The Fall Film Challenge 2017

I've participated in every one of Jenn's Fall Film Challenges, but I've never finished.  Jenn was the same with my book challenges, until the last one...she conquered it.  So, now I'm feeling the heat to complete her challenge as well. 

Don't know what I'm talking about?  Check out this link.

Some of these were tough to choose.  I'd find a movie that I'd want to see, but I'd have no idea what category it would work for.  So, some of these may be a stretch... Updated: I need some help with one of the categories, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

one. starring anthony hopkins. - Thor: Ragnarok

two. listed on nathan bransford's best hundred movies challenge. - 25th Hour

three. about charity: an organization, an individual, a cause, an act... interpret this as you will. - The Way Way Back - the guy at the water park tries to help out an awkward teen; that's somewhat of a charitable act, correct?

four. starring robert downey, jr. - Good Night, and Good Luck - I've pretty much seen every RDJ movie I want to see, but I'll give this one a shot.
five. about envy: a character, a plot device... use your imagination - Memoirs of a Geisha

six. about faith. - Spotlight

seven. about greed. - Deepwater Horizon

eight. about hope. - Sing Street

nine. starring jeremy irons. - High-Rise

ten. about justice. - Patriots Day

eleven. starring kevin bacon. - Black Mass

twelve. about lust. - Lawless

thirteen. starring ian mckellen. - The Da Vinci Code

fourteen. set in a castle. - The King's Speech - He's a king; he spends some time in a castle, right?

fifteen. about fortitude. - The Birth of a Nation

sixteen. about pride. - Cinderella Man

seventeen. starring alan rickman. - Eye in the Sky

eighteen. released last year and reviewed on slothsandmovies.com. - Sully

nineteen. about temperance. - Amy - Watching a documentary about someone who died from alcoholism makes you want to abstain from drink, correct?
twenty. about prudence. - The Sound of Music

twenty-one. starring val kilmer. - Palo Alto

twenty-two. about wrath. - The Equalizer

twenty-three. set in an exotic locale. - The Little Mermaid

twenty-four. about gluttony. - The two movies I thought about (Se7en and What's Eating Gilbert Grape?), well, I've seen those - any suggestions?

twenty-five. set in space. - The Force Awakens

Join the facebook group to join in the film fun!

Fall Film Challenge 2016

My friend, jenn, hosts a fall film challenge each year.  This is the third installment, I've participated in all of them, but never finished watching all my movies.  What can I say?  I'm a book challenge girl. 

I have this little list of 50 Movies that I want to see before I'm 50, and this challenge helps encourage me to knock some off that list. 

If you are a movie buff and want to join us, head over to the fall film challenge facebook group.  There are prizes to be won!

Here's how I've done in previous challenges:
Fall Film Challenge 2014
Fall Film Challenge 2015

Drumroll, please....... my list for 2016:

one. about adolescence. - The Perks of Being a Wallflower; I've read the book, so, yea, I want to see the movie.

two. about a character's rebirth or rite of passage - Trainwreck; Amy Schumer is hilarious, and I've wanted to see this since its release.

three. about a comic book character. - X-Men Origins: Wolverine; this was a difficult category because my stepkid loves these movies, and I've seen a lot of them in recent years.  I realized that I've seen the other Wolverine movie, but I hadn't seen this one.

four. shot or set in washington, d.c. - Burn After Reading; with an uber-talented cast and the Coen brothers at the helm, this one interested me.

five. set in an academic environment - A Beautiful Mind; this one's on my 50 Movies list

six. about failure. - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; I picked this for a previous challenge and didn't get to it.  Maybe this time, I'll finally watch this classic.

seven. about a man vs. god or gods. - Apocalypto; the husband recorded this awhile ago...I guess I'll finally watch it with him.

eight. about a man vs. himself. - Candy; an Australian made movie with Heath Ledger as a heroin addict; should be rather poignant.

nine. about an invention or an ingenuous individual. - Amadeus; another on my 50 Movies list

ten. set in a jail or prison. - Stoic; I've never heard of it before, it has poor ratings, but it still grabs my attention.  Might as well see what Edward Furlong is up to.

eleven. about a dog. - Red Dog; another Australian film; this should be good to watch as a family.

twelve. about loss. - About Time; jenn, the host, recommended it to me, and it's from the makers of Love Actually.

thirteen. about man vs. man. - Cinderella Man; I've only heard good things about this movie, so I'll finally get around to watching it.

fourteen. about man vs. nature. - The Danish Girl; a love story about a transgender person; that's man vs. nature, right?  Plus, there's supposed to be some incredible acting in this one.

fifteen. one that has a monster or monstrous individual. - Wolf Creek; based loosely on a true story about a serial killer who targeted backpackers in Australia; I'd say that's a "monstrous individual".

sixteen. shot or set in pennsylvania. - Paper Towns; movie adaptation of John Green's book; I don't have high expectations, but I still want to see it.

seventeen. about a character's quest of some kind. - Star Wars: The Force Awakens; I'm not Star Wars crazy, so I haven't seen this yet.  But, I did grow up with the movies...and Han Solo is back

eighteen. about a character who goes from rags to riches. - Shine; on my 50 Movies list; plus, Geoffrey Rush is such a splendid actor.

nineteen. about a man. vs. society. - Creation; another jenn recommendation, and she watches a lot of movies, so, I listen to her.

twenty. originally released in the thirties. - A Farewell to Arms; the Gary Cooper one because that's from the thirties as opposed to the Rock Hudson one.

twenty-one. about undesirable individuals or elements. - Devil's Knot; based on the true story of 3 young boys that were murdered and 3 teens (that were most likely falsely) imprisoned for the crime.  I've seen a couple of documentaries and read a book by the guy that spent almost 20 years on death row for the crime.

twenty-two. about a voyage and return. - The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; an Australian classic; the story of two drag and a transsexual and their travels in the Australian Outback.

twenty-three. about wizards or witchcraft. - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; I can't believe I'm going to break.  I've been totally uninterested in HP since its beginning, but the stepkid is getting to the age where he will probably find it interesting; I'll take one for the family/team and watch one.

twenty-four. originally released in the sixties. - The Sound of Music; that's right; I've never seen this movie.  Every time I see that it is on and think I should watch it, it's in the middle (or close to the end), so I don't.  I mean, if I'm going to watch it, I want to watch all of it.  It's about time I do it, huh?

twenty-five. about a yearning or obsession. - Memoirs of a Geisha; I read this in a previous book challenge, enjoyed it, and hear the movie shouldn't disappoint.

Movie viewing doesn't begin until September; you have plenty of time to join and compile your list.  I like lists, so any opportunity to make a list, I jump on it.  This one wasn't easy though.  I had to search and put on my thinkin' cap.

Join us, won't you?  What do you think about this list?

Fall Film Challenge 2015 Finale

Remember this post when I told you that I was participating in the fall film challenge?  I have participated in this challenge both years it has been held.  I didn't expect to finish it.  I just don't watch that many movies.  Some other participants watched an insane amount of movies.  I'm most impressed!  So, how did I do?

My selections:

 one. any set in new york city.  – Taxi Driver - (watched September 14th) - Apart from a few brilliant scenes, it was slow, very slow. Sorry.

 

two. any incorporating hot air balloons in the story. – Casanova (2005) - (watched September 20th) - I wondered how this movie had such a great cast, but I didn't even know it had been released.  Because it's terrible, that's how.  It was really not a good movie.

three. any that features a child as the main character. – Empire of the Sun changed to Jurassic World (watched October 24th when the stepson chose this) -  I expected far-fetched, but this was just ridiculous.  Don't include me in the Jurassic World fan club. 

four. any disney film. – Big Hero 6 - (watched September 12th) - Thoroughly enjoyable; maybe the most entertaining animated movie that I've seen in a while.

five. any set in egypt OR have an egyptian character OR star an egyptian actor/actress. – American Sniper - (watched October 17th) - the main bad guy sniper is Egyptian born - I was surprised and impressed by Bradley Cooper's performance.  He got the small town Texas accent.  Props to the speech coach.  He also portrayed the soldier that couldn't reconnect to "real life" pretty well.

 

six. a close friend or family member's favorite film. – Dedication - (watched October 13th) - Quirky and cute. Mandy Moore's character reminded me of Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club (her hair, make-up, coat, posture). I wonder if that was intentional.

 

seven. any with the word great in the title. – The Great Raid - (watched November 30th) - "The raid on Cabanatuan remains the most successful rescue mission in U.S. military history." - a story about U.S. men in a Japanese P.O.W. camp based in the Philippines during WWII.  The end credits rolling real footage was particularly moving.

eight. any starring harrison ford. – Paranoia - (watched November 9th) - Maybe I missed something, but I was bored through most of this. If it weren't for the challenge, I would've changed the channel.

 

nine. any that features an idiot as the main character. – Talladega Nights - This Is Where I Leave You - (watched November 30th) - I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I found the movie mildly entertaining. The Penny storyline annoyed me in the movie, and I think that took things down a notch. I quite enjoyed the "idiot" brother in both book and movie.

ten. any mentioned in levis strauss' list: denim in the oscars: a look at jeans in cinema. – No Country for Old Men - (watched October 21st) - I'd read the book and knew what to expect; intense, dark, great performances, and I enjoyed it...but probably not for everyone.

 

eleven. a film about a knight. – Kingdom of Heaven - changed to Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (even though I loathe Ben Stiller in movies); (watched October 3rd) Since Lancelot is the bad guy of the movie, I think it can count as a movie about a knight. It was awful. But my stepson laughed and giggled throughout, and that's why we watched it.

twelve. a love story. – 500 Days of Summer - (watched November 2nd) - Cute with a little bit of quirkiness and a little bit of sadness.  Matthew Gray Gubler was a pleasant surprise!  The Hall & Oates scene was the best, and I'm pretty sure I'd dig the soundtrack.

 

thirteen. a movie about something miraculous. – The Martian - (watched November 17th) - I talk about it in this post.

fourteen. a film starring an actor/actress with the same first name as yours. – We Need to Talk about Kevin - (watched September 7th) - I'd read the book; the book was better. Knowing the thoughts in these messed up characters' heads adds a lot more dimension to the story.

 

fifteen. a film about the Olympics - Foxcatcher- (watched October 18th) - Looking back, this one may have been the most disappointing of the challenge.  I expected so much more and was bored most of it.  The personalities weren't nearly as intriguing or dynamic as I expected.
 

sixteen. a film on time magazine's list: the top ten newspaper movies. – State of Play

seventeen. a movie with a question in the title. – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

eighteen. any film with a score of ninety percent or greater on rotten tomatoes. – The Sapphires - (watched October 21st) - Adorable, fun, filled with great music, poignant at times. Loved it and highly recommend.  Stories of dreams, racism, war, Aboriginals, family bonds, love, loss, community, and more. Really. Watch this movie.  Oh, and there's Chris O'Dowd.

 

nineteen. a film about a superhero. – X-Men: Days of Future Past - (watched September 4th) - I have a confession to make. I've seen none of the previous X-men, so I was a little confused at times. But, it was a good one. James McAvoy is dreamy.

 

twenty. any film with subtitles. – The Girl Who Played with Fire

twenty-one. any incorporating unicorns in the story. – Stardust

twenty-two. a film about a personal victory. – The Judge- (watched November 17th) - Fantastic cast and acting performances...did I expect anything less from RDJ or Robert Duvall.  No, I didn't..but the supporting cast was fabulous too.  And, the final credits start with a version of Coldplay's The Scientist performed by Willie Nelson, and I'm biased, I know, but I have a thing for Willie Nelson's unconventional voice.

 

twenty-three. a film with black or white in the title. – Snow White and the Huntsman

twenty-four. any set in a country you would most like to visit. - Unbroken- (watched October 26th) - Based on a true story and a book that I have not read...and another movie set in a Japanese P.O.W. camp.  Inspirational. Some people have a strength and a spirit that goes beyond superhuman.  

twenty-five. a film set in a zoo. – The Wild

Overall, I watched 19 movies (for the challenge).  That's good for me.  Others watched all 25 PLUS 25 more in a bonus round.  I am not ashamed by my nineteen films.  Over half of them, I enjoyed and would recommend.

 Have you seen any of these?  Thoughts? 

Fall Film Challenge 2015

I'm a self-professed book challenge junkie.  My friend, Jenn, she likes the written word, but she's also a big fan of moving pictures.  Do you like movies?  Do you like challenges?  Do you like to make lists?  Then, join Jenn's Fall Film Challenge and play along.  You can also check out her blog post about the challenge here.  It doesn't begin until September, so you have plenty of time to get your list together.

I participated last year, and I think I got 3/4 of the way through the challenge, which is pretty good for me.  I like movies.  I do.  I just don't watch them a lot.  When I do, they seem to be with my 7 year old stepson, so there's a lot of super hero action in my movie world the last couple of years.  So, creating this list was not easy...but it's supposed to be a challenge, right?

 one. any set in new york city.  – Taxi Driver

two. any incorporating hot air balloons in the story. – Casanova (2005)

three. any that features a child as the main character. – Empire of the Sun

four. any disney film. – Big Hero 6

five. any set in egypt OR have an egyptian character OR star an egyptian actor/actress. – American Sniper

six. a close friend or family member's favorite film. – Dedication

seven. any with the word great in the title. – The Great Raid

eight. any starring harrison ford. – Paranoia

nine. any that features an idiot as the main character. – Talladega Nights

ten. any mentioned in levis strauss' list: denim in the oscars: a look at jeans in cinema. – No Country for Old Men

eleven. a film about a knight. – Kingdom of Heaven

twelve. a love story. – 500 Days of Summer

thirteen. a movie about something miraculous. – The Martian

fourteen. a film starring an actor/actress with the same first name as yours. – We Need to Talk about Kevin

fifteen. a film about the Olympics - Foxcatcher

sixteen. a film on time magazine's list: the top ten newspaper movies. – State of Play

seventeen. a movie with a question in the title. – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

eighteen. any film with a score of ninety percent or greater on rotten tomatoes. – The Sapphires

nineteen. a film about a superhero. – X-Men: Days of Future Past

twenty. any film with subtitles. – The Girl Who Played with Fire

twenty-one. any incorporating unicorns in the story. – Stardust

twenty-two. a film about a personal victory. – The Judge

twenty-three. a film with black or white in the title. – Snow White and the Huntsman

twenty-four. any set in a country you would most like to visit. - Unbroken

twenty-five. a film set in a zoo. – The Wild

Updated from original list

Do you have an opinion on any of these films?  Do you have a better suggestion for a certain category?

Update: Fall Film Challenge

I joined a film challenge that lasted for three months (read about it here).  It ends on the 30th of November. (Today is the 1st of December in my part of the world.) I am much more a reader than a movie watcher...I like a good movie; I just don't watch them as much as I read.  So, I knew this would be a challenge.  Here's a recap of the movies I watched and a little blurb of what I thought about them:

one. any action/adventure flick - Captain Phillips - A movie based on a true story from a fairly recent event, I knew the story and the outcome.  I still thought it was a great movie. There is a scene close to the very end where Tom Hanks hit me in the gut and made me cry.

four. any drama/biography/documentary - Artifact - The music business is whack. As a huge music fan, I've known this, seen artists' interviews and read articles about it. This documentary is another example of proof that the music business is whack. I was a fan of Thirty Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto prior to viewing this. I'm even more of a fan now.

seven. any starring an actress whose last name begins with the letter g - Texas Killing Fields (Annabeth Gish) - Annabeth Gish had a small role. It had potential but didn't live up to it.  A shame because Jessica Chastain is in it, but even she couldn't save it.

eight. any set during any holiday - Labor Day - This is not a happy movie.  It is depressing.  Kate Winslet (as always) shows that she is a master at her craft.

nine. any from internet movie database's top flicks list - City of God - Gritty, ruthless film about druglords in the slums of Rio narrated by a boy trying to stay out of the crime war.  This film is a good reason to participate in challenges like this.  I'd probably never have watched it without being introduced to it through this challenge, and I really enjoyed it.

ten. any starring an actor whose last name begins with the letter j - Prisoners (Hugh Jackman) - A very intense Hugh Jackman performance with a twist I didn't predict.

eleven. any starring an actress whose last name begins with the letter k - Rabbit Hole (Nicole Kidman) - Difficult, heartbreaking subject matter; great acting performances.

 twelve. any shot in london, england - RocknRolla - I enjoy Guy Ritchie movies, and this one had a great cast with great characters.

thirteen. any awarded an oscar for best original score - Babel - I like movies (and books) that show how various stories and lives criss cross one another in unexpected, interesting ways. The musical score does play a significant role in the film.

fourteen. any adapted from any novel - The Great Gatsby - Visually stunning of a classic story. So good.

 eighteen. any romance or comedy - Anchorman 2 - Yes, there were parts that made me laugh out loud.  Kristen Wiig was a great addition to the cast.  All that being said, overall, it was a stupid movie.

 twenty. any thriller or mystery - The Return - So bad.  So, so, so bad.  I had to fast forward parts just to get the movie over with.

 twenty-two. any shot in a country you've never visited - Blood Diamond (shot in South Africa and Mozambique) - I'm really, really glad I finally watched this. I sell fine jewelry, gemstones, and diamonds. So, I am aware of the Kimberley Process to regulate against buying conflict diamonds. This was a great, yet heart wrenching story with superb acting.

twenty-three. any shot in wilmington, north carolina - The Conjuring - Creepy good, if you'll watch one of those demon possession type flicks.

 twenty-four. any western or war film - The Alamo - If you're going to watch a movie about the Alamo, watch the John Wayne version.  This was terrible.  Sad to say, but true.

Obviously, I'm a whole lot better at completing book challenges over film challenges. 

Fall Film Challenge

A friend of mine is hosting a film challenge.  She asked me how many movies I watch per month.  I'm not a good one to ask.  Sometimes, I watch 3 or 4 movies in a weekend.  Sometimes, I don't watch a movie for 3 or 4 weeks.  She's playing along in my book challenge, so I thought I'd play along in the film challenge.
(You can read about it HERE or you can join HERE because I think you should play along too.)

I have three months to watch these - September, October, November - and here are my choices:

one. any action/adventure flick - Captain Phillips

two. any shot in bupapest, hungary - The Raven

three. any awarded an oscar for best cinematography - There Will Be Blood

four. any drama/biography/documentary - Artifact

five. any awarded an oscar for best film editing - Traffic

six. any science-fiction/fantasy flick - Divergent

seven. any starring an actress whose last name begins with the letter g - Texas Killing Fields (Annabeth Gish)

eight. any set during any holiday - Labor Day

nine. any from internet movie database's top flicks list - City of God

ten. any starring an actor whose last name begins with the letter j - Prisoners (Hugh Jackman)

eleven. any starring an actress whose last name begins with the letter k - Rabbit Hole (Nicole Kidman)

twelve. any shot in london, england - RocknRolla

thirteen. any awarded an oscar for best original score - Babel

fourteen. any adapted from any novel - The Great Gatsby

fifteen. any awarded an oscar for best original screenplay - The King's Speech

sixteen. any awarded an oscar for best picture - 12 Years a Slave

seventeen. any featured on american movie classic's fifty great movie quote's list -  The Hours  - "Someone has to die in order that the rest of us should value life more."

eighteen. any romance or comedy - Dedication

nineteen. any sports flick - Invictus

twenty. any thriller or mystery - The Return

twenty-one. any starring an actor whose last name begins with u - Star Trek Into Darkness (Karl Urban)

twenty-two. any shot in a country you've never visited - Blood Diamond (shot in South Africa and Mozambique)

twenty-three. any shot in wilmington, north carolina - Blue Velvet

twenty-four. any western or war film - The Alamo

twenty-five. any from american film institute's greatest american movies of all time - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Since we're talking about movies, I will end with a picture from my favorite Robin Williams' movie performance, Good Will Hunting, which I will watch this weekend.