Last summer I decided to take part in Ryan McNeil's Blindspot Challenge. Because I started late I was working with a much smaller list of movies (seven instead of the usual twelve) and I managed to see all but one (The Birds, which I had to replace at the last minute with Re-Animator). However, while it was a great oppurtunity to finally see some movies I'd been putting off, my choices were a bit limited. All of them were American (though Blue is the Warmest Color was considered as an option, but ultimately dropped due to issues of availability) and only stretched as far back as 1960.
This time round, I've decided to try and look at a wider range of films. I've incorporated some foreign movies as well as some much older ones going back as far as I can. To assemble this list I have used a variety of criteria including personal recommendations, subject matter that interests me, availability, and sometimes the reputation certain movies hold and an interest in seeing what all the fuss is about. Unfortunately I had a few too many candidates. My solution is to create a preliminary list and gradually reduce it to twelve films for next year. Somewhere around the end of December or start of January I should have my final list.
There is no specific criteria by which I plan to eliminate some of my possible choices. The biggest thing will probably be availability. Films that prove harder to find (at least the hard to find ones I don't already own) will be less likely to make the final cut. Other factors may include costs, timing (whether it fits into any specific month) or even just my own personal confidence about the movie in question.
I'm posting this early so that I can receive feedback from readers. Right now I can't guarantee any one of these movies making it onto the final list. For all I know, perhaps the list I ultimately publish somewhere around New Years will have none of these options and an entirely unrelated list of twelve movies instead (though even then, it doesn't mean I won't ever write about any of these films separately). Still, feel free to let me know what you think of my potential candidates and if there are any you would like to see me review. It might just help me make some decisions when the time comes.
Strike (1925)
Christopher Strong (1933)
Modern Times (1936)
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Lost Horizon (1937)
Stagecoach (1939)
Ninotchka (1939)
Back to Bataan (1945)
Seven Samurai (1954)
White Christmas (1954)
Diabolique (1955)
The Killing (1956)
Touch of Evil (1958)
One, Two, Three (1961)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Being there (1979)
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1979)
Schindler's List (1993)
Life is Beautiful (1997)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Fight Club (1999)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Kill Bill (2003)
Atonement (2007)
Django Unchained (2012)
Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)
12 Years a Slave (2013)
Great list John :) I'm looking forward to taking part next year, and I guess I should really start thinking about my own list. Schindler's List will be on there for sure. Fight Club is a great film!
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Thanks. Fight Club certainly has some reasonable odds as I know finding a copy for a decent price won't be too hard.
DeleteI will have to look up what all this means but i love your list and can't believe you have Christopher Strong in this. I saw this film when bell bottoms were the coolest thing:) Her Moth outfit is crazy and I wanted one back then. Blue is the Warmest Colour sounds like an intriguing film, maybe because blue is my favourite colour.
ReplyDeleteMoth outfit? The idea of Katherine Hepburn playing an aviator was all it took for me to get excited. I think there's a romance in there somewhere but I was really in it for the flight scenes.
DeleteThe idea of the Blindspot Challenge is basically an exercise that serves to get you to start watching those movies you've been putting off. The idea is that you compose a list of twelve movies (though for this year I only did seven because I started late) and watch one each month. As you can see I'll have to narrow these down by the start of January, but these are all among the viable candidates I've found.
http://www.thematinee.ca/blindsided2014/
Interesting selection of movies. Of the ones I've seen, I'd highly recommend the following:
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In the Heat of the Night
Planet of the Apes
Night of the Living Dead
Schindler's List
Jackie Brown
Gangs of New York
Kill Bill (both volumes)
Django Unchained (you're missing lots of Tarantino, I see)
Blue is the Warmest Color
12 Years a Slave
A few I'd recommend just to see for yourself what the big deal is (not my faves, but culturally important):
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Life is Beautiful
Fight Club
The rest I either haven't seen, or am not a big fan of. Can't wait to see the final list.
That's certainly a long list. Seven Samurai, Night of the Living Dead, Gangs of New York, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Life is Beautiful all have more reasonable odds on the grounds that I already own them on DVD and just haven't got around to watching them yet.
DeleteI'm probably only going to go with one Tarantino movie, which I was thinking I'd do in March since I share a birthday with him. I've been leaning towards Kill Bill but Jackie Brown and Django Unchained are both still valid choices (hence the reason they're on the list). So far as I know, all of them should be easy to find, though the older ones might be easier to get for a good price.
Of course, if I do ultimately choose Kill Bill I'll have to see how my schedule plays out. March can get rather busy since that's right when I'll be caught up in exams (the ironic thing about taking Cinema Studies is it sometimes becomes very hard to find time to watch movies, at least apart from those assigned). I should be able to set aside some time for myself, but I can't say for certain if I'd be able to do both volumes or if I'll just have to do the first one and then maybe later on do a follow-up article once my schedule clears up and I have time for Volume II.
Fight Club is certainly one I will have to see at some point. It's one that everyone else always seems to be talking about and yet I'm still out of the loop, so it is probably one I should see. Even if I don't end up liking it, I'll at least be able to discuss it and it'll make more sense when I hear people referring to it. Also it's one that should be pretty easy to find on DVD and I've seen it for really low prices before on several occasions so that shouldn't be too hard to deal with.
Here are the 12 I would pick from this list:
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Stagecoach
Fight Club
In the Heat of the Night
Seven Samuari
Planet of the Apes
Schindler's List
12 Years a Slave
The Killing
The Night of the Living Dead
Atonement
Diabolique
Fight Club is a popular one, isn't it? I might have to lock that one in just to see why people make such a big deal about it. The Kil. ling is also one I'll have to see at some point seeing as it's only one of two Stanley Kubrick features I still haven't gotten around to watching (the other being Killer's Kiss). The Night of the Living Dead also has reasonable odds of being my Halloween blindspot simply because I already have it on DVD.
DeleteYes to Rocky Horror, Fight Club, Django, Atonement, Kill Bill, 12 Years a Slave, Gangs, Life is Beautiful, Blue, and Schindler's!
ReplyDeleteAlso Night of the Living Dead is so bad it's kind of hysterical.
Rocky Horror, Atonement, Gangs of New York, Night of the Living Dead, and Life is Beautiful all have very good odds since I already own them on DVD, with Schindler's List and Kill Bill also being both easily available and for good prices (I think I should be able to find them for under $20.00 at my local HMV, possibly even less if I can find them used).
DeleteThere's a few where cost might be an issue. The main reason Touch of Evil failed to make my final list this year was because I was unsure if I would be able to find any version other than the expensive super special edition. The Killing would be expensive if I bought it new but I think I can get it used so that shouldn't be an issue. I'll have to see how things play out on that front.
Of the ones I've seen...here are the 12 I STRONGLY recommend (in alpha order):
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Being There
Blue is the Warmest Color
Diabolique
Fight Club
Jackie Brown
The Killing
Modern Times
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Touch of Evil
Of the ones I don't already own, I am strongly leaning towards The Killing. I'd have to see it sooner or later anyway being the Kubrick fan that I am along with Killer's Kiss (I've literally seen every other feature of his besides those two, including Fear and Desire). Touch of Evil might be a good choice this time round but it'll ultimately come down to availability.
DeleteBeing there is one I think would be fitting to watch since I did The Life and Death of Peter Sellers this year in which the production of that film was dramatized (along with The Pink Panther, Dr. Strangelove, and Casino Royale, among others). In my review of that movie I did express interest in seeing Being There so it would be an appropriate follow-up.
Fight Club, of course, seems to be the most popular recommendation. I may just have no choice but to do it since obviously everybody wants me to see it. Fortunately it shouldn't be too hard to find for a reasonable price so on that front I should be all set.
Modern Times is one I've put off for way too long, especially since I've had a copy for a few years. I did want to put some older films on this year's list so I do think that is a very likely candidate. It would be a bit like with Psycho last year, where I went in really only familiar with that one famous scene (in this case Chaplin riding along the gears) so it should be interesting to see it in its original context and what else the film has to offer.
Out of all of these, I'd say the least likely candidates are Christopher Strong and Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears, and the only reason that may be the case is because I don't know if I'll be able to find them.
Instead of buying them blindly, I would recommend checking out your local library for DVDs of whatever you pick. Half of my blind spot films this year were borrowed from the library. It saves you some money, especially if you do not end up liking a particular film.
DeleteThat's true. There is a library on my university campus that has a pretty good selection of films. One of these days I got to go there and see how it all works.
DeleteDefinitely check out the library. I love the library. They usually have the older, artsy or foreign titles that stores tend not to carry.
DeleteWandering through the Shelves
My first suggestion is to avoid putting the really recent movies from 2012 and 2013 in a Blind Spots series. They just feel too recent and need time to breathe. My preference is for some of the older films like Stagecoach, Modern Times, and The Seven Samurai. I'd also suggest Touch of Evil, The Killing, Jackie Brown, Planet of the Apes, Night of the Living Dead (a 2014 Blind Spot for me), Diabolique, Kill Bill, In the Heat of the Night, and Schindler's List.
ReplyDeleteThat's what Ryan McNeil has said numerous times. While I did put All is Lost on this year's Blindspot list, I can see the reasoning for it. I was hoping with this list to have as much variety as possible, so there probably will be a mix of old and new(er) films.
DeleteOf the pre-1960 films I currently have, the ones that probably have the best odds include Strike, Modern Times, Lost Horizon, Ninotchka, Back to Bataan, Seven Samurai and White Christmas on the simple grounds that I already have them on DVD.
Christopher Strong is unfortunately a less likely choice due to the fact that I can't seem to find any way to see it. I haven't been able to find it on DVD, and the library I have access to only has it on VHS. The Killing is a bit more likely since I'm already a big Kubrick fan and that (along with Killer's Kiss) remains one of the only two features of his I still haven't seen. As for Stagecoach, Diabolique, and Touch of Evil, I'll have to see how readily available they are.
Schlinder's List and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I would say yes to those!
ReplyDeleteSchindler's list does indeed seem to be a popular choice.
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