SEPTEMBER 2010 CRITERION CHALLENGE
Here are my grades for films I have recently watched:
The Ghost Writer (2010) 8.4/10
Kick-Ass (2010): 3.5/10
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010): 8/10
Tipping the Velvet (2002): 5.5/10
The Limey (1999): 8.6/10
Now that that's out of the way...this month I will be participating in DVDtalk.com's 2nd Annual September Criterion Challenge:
(From DVDtalk.com)
THE "RULES"
This is not your father's Challenge. Think of this as an un-Challenge. The only goal 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.
This is not about bulk watching. Just watch however much 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. Fully exploring a film is highly encouraged. Instead of racing through films and watching three or more in one day, why not fully experience each Criterion disc? Watch the film a second time with the audio commentary. Watch all of the special features on the disc. Read the insert booklet.
There will be a separate thread to include your lists as linked above. 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.
What qualifies? Any film, short, video or DVD supplemental feature that has been released by Criterion qualifies. The film does not have to watched on an actual Criterion disc. You may watch the film on any format imaginable, provided that it is the same film that Criterion has released. For example, the film Silence of the Lambs 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, UMD, iTunes, or any of the various DVD/BD releases SOTL has had.
Discussion and debate on how to change the Challenge is encouraged. We may not make changes in this current year, but there's always next year.
----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ------------------------
So basically the way I am going about this is I picked 31 films that I've been meaning to see on Criterion (I just could not get myself to cut anymore than that). My goal is to see 20 of them. I have 9 of them in my possession and that was a big factor to some of the ones chosen. I hope to post short reviews after each film I watch so I can keep track. Anyone else who wants to join the challenge is welcome to! There are also several films I've have been meaning to watch lately either because I have them from Netflix or because I am borrowing them. The Fountain, Uzumaki, Dogville, Barking Dogs Never Bite and Ossessione are the non Criterion films I plan on watching soon. Anyways, here are the 31 Criterion Films I chose to work from:
September 2010 Criterion Challenge:
1. Oliver Twist (1948)
2. Great Expectations (1946)
3. Playtime (1967)
4. Straw Dogs (1971)
5. Fanny and Alexander (1982)
6. The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
7. Mystery Train (1989)
8. Winter Light (1962)
9. The Exterminating Angel (1962)
10. Hoop Dreams (1994)
11. Shock Corridor (1963)
12. Yojimbo (1961)
13. The Night Porter (1974)
14. Carnival of Souls (1962)
15. Kwaidan (1964)
16. Rififi (1955)
17. Diary of a Chambermaid (1964)
18. The Last Wave (1977)
19. Onibaba (1964)
20. Shadows (1959)
21. L’Eclisse (1962)
22. An Angel at my Table (1990)
23. The Tales of Hoffman (1941)
24. Forbidden Games (1952)
25. The Children Are Watching Us (1944)
26. Les Enfants Terribles (1950)
27. The Threepenny Opera (1931)
28. Le Plaisir (1952)
29. The Last Days of Disco (1998)
30. Bigger than Life (1956)
31. Double Suicide (1969)
Horrorphile
Straw Dogs
Fanny and Alexander
Double Life of Veronique
Mystery Train
The Night Porter
are the movies that stand out for me the most from your selection (with a few others that I enjoyed, but didn't think were amazing) ... although there are quite a few I haven't seen from it too.
I couldn't stand The Last Days of Disco. Bored me to tears.
I own quite a few Criterion releases myself. They aren't cheap.
Horrorphile
I didn't like Kick-Ass myself either, it annoyed me. But I've heard only bad things about Scott Pilgrim. Both have a comic book sensibility.
I enjoyed The Ghost Writer (Polanksi is one of my all-time fave directors) and I love The Limey, I need to review that some time soon, not sure whether I do it on Horrorphile or Cult Projections.
Thoughts from a Cinephile
Thoughts from a TV Watcher
As for Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim they are both completely different. There are definitely people who disliked Scott Pilgrim with a passion. It's style is VERY specific and it's being made for a kind of self-aware hipster culture so if you can't connect with its style of characters its going to be grating. If it's not your thing, it's REALLY not going to be your thing. But it actually got rather fantastic reviews and the majority of people who see it seem to have enjoyed it to the point of obsession. I loved the source material, thought it adapted it frighteningly well and I'm a huge Wright fan (his visual execution of humor is some of the best comedy out there). Pilgrim is trying to replicate the adoration and experience of late 80's/early 90's gaming as opposed to representing comics. Not all of it worked for me but I personally found it infectious and quite unique whereas I found Kick-Ass to be poorly edited, badly executed and only inspired in smaller moments as opposed to any sort of "big picture" success. I completely understand anyone who hated Pilgrim because it's so aggressive (and Cera's character is quite unsympathetic for most of it) but it really worked for me personally.
Screen Adventure
Screen Adventure
Thoughts from a Cinephile
Thoughts from a TV Watcher
Really Long Link