Wowza, it's been a long ass time since I've done one of these! I did list #69 (nice) years ago, in my month of my birth, and now I return to do it again- changed and triumphant. Let me get one thing straight: I'm going to be Weird with this one. I'm going to push you to watch some weird shit. Cuz this should be a 'game' about discovery, if you ask me. So don't expect to have too many easy outs. If you literally can't find anything for any of these, though, here's the ticket: find some random recent review, go to their profile, steal one of their four favorites.
Okay, have fun!
You can learn more on how…
Wowza, it's been a long ass time since I've done one of these! I did list #69 (nice) years ago, in my month of my birth, and now I return to do it again- changed and triumphant. Let me get one thing straight: I'm going to be Weird with this one. I'm going to push you to watch some weird shit. Cuz this should be a 'game' about discovery, if you ask me. So don't expect to have too many easy outs. If you literally can't find anything for any of these, though, here's the ticket: find some random recent review, go to their profile, steal one of their four favorites.
Okay, have fun!
You can learn more on how these work, if this is your first one, by accepting the master list: letterboxd.com/mandel_/list/scavenger-hunt-master-list/
You can find the discord there, too, I think, and you can try and enter the raffle to enter the next one here: forms.gle/CUJ6kCkg3rASi2Xe6
Onto the important part!
Progress: [12/31]
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1. Unlike when I was a kid, there's no shortage of ways to find Chinese movies nowadays. What a blessing that is. For the first prompt, I ask you all to watch a Chinese or Hong Kong xianxia film (such as the classic films "Green Snake" and "Demoness from Thousand Years").
2. My friend Izzy shares a similar like of really micro-budget, sometimes improvisational movies. For this challenge, watch a film off Izzy's 'DIY or Die' list, or something that matches it's intent. (https://letterboxd.com/nine/list/diy-or-die/)
3. This year, I'm trying to watch every film directed by Brian De Palma. Watch one with me, will ya?
4. I consider myself a hater of the terms 'feature film' and 'short film' as differentiation, and the tendency by companies to force filmmakers to make films of specific lengths. For this prompt, watch a film either longer than 3 hours or shorter than 40 minutes
5. I've been playing that Cine2nerdle Battle game a lot lately, and I've been able to get a lot of clutch victories outta my secondhand knowledge of Mark Ruffalo's filmography, a man I met working a festival showing of Dark Waters a couple years back. Watch a film starring Ruffalo. No MCU bullshit.
6. I just finished rewatching Mobile Suit Gundam with my wife. Shit's tight. Watch some anime, too, okay?
7. I am so slow to catch up on new movies. Let's watch some new shit, y'all. 2026, let's do it.
8. Pick a film off my own watchlist. There's like 5k there you're not lacking for options.
9. We all love a good late-period project. Watch a director or actor's final film before their death.
10. Those Criterion Closet videos, for all my hatred of the Criterion company, are a great way to start convos with my wife. Watch a film directed by someone who's been in one of those vids.
11. Y'know what else I love? Watch a gun-fu film.
12. A repeat from my first list: watch a film with exactly 2 actors on the cover.
13. Watch a film with an occupation in the title.
14. Watch something I call a "Thanksgiving Movie", a long ass film with a bunch of old guys in it that you can miss like 20 minutes of while passed out on the couch and not miss much.
15. My favorite director as a kid was Wes Anderson. How about you check out one of those, eh?
16. Watch a film by a transfemme director. Fuck you no easy shit you watch something weird here, k?
17. Watch a Takeshi Kitano film. This shit rocks believe me.
18. Y'know who's a good goddamn composer? Hildur Guðnadóttir. Watch a film featuring one of her scores.
19. Here's a fun one (I hope): find a director you hate, and watch a film from them. Like- you can't have enjoyed any of their films, y'know? Believe me, you might discover some things.
20. Watch a prison drama. Simple enough task.
21. Watch a fairy tale adaptation, or a film with very folklorish tendencies
22. Y'know what else I like? Draculas. Watch a movie with a Dracula in it.
23. Watch a very controversial film. Bonus points if you know you'll hate it!
24. Watch a film adapted from something you've never seen. Book, video game, tv show, you name it. Go in without the necessary knowledge, believe me, it can be fun!
25. Easy shit: watch a movie featuring an actor from the last film you watched at the time of making your own list here.
26. For this prompt, ask someone else to recommend you a movie, and keep doing that till someone gives you one you ain't seen.
27. Watch a film with a poster on LB that just sucks.
28. Simple one: watch a mockumentary
29. Watch a film about money/greed (which is, arguably y'know, a lot of 'em. Kinda casting a wide net here).
30. Watch something that was screened at the Fantasia film festival.
31. Finally, watch an acclaimed or popular movie you've been avoiding watching for a long time now.
