[Travis is unable to host the Challenge this year so I will give it a try. Thanks for your patience.]

The Challenge begins Sunday, August 31 at dusk, and ends Wednesday, October 1, at sunrise.

A little history:
The first annual Indie/Art House Challenge evolved out of what was previously the Criterion Challenge. In this challenge, we emphasize exploration rather than a raw quantity of films viewed. We encourage you to take some time and dive into the films you watch. If you're like me, you buy a lot of discs for their commentaries and supplements, and then wait for free time to check them out. In other words, immerse yourself! So… what exactly is an Art-House film? It’s a sort of “You’ll know it when you see it” thing, but Wikipedia offers a definition:
An art film (or art house film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience.[1] It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal",[2] "made primarily for aesthetic reasons rather than commercial profit",[3] and contains "unconventional or highly symbolic content".[4]

Pre-Horror Participants
We welcome the horror enthusiasts among us who just can’t wait until October. Think of this as a chance to emphasize Art-horror, and save the really schlocky stuff for next month. You’ll find a considerable amount of eligible content! There will also be a crossover with the Horror Challenge - double listing opportunity!.

For your lists: feel free to list your Challenge goals, how watched (streaming/disc/theatre/etc.) and leave a review if you want.

Thanks for being a part!

Indie/Arthouse/Criterion Challenge 2025



Goals: At least 20 commentaries. Make a dent in the unwatched pile and Criterion Channel list.
* = first-watch or first-listen

Sunday August 31:
1. Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick,1957, Criterion #555) The most quotable movie ever? Ruthless and brutal, with every frame still timely. Each time I watch it, I want to immediately see it again.
2. Wanda* (Barbara Loden, 1970, Criterion Channel) I thought I had seen this one before, but I would have definitely remembered this quiet but powerful story of a woman drifting through life. So good.
Monday, September 1:
3. Bigger Than Life (Nicholas Ray, 1956, Criterion #507) with critic/scholar commentary*. Nicholas Ray's tale of mental illness and addiction in 1950's America always seems way ahead of its time, but Ray grounds it in the post-war nuclear family with his usual skill in color and framing. James Mason leads a terrific cast, and the commentary is quite informative.
4. In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950, Criterion #810) with scholar commentary*. The second of my Ray double-feature was an old favorite, with an insightful commentary. Gloria Graham and Humphrey Bogart have never been better.
5. I'm a Stranger Here Myself * (supplement, In a Lonely Place). A nice short doc about Ray in his later life, teaching film students and reflecting on his career. It also includes praise and reflections from his admirers.
Tuesday, September 2:
6. Parasite (Bong Joon Ho, 2019, Criterion #1054) I remember this as one of the last films I got to see in the theatre before COVID, and it's great to revisit it after a recent B&N purchase. Beautifully shot and always subverting expectations and shifting points of view.
Wednesday, September 3:
7. Union* (Steven T. Maing, 2024, Criterion Channel) A terrific documentary about Amazon workers efforts to unionize in Staten Island, NY. So well done.
Friday, September 5:
8. Femme* (Sam. H. Freeman, 2023, Hulu) Not sure why it was on my watchlist, but this story of a gay-bashing and the relationship between the two people involved was worth watching.
Saturday, September 6:
9. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941, Criterion #103) with scholar commentary* "I need him like the ax needs the turkey" always takes my breath away, as does Barbara Stanwyck's entire performance.
10. Sullivan's Travels (Preston Sturges, 1941, Criterion #449) with commentary* The commentary includes Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Noah Baumbach, and others, and was highly entertaining. Film's okay too.
Sunday, September 7:
11. sex, lies, and videotape (Steven Soderbergh, 1989, Criterion #938) with director commentary* A great and influential debut film, very much of its time but also timeless. Also watched the supplement "Something in the Air", with lots of cast recollections.
12. The Man Who Wasn't There (Joel Coen, 2001, DVD) with Coen Brothers and Thornton commentary*. So many Coen plots involve blackmail/kidnapping for money. A rich noir with a dark, dark tone.
Tuesday, September 9:
13. A Very Lovely Dream; One Week in Twin Peaks* (Charles de Lauzirika, 2017) and Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers* (Jason S. 2017) Making my way through the supplements on Twin Peaks: The Return. I love Lynch's sendoffs when each actor wraps.
Wednesday, September 10:
14. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson* (Robert Altman, 1976, Criterion Channel) Finally got around to this one, which is not Altman's best, but very entertaining, with a great cast.
Thursday, September 11:
15. Cold War (Paweł Pawlikowski, 2019, Criterion #1005) Beautiful, gorgeous heartbreak.
16. A Bloody Finger in Your Mouth* (Jason S., 2017, BluRay) Yet another glimpse of David Lynch at work. Laura Dern's wrap is sweet.
Friday, September 12:
17. Local Hero (Bill Forsyth, 1983, Criterion #994) with director/critic commentary* Needed a feel-better movie, and here it was. The Commentary is wonderful and never lets us forget that it was Capaldi's debut.
18. The Making of a ‘Local Hero’ (With a Little Help from His Friends)* (David Turner, 1983, Criterion extra) A nice doc about the making of the film.
Saturday, September 13:
19. Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957) with scholar commentary* Commentary has lots of great information, particularly about the gossip columnists of the day.
20. Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (supplement, 1986)* Supplement doc on the director, too brief but still interesting.
21. Macbeth (Roman Polanski, 1971, Criterion #726)* For "A Playboy Production" it's fairly tame, and a pretty good adaptation of the Shakespeare tale.
22. Toil and Trouble; Making 'Macbeth' (supplement, 2014)* Criterion piece with good information about the film, its production, and the overall negative reaction at its release.
Monday, September 15:
23. Scotland PA (Billy Morrissette, 2001, Tubi) Macbeth set in the 70s in a Pennsylvania fast-food restaurant. Maura Tierney could have had a great career as a noir femme fatale had she been born decades earlier.
Tuesday, September 16:
24. All The President's Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976, Criterion Channel) So brilliant. RIP Robert Redford.
Thursday, September 18:
25. Devil in a Blue Dress (Carl Franklin, 1995, Criterion #1135) with director commentary* Yep, should have been a long-running series. Ah well, we have this one.
Friday, September 19:
26: The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014, Criterion #1025) with director/actor/critic commentary*
Saturday, September 20
27. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001, Criterion #982) with director/cinematographer commentary*
28, Whether You Like it or Not: The Story of Hedwig (Laura Nix, 2001) Supplement to the Criterion Blu-ray.
29. The Polish Accountant and A Pot of Boiling Oil (Jason S. 2017, Blu-Ray) The end of ten behind the scenes supplements for Twin Peaks: The Return, with an annoying narrator but great footage of Lynch on the set.
Sunday, September 21:
30. Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks, 1938, Criterion #1085) with Bogdanovich commentary* One of the best comedies ever. The disc has a good commentary by Peter Bogdanovich, obviously a huge fan, who cops to what he borrowed for What's Up Doc?
Monday, September 22:
31. Real Life (Albert Brooks, 1979, Criterion #1231) Brooks' pioneering mockumentary about reality television was way ahead of its time and still holds up wonderfully.
Tuesday, September 23
32. The Party (Sally Potter, 2017, Tubi)* Sally Potter's very dark story of a celebration gone very wrong has a terrific cast, and an efficient pace barrelling to a twisty end.
Thursday, September 25
33. The Big Heat (Fritz Lang, 1953, Criterion #1269) with scholar commentary* A great commentary on one of the best films noir, full of history and appreciation for Lang and the genre.
Friday, September 26
34. The Game (David Fincher, 1997, Criterion #627) with creative team commentary*
Saturday, September 27
35. Original Cast Album: "Company" (D.A. Pennebaker, 1970, Criterion #1090) I'm working on a Sondheim show right now, so always a good excuse to revisit this one.
Sunday, September 28
36. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985, Criterion #51) with director commentary* Even more prescient and prophetic.
37. The Battle of Brazil: A Video History (Jack Matthews, 1996)*
Monday, September 29
38. This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984, Criterion #12) with director/cast commentary*

Gobear's 2021 Arthouse Challenge



First Time Viewing:3 /Television:1 /Streaming: 7 / Blu-ray: 1/ DVD:

Aug. 31
1. The Death of Stalin (2017)-Hulu: Armando Ianucci brings the same brand of dry comedy he used inThe Thick of It and Veep to make us laugh at the incompetence and cruelty of Stalin's Soviet Union. Jason Isaacs as Marshal Zhukov is the MVP here.

Sep. 1
2. Altered States (1980)-Spine #1284-Blu-Ray--Inspired by the LSD-fueled sensory deprivation experiments of Dr. John Lilly, Altered States, like every other Ken Russell film, feature a messily pretentious screenplay that is a mere pretext for gloriously excessive visual effects. William Hurt plays a neuroscientist who employs sacred mushrooms to explore the furthest reaches of consciousness, which leads him to regress to a proto-human primate and eventually into a gooey protoplasmic glowing blob that enables him to learn the Power of Love. Oy. Despite its faux-intellectual pose, it's a fun ride.

Sep. 2
3. Velvet Goldmine (1998)-VUDU--Todd Haynes invokes Oscar Wilde as a glittery alien emissary at the beginning of this fabulously vibrant gay fantasy that revisits the glam rock period, serving as a not-so-subtle homage to David Bowie. The storytelling is reminiscent of Citizen Kane,and Bowie notoriously denied permission for his music, leading to a soundtrack filled with tracks from glam rock legends like T-Rex, Roxy Music, and Brian Eno. Haynes uses a distinctly gay perspective on the early 70s glam rock ffeaturing a brief moment where characters converse in Polari, the now-defunct gay slang once popular in the British lavender demimonde.
4. Poppy Field (2020)-TUBI-A closeted policeman has to confront his own demons when he is called to intervene at an anti-gay protest of the screening of a gay film. The film squanders an interesting premise by doing nothing to develop the characters.

Sep. 4
5. Nashville (1975)-CC-This is undoubtedly Altman's masterpiece, with vividly realized characters that capture the fragmented essence of mid-1970s America. I lived near Nashville when the film was released, and the local reaction was overwhelmingly negative because the country music community failed to grasp that Altman was providing a snapshot of post-Vietnam America, not a promotional piece for the Grand Ole Opry. Interestingly, the film's terrific soundtrack was largely composed by the actors themselves, rather than professional songwriters.

Sep. 7
6. The Green Girl (2014)-Prime-Interesting documentary about the life and career of Susan Oliver, best remembered as the green-skinned Orion slave girl in the Star Trek episode "The Menagerie."

Sep. 8
7. Seed Money (2024)-VUDU-In the 80s and 90s, Falcon was the gold standard of adult entertainment for gay men. Itsfounder, Chuck Holmes, built an empire of porn that made him a wealthy man.

Sep. 14.
8. Detective Dee and the Four Heavenly Kings (2017)-Prime-The Detective Dee series is terrific, mixing historical people in Tang China with supernatural mischief. Detective Dee has to find a missing sacred mace while dodging mystical enemies and the scheming Empress Wu.

Sep. 15
9. Dance, Girl, Dance (1940). #1028-TV- Maureen O' Sullivan plays an aspiring ballerina and Lucille Ball is her scheming burlesque rival in this backstage drama. Dorothy Arzner directs this feminist take on show business. Ball as the burlesque performer is a bit shocking for people who are used to her as the ditzy Lucy Ricardo. Here, she strategically uses what her mama gave her to get ahead in a business dominared by the male gaze.

Checklist

Watch one film from each of the following decades:

Looks good, Shack!

8/29
Supercop*

9/8
1. A Better Tomorrow: I got a DVD 20+ years ago and was recently hankering for a digital version, when by luck it became available digitally on Vudu this summer. It was my introduction to John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat, and the restaurant shoot-out has always stuck with me.

9/13
2. A Better Tomorrow II

9/15
3. Emmanuelle (2025)*

9/27
4. Ip Man*

*= first time viewing
blue= personal Blu-ray
purple= personal DVD
green= streaming
orange= theatrical
red= live streaming / other

• Querelle (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)*
  1982 / Germany, France / 108 minutes / Criterion #1221 / 9-1
  
  
• Gycklarnas afton / Sawdust and Tinsel (Ingmar Bergman)*
  1953 / Sweden / 92 minutes / Criterion #412 / 9-2
  
  
• Shatranj-e baad / Chess of the Wind (Mohammad Reza Aslani)*
  1976 / Iran / 100 minutes / Criterion Channel / Criterion #1145 / 9-4
  
  
• Riten / The Rite (Ingmar Bergman)*
  1969 / Sweden / 72 minutes / "Ingmar Bergman's Cinema" / 9-7
  
  
• The Big Heat (Fritz Lang)
  1953 / United States / 89 minutes / 4K / Criterion #1269 / 9-10
  
  
• The Last of England (Derek Jarman)*
  1987 / United Kingdom / 92 minutes / Art House / 9-11
  
  
• The Man the in Grey (Leslie Arliss)
  1943 / United Kingdom / 116 minutes / Eclipse #36 / 9-13
  
  
• Twinless (James Sweeney)*
  2025 / United States / 100 minutes / Theater / Indie Film / 9-14
  
  Adventures in Moviegoing: Tessa Thompson in Conversation*
  2024 / United States / 18 minutes / Criterion Channel / 9-17
  
  
• Orfeu Negro / Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus)*
  1959 / Brazil, France, Italy / 108 minutes / Criterion Channel / Criterion #48 / 9-17
  --- Tessa Thompson on Black Orpheus
  
  
• Dung fong tuk ying / Eastern Condors (Sammo Hung)*
  1987 / Hong Kong / 98 minutes / Criterion #1244 / 9-20
  
  
• Pickpocket (Robert Bresson)*
  1959 / France / 76 minutes / Criterion #314 / 9-22
  
  
• Le quai des brumes / Port of Shadows (Marcel Carné)*
  1938 / France / 90 minutes / Criterion Channel / Criterion #245 / 9-23
  
  
• Spalovac mrtvol / The Cremator (Juraj Herz)*
  1969 / Czechoslovakia / 100 minutes / Criterion Channel / Criterion #1023 / 9-30
  
  
• Alucarda (Juan López Moctezuma)*
  1977 / Mexico / 78 minutes / Criterion Channel / 9-30

September 10

1. Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956) - DVD

September 12

2. Godzilla Raids Again - DVD

September 21

3. Carnival of Souls - DVD

September 22

4. King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) - DVD

September 24

5. Invasion of Astro Monster - YouTube

September 25

6. Mothra vs Godzilla - DVD

September 30

7. Ghidorah The Three Headed Monster - DVD

September 1
1. Paris is Burning (Criterion #1018)
2. Paris is Burning (commentary track)

September 3
3. Body & Soul (Criterion #371)

September 6
4. Cooley High (Criterion #1165)

September 7
5. Origin (2023)

September 10
6. A Raisin in the Sun (Criterion #945)

September 13
7. In the Heat of the Night (Criterion #959)
8. They Call Me MISTER Tibbs*
9. The Organization*

September 17
10. Nothing But a Man (Criterion #1209)

September 23
11. Shaft (Criterion #1130)
12. Shaft's Big Score*

*=new viewing

Gonna participate to get back in the swing and added a large chunk of cc to my shelf last month

1. The seventh victim

All entries are first time views unless indicated by ⅎ

Count	Date	Spine #	Cover Art	Media	Rating	Title
1.	September 06	[#551]			★★★˝	Cronos (1993) part of Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro
2. ⅎ	September 08	[#1259]			★★★★	Anora (2024)
3. ⅎ	September 10	[#666]			★★★˝	The Devil's Backbone (2001) part of Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro
4.	September 11	[#533]			★★★★	Crumb (1995)
5.	September 12	[#533]			★★★★★	The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins (1968) (31 min.) - Ethan Hawke on THE BLUES ACOORDIN' TO LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS (4:31)
6. ⅎ	September 14	[#838]			★★★★★	Pan's Labyrinth (2006) part of Trilogía de Guillermo del Toro
7.	September 19				★★★	Red Rocket (2021)
8. ⅎ	September 21	.			★★★˝	True Romance (1993)
9.	September 22	[#829]			★★★	A Taste of Honey (1961)
10.	September 23				★★	Fruits of Passion (1981) (aka The Story of "O")
11. ⅎ	September 30	[#260]			★★★★	Eyes Without a Face (1995) I own it on DVD but streamed it for the remastered video

1. The Third Eye/Il terzo occhio (1966) 87 min. Italian giallo
2. Blood on the Stars/Gwaed ar y Ser (1975) 60 min. Welsh horror comedy
3. The Witch and the Cyclist/Heksen og cyklisten (1909) 3 min. Danish silent comedy
4. The Hound of the Baskervilles/Der Hund von Baskerville (1929) 65 min. German silent mystery
5. Father Frost/Morozko (1924) 46 min. Soviet silent folk horror
6. What Is Seen Through a Keyhole/Par le trou de la serrure (1901) 2 min. French silent comedy
7. La petite fille et son chat (1899) 1 min. French silent documentary
8. Duel au pistolet (1896) 1 min. Mexican silent drama
9. The Doll's Revenge (1907) 3 min. British silent horror
10. The Witch/La strega in amore (1966) 109 min. Italian gothic/psychological horror
11. The Disintegrated Convict (1907) 6 min. (rewatch) U.S. silent comedy
12 The Boy, the Bust and the Bath (1907) 6 min. U.S. silent comedy
13. The Talisman or Sheep's Foot/Le pied de mouton (1907) 15 min. French silent fantasy
14. A Slave's Love/Amour d'esclave (1907) 11 min. French silent drama
15. Signs of Life/Lebenszeichen (1968) 90 min. German Neue Kino drama

01. Everybody Rides the Carousel / 1976 (9/4) CC
02. A Drop of Sun Under the Sun / 2017 * (9/4) CC
03. Hot Mother / 2020 * (9/4) CC
04. Superior / 2015 * (9/4) CC
05. Night Moves / 1975 (9/4) CC [#1255]
06. The Criminals / 2020 * (9/5)
07. Warsha / 2022 * (9/5)
08. The Big Heat / (9/6) [#1269] 4K UHD
- movie + interviews with Michael Mann and Martin Scorsese
09. Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean/ 1982 (9/8) CC
---
Vittorio de Seta documentary short films
10. Gian Luca Farinelli on De Seta (2020 / 5min.) / CC
11. Islands of Fire / 1955
12. The Age of Swordfish / 1955
13. Surfarara / 1955
14. Easter in Sicily / 1955
15. Sea Countrymen / 1955
16. Golden Parable / 1955
17. Fishing Boats / 1958
18. Orgosolo's Shepherds / 1958
19. A Day in Barbagia / 1958
20. The Forgotten / 1959
21. Interview with Vittorio de Seta (2006) [16 min.]
---
22. For the Time Being / 2021 * (9/11) CC
23. Dear Chantal / 2021 * (9/11) CC
24. The Cry of Jazz / 1958 * (9/11) CC
25. Brewster McCloud / 1970 (9/12) CC
26. Monty Python and the Holy Grail / 1975 / 4KUHD (9/13) [#168]
27. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore / 1974 (9/16) CC
28. Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser / 1988 (9/17) Blu-ray [#1265]
- intro with director + film
29. Thank You and Good Night / 1991 (9/18) CC
30. Celluloid Underground / 2023 (9/18) CC
31. The History of Sound / 2025 (9/20)
32. The Wiz / 1978 (9/20) Blu-ray [#1264]
- film viewing with commentary track
33. Watership Down / (9/22) BFI 4KUHD [#748]
- film viewing with sudio commentary by director Martin Rosen and writer and filmmaker Chris Gore (2003)
34. Aqua / 2012 * (9/23)
35. Patience / 2014 * (9/23)
36. Flow / 2024 (9/23) 4KUHD
- Gints Zilbalodis commentary track
37. All That Money Can Buy / 1941 (9/24) BR [#214]
- film viewing
- restoration demonstration
- comparisoon
38. The Hidden Fortress / 1958 (9/25) 4KUHD [#11]
- BFI edition: Dolby Vision with 'Perspectra' mix
- George Lucas interview
39. Spiritual Kung-Fu / 1978 (9/27) #1197
40. Werkmeister Harmonies / 2000 (9/28) 4KUHD [#1215]
41. Ugetsu / 1953 (9/29) 4KUHD [#309]
42. Throne of Blood / 1957 (9/30) 4KUHD [#190)
- BFI version. Dolby Vision. Commentary track.
43. Women in Love / 1969 (9/30) 4KUHD [#916]
- BFI version. Dolby Vision. Larry Kramer commentary track

* short film
CC: Criterion Channel

Sept 6
1: An Eastern Westerner (1920) Harold Lloyd ∮
2 Never Weaken (1921) Harold Lloyd ∮
3 High and Dizzy (1920) Harold Lloyd ∮

Sept 12
4 The Unknown (1927) Lon Chaney ∮
5 Countdown (1967) Robert Altman ∮
6 McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) ∮
7 Brewster McCloud (1970) ∮

Sept 25
8 Mulholland Drive (2001) David Lynch Theater

Sept 29
9 Metropolis (1927) Theater

Sept 30
10 Boxcar Bertha (1972) Martin Scorsese ∮

2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

OBJECTIVES
Five titles in my physical library
Five titles in my digital library

MY LIST

1. 9/08 Pictures of Ghosts
2. 9/10 La Llorona
3. 9/13 Salvatore Guiliano
4. 9/13 Faya Dayi
5. 9/15 The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
6. 9/18 The Immortal Story
7. 9/20 Se7en

Present