This is my first time trying this challenge, and I will be doing some of it along with Hooptober where possible. The list is in progress, which is why there's only one film at the moment.
Week 1: September 2nd-8th
The American History of X Week
Hollywood has a fickle relationship with the letter X. These days it's a popular (if increasingly uninspired) choice for the rare franchise that makes it to a tenth installment: The Land Before Time, Friday the 13th, The Fast and Furious, and Saw have all adopted the roman numeral. But before this new millennium fad, X meant something very different.
In 1968, in response to the desire for a more faceted system of ratings—and, in its early days, to promote the kind of artistic freedom the Motion Picture Production Code had quashed—the MPAA replaced its "approved" and "not approved" seals with a quartet of letters: G, M, R, and X. The X-rating indicated, simply, that a film was appropriate for adults only.
Soon after, in 1969, Midnight Cowboy burst onto the scene. Worried about exposing youngsters to the film's frank homosexual content and depictions of drug use, United Artists chose to self-apply the X-rating, hoping the choice would not only protect American youth but drum up publicity, too. Because the MPAA had failed to trademark their new content advisory system, everyone from Walt Disney to Gerard Damiano (director of Deep Throat) could slap any rating they wished on their work. And the porn industry wished. Once the floodgates had opened, however, the X-rating didn't last long. By 1973, Hollywood studios had given up on the rating (the adult film industry's tongue-in-cheek co-opting having soured it), and the purveyors of explicit films had done the same, instead preferring to use "XXX" to denote the strength of the adult content in their movies. The X-rating languished in Hollywood until 1990 (although independent and international filmmakers didn't shy away), when the MPAA replaced it with the newly minted—and trademarked—NC-17.
To kick off The Letterboxd Season Challenge's tenth installment (LSC10, incidentally, not LSCX), we take a look back at the original era of X. This week's challenge is to watch a mainstream (non-porn) MPAA X-rated film from the rating's 22-year lifespan, conveniently compiled in this list from C Collins.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week1
Week 2: September 9th-15th
Anxiety Week
“Anxious-nervous, like he’s dreading it or anxious-excited like he’s looking forward to it?” I, like Nick from The Parent Trap, am anxious-excited for this week. Last year we featured the Polish Moral Anxiety movement, which featured films made in response to real-world anxieties. This year it will be the films themselves that provide the anxiety. Here we celebrate films that get under your skin and keep you on edge, whether it's action, horror, cringe comedy, or, uh, Stuart Little 2 apparently? I haven't seen it but I can only imagine the tension.
This week we invite you to make yourself uncomfortable and watch a previously unseen anxiety-inducing film.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week2
Week 3: September 16th-22nd
Nicecore Week
After the stress of last week, let's go the other direction and take it easy with a nice film. Specifically Nicecore, a term I first heard several years ago associated with the release of Paddington 2. “If you’re kind and polite, the world will be right," says the titular bear. In the rather unkind political reality during which the term arose, people looked to the movies for "radical kindness". Although these films are "nice", they can still hold emotional depth, conflict, and complexity. This list is a helpful reference, from Winnie the Pooh to Totoro too.
This week let's celebrate all kinds of kindness and watch a previously unseen Nicecore film.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week3
Week 4: September 23rd-29th
Her Dark Material Week
Are you familiar with Letterboxd user's hyper-specific lists? You know, the ones with weirdly-similar, surprisingly common details shared by two or three otherwise unrelated films? It's too bad there aren't enough options for an LSC weekly challenge. They're inspiring, though, so, in that vein, we'll cast our attention toward a list that goes a bit broader but still feels sufficiently focused. The first shared element for this week's challenge is that the movie be female-led (or the storyline at least female-driven.) Tipping the scales more equitably is something we're interested in here at LSC, and setting our sights on stories about women is a small but conscious step in that direction. Second, there's a twist! Forget light and frothy. Instead, we need something with an undercurrent of darkness, as there's nothing like a streak of controversy to keep things interesting. And, third, let there be LOLs! Laughing has myriad health benefits (it can increase your immune response, for one), and who couldn't be in better health?
Voila! Your challenge this week is to watch a title from Kevin MJ's The Best Female-Led Dark Comedy Films list. It might not carve out as meticulous a nano genre as some others, but it'll give us a wealth of options and hopefully prove as much fun!
Weekly tag: lsc10 week4
Week 5: September 30th-October 6th
Anders(s)on Week
If I were in charge of Oscar nominations for 2014 films, my best director lineup would have included Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Paul Thomas Anderson (Inherent Vice), and Roy Andersson (A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence). Continuing our recurring theme of similarly named movie people, this year we honor the Anders(s)ons. In addition to the three mentioned above, there's also Brad Anderson and cult favorite Paul W.S. Anderson. There should be plenty of films to choose from with those five, but if there are other Anderson directors out there we'll allow it.
This week's challenge is to watch a previously unseen film by Roy Andersson or Paul, Wes, Paul W.S., or Brad Anderson.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week5
Week 6: October 7th-13th
Strange Beasts Week
An excerpt from "What is Kaiju?", an essay by Kenta McGrath:
Although the origins of kaiju can be traced back to long before Godzilla and indeed, cinema itself, the fact remains that the rise of kaiju in popular culture occurred in tandem with the rise of the kaiju eiga ("Japanese monster movies"). But first, we must be attuned to the fact that the kaiju eiga spans decades, covers many aesthetic trends, and varies widely in its use (and non-use) of allegory and socio-political commentary. It is not static but, like Godzilla, always evolving and adapting, according to when, how, and why it is produced, and who is behind the wheel. As with any genre, it has produced formidable works that will stand the test of time, and forgettable efforts designed to do little more than cash in on what came before it.
Where many saw only the strange, giant monster, others recognized the art and craft behind the strange, giant monster. More than anything else, it is the art of cinema—the combination of image and sound, the collaboration of artists and craftspeople, and the considered use of the resources at their disposal—that allowed the meanings and allegorical potential of kaiju to be articulated in the first place. Beasts, creatures, monsters, and yokai—strange, giant, or otherwise—never needed cinema; it is just one medium in which they have appeared and flourished. Meanwhile, discussing kaiju as separate from cinema seems to me a fruitless exercise. Without cinema, kaiju are relatively unremarkable—just another variation of monsters of which there have been many throughout history.
From King Kong to Clifford the Big Red Dog, the world of kaiju is vast. For this week's challenge, let's focus on the films in David Haddon's What’s That Coming Over The Hill? - Kaiju Films list and bask in the spectacle that decades of gigantic strange beasts on film have wrought.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week6
Week 7: October 14th-20th
Indigenous Cinema Week
Film is a fabulous medium for telling stories; all kinds are possible. Just consider the vast differences between Kill Bill and Portrait of a Lady on Fire or Jaws and Barbie. Our collective exposure to the many distinct narratives, people, and concepts film can convey or embody is staggering. Yet still, we have glaring blind spots. Last year, we took a look at disabled life on-screen. This year, we turn our sights toward another sorely under-represented group in mass media: Indigenous people. These oft-subjugated groups have not only experienced significant tangible and cultural erasure, but their relative absence (aside from racist depictions and stereotypical incarnations) from such a wide-reaching and illuminating form of entertainment further degrades their existence, shoring up myths and assuring their continued marginalization. Exposure via stories about—and especially with the creative involvement of—Native people is one of the keys to supporting them in regaining a meaningful, nuanced, representative, and much-deserved place in society.
In that spirit, this week's challenge is to watch a film from degelle's Native, Indigenous, & Aboriginal Cinema list. While sparse, the landscape of Indigenous cinema isn't completely barren, and, encouragingly, it's only grown more verdant as of late.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week7
Week 8: October 21st-27th
Alien Encounters Week
Are we alone in the universe?
Stories about aliens allow us to consider our place in the universe, as humans, with the literal context that there might be beings out there that rival our supremacy. So aliens not only confront us with the humbling idea that humans might not be as big a deal as we like to think of ourselves, but could also offer the hopeful, mysterious, and either comforting or scary idea that there is something more out there to chase after than what our limited experience of life can usually fathom. Thus, alien encounters can serve as the perfect metaphor for a religious or transcendent experience.
So, whether you want to watch people kick some alien butt, chase after their awe-inspiring otherness, or somewhere in between, consider what it would mean to you if there was an entity in the universe that could challenge our notion of superiority by watching a movie featuring aliens. Here is a large helpful list from RJ.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week8
Week 9: October 28th-November 3rd
Found Footage Week
Popularized at the turn of the century with The Blair Witch Project, found footage is a genre/style with much older roots than you might expect. In literature we have a "found letters" or "found diary" form in the epistolary novel, which dates back to at least 1684 with Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister, and horror novels have used the technique from Frankenstein to Dracula to Carrie. The first found footage movie was Shirley Clarke's The Connection from 1961, and Cannibal Holocaust brought the style to horror films in 1980. With low production costs, the potential profit margins are huge, as evidenced by the explosion that followed Blair Witch, most notably the Paranormal Activity franchise. The oft-maligned style spans all genres, from superhero sci-fi to comedy to more recent "screenlife" thrillers where the footage is on computer screens. What will we find this week? This is a fairly exhaustive list.
This week's challenge is to watch a previously unseen found footage film.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week9
Week 10: November 4th-10th
The Long Take Week
Elucidation or ostentation? Substance or style? Art or amusement? The best filmmakers presumably revel in these precarious dichotomies as they strive to create something that captures both the singular kind of artistry cinema makes possible and a satisfying measure of meaning to go with it. And happily, what may be the most cinematic tool in a director's arsenal, the long take, when properly employed, can do just that. From Alfred Hitchcock's Rope to the legit one-shot Russian Ark, directors have been pushing film reel capacity and battery life to the limits for decades to bring audiences the special kind of magic only a moving picture can deliver.
This week's challenge is to hang in there with a film from kevinandrewrea3's One/Long take movies list. Whether you settle in for the slow cinema of Béla Tarr (as in Sátántangó) or opt for the intensity of traversing a crowded corridor alongside Oldboy's Oh Dae-su, here's hoping you experience that little jolt of excitement that comes when you bear witness to a captivating—and consequential—long take.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week10
Week 11: November 11th-17th
The Four Seasons Week
The four seasons are a great way to convey the passage of time or set a specific mood for a film. For this reason, they are commonly used in movie titles. Filmmakers like Bergman, Ozu, and Rohmer used them frequently, and Kim Ki-duk covered all four in the great Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring. I've (Wade McCormick) made a list with several examples, but there may be others out there for you to discover. Importantly, The word must be referring to the actual season, so Palm Springs or Anatomy of a Fall don't count. Translated or alternate titles like Лето (Leto) or The Green Ray (released in North America as Summer) are also allowed. Speaking of translations, feel free to debate the meaning of Fall in the title Legends of the Fall, which has been translated in multiple ways and is unclear if it's supposed to refer to the season. If you're not feeling seasonal, you could also watch Jersey Boys, which is about The Four Seasons.
This week's seasonal challenge is to watch a previously unseen film whose title includes a season.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week11
Week 12: November 18th-24th
And Now For Something Completely Vulgar Week
On the heels of American Pie's success in 1999, the 2000s ushered in a new era of comedy. The likes of Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, and Eddie Murphy were on the way out, while big stars like Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Jack Black flourished. Judd Apatow and Edgar Wright, with collaborators Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, came onto the scene in a big way and who could forget the huge cultural juggernauts that were Borat and The Hangover! And since women have always been funny movies like Mean Girls, Mamma Mia!, Legally Blonde, Bend It Like Beckham, and Juno are regarded as some of the best of the decade.
This week let's have a good old-fashioned laugh and watch a comedy from the 2000s (2000-2009). Here and here are a couple of lists to help you get started.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week12
Week 13: November 25th-December 1st
Movie Nom-noms Week
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
- Aphorism IV, Physiologie du goût, by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Even though film cannot convey two of food's most fundamental properties, taste and smell, there's still something powerfully appetizing about food in the movies. Food is the great unifier, one of the few things our biology requires, tying us together, no matter our language, gender, nationality, ancestry, or beliefs. And yet, food is a significant differentiator, highly specific to the culture from which we spring and further distilled by our distinctive, personal tastes. That contrast makes cuisine in cinema extra special: it's not just about vital sustenance but also about exploring community, identity, heritage, and artistry, subjects ideally suited to film and made even more memorable when viewed through the unique lens of food.
This week's challenge is to tuck into a title from Ian Casocot's Films in Celebration of Food [and Where to Watch Them]. Whether you pair it with good old popcorn or something more epicurean, you can't go wrong munching along to films with fare as enticing as this. C'est trop bon!
Weekly tag: lsc10 week13
Week 14: December 2nd-8th
Voodoo, Hoodoo & Afro-Caribbean Religions Week
Western films that depict religions and traditions with roots in African spirituality are often highly problematic, containing many inaccuracies and stereotypes that vilify practitioners of Voodoo, Hoodoo, and the many other varied religions, traditions, beliefs, and practices of diasporic Africans as they were enslaved and forced to labor in North and South America. Fear of the role that practitioners of Vodou had in the successful Haitian Revolution led to action against practitioners of Voodoo in the United States and elsewhere and since then Voodoo has been synonymous with a generalized evil, dark magic or even witchcraft or satanism in direct opposition to white Christianity. The most famous trope of Voodoo in popular culture is Voodoo dolls, which are not even a part of either Haitian Vodou or Louisianan Voodoo. The term Zombi also comes from Voodoo and refers to people who are magically emptied of agency and thus easily manipulated, a great metaphor for enslavement.
This week's challenge is to watch a movie featuring Voodoo, Hoodoo or other Afro-Caribbean religions from MikkelHH's list here.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week14
Week 15: December 9th-15th
Different Drums Week
Think outside the box: wear a giant papier-mâché head and front a band. Don't conform: master an other-worldy-sounding instrument. Blaze a new trail: start singing metal in your 90s. Be unexpected: bring pop to the opera and opera to the club. Embrace the unconventional: start a one-man band. Stray from the beaten path: become the greatest, worst singer ever.
This week's challenge is to march to the beat of your own drum by watching a film that marries documentary and decidedly non-mainstream music in a swirl of sound and storytelling that converges outside the popular consciousness. Thankfully, Mike Sean has curated a handy selection of fitting novelties on his delightfully esoteric Different Drums: Documentaries on Musical Curiosities list.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week15
Week 16: December 16th-22nd
Viva la revolucion! Week
Order and adherence to social norms is so intrinsic to any society that almost any kind of social change can only occur very gradually. Art and movies can be a part of what brings about this kind of slow change as societies evolve. However, there have been groups throughout history who have felt that the need for a new social order is so necessary that they sought to quick-start the change they wanted through the powerful force of violence and revolution.
Whether it be a depiction of an actual historic event or something like the overthrow of a futuristic dystopia, this week watch a movie about a political revolution where violence is involved. Here is a list from Darren Carver-Balsiger to help you get started.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week16
Week 17: January 6th-12th
True Crime Week
If you listened to any podcasts over the winter break, there's a good chance some of them were true crime. Truman Capote's groundbreaking non-fiction novel In Cold Blood is generally credited with creating the modern true crime genre, and the genre has seen a resurgence in the past decade, particularly with podcasts like Serial and My Favorite Murder. They've gotten so popular that we're now seeing fictional stories about true crime podcasts, like the show Only Murders in the Building or the novel Devil House. There have also been countless new movies and shows, as well as controversy regarding the sensationalizing of real tragedies. Murders, crimes, journalism, and investigations fascinate us, and this week we're on the hunt for the best examples in film. This list may be a good place to start.
This week's challenge is to watch a previously unseen true crime film.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week17
Week 18: January 13th-19th
American Neorealism Week
One of the most famous movements in the history of film is Italian neorealism, which was a way for Italians to contend with the social and economic crises that led to WWII and Mussolini's fascism through movies. These films centered on poor or working-class people and were shot with low budgets, on location, and with non-professional actors. Hollywood, with its big studios, big budgets, and big movie stars is the exact opposite and so most American movies fail to tell the stories of the ordinary people living in the Unites States or Canada today. There are a few directors and movies that do focus on depicting poor and/or oppressed people without prejudice in their filmmaking, and shine a light on the real people that make up a large portion of the world and who reveal the vast disparities in quality of life and in the social and economic structures that play such a pivotal role on the people all around us.
This week's challenge is to watch a movie that could be classified as American neorealism. Here is a list from Keyser Soze to help out.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week18
Week 19: January 20th-26th
Marty's Friends Week
It was a huge deal when Martin Scorsese, father of famous TikToker Francesca Scorsese, joined Letterboxd. He also happens to be one of the most acclaimed directors of all time, with a career spanning around 60 years and surprisingly only 1 Oscar. He does have a Palme d'Or, making him the first winner to join Letterboxd, a club that now includes Sean Baker and Wim Wenders. If you're looking for a double feature or "companion" film to Taxi Driver or any of his other films, he has a list for you.
This week's challenge is to watch one of Martin Scorsese's Companion films, and for extra credit, make it a double feature with the corresponding Scorsese film.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week19
Week 20: January 27th-February 2nd
Different Strokes Week
The biopic is a more-or-less tried-and-true staple of the movies. The desire to tell the story of intriguing, remarkable, or talented people is understandable. Yet, often, the creativity or uniqueness of these subjects is lazily stretched over the unimaginative framework of The Standard Biopic: birth, struggle, success, downfall, redemption, and death. But extraordinary skill and intriguing lives deserve more than a paint-by-numbers approach. After all, these are people who, for one reason or another, stand out from the crowd, and drafting their stories with a humdrum blueprint is almost insulting. Luckily, not every biopic is so generic.
This week's challenge is to watch a film found on Darren Carver-Balsiger's Unconventional Biopics list. Like most things, some work better than others, but at least the filmmakers thought it worthwhile to honor their chosen subject's real-life story with a deservedly uncommon approach, and that, at least, is worth a couple of hours of our attention.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week20
Week 21: February 3rd-9th
Golden Leopard Week
In past seasons we've covered the Big 3 European Film Festivals (Cannes, Venice, and Berlin). The Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland is probably the next biggest in Europe. The top prize is the Golden Leopard, which René Clair won the first two years, but we haven't seen a two-time winner since. Past winners include classic filmmakers like Rossellini, Ford, Antonioni, Forman, and Ichikawa as well as modern art house favorites like Hong, Costa, and Denis. In 2024, the festival introduced a new award in partnership with Letterboxd, so it only seems right that we highlight Locarno here. The Golden Leopard winners span a wide range of countries, so this may be a good opportunity to fill out your Letterboxd map. Here is a list of the winners.
This week's challenge is to watch a previously unseen Golden Leopard winning film.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week21
Week 22: February 10th-16th
Sapphic Women of Color Week
For Valentine's Day this year, we're focusing on underrepresented relationships. As a straight white guy I'll turn to someone more qualified to discuss the subject with a quote from user sapphicsummers.
"So, when you search up lgbt movies unfortunately the lists aren't too diverse. It's mostly movies like Call Me By Your Name, Brokeback Mountain, etc. Movies about cis white guys. Nothing against these movies but the queer community is so much more than just white gay men."
They have a few lists to help you find a film to watch for this week. This has a lot of options but feel free to check out their other lists for more, or maybe there are already some on your own watchlist.
This week's challenge is to watch a previously unseen film featuring sapphic women of color.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week22
Week 23: February 17th-23rd
Compos(h)er Week
If you played along last year, you'll recall we took a look at films with women cinematographers. This year, thanks to a suggestion from LSC alum aobh, we turn our attention to another behind-the-scenes role in which women are woefully underrepresented: that of the composer. Undoubtedly, you can name any number of composers, but is a single one of them a woman? Probably not. In a world where some of the planet's biggest music-related names belong to song- and music-writing women, it's mind-boggling how few films feature a female composer. And, as in the scarcity of female cinematographers, the world of movies is doubtless poorer for it.
Happily, Dani's Films with Female Composers assembles a—frankly surprising—600+ titles for a wide-ranging selection this week. That said, if you know of another film with a female composer, by all means, track it down, watch it instead, and cast your vote for more behind-the-scenes roles for women!
Weekly tag: lsc10 week23
Week 24: February 24th-March 2nd
One Vote Wonders Week
The famous Greatest Films of All Time by Sight and Sound is compiled every ten years through a survey of critics, most recently conducted in 2022 with over 1,600 participants' top 10 lists. Although over 4,000 films received votes the official list cuts off at the top 100, while the top 264 has also been documented (this list is only more than 250 because several movies tied for these last positions with 12 votes each). The best film received 215 votes, the tenth best film received 99 votes, while the last films of the top 100 received 30 votes among all the critics. So many films received multiple votes, but what about the ones that only received one vote? A selection of these movies so beloved by just one critic was published by Sight and Sound.
This week watch one of these One Vote Wonders and see if you can understand the magic that captivated that one critic. BFI created their own Letterboxd list of these titles here.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week24
Week 25: March 3rd-9th
Thai New Wave Week
Past LSCs have featured new wave movements from around the world, and this year brings us to Thailand. "The origins of the Thai New Wave can be traced back to the 1990s, a period marked by significant changes in Thailand. Rapid modernization, urbanization, and the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 were at the forefront, and influenced a new generation of filmmakers to explore the complexities and challenges of Thai society at the time." (source). The most prominent figure of this movement is Apichatpong Weerasethakul, also known as Joe, who has achieved international acclaim. Aside from his work, I've seen very little Thai cinema, so this is a good opportunity to dive deeper. This list is a good starting point.
This week's challenge is to watch a previously unseen Thai New Wave film.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week25
Week 26: March 10th-16th
I-Spy Week
Globetrotting heroes, international intrigue, secret headquarters, double crosses, and code names are all key components of the espionage or spy film. Many of the popular tropes can be traced back to Fritz Lang's 1928 film Spies (Spione), and the genre took off with the onset of World War II. Spy films are probably most popular in British cinema, with early Hitchcock films, Le Carré adaptations, and of course 007, but much like the protagonists you can find these films all across the world anywhere there's a war, paranoia, or simply a need for exciting escapism. The I in I-Spy week stands for International, so you'll have to search worldwide for this week's film. Here is a list of spy films, but feel free to look for others not on the list.
This week, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to watch a previously unseen spy film from a country other than your own.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week26
Week 27: March 17th-23rd
I Stan Movies Week
Sometimes the five countries that make up the Central Asian region, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, are known collectively as the -Stans. Stan is the Farsi word for "land of" and if the only thing you know about these countries is that they were an important part of the Silk Road or, heaven-forbid, Borat, this is the week for you! As all of these countries were once a part of the former Soviet Union, each has two eras of film-making before and after they achieved independence. Kazakhstan, in particular has produced many films, and to a lesser extent Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have as well, but Tajikistan has only produced a few movies because of very limited government funding, whereas in Turkmenistan there are so few films because filmmaking was outright banned for many years up until recently.
This week watch a movie produced by either Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Turkmenistan. If it is too difficult to find a movie from one of these countries we will accept a movie from either Afghanistan or Pakistan as well.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week27
Week 28: March 24th-30th
Arab Cinema Week
With 456 million Arabs living in the world today, mostly in Western Asia and Northern Africa but also all over, they represent a significant ethnic identity with a rich and diverse culture of their own. Many Arab countries have a small and relatively short history of movie-making, except Egypt which has been producing movies since 1907 and account for about 75% of all Arab cinema overall. Elsewhere, film production really only began after Arab countries achieved their independence, and colonialism still impacts film production as Arab filmmakers have been moving away from mimicking Western film to establishing their own unique filmmaking voices.
This week's challenge is to watch a movie produced in the Arab world. Helpful lists from LSC's long-time participant Shachar and JBdV can be found here and here.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week28
Week 29: March 31st-April 6th
Courting Controversy Week
I don't know about you, but I don't often venture to the furthest edges of the five-star rating system. In my opinion, perfect movies are very few and extremely far between, and those that deserve a paltry half-star should have zero redeeming qualities. Generally speaking, it seems that most folks feel the same. So when the movie-watching public largely agrees on the merits or deficiencies of certain films, we get collections like the Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films list or its dispiriting opposite, the Unofficial Bottom 250 Narrative Feature Films list. However, some flicks buck the trend and inspire passionate affection from some individuals and vehement disgust from others. Still others elicit every reaction from viewers, from disdain to "meh" and straight on up to adoration. What is it about these movies that scatter opinions so drastically?
This week's challenge is to navigate the minefield that results from these wildly divergent impressions and watch a film from Drew's The Most Controversial Films on Letterboxd list. Will you hate what you pick, or will you love it? Or, if you're like me, will you shrug at all the squabbling and give it three stars? Who knows? There's only one way to find out, so choose wisely, and good luck!
Weekly tag: lsc10 week29
Week 30: April 7th-13th
The Black List Week
At the end of every year since 2005 a survey is conducted where movie studio and production company executives list the screenplays they like the most from that year that have not yet been produced. These most-liked unproduced screenplays are published as The Black List. Over 500 of these screenplays have subsequently actually been produced, including the four Oscar Best Picture winners Spotlight, Slumdog Millionaire, Argo, and The King's Speech. The screenplay that received the most "likes" by movie executives ever is the screenplay that eventually went on to become The Imitation Game.
This week let's watch one of these screenwriting gems that was initially passed over before seeing the light of day and making the journey to life on our screens. Watch a movie that was once on The Black List with theblcklst's list here.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week30
Week 31: April 14th-20th
Winners' Debut Roles Week
Becoming a movie actor is a tough business to break into. For any one who manages to break through, so many more never make it. Even less end up being nominated for a coveted Oscar, much less securing an actual win. But what was the journey like for the actors who did reach that pinnacle of acting accolades? For many, their first roles were as bit parts, extras, or even just body doubles. Many were in movies no one really ever saw or in made-for-TV movies. Some started acting when they were children. The likes of Lupita Nyong'o, Jennifer Hudson, Anna Paquin, Marlee Matlin, Tatum O'Neal, and Harold Russell literally won an Oscar for their first feature film roles. Let's take a look at an Oscar winners' debut role and see if we can recognize the talent that will eventually lead to such acclaim!
This week's challenge is to watch a movie featuring the debut role of an Oscar winner in the Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, or Best Supporting Actress categories. All of these movies are compiled in this list.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week31
Week 32: April 21st-27th
The Dame Game Week
Dame. Now, there's a title that carries weight. Despite the unsavory colonialist connotations, there's still something about the title that tells you its recipient is cut from a different cloth. Dame Judi Dench; Dame Maggie Smith; Dame Helen Mirren; Dame Angela Lansbury; Dame Julie Andrews. Yeah, legends, each one. Let's turn our attention to these five women just as the late Queen did and celebrate their impressive bodies of work. We may not be able to bestow honorary titles or fancy medals. Still, we can watch their movies (and hopefully appreciate their work), and I'd have to imagine that'd be just as satisfactory to these highly acclaimed Dames. So who will you choose? MI6 chief "M," the Dowager Countess, "Queenie" Shaw, Jessica Fletcher, or everyone's favorite umbrella-toting, carousel horse-riding nanny, Mary Poppins?
This week's challenge is to watch a film starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Angela Lansbury, or Julie Andrews. Let the Dame Game begin!
Weekly tag: lsc10 week32
Week 33: April 28th-May 4th
Cinematic Milk Week
Hans Landa. Anton Chigurh. Alex DeLarge and his droogs. Rose Armitage (separated from the Froot Loops of course).
What do these characters have in common? They may all be evil, but they also all love to drink milk!
Milk is such an everyday part of life around the world that it can be easy to ignore in movies. Sometimes it really stands out though. Like when it may or may not be poisoned as in Suspicion. Or when it's blue. Milk can be used as a symbol of innocence or maternity, which is why it can make you feel unsettled when a villain is drinking it.
This week's challenge is to watch a movie featuring milk in a big or small way. Here is work-in-progress list from Bre to help you get started.
Weekly tag: lsc10 week33
Bonus Week 1
Roger Ebert's Great Movies Week
The first bonus entry for this year's challenge is the very first theme from the very first Letterboxd Season Challenge! In fact Roger Ebert's Great Movies made it as a theme on the first five LSCs until previous host Benjamin Milot retired it, with one last time as a bonus theme in LSC 5. We're resurrecting the theme again for the 10th anniversary!
This bonus challenge is to watch one of Roger Ebert's Great Movies!
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus1
Bonus Week 2
Cahiers du cinéma Week
Appearing on three previous LSCs, this theme was an early favorite. In 2007 the French Cahiers du cinéma magazine published a list of the best films in the world according to the 78 film critics and historians they asked. The results of the top 100 movies became their official list.
This bonus challenge is to watch a movie from Cahiers du cinéma's 100 Films to an Ideal Film Library list.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus2
Bonus Week 3
Best Movies You've Never Seen Week
One of the main goals of the Letterboxd Season Challenge from the very beginning has been to encourage film-lovers to watch movies that would have never appeared on their radar otherwise. The film critics, Leonard Maltin and Richard Crouse, as well as LSC's first host Monsieur Flynn, have published lists of the best movies they think are underseen by the general movie-going public. This theme, centered on helping film-lovers discover hidden gems, appeared on the first five LSCs and is back as a special bonus theme for LSC's 10th anniversary!
This bonus challenge is to watch one of the Best Movies Never Seen from Leonard Matlin, Richard Crouse, or one of Monsieur Flynn's two lists here and here.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus3
Bonus Week 4
"I've been meaning to get to it..." Week
Making appearances in LSC 4, 6, and 7 this theme is all about catching up on a recent movie that has just slipped through the cracks of all the other great cinema out there to consume. Specifically, this week is about rectifying an unseen film from last year, 2023.
This bonus challenge is to watch a movie that you haven't seen yet that was released in 2023.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus4
Bonus Week 5
Past Hosts Week
When Benjamin Milot took on hosting duties as the third host in LSC 4 he created a theme to honor past hosts' favorite movies that he ket going up until LSC 7, sometimes combining the theme with his own favorite movies list as the current host.
This bonus challenge is to watch a movie from one of our past three hosts favorite movies lists. Monsieur Flynn's (LSC 1) is here, kurt k's (LSC 2-3) is here, and Benjamin Milot's (LSC 4-8) is here.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus5
Bonus Week 6
Letterboxd Top 250 Week
As I'm sure many of you can relate, Letterboxd has personally enhanced my movie-loving experience and I am very grateful that it exists and for the kind of community it can create as with the Letterboxd Season Challenge that so many have taken part in over the decade. As Benjamin Milot pointed out when he created this theme as the first bonus challenge on LSC's 5th anniversary, Letterboxd itself is the ultimate host for LSC and we honor it by watching one of the movies currently on its Top 250 Narrative Feature Films list.
This bonus challenge is to watch a movie from Letterboxd's Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus6
Bonus Week 7
One-and-Done Week
Appearing only one other time, in LSC 7, this theme is a favorite for how compelling it is. Some directors have made only one movie for a myriad of reasons, whether it was their own personal choice or not to make any more. Some of these movies are clearly phenomenal and makes one wonder what other great films the filmmaker could make. We can be glad that we do get to enjoy these directors' single film and celebrate them with this theme.
This bonus challenge is to watch a movie from a filmmaker who only made one film in their entire life. Here is a curated list of some of the best and here is a more comprehensive list.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus7
Bonus Week 8
Letterboxd Top 250 Horror Week
With over 12 million users Letterboxd has become a place for movie-lovers to interact with one another and to catalogue what they've watched and what they've loved. For many, Letterboxd ratings are a helpful indicator of what might be worth watching and Letterboxd has established a few official lists to showcase what Letterbox users love most overall like the Top 250 Horror Films. This list, which appeared in LSC 8, is a great resource for finding some of the best horror movies around the world.
This bonus challenge is to watch a movie from Letterboxd's Top 250 Horror Films list.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus8
Bonus Week 9
Top 250 Documentaries Week
Documentaries are without question a significant part of cinema, and yet movie-lovers can often overlook them in favor of fiction. Good documentaries can offer the exact same things a fiction film can: creativity, fun, entertainment, excitement, heart, etc. Letterboxd has also published an official list of the Top 250 Documentaries according to Letterboxd users to serve as a a helpful guide to what is most worth watching, which was also a challenge in LSC 8.
This bonus challenge is to watch a movie appearing on the Offical Top 250 Documentary Films list.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus9
Bonus Week 10
Current Hosts Week
In the first LSC ever Monsieur Flynn ended the weekly themes with their own favorite's week. When both kurt k and Benjamin Milot took over hosting they ended their second respective seasons with their own favorite's weeks. Benjamin subsequently often included a mix of his and the two past hosts' favorites lists as a theme. Now that 𝖘𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖎𝖓, Wade McCormick and I are in our second year of hosting we are also ending the bonus themes with our own favorite movies as the final bonus theme. Fun fact: Magnolia is the one movie that appears on all three of our lists! We thank you all for participating and look forward to many years to come!
This week's challenge is to watch a movie from either Wade McCormick's favorite movies, 𝖘𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖎𝖓's favorite movies, or my own (Adam Graff) favorite movies.
Bonus tag: lsc10 bonus10
