Groucho

I think most of us in this forum try to be eclectic in our film tastes, and watch a wide spectrum of films. Still, it is very easy to fall in the trap of watching movies that we feel comfortable with, whether revisiting old favorites, or limiting ourselves to genres we know we love.

So, my proposal is this: let us all, as a forum, work to seek out films that might otherwise slip our radar. It’s not a trivia contest…it’s not a game…it’s merely a way we can all be exposed to new avenues of film appreciation…or at the very least see a good flick or two.

To wit, I propose a series of weekly movie “challenges.” Each week, anybody who wants to participate will see a film within the guidelines, and return back to the forum to report on the film they saw. It’s easy, it’s fun, and everybody can participate.

Week 1: Old Movie Week

This week’s challenge is simple: between now and next Monday (3/15), watch a film that was released before you were born. That’s it! If you were born in 1979, find a film that was released before your birthday (for example, The Conversation or Herbie Goes Bananas) and watch it.

The only caveat: it must be a film you have never seen before.

Sounds easy? Well, it is! Watch your film whenever you have the time, and come back here to report…whether your experience was positive or negative.

Giles

oh Groucho, that's not a challenge (notably MrN, Sundog, Wendersfan, and myself) you should challenge some of us by giving us a specific film and/or genre that we rarely watch:

me: a western

sundog: a musical

Wendersfan: an feature length animated film

MrN: an 80's T&A comedy

~

this actually sounds like a great and fun idea, cant wait to see what other week's challenges will be - sharpen my writing/critique skills

Rypro 525

thats easy for me (i was born in 85, so i have more of a "varitey" of choices. I'll play along (touch of evil or the 3rd man are my choices.)

Kudama

An isolated mind continues to focus until it becomes like a beam. Communities of people can re-broaden the beam to direct thoughts in unexpected directions.
This is like an art forum I frequent that has groups do art based on themes and this really helps out when you have painter's block.
It's gotta help for movie watcher’s block as well.

You must keep this thread. If enough participate, it should be a sticky. Has anyone done this before? If not, why?

I’ve been meaning to watch “The 400 Blows” and since it was made 9 years prior to me, I’m agonna!

Kudos, Groucho.

PixyJunket

Well.. I was 1979, I think I have some pre-1979 DVDs I haven't watched yet. I will take the challenge.

BassDude

Born 1965...gonna check out All About Eve. Been sitting on my "blind buy" shelf for months, but this will force me to finally pop it in!

Groucho

I think as we go from week to week, it will more challenging for some of us than for others. That's the nature of the beast.

I like your "unfamiliar genre" suggestion. You can count on me using it in a forthcoming challenge (and taking full credit for the idea .

Rypro 525

oh and please no silents week. i cant' watch those at all with out dosing off.

majorjoe23

If I watched it last night, does that count? I saw The Sound of Music for the first time.

Groucho

A "silents" week is pretty much guaranteed. I'll try to suggest some titles that might be considered more "accessble" to a modern audience.

Damfino

May I suggest Buster Keaton's The General?

As for me, I'm going to watch Paul Leni's 1928 silent movie The Man Who Laughs. It's been on my shelf for a few months and I haven't watched it yet.

rushmore223

Thats easy, just bought Vertigo, never seen it before, will be watching in the next couple nights.

I know, hard to believe I have not seen this movie, I know it's a classic, but I just never got around to it.

chente

Easy. I watch classic movies all the time. I was born in 1966. I just re-watched Topper last night and am now primed to watch Topper Returns which I have never seen.

devilshalo

Guess I'll check out Lawrence of Arabia. I've never seen it, but I have it on DVD.

Giles

I think everyone who takes the movie challenge - should also note what year they were born in

(1969, BTW)

Corvin

This is interesting.

I was born in 1984. I'll be watching The Big Heat (Fritz Lang, 1953) on Thursday.

EDIT: I just watched The Mangificent Ambersons (Orson Welles, 1942). Good times.

wendersfan

I'm actually honored that I have any kind of a 'rep' on this forum. And Giles knows me well; I have seen very few feature length animated films, at least since I was a small child...

As far as Groucho's challenge, I think this week maybe I'll watch The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

I was born in 1963.

funkyryno

Born in 1977, haven't seen American Graffiti. I'm going to watch it this weekend.

Good idea, Groucho.

Cusm

I just watched the Freshman (1925 and silent) yesterday on TMC, does this count? It is odd that Harold Lloyd struck me as someone, both looks and acting, that could be related to Woody Allen.
This will br good since I have a netflix-type Hollywood video account and am always lookng for something to get, I will go find something pre-72 that I have not seen, I will go with Hollywood and leave the Kirosawa I have not seen to the Japanese week, I will try to stay from 60-72 to save some other movies for upcoming weeks.

Supermallet

I was born in 1984, so there's plenty of films to watch before I was born, many of which I own. Will report back by the end of the day with my movie report.

By the way, Groucho, nice idea, who'd ya steal it from?

custom001

Born 1974, I think I'll finally gonna watch REBECCA this week.

Groucho

The idea originated a while back on another movie discussion group. There was a typical "10 Ten List" thread where nearly everybody's choices came from the last few years.

I then challenged the group to watch a film released before they were born. A few folks took me up on it, and most were pleasantly surprised by what they found.

wendersfan

It's a good thing classicman doesn't post here much, or we'd be hearing about The Great Train Robbery every week.

It's a great idea, but since I grew up when I did, 'old' movies aren't anything I could avoid, because that's all that was on in the middle of the night when I was a kid.

Crocker Jarmen

Pretty good idea, but a little too easy for those of us still in our early twenties.

I think I'll search out instead a movie made before my mother was born (even though she was born a long long time ago).

Neeb

Film: Gaslight. 1944.
Directed by GEorge Cukor
Starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, and Joseph Cotton.

Experience: Positive.
Because I'm an overeducated snob, I approach all pre-1966 movies with a bit of trepedation. I almost always expect stilted dialogue and people acting like movie people (this is not necessarily a bad thing and there are plenty of movies where this applies, and the movies are brilliant). So while I found some of those things in 'Gaslight,' I also found a thoughtful and intelligent film that has a lot to say about relationships between men and women. It was an pleasent surprise to find a film that didn't treat them as eternally happy but as rather dystopian and flawed-like things that are not simplistic or enjoyable, but destructive and evil.
Search this film out, you'll thank me for it.