Seventh Seal
Tomorrow I’ll be posting this month’s Blind Spot entry – the tenth in the series. Today though, I’m casting an eye towards the fourth year of the series.

Once again, the great thing about being surrounded by such film-literate friends (and family members), is that they can point me in the right direction. Looking back on this year for instance, I might not have caught up with films like HAROLD AND MAUDE, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, VIGIL, THE TINGLER, MARY AND MAX, and YOU CAN COUNT ON ME were it not for the specific suggestion of others.

So in thinking about next year’s Blind Spot Selections (no quit in me yet!), I’m turning the curation over to anyone who reads this post.

Over on my Letterboxd profile, you’ll find fifty-plus titles that I haven’t seen. Choose the eleven you believe are most egregious and the top choices will make up next year’s list. For bonus points, if there’s a film that isn’t listed there that you know I haven’t seen (or think I haven’t seen), feel free to make note of it.

Edit – With two weeks or so to go, several front runners have emerged. So if you wanna save yourself a click, help me whittle this list down to twelve finalists:

2046
24 Hour party peopls
Aguirre The Wrath of God
All That Jazz
L’Avventura
Belle et La Bete
Breaking the Waves
Bullets Over Broadway
Crimes & Misdemeanors
The Elephant Man
Eraserhead
La Haine
Intolerance
The Jerk
Midnight Run
My Neighbour Totoro (this one seems like a lock right now)
Night and Fog
Paris, Texas
Secrets and Lies
Sherlock Jr.
The Thin Blue Line
Vivre Sa Vie
Withnail & I

 

So have at it folks – what am I watching in 2015?

60 Replies to “The New Classic – Pick the Next Blind Spot Selections”

  1. Here’s my picks:
    Great Expectations
    La Haine
    L’Avventura
    Midnight Run (No. 1 choice with a bullet)
    My Neighbour Totoro
    Papillon
    Rififi
    Sherlock Jr.
    The 39 Steps
    The Warriors
    The Jerk

    As for ones not to pick, steer as far clear of Songs from the Second Floor as you can. I also didn’t like Les Vacances de M. Hulot, All that Jazz and Aguirre, and HATED Eraserhead.

    1. I caught the follow-up film to SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR at TIFF, so knowing what I’m getting into might help me a bit more.

      Thanks for the suggestions, and hopefully you can make heads or tails of your own long-list!

  2. Okay, here we go:
    Dark Star
    A Day at the Races
    Any of the David Lynch films you haven’t already seen
    A Nigh to Remember
    The Big Blue (1988)

    I would recommend avoiding Solaris. I’ve tried to sit through that movie and it’s just so horrendously slow. The whole first hour is just the film dilly-dallying before it even gets to the actual plot and even then the scenes are constantly going on far longer than they need to.

    1. Solaris has actually been on my PVR for several months, just waiting for me to be in the right mood. I’m fine with slow, so I’m still gonna give it a go.

  3. La Haine
    The Jerk
    Animal House
    Le Cercle Rouge
    Carlos
    Nausicaa
    Enter the Void
    Midnight Run
    Scanners

    May have to talk more about this list tomorrow.

  4. Intolerance
    L’Atalante
    Late Spring
    Vivre Sa Vie
    My Neighbor Totoro
    Night and Fog
    Ordet
    Paris Texas
    Sherlock Jr.
    Taste of Cherry
    The House is Black
    Three Colors: Blue (really the whole trilogy, honestly, but you have to start with Blue)

    I know that’s 12, but I seriously can’t cut any of those. Already had to cut about 8 amazing films from the initial list I wrote from those choices.

    The House is Black and Sherlock Jr. are both less than an hour, so I’m really only recommending 10 features and 2 shorts.

    1. I should have mentioned – Three Colours is part of 2014’s blind spot syllabus (along with Dancer in The Dark and Stagecoach – which posts tomorrow). But good to know I need to start with Blue.

      Am I right in assuming the viewing order is Blue, White, Red?

    3. Yes. Blue/White/Red. I almost had this on my list, but it’s tough because I like Red the best, but I don’t ever want to recommend people to watch Red first, which means I have to tell them to watch the whole trilogy. 🙂

  5. I’m probably going to something similar again, though my list of options will be a lot shorter. There are so many good things on your list!

    Here are my picks:

    2046
    24 Hour Party People
    Days of Being Wild
    Lost Highway
    My Blueberry Nights
    Paris, Texas
    Radio Days
    Stagecoach
    Birth of a Nation
    The Exterminating Angel
    The Warriors

    Enjoy!

  6. Holy (bleep), man. You’ve got some catching up to do. Anyway, my choices are:

    2046
    24 Hour Party People
    All That Jazz
    A Night to Remember
    A Place in the Sun
    Atlantic City
    Being There
    Bright Star
    Bullets Over Broadway
    Limelight
    Secrets and Lies
    The Elephant Man
    The Lives of Others
    The Verdict
    Withnail and I

    2. It never fails to amaze me when I see people’s unseen lists…and then when they see mine, they have the same reaction to all the things I haven’t seen. No matter how well versed any of us feel we are (or others are) in film, there are always blind spots. So many.

    3. Not only are there “so many”…but it’s not like they’re gonna stop making ’em anytime soon, right? Shoot most of the films from recent years that I’ve been meaning to get to aren’t even on that list!

  7. Many of those films are on my own personal watchlist, however I managed to scrounge together a list of eleven (many of which I saw while a film student):
    Exotica
    Hard Core Logo
    My Neighbour Totoro
    Scanners
    The Seventh Seal
    The Thin Blue Line
    La Haine
    Night Mail (enjoy the “rapping” segment)
    Super Fly
    The Jerk
    Lessons of Darkness

  8. Here are my picks, hotly contested by myself.

    All That Jazz
    L’Avventura
    Beauty and the Beast
    Downfall
    Intolerance
    Le Cercle Rouge
    Mon Oncle
    Sherlock Jr
    Pierrot le fou
    The Thief of Bagdad
    Triumph of the Will

    1. In other news, I wonder how much of what I watch next year will be dictated by our reading? As it stands, I already soaked-up A Woman of Paris last month thanks to AMC, where I never would have reached for it in the past.

  9. Sad to see Space Jam didn’t make the short cut 😛 (no, but seriously).

    I’m definitely going to have some of these in my own list.

    My choices for you:
    Interiors
    My Dinner with Andre
    La Haine
    Bullets over Broadway
    Laurence Anyways
    Lives of Others
    Withnail and I
    Beaking the Waves
    Bright Star
    Night and Fog
    Vivre Sa Vie

    2. Tentatively- All That Jazz, Beauty and the Beast, Enter the Void, Funny Girl, Titticut Follies, L’Avventura, M. Hulot’s Holiday, Paris, Texas, Secrets and Lies, Elelphant Man, Exterminating Angel, Lovers on a Bridge, Waltz with Bashir

      And there are some other titles I’m considering too. Lessee.

  10. Lots of great stuff on the list, many of which I need to see myself!

    My picks are:
    Aguirre
    Bananas
    Breaking the Waves
    Days of Being Wild
    Eraserhead
    Godzilla
    Kundun
    My Neighbor Totoro
    Sherlock Jr.
    Roger & Me
    Thief of Bagdad

  11. I haven’t seen many of these so I can’t say but I would like to campaign for Bright Star, which is one of my favorites. Abbie Cornish had some really beautiful, exceptional moments in that one.

      1. I’ll second this. I didn’t put it on my list just because there are so many great ones to choose, but Bright Star was really solid. I liked it a lot more than I expected to, and Cornish is fantastic in it.

  12. A lot of good choices to pick from. Not all of these are necessarily classics, but if you are looking for a diverse Blind Spot lists:

    Exotica (was tempted to go with Dolan, but this is a must)
    Encounters at the End of the World
    Rise the Red Lantern
    Coffey
    Enter the Void
    My Neighboro Totoro
    F for Fake
    Breaking Away
    The Lives of Others
    The Vanishing (original version…though the remake is decent as well)
    Hard Core Logo

    Bonus: The Zero Effect.

  13. from the list that I’ve seen and recommend:

    ALL THAT JAZZ ****
    BREAKING THE WAVES ****
    BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1946)
    CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
    DIRTY HARRY (have you not seen this???)
    FUNNY GIRL
    LA HAINE
    MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO & NAUSICAA (Miayazaki Dbl Bill for Christmas)
    SHERLOCK JR.
    BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL (summer viewing to break up the *brussel sprouts* that Cage will free up the mind with madness)
    TASTE OF CHERRY (Kiarostami) (Nov viewing with Thanksgiving)

    BONUS:
    THE JERK
    THE THIN BLUE LINE

    1. The decision on Breaking the Waves might hinge on how well I get through Dancer in the Dark next month. I don’t think I listed it for some reason, but would Antichrist trump BTW where von trier is concerned?

  14. For me, I would choose:

    24 Hour Party People
    All That Jazz
    Breaking the Waves
    Bound for Glory
    Cries & Whispers
    Enter the Void
    Eraserhead
    Heaven’s Gate (the 2012 Restoration Edition)
    Mon Oncle
    Vivre Sa Vie
    Solaris
    & Withnail & I

    I’m currently working on my Blind Spot list as I’m going for films that were released before I was born.

    1. Cool! Well I usually settle on the next year’s list in November, so you’ll have plenty of head’s up to think about posting your own. Thanks a mil for continuing to participate in this series. I know it can’t be easy from month-to-month.

  15. Well, I would choose (I added some personal opinions):

    2046 – one of my favorite films
    All That Jazz – ambitious musical
    Cries and Whispers – moving and disturbing
    Crimes and Misdemeanors – in my opinion, Woody’s best drama
    My Neighbor Totoro – gotta have an animation, why not go with Studio Ghibli
    Paris, Texas – I don’t know how to describe it, but I liked it
    Pierrot Le Fou – fun and colorful Godard. Either this or Contempt
    Reds – epic story
    Secrets and Lies – great drama from Mike Leigh, controversial subject
    Sophie’s Choice – one the greatest female performances of all time
    The Elephant Man – very moving
    The Vanishing – this will scare you

    1. Thanks for the suggestions Cristian (love your avatar by the way – i have a patch of that on my messenger bag)

      Two or three of the ones you have suggested are coming up in a lot of other people’s lists as well, so I’d wager that you’ll see posts on several of them next year. Think you might like to join in on this little project?

    2. Glad you love my avatar.

      I know I’ve been a little slow with this project, but I enjoyed it. I discovered some really great films. Of course I will continue next year. What a great idea to bring film bloggers together.

    3. Great to hear you’re gonna keep up with it. I’ve really enjoyed seeing people dig into movies they’ve always meant to see with a bit more purpose!

      My own selections for next year should be posted towards the end of November.

  16. In order from must see to you will like
    The Jerk
    Midnight Run
    Straight Story
    Il Postino
    Kundun
    Mighty Aphrodite
    Dangerous Liasions
    Bullets over broadway.

  17. So many great films to choose from! Here are my top choices:
    Withnail and I – the funniest film I have ever seen!
    The Thin Blue Line – very stylish and compelling
    Amores Perros – incredible storytelling

    1. Every time I encounter one of AGI’s movies, I kick myself for still not yet having seen AMORES PERROS…it happened again last week with BIRDMAN. I really must remedy that soon.

      Think you might like to join in on this little challenge next year?

  18. Mister Roberts and The Grapes Of Wrath, both directed by John Ford, To Be Or Not To Be, directed by Lubitsch and, from your list, Dangerous Liasons, Midnight Run, Radio Days, The Seventh Seal, Shoah, Withnail And I and Waltz With Bashir.

    One film that doesn’t rank as a classic, but it made me laugh, is Billy Wilder’s Buddy Buddy. Highly recommended.

    1. Thanks for the suggestions Gerry. I’ll keep an eye out for MISTER ROBERTS, though I’ve already seen (and loved) GRAPES OF WRATH. Just this past winter, I was able to catch a screening of TO BE OR NOT TO BE, and it might very well be my favorite first-timer of the whole year. The writing in that movie is so sharp and Benny slays!

      As for BUDDY BUDDY, I’m not expecting much. I’m working on trying to see all the films of Billy Wilder and I’m pretty much down to the dregs (hence AVANTI and FEDORA being on the list as well)

      1. I’m on a similar Wilder completist kick at the moment. Just watched The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (so goofy!) and Kiss Me Stupid, which I found slight but also surprising in a good way. Got The Fortune Cookie on hold at the library now. Still have to get to Avanti, Fedora, Buddy Buddy, and The Front Page (and Five Graves to Cairo, the only pre-1963 one I haven’t seen).

  19. Aguirre: The Wrath of God
    Carlos (make sure you watch the full version)
    Crimes and Misdemeanors
    Eraserhead
    My Neighbor Totoro
    My Own Private Idaho
    Once Upon a Time in America
    Sherlock Jr.
    Solaris (the Russian version, right?)
    Waltz with Bashir
    Withnail & I

    Because I want to read your thoughts about all of them!

    1. Solaris – yes the Russian version. If that one makes the cut, I’ll be in luck because it’s already recorded on my PVR.

      If I go with Carlos, something tells me that I will attack it the same way I do Three Colours: an ambitious watch that I leave to the end of the year!

      You gonna try to give blind spots another go in 2015?

      1. Yes, I hope so! I might not make it in every month, grad school is as busy as ever. But I love contributing to the series, and filling in these gaps, so I’ll try to keep it going.

        Carlos makes for an excellent marathon viewing. I was able to see the full version at the IFC Center here in one sitting, it was incredible.

  20. Aguirre
    Amores Perros
    La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast)
    Bright Star
    Intolerance
    Limelight
    Night and Fog
    Secrets and Lies
    Sherlock Jr.
    Ugetsu Monogatari
    Waltz With Bashir

    And if I may suggest my favorite of all time, Dil Se.. (1998).

  21. I know this is shocking, but I haven’t seen a lot of those either. 😛

    But I cannot recommend Laurence Anyways enough. That film is excellent!

    (And hopefully My Neighbor Totoro is good because that’s my Blind Spot this month)

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