Six years ago, a great friend planted a seed in my brain. It has led me to some truly fantastic films, prompted some interesting lines of thought in this half-empty head of mine, and even introduced me to some fantastic people.
In case you’re new here (Hey, how’s it goin’?), the concept is simple:
Once a month, I make a concerted effort to see a particularly egregious title of my watchlist. Through the years this has pointed me towards A STAR IS BORN, LE SAMOURAI, and SHAFT to name but a few.
When I’m done watching, I come back here to discuss whatever thoughts came to mind while the film unspooled…not so much a review (though there’s nothing wrong with that), more the general meanderings inspired by finally catching up with “an essential”.
By keeping the tally to a mere dozen films, he made it a watchlist that was both enjoyable and attainable…as opposed to drawing up a to-see list of, say, fifty. Likewise, by choosing a specific set of films, it gives the project a sense of purpose, since really any catalogue film you haven’t seen before could be considered a blindspot.
While it’s not the case for everybody, I can also honestly say I have enjoyed every single title I’ve seen so far…with some of them leaving impressions on me that won’t soon go away.
I post my entries on the final Tuesday of every month, and at the bottom of each post, likewise link to anyone else who is participating in the series. So if you want to partake, drop me an email (ryanatthematineedotca) when a post is up and I’ll make sure you get linkage at month’s end.
Curious to see what films the series has introduced to me since the beginning of 2012? Of course you are – all past entries are behind the banners below.
The Blindspot Series is a fantastic idea that has enlightened me to contemporary delights such as ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ that somehow passed me by, and classic Kurosawa ‘Seven Samurai’. It’s amazing to see how far the Blindspot series reaches from such humble beginnings.