The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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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 :up:/:down:, 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

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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. ;)

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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!

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Good catch! Fixed that.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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?

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Done!

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

My only goal is to enjoy myself.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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?

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

[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.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I've compiled my favorite new discoveries from the five years I'm participated. I didn't do disappointments, because their weren't that many. There were a few substandard films (I'm look at you Atomic Submarine), but I knew what I was in for when I popped the disc into the player.

2011: Insignificance

2012: Sweet Smell of Success

2013: Summer Hours

2014: Hoop Dreams

2015: Murmur of the Heart

Every year I struggle to find a balance between new content and rewatching favorite films, especially during years when I have less free time. There are so many wonderful films I've yet to discover, but sometimes my desire to sink in Sweet Smell of Success or Topsy-Turvy overrides any need for exploration.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Will do! Thanks for linking to your comments, I'm eager to read them when I'm done viewing. Persona is one of my favorite films, and I'm sad it's taken me this long to get around to watching the BD. I just hope that we can see more Bergman films such as The Passion of Anna and Shame also get the Criterion treatment.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

2011-2014 I'd been focusing on going through the Criterion list at icheckmovies. While I did discover some new and good movies, the ones that sucked were usually long and draining.

Ones I liked but didn't watch during the challenge
Hoops
Harlan County U.S.A.
Scanners

Ones I didn't like but didn't watch during the challenge
Sans soleil (Even though it came out 2 decades after Mondo Cane, people are reviewing it as if it's original and groundbreaking. This is 100% a mondo film and had been done many times over by the time this came out.)

2015
Good
White Dog
12 Angry Men (tv version)
Kuroneko
Zatoichi box set

semi-OK
Kagemusha (some of the scenes look awful, especially the grand battle scenes taking place in a large area but looks like it's filmed on a small sound stage)

2014
Good
Golden Age of TV set
The Last Temptation of Christ
Général Idi Amin Dada: Autoportrait
Robocop
I Married a Witch
Rosemary's Baby
Sisters
The Uninvited

OK
Insomnia
House
Stagecoach

Bad
Antichrist
The Beales of Grey Gardens
All those Brakhage shorts

2013
OK
Anatomy of a Murder

2012
Good
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Salesman
George Washington
The Times of Harvey Milk
Fiend Without A Face
Devil And Daniel Webster
Paths of Glory
Cat People

OK
Equinox

Bad
Grey Gardens
My Dinner With Andre

Somebody Drown This Movie
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Fuck this movie. This is the queen example of something being rated highly because it's a slow burn where nothing happens for nearly 3.5 hours and then you have the one scene that's either graphic sex, graphic violence, or both. It's like a comedian that comes up with the punchline and then has to figure out the rest of the joke, only in this joke, it's watching someone do housework which you could record yourself doing.)

2011
Good
Nothing this year

OK
El Norte (a tad on the long side but still alright)
House
Carlos

Better make room in the bathtub to drown these too
I Am Curious (Yellow)
I Am Curious (Blue)
--Two long films where you can experience the equivalent of someone earning a liberal arts degree and then going out into the real world and discovering reality isn't what they thought it was, from the sheltered life they'd been living.

2010
Good
The Lady Vanishes

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Here are mine...

2011
Ozu’s Floating Weeds
Ophuls’ The Earrings of Madame de…

2013
The Rules of the Game

2014
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

2015
Ace in the Hole

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

David is :thumbsup: if needed.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

That's good to hear. Even if things settle down by then, it'll be one less thing for me to deal with over the next few months.

Have him PM me if he has any questions.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

My memory is not really the greatest, so I don't have a great collection of what I've watched in past challenges.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

There are also - if you have Hulu - things ONLY (so far?) available on Hulu, and hence no supplements missing (or, indeed, existing).

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Never did a best/worst list myself, so I'll dredge my memory - and go through lists - and see what I recall...

2015

Thoroughly enjoyed:
Bulldog Drummond series
(Old favourites: Scarlet Pimpernel, The Woman in Question, The Spy in Black, etc.)

Quite enjoyed:
La Ronde

Enjoyed far more than I imagined:
A Brief History of Time
My Dinner With Andre

Didn't enjoy as much as I'd imagined:
The Horse's Mouth


2014

Thoroughly Enjoyed:
Being John Malkovich
The Game
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
The House of Games
The Life Aquatic

Enjoyed more than I imagined:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The English Patient
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe

Didn't enjoy as much as I'd imagined:
How to Get Ahead in Advertising
The Following
The Machine That Kills Bad People
The Browning Version


2013
Thoroughly Enjoyed:
Certified Copy
The Lady Vanishes
Pulp Fiction
High Noon
My Man Godfrey
Arsenic and Old Lace
Traffic

Quite enjoyed:
El Cid

Not as much:
Blood for Dracula
Flesh for Frankenstein
The Fallen Idol
The Four Feathers
Crumb

More than:
The River
Che
Lonesome

Didn't really enjoy:
Tiny Furniture

2012
Very Much:
Veronika Voss
For All Mankind
The League of Gentlemen
The Devil and Daniel Webster
To Be Or Not To Be
Ace in the Hole
The Lady Eve

Not as much:
Alphaville?
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
Charade

More than:
The Royal Tenenbaums
One Hour With You
Ariel
Stagecoach
49th Parallel
Howard's End
Hopscotch
Le Samouraï

Didn't:
?


2011
...2012 must've been my first year.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

So I looked back at my lists to see what my gems vs duds have been, and wow, this will be my fifth year participating! Time flies!

2012, well, I see I only watched 2 this year, so it should be easy enough to pick, except I liked them both! Adventures of Robin Hood and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

2013:
Gem: Monsoon Wedding
Dud: Seven Samurai (sorry, I know this is a classic, but I did not enjoy it.)

I did watch several this month that I did enjoy though, like The Beales of Grey Gardens, On the Waterfront (which was a first time watch for me), and Godzilla.

2014:
Gem: I'd have to go with Princess Bride, oldie but goodie.
Dud: North by Northwest. I know I was supposed to have enjoyed this one, but it wasn't that exciting for me and I guess I felt a bit let down, since I do enjoy Hitchcock's movies usually.

2015:
Gem: Vanya on 42nd St.: I really did not enjoy the first one in the series, My Dinner with Andre but stuck this one in and was really surprised at how much I did enjoy it. Think that's why it's my gem of the year.
Dud: Tootise, hands down, the worse of the bunch.

I do have a question. I ran across Jellyfish Eyes and I was wondering if anyone has watched it and if you enjoyed it or not. Thanks!

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I know we all have different tastes, LJG, but I'm just a little disappointed that all the titles on your dud list are ones I've watched and enjoyed for years. :lol:

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

What's the ruling on movies that were announced, but not released?

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I'm looking forward to the start of the Challenge tonight, but right now, don't actually know what time I'll start. If the weather is good and clear I won't be home till late, but if it is raining or cloudy I'll be home and will be able to start at dusk.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

:jawdrop:


I don't have a year-by year breakdown, but one film that didn't work for me was The Taking of Power by Louis XIV. I understand that Rossellini cast a non-actor as Louis to convey the young king's awkwardness and sense of being an outsider in a hostile court, but I really didn't like the film.

Re: The 8th Annual Criterion Collection Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I used to like Godard and Bergman when I first saw a couple of their films. Then I watched more, closely together, and got annoyed at how similar they make all their movies and then I can't unsee those traits anymore in each film.

Criterion has managed to turn me away from some films.