A few weeks ago, my friend James McNally came up with a pretty good idea that I am going to both partake in, and recruit for.

His idea was to cull together a list of “Blind Spot” films…movies that we as movie enthusiasts likely should have seen by now, but haven’t for one reason or another. After narrowing the list down to a truly manageable twelve titles, the goal would be to watch all twelve over the course of the next year, and to write one’s thoughts afterwards. I realize that others out there already partake in such curriculums, but I like that James has kept the tally down to a dirty dozen.

For starters, it’s a far more manageable number…hell, nowadays I seem to be able to crank out twelve in a week! And by populating these lists ourselves, we’re still leaning on our own interests. Thus, while there are likely boatloads of Ingmar Bergman titles I’m yet to see, I am content to leave them in the blind spot until I’m good and ready to get to them.

Before I reveal the twelve titles I intend to scratch off before the year is out, I want to invite anyone who is interested to join the series. Pick your own twelve films, by whatever criteria you wish. The only rule for the series is it must be a film you’ve never seen before. What you write about it afterwards is up to you – if you want to review it, go nuts. If you want to point-form where your brain wandered to, that’s great too. If you want to discuss the film’s legacy and impact you now understand on other films, Bob’s your uncle.

I intend to post my entries on the final Tuesday of every month, and at the bottom of each post, will likewise link to anyone else who is participating in the series. So if you want to partake, drop me an email (ryanatthematineedotca) when it’s up and I’ll make sure you get linkage at month’s end.

Finally, if you are the sort who gets annoyed when I act aghast at the sorts of films people have never seen, Christmas is coming early. Below are the twelve films I haven’t seen, and in many instances really should have by now.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
THE THING (1982)
FRANKENSTEIN
LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS
BAMBI
WILD AT HEART
PATTON
A STAR IS BORN (1954)
TOUCH OF EVIL
THE LIFE OF BRIAN
MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
LA DOLCE VITA

60 Replies to “Blindsided (Announcing The 2012 Blind Spot Series)”

  1. Once Upon A Time in the West is fantastic… I would assume you’d have seen THE THING (1982) as I’ve seen Moxie post about events showing it in your neck of the woods.

    Ahh well…

    You can see my 1001 Posts to see my personal (much grander; not to be competing) effort to educate myself.

    1. So you are!

      The difference though, is that I promise you that I will never write anything about being bored, finding no story, or openly wondering why I’m even writing what I’m writing.

  3. I’ve gotten beyond the point where I become aghast at what people have or have not seen. My own blindspot is massive–the list of great films I haven’t seen is undoubtedly larger than the list of great films I have. So, while I may be somewhat surprised that you haven’t seen Touch of Evil, well, I haven’t seen The Magnificent Ambersons. You haven’t seen Patton? I haven’t seen Glory. I proudly proclaim my ignorance.

    Honestly, this is exactly why I’m doing what I’m doing on my site. I could probably post a review of a missed classic every Tuesday of next year and still have another 52 for 2013.

    Cool idea, though. Having seen nine of your list, I’m curious as to your reactions to them.

    1. Me acting aghast is a dumb habit i have to quit. Yet another 2012 resolution.

      Interesting – I enjoy GLORY, but don’t know how much of a must-see it really is.

      And indeed, your idea is a solid one for a watching/writing series…and perhaps the sort of thing I could emmulate if ever getting out to new releases gets trickier.

      Perhaps in your case, I’ll just pick my favorite of yours for the month and link to it.

      1. I’ll join you in this, though. I made a short (ha!) list of about 30 films that I haven’t seen but should have by now. This may change in the months ahead, but for now, my own list of 12 looks like this:

        City Lights
        Rope
        From Here to Eternity
        The 400 Blows
        What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
        Bonnie and Clyde
        Deliverance
        Carrie
        Thelma & Louise
        Trainspotting
        Magnolia
        The Pianist

        Keep in mind that I could literally more than double this list without breaking a sweat, and could add Once Upon a Time in the West, Wild at Heart and La Dolce Vita from your own list. And possibly Bambi. I saw it as a child, but don’t have much memory of it. So perhaps I slightly misspoke above–I’ve seen nine of your list, but only remember eight.

  4. I did something similar to this this year with my 11 in 2011 series. I was doing pretty good as well until I hit La Dolce Vita and lost the willpower to go on (such a long, tedious film). So I may rework it and better organize it and attack again in 2012 with your series!

    1. Go for it dude. And for what it’s worth, try not to let one rough watch trip you up. If you see something and it isn’t your speed, perhaps turn it into a conversational post:

      “I wasn’t fussed about this. Is there anyone out there who has seen it who wants to help me bend my brain around it?”

      Looking forward to seeing which twelve you choose.

  5. You’ve neer seen LOCK, STOCK??
    I just always thought that you’d seen that film. I mean, that’s Guy Ritchie 101. And this is coming from me.

    I’ll loan it to ya if you’d like. Great film.

    1. Yeah, that’s a secret shame that I’ve kept from you for years. When i get around to that one, I’ll swing by and borrow – even though that will feel like a day-trip to Bizarro World.

  6. Do you know which version of A Star is Born you’re aiming for? There are like, a billion.

    And I certainly like this idea. I’ve got blindspots that are a mile wide that need to get corrected post-haste.

    1. If you do indeed tackle some of your blind spots, let me know – I’d love to link to them. Given our conversation last month about THIS IS SPINAL TAP, I’d suggest making one Christopher Guest film part of your talley.

      I’ll probably be angling for the Judy garland STAR IS BORN…I think that’s the most famous one, isn’t it?

      1. It is, unless you’re feeling literary, in which case Dorothy Parker wrote the script for the original. But the Judy Garland is the famous one and the longest; there’s a large portion of it missing in the middle, so they filled it in with this odd Chris Marker-style voice over with still photos. But it is a really cool watch all around.

  7. I can’t believe you support leaving BREATHLESS – easily one of the 10 greatest films ever made – in your ‘blind spot’ and off this list.

    1. I’m leaving BREATHLESS out because I’m hoping to give it a watch before we even get to 2012. Same reason why HIGH NOON didn’t make the cut since I’ll be tackling that one in December at Lightbox.

      Hardly seems fair to get a head start on a resolution.

      Also, with almost half the list being pre-1970 classics, I was trying to spread things around a bit.

      I promise – it shall be watched. Do you have a copy I could borrow?

  8. You’ve never seen “Bambi”? What kind of childhood did you have?!

    I’d already promised myself that next year would be the year I finally watch “The Godfather”. Maybe I should formalize it and make my own list.

    (Just kidding about the “Bambi” thing, if that wasn’t clear. ^_^)

    1. No offense taken – that was actually a good line!

      I vote you do expand your list out to include an additional eleven. And good luck with THE GODFATHER. It’s a personal favorite of mine, but I know a few people watching it for the first time lately haven’t been so fussed.

      1. Okay, here goes. This project will be a good impetus.

        The Godfather
        The Godfather Part 2
        Mean Streets
        Halloween
        Enter the Dragon
        McCabe and Mrs Miller
        One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
        Don
        Aguirre: The Wrath of God
        Jaws
        Annie Hall
        Barry Lyndon
        Dodesukaden (backup title if I can’t get ahold of a DVD of Don)

        All ’70s because that’s by far my least viewed decade. Not the typical gap but I was a classic movie junkie once upon a time.

        1. Some great selections on this list. Do be sure to email me the posts as the year goes on…I’ll be really curious to know what you think of some of these.

    2. I’ve never seen Bambi either. Same goes for E.T. No rush to see them at this stage… maybe when my daughter is old enough to make it through a feature flick I’ll get around to them both.

  9. I haven’t managed to figure out the adoration of Once Upon a Time in the West. It’s everything about Leone that should have been left on a cutting room floor, but elongated and tuned to a harmonica.

  10. You can probably count me in, providing that I’m still blogging next year. There is so much that I haven’t seen! I’d just have to figure out a list first, though.

  11. This is a great idea, Ryan. I’m actually starting a “List of Shame” marathon in January that will cover 5-8 films that I should have seen by now. I might pull one of those for your Blind Spot series. After this, I may join the fun and do a movie a month along with your idea. I’m looking forward to reading what you think about your list. I just caught up with Wild at Heart and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington this past year.

      1. Not sure on the exact list, but I’ve jotted down a bunch of films. I’ve seen parts of some of these but haven’t watched them straight through. A few are pretty sad.

        Stand by Me
        Once Upon a Time in the West
        Gone with the Wind
        Animal House
        Sunrise
        Ben-Hur
        Barry Lyndon
        Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
        Solaris (original)
        My Dinner with Andre
        Three Colors Trilogy
        Tokyo Story
        Play Time
        Easy Rider
        The Red Shoes
        Badlands
        West Side Story
        The Deer Hunter
        American Graffiti

  12. I will take part in this as well, though I will be using films from my sites “The Must See List” series. Basically it is the exact same premise as this but with two major differences: 1) half of the 100 plus films were recommended by others, and 2) there is no definitive completion date.

    Of your list, I still need to see Once Upon a Time in the West, A Star is Born, and La Dolce Vita (already included on The Must See List). Patton is also on my list as well though I finally watched it a few weeks back. I still need to get around to writing about it though.

    1. I like your idea of piggybacking this on to other projects. Good call. I’m holding out hope that one or two of these titles play The Lightbox in 2012 so that I can soak them in on a big screen.

  13. You haven’t seen Once Upon a Time in the West? Oh man.

    I’ve only seen the Janet Gaynor version of A Star is Born and I don’t feel a need to rush out and see the other two versions. I’ll get to them eventually.

    The other film you listed I haven’t seen is Wild at Heart. Until recently, I’v been wary of Lynch, so I still need to see Blue Velvet before I delve into more of his lesser known films.

    As for my own, I’ve got to see Titanic, Rain Man, Dances with Wolves, West Side Story, Trouble in Paradise, My Fair Lady, Shane, Nashville, Fantasia, Un chien andalou, Doctor Zhivago and Johnny Guitar

    I actually don’t feel bad about most of those. Some are just popular films I have a hunch I probably won’t like very much while others have eluded me or I just haven’t had the time free to check them out. I do plan on seeing most, if not all of those, by the end of next year.

    1. Some interesting titles on your list to be sure. For what it’s worth, I’d say to skip dances with wolves, and where titanic is concerned – catch it when it hits theatres this coming spring.

      Part of me thinks that listing these films for all to see like this is my way of trying to attone for all of those times I’ve been so shocked by what others haven’t seen.

  14. Glad to see my idea got some traction with you. For what it’s worth, I’ve only seen five of the ones on your dozen. When I settle on my final dozen, I’ll post it and will definitely be interested in participating in this. Love the accountability thing, and hopefully it will generate some much-needed comment traffic over on my blog.

      1. Alright, mine’s now up:

        Raging Bull (1980, Director: Martin Scorsese)
        Knife in the Water (1962, Director: Roman Polanski)
        Nashville (1975, Director: Robert Altman)
        L’Atalante (1934, Director: Jean Vigo)
        Gone with the Wind (1939, Director: Victor Fleming)
        Psycho (1960, Director: Alfred Hitchcock)
        Blue Velvet (1986, Director: David Lynch)
        The Conformist (1970, Director: Bernardo Bertolucci)
        Jules and Jim (1962, Director: Francois Truffaut)
        Grey Gardens (1975, Directors: Albert and David Maysles with Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer)
        Cabaret (1972, Director: Bob Fosse)
        Tokyo Story (1953, Director: Yasujirô Ozu)

  15. What a great film resolution for 2012!
    My list is (posted it on my site too)

    Top Gun (1986)
    Field of Dreams (1989)
    The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
    Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Léon (1994)
    Blue Velvet (1986)
    Gangs of New York (2007)
    The Color Purple (1985)
    The Sting (1973)
    Withnail & I (1987)
    The Hurt Locker (2008)
    La Vita È Bella (1997)

    I’ve had the habit of going through best of lists, so I don’t have massive gaps when it comes to the IMDB 250 for example. I have a massive blind spot for Westerns though, and in older (30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s) cinema especially.

    1. This is a great collection and includes some movies I really love quite a bit. Thanks for taking part in this, and for rallying others to do so as well!

  16. Great idea Mad! I will join in but I need to think of 12 movies I should see but never did because I never really wanted to, but felt like I have to etc…. etc… It’s late. Tomorrow!

  17. From that list I only need to watch Wild at Heart (no, I’m not the biggest Lynch fan) and A Star is Born. Now to work on my twelve…

  18. Also, my list of films to be watched and reviewed, in chronological order is:

    L’Atalante (Vigo, 1934)
    Brief Encounter (Lean, 1945)
    Letter from an Unknown Woman (Ophüls, 1948)
    Los Olvidados (The Young and the Damned – Buñuel, 1950)
    The Earrings of Madame de… (Ophüls, 1953)
    Ordet (Dreyer, 1955)
    A Man Escaped (Bresson, 1956)
    Contempt (Godard, 1963)
    Chimes at Midnight (Welles, 1965)
    Persona (Bergman, 1966)
    A Woman Under the Influence (Cassavetes, 1974)
    Nashville (Altman, 1975)

    I’m hoping to turn this 12 film list into 24 within one year but we’ll see.

    1. First of all – Welcome to The matinee!

      Second of all, I’ll be very interested to read your thoughts on many of these movies, since a lot of them are titles I’m unfamiliar with. So if you like them, I’ll have to double my efforts in tracking them down.

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  20. This sounds like fun. I usually try to get to films that I want to watch as soon as possible, but the idea falls the by the wayside. Maybe this will help get the films watched. Some of these aren’t classics, but mainstream enough to be in the must watch pile.

    The Thing (1982)
    Total Recall (1990)
    Howard’s End (1992)
    Full Metal Jacket
    Annie Hall
    Green Mile
    Blazing Saddles
    Oceans 11
    Animal House
    Exorcist
    The Last of the Mohicans
    Sixteen Candles

    1. Welcome to the Matinee Dave!

      Glad to see you taking part in this little project too. This past weekend, I crossed off my first entry by sitting down to watch THE THING. Should have my post about it up at month’s end, and hope when I post it to be linking to one of yours.

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