Ash Ketchum

I may do a Japanese film challenge or even a Japanese TV challenge. Or maybe go through all my unwatched anime. Is narrowing it down to Japanese animation okay despite the existence of an animation challenge in August?

Dimension X

Yes. Just please don't let it keep you from participating in the regular Animation Challenge.

Ash Ketchum

Believe me, I have enough unseen anime to last the Make-Your-Own Challenge, the Animation Challenge and the TV on DVD Challenge without having to repeat any. And since so much of my anime is sci-fi, I'm tempted to use it for the Sci-Fi Challenge as well, although I have a lot of other intriguing material for that one.

Still, I like to vary my viewing, esp. when there's so much unexplored territory waiting to be discovered, as was the case with the TV on DVD Challenge.

acubfaninmd

I think I am going to do a icheckmovies list and use the All-Time Worldwide Box Office list.

lisadoris

Sweet, I need to re-watch The X-Files and Homicide: Life on the Street. Maybe I'll go with Homicide for this challenge and save X-Files for the sci-fi/fantasy challenge this summer.

davidh777

That's what I like about the idea of a Chuck Challenge. It doesn't fit easily into any other challenge except TV, and I really have been meaning to binge-watch to get caught up.

Greg MacGuffin

Probably going to do another Foreign Language Film Challenge. I seem to have a lot of those in my unwatched pile again.

Ash Ketchum

This is gonna be tough. I have tons of anime series I need to see-in their entirety, plus I have 17 classic serials that I haven't watched. Plus loads of live-action Japanese series (e.g. Ultraman and various Kamen Rider and Sentai series, as well as things like Sonny Chiba's "Shadow Warriors") that I meant to plow through for the TV on DVD challenge but I kept getting sidetracked on seductive journeys into other TV history. Plus shelf-fuls of Hong Kong movies from the last 20 years, as well as a couple hundred older Shaw Bros. titles I still haven't watched. Plus classic Japanese films by the likes of Kurosawa and Ozu that I still haven't seen. Plus a lot of westerns.

Maybe I'll do a series of mini-challenges like some participants have done: 3 serials in their entirety; 4 anime series in their entirety; 3 live-action Japanese series box sets in their entirety; the entire 44-film Spaghetti Westerns box set, etc. No, it's already too daunting. I need to set realistic goals, but I also need to vary the ingredients, so I don't get burned out on one thing.

Let's try it like this:
Two anime series in their entirety.
Two serials in their entirety.
One Japanese live-action series in its entirety.
10 Spaghetti Westerns I haven't seen before.
20 Shaw Bros. movies

No, still too much. How about the following:

One complete anime series
One complete serial
One complete Japanese live-action TV series box set
Five Westerns
Five Shaw Bros.
Three Classic Japanese films

Then, when and if I've completed those, start on another cycle of the same thing but with different titles. And see how far I get into a second cycle. How’s that?

(Don't mind me, I'm just thinking out loud...)

shadokitty

While I could still change my mind before the Challenge begins, I am thinking right now Documentaries/Shows that aired on the History Channel/Educational Shows

In my DVD Collection I have Life, Dogfights Season 1, and some Wild Kingdom DVDs

Darkgod

I might follow suit and do some Doctor who marathon or a "Clean of My Hardrive of all the movies I have downloaded and have sitting on my comp waiitng"

Ash Ketchum

I think I'll just keep it to a Japanese film/TV challenge: some anime, some live-action TV shows, some classic films. I just have to figure out how much of each.

Travis McClain

For the Drive-In/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge, we began watching the 1949 Batman and Robin serial last night and loved its low-budget silliness. I'm now leaning toward gorging on movies and TV shows based on comic books and comic strips. There are some favorites I've been itching to re-watch, and countless others still on my To See list. I can still incorporate much of the Reagan theme into the Historical Challenge in June.

Ash Ketchum

Don't forget the 1940s' Superman cartoons. All 17 of them.

Travis McClain

I adore those! I'm among those who feel there's a pronounced difference in quality between the first nine (by the Fleischer brothers) and the last eight (by Famous Studios). "The Mechanical Monsters" is still one of the most enjoyable Superman stories ever put on screen. "Volcano" is terrific and even though "The Arctic Giant" is terribly silly, who doesn't want to see Superman fight a Tyrannosaurus rex?! And even though I abhor the racism found in "Japoteurs," it's fascinating to me as someone with a background in history to watch Superman used for WW II propaganda. I appreciate that that short has been preserved for us to view and help us contextualize an era that took place before many (probably most) of us were born.

Ash Ketchum

Also, there are other serials besides the Batman/Superman ones that are based on comic books/comic strips: CAPTAIN MARVEL (1941) is on DVD, but I'm not sure if CAPTAIN AMERICA (1944) is available. Then there's SPY SMASHER (1942) and THE ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER (1940). The three Flash Gordon serials and the Dick Tracy serials and films were based on comic strips.

Just this week I watched PALOOKA (1934) for the B-movie challenge. It's based on the Joe Palooka comic strip. PRINCE VALIANT (1954) is due to come out on DVD soon. That's based on a comic strip and is a pretty decent Vikings-vs.-Knights action spectacle, too.

There's tons of other stuff out there. The Blondie series of films (1938-1950), a couple of film versions of Li'l Abner, I could come up with much more if I sat here all day, but unfortunately, I gotta get back to work.

BuddhaWake

I think I will do the same as last year. Latin American and Iberian films. et al. I'm lazy too so I'll recycle my own rules.

SterlingBen

Movies bought at Big Lots too loose of an association?

Dimension X

Sounds good to me. Any unifying theme that doesn't duplicate an "Official" DVD Talk Challenge is fair game.

BobO'Link

I have *lots* of those in the unwatched pile! Many more than I could go through even on a "good" month!. So... do you qualify those by a cross-reference to the "Big Lots Part 9 - List your FINDS here (NO trades)" thread?

BobO'Link

Apparently "Captain America" is - amazon - but reviews are very mixed as to quality.

"Adventures of Captain Marvel" is great fun! My grandson (7) really liked that one!

"The Phantom" (1943) is another good "superhero" type serial.

You can get *both* the Green Hornet ones ("The Green Hornet" & "Green Hornet Strikes Again") in a single package.

Then there's "Zorro" (3!), "King of the Rocket Men", ... That could be a very fun month.


That's been out for 6-7 years... or do you mean a Blu-Ray release?

InnocentBlood

i'm gonna repeat my theme for last year and watch a whole buncha hindi/ tamil films

Ash Ketchum

Yeah, I meant Blu-ray. Thanks.

CardiffGiant

I forgot all about this challenge. I might have to go the mini-challenge route. I need to watch:

- Film Movement DVDs that are still unwatched
- Unwatched Eclipse and Criterion Titles (still have leftovers from last year's B&N run)
- Movies on the DVR
- Criterion Streaming titles (because they are leaving Netflix soon)

SterlingBen

Wow really? I thought I was going to get shot down for sure on that one, I am totally in then.

Here is an introductory stab at a BL checklist

SterlingBen

Well anything you personally bought there would of course be fair game, I guess you could also cross-reference if you bought the title somewhere else but it was seen there. (In this case you could want to note the price you bought it at and the price it sold for at BL). Also you would need to use the same edition as sold at BL, such at Blade Runner you would only be able to watch the 2-Disc DVD set or the old snapper, no case or BR or HD-DVD sets.