Because my son wanted to, I watched Willy's Wonderland and Riders of Justice on the weekend. Anyone consider either of these as qualifiers?

I wouldn't have a problem counting Riders of Justice if it were on my list, but then again, I haven't seen it.

I HAVE seen Willy's Wonderland, and I wouldn't put it on my list. It's...different, but I don't see it as being an art house film by any stretch of the imagination.

Again, these are just my opinions; follow your gut.

I would be remiss as host not to point out that, by virtue of having a Kino Lorber release, Cool as Ice is eligible for this challenge.

I haven't seen either and don't know much about them but honestly, isn't every film with Nicolas Cage art?

When I get to The Passions of Anna, I'll have completed disc 10 of the Ingmar Bergman's Cinema box. That leaves another 20 discs. Several of them are loaded with supplements, which is great for me as a viewer but horrible for me as a challenge participant quickly running out of time.

Have any of y'all been focusing on horror films, or starting to?

Ya, my initial thought was not to count either one, but after looking at the leniency that some are using on their lists I thought maybe the Nic Cage one might qualify after all. But I've seen a lot of "art house" films and am pretty sure my first thought is right but no harm in asking for other opinions. Thanks!

The title of the Challenge is Indie/ Arthouse, and I'm pretty sure that Cage is making exclusively indie films these days because studios won't hire him. He hasn't been an A-list actor for a very long time, and he is still paying off his delinquent taxes.

Gobear's point is correct. Also, count it if you feel it! Nobody's going to be standing behind you with a ruler, ready to smack your hands as you're typing it into your list. I mean, you'd probably hear some grousing from some of us me if you tried to include films like Titanic, Beverly Hills Cop, or Ant-Man and the Wasp, but otherwise, I don't think anyone'll sweat you too bad for including whatever smaller films that you might watch.

But what if you watch a blockbuster in French? L'Homme Fourmi et la Guêpe, a sensitive drama about a man, S, confined to his home by the state yet who makes a daring escape with the aid of his female accomplice, J, as they confront the phantom of their shared past.

Well, if it was shot with French as the primary language of the actors, AND it was seen in a country whose primary language was NOT French AND it was not widely released in that country, then I'd say, yes, that would count. However, I don't think that your specific case above would count, even if you DID watch it with a French-dubbed language track. So, yeah, don't try to sneak in Un Apres-midi de Chien or Autant en Emporte le Vent in on me, either--I'm onto you.

Well that's an interesting clarification... IS it Indy/Arthouse or just Arthouse? This thread is entitled "First Annual Art-House Challenge". Travis, can we get a ruling? If so, I'll definitely count Cage.

True, although I'd rather be true to the theme if possible. After all, I didn't really watch it for the challenge, just because my son wanted to. I'm fine either way.

Thanks for the feedback folks.

Yeah, it's Indie/Art-House. I'll make a point to revise the titles of the threads next time. I expect there'll be numerous other revisions.

Congratulations to Bladz, our week 3 randomly chosen prize winner!

Excited to win this prize! Thank you to Travis and GoldenWheels/Hamilton Book. I really appreciate it.

It’s a successful challenge for me in that I finally watched Benjamin Button, the actual Criterion disc besides!

Because of the high concept, I didn’t expect the movie to be as mainstream as it was. As the character traveled through history, a couple times I had to remind myself that I wasn’t watching Forrest Gump. Fincher fans can set me on ignore now.

I'd like to propose that we add anything released by A24 to the safe list next year.

In case you haven't heard, today's the first National Silent Movie Day. It's also the last, because next year it'll become World Silent Movie Day.

I hope to watch a silent movie tonight to celebrate, perhaps The Big Parade.

Anyone else celebrating today?

https://www.nationalsilentmovieday.org/

Yes, TCM went all out last night. I just happened to chance upon The Melies Mystery (2021), and stayed for the entire lineup. That documentary sure was amazing.

Good thing the month is over as I'm at the 60 image limit and already had to remove some! Damn artificial restraint! Had a great month though and got caught up on a lot of my new Criterions! Congradulations on the first Indie/Art-House challenge and thanks for hosting Travis!

Thanks Travis for herding this challenge through its changes and making it come out stronger than it was before. I was only able to watch 3 movies but I love the new setup and the fact that it can lead into the Horror Challenge if we want it to. I'm sure it took a lot of work but it clearly was worth it to keep this (new) challenge going strong. You can be a proud papa!

Finished my checklist with a now annual viewing of Pina, Criterion’s only 3D title unless I missed something recently. Never thought I’d love a film about dance, but this film always move me.

Congratulations to pacaway, our final randomly generated prize winner! I've PM'd you with the details.

Again, my thanks to GoldenWheels and Hamilton Book for generously putting up these prizes. I encourage everyone to check out their website. At any given time, they've got some great deals. Our pal Rich has done a great job procuring boutique releases for their Blu-ray and DVD selections. Hamilton has a healthy stock of discs from Arrow; Blue Underground; Kino Lorber; Olive; both Scream! and Shout! Factories; Severin; and Vinegar Syndrome, and plenty beyond those.

Participant Travis
I concluded my challenge with The Virgin Spring. By happenstance, this was the 11th anniversary of my previous viewing of it during the 2010 Criterion Challenge. That was the first year I participated in it. I'd been too intimidated to approach Criterion until then. I was certain I wasn't qualified; that I wasn't sophisticated enough to understand the films, and I was afraid of being blasted in the discussion thread for not already being familiar with Antionini, Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, et al. But I owned The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Rock, and I wanted to watch them with their supplements anyway so I figured at minimum I could watch those. I'm glad I chanced it because I've gone on to explore all kinds of films that I'd previously assumed were over my head. Chief among all of what I've explored since that challenge has been Bergman.

Unfortunately, The Virgin Spring is only disc 15 of 30, meaning I made it through exactly half of the box set. It's at least tidy, as this concludes the "Centerpiece 1" grouping of discs. I'm conflicted now because I want to finish the box set but I also want to dive into the Horror Challenge. UGH!

Host Travis
I'd love to hear feedback! Don't consider this a questionnaire, but just some prompts to get some thoughts going.

What worked? What didn't?
What would you like us to tinker with next year?
Did you use the checklist? Was it helpful for guiding your viewing?
Did you use this as a warmup for the Horror Challenge? If so, how did that go?
What could we do that might get a more robust discussion thread next year?
Are you planning to participate next year? Is this a challenge you think more people would enjoy?
If you previously participated in the Criterion Challenge, how did you feel about the change in format?
If you didn't participate in the Criterion Challenge, what persuaded you to give this one a chance? Did it pay off?

As I am in Canada, I humbly decline. But thanks for thinking of me! Good luck to the rest of you now!

My prize package arrived today. Thanks again to Travis McClain for running the challenge and to GoldenWheels for his generosity.

I finally have a few minutes to address your questions, Travis...

What worked? What didn't?
I didn't run into anything worth mentioning.

What would you like us to tinker with next year?

Did you use the checklist? Was it helpful for guiding your viewing?
I did not use the checklist. I haven't used one in any challenge for a number of years. For me, it's too much work

Did you use this as a warmup for the Horror Challenge? If so, how did that go?
Yes, I watched a crossover film and it helped me dig out some other titles for October.

What could we do that might get a more robust discussion thread next year?
possibly assign some weekly themes, or a few specific films to watch during the month... not daily like the Horror challenge but maybe a certain film during a week so we have something specific to discuss?

Are you planning to participate next year? Is this a challenge you think more people would enjoy?
For sure I'll be back... but I've been involved in the Criterion challenge for many years. I think broadening it as you have will attract more people. Might need a little more word of mouth?

If you previously participated in the Criterion Challenge, how did you feel about the change in format?
I was skeptical at first, but as I have titles from some of the other studios as well, I think it'll be good.

If you didn't participate in the Criterion Challenge, what persuaded you to give this one a chance? Did it pay off?
n/a

Hope this is helpful!