

Here's a question for the make your own challenge, you say it can't be a theme used in another challenge, what if I wanted to do something horror related but focused on one specific sub-genre? Like only 80s slasher films?

My first thought on this was not to allow it (what's to keep you from only watching slasher films during the Oct. Challenge?), but after thinking about it, I'm leaning to yes (part of the creative aspect of coming up with a theme could be getting around the rules). I'll try to remember to put this question in the discussion thread so we can see what others think so I can clarify the rule.

I already incorporated this suggestion to allow participants to focus on one specific sub-genre into the guidelines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indy24LA (Post 10059107)

I'm very intrigued by the Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge... hmmmm, comic book movies? 80s movies? Sports movies? What to pick, what to pick...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Peepers (Post 10072729)

My plan for the make your own was to have a different week long challenges, with checklists of course.

Week 1: Martial Arts(which I've also toyed with doing a month long challenge but wasn't sure if we already had too many. If
Trevor thinks we can fit it in somewhere I'd be ok with doing it but wouldn't complain if he didn't. A week might be long enough for that one.)

Week 2: All random and only random picks. No picking and going, "that sucks, I'm picking again", which honestly, is really easy to do.

I'm only going to watch unwatched stuff and will have my wife, kids, and the random button in Movie Collectorz pick stuff for me.

Week 3: TV shows and made for TV movies.

Week 4: Documentaries and Westerns. As good as some docs are, there's a lot of crappy ones and I'd like to be able to break from them when I get tired.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardsfan111 (Post 10072939)

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10073014)

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimension X (Post 10073274)

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobCA (Post 10073370)

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Monkees (Post 10074124)

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

Yes mini-challenges will be allowed if people wish to do them.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

For my Challenge I'll be watching 53 features, 2 shorts, & 19 TV episodes directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

I'll be doing an LGBT challenge, watching as many gay-themed films and TV episodes in my collection as I can.

I have to say, I really wish we were doing this more often than once a year. I already have some other ideas for future challenges; I hate having to wait so long to do them though.

Rob

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Good job with the OP, Dimension X.

I see this as being one of my favorite challenges of the year. There's so many ways to go with it. Personally, I'm still not set on what I'll do. I'm as anxious to see what creative approaches others might take as I am doing the challenge myself.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Probably going to do a foreign-language challenge.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimension X (Post 10081723)

For my Challenge I'll be watching 53 features, 2 shorts, & 19 TV episodes directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

That's a great idea! Is that everything he produced? Or just all that is available or all you own? Btw, I just watched Lifeboat for the first time today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobCA (Post 10081740)

I have to say, I really wish we were doing this more often than once a year. I already have some other ideas for future challenges; I hate having to wait so long to do them though.

Rob

I was initially thinking that two or three of these per year, to fill in the gaps between other Challenges would be nice, but now it looks like we might be fairly full.

Of course, you could always use the monthly unwatched threads, or the weekly 'what are you watching' threads to create your own Challenges.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardsfan111 (Post 10081885)

I totally agree. Great post, amazing creative potential for all participants, and likely my new favorite Challenge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffy Pop (Post 10081900)

Probably going to do a foreign-language challenge.

It's not a done deal yet, but I hope to have an official Foreign Challenge at some point.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardsfan111 (Post 10081885)

Thanks. Feel free to throw some ideas out there even if you haven't made a decision yet. I'm interested in reading them myself.

No complaints in the first few posts, so I guess the guidelines look okay to you guys.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10081915)

That's a great idea! Is that everything he produced? Or just all that is available or all you own?

That's most of what he directed from The Pleasure Garden (1925) to Family Plot (1976). His second film, The Mountain Eagle (1926), is a lost film, and there are a couple of shorts (one is a 1 1/2 min short for War Bonds), a few movies he just directed part of, and one television show I don't have.

I originally was going to just watch the films I had, but during the last few months I've gotten copies of several I was missing (all early ones). Then I figured that even though I didn't have every season, I might as well watch the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes I did have, but after looking at Hulu, my DVDs, and some old videotapes I have, I found I can watch all of them. His episode of Suspicion is available online (at least for now), so I'm just missing his Ford Startime episode (and I'm not buying the German Alfred Hitchcock Presents box set just for that).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10081915)

Btw, I just watched Lifeboat for the first time today.

Most of the early silent stuff and the German film will be new to me. I'm pretty sure I've seen everything else, but some of them I watched long enough ago that it'll be like watching them for the first time. I'm looking forward to it.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

I'm not 100% sure if I'll be participating yet, but I'd like to. I just want to pick the correct theme that I will enjoy.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Everybody on the planet who even glances at a television next month is participating.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

I'm thinking about doing a TV-on-DVD challenge

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by lisadoris (Post 10082224)

I'm thinking about doing a TV-on-DVD challenge

One of the ideas I considered, which I'll probably do eventually, was a Britcom challenge. I own several, adding up to about 160 episodes, so in a month's time, I'm sure I'd be able to watch them all. I like the idea of a challenge where I can watch everything I have, instead of having to pick and choose which ones I watch, and which ones I don't have time for.

Rob

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

I might have to partake in this one as well... now to come up with a theme...

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobCA (Post 10082348)

I like the idea of a challenge where I can watch everything I have, instead of having to pick and choose which ones I watch, and which ones I don't have time for.

Rob

That's my thinking as well. I have too large of a collection to ever watch all of my Horror, or Sci-Fi, or Holiday, or Criterions in a single month. Here, I can pick something manageable.

My top two choices so far are:

Watch all of my LOTR DVDs, including all of the special features. These will include the three different animated releases, the three different releases of The Fellowship of the Ring, the three different releases of The Two Towers, the three different releases of The Return of the King, the Gollum bonus disc, the National Geographic bonus disc, the Howard Shore bonus disc, and another documentary or two that I have. I know that there is other LOTR content out there, but I think I have more than enough, and just would like to be able to say that I watched/listened to it all once. I think it will involves watching each film at least six times each, due to all the commentaries. I'm guessing that all together it's going to total at least 100 hours of content.

Watch one film from every year of film history. So 1888 to 2010, with a couple years of no surviving film if I recall correctly.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

I'm glad I have a month to figure out what I'm going to do. :D

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10082494)

Watch one film from every year of film history. So 1888 to 2010, with a couple years of no surviving film if I recall correctly.

That's a good idea, although I'd probably have a lot of years missing. Another theme I thought of is pick a decade, like an 80's challenge, for instance... where I'd watch movies, TV shows, even music videos from the 80's. I gotta stop thinking of these ideas though; it's gonna take forever to get through them all. And of course, each time I think of a new one, I want to do it right away, instead of waiting until next year, or the year after.

Rob

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10081915)

It's not a done deal yet, but I hope to have an official Foreign Challenge at some point.

OK. Probably sit this one out then. :shrug:

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffy Pop (Post 10083756)

OK. Probably sit this one out then. :shrug:

#1 - So you're not going to watch ANY dvds the entire month of May? Make whatever you decide to watch your Challenge!

#2 - Don't skip it on the possibility of there being a Foreign Film Challenge. It's been mentioned a few times, but until somebody steps up to run it there is no guarantee. How about you? -pray-

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffy Pop (Post 10083756)

OK. Probably sit this one out then. :shrug:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10085045)

I'd say the "Foreign Film" theme is not subject to the "no duplication" guideline at this time since the "Official" Foreign Film Challenge hasn't even been scheduled yet, so go ahead and make that your theme if you want.

We need to have the Western and/or War and/or History thing cleared up.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimension X (Post 10085194)

Good points, I agree.

I think the Historical Challenge is pretty firmed up. It's for June, right? And will include at least all documentaris, bio pics, war, and western. Won't be 100% until the discussion thread irons out all the details later this month, but I think I can speak for MinL on the above basics.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

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

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Peepers (Post 10085486)

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

If it was me deciding I'd say that you could watch any film that was foreign to whatever country you currently live in, or consider home, or maybe not.

Something to discuss in the Challenge thread I guess.

Back to Make-Your-Own ideas.... I'm really curious to see what people come up with.

Re: May 2010 Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge Discussion Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor (Post 10085494)

I'm blind. Posting it in the correct thread.