2014 Blind Spot Series: Fanny and Alexander

This wraps up my first year of doing the Blind Spot Series! I'm so glad Ryan created this and I'm looking forward to next year's.

What I knew going in: When I first published my list of the films I was going to be watching, many said to save this for December. So I knew it had a holiday theme.

The story follows the sprawling Ekdahl family over the course of a few years. Most of the focus is on young children Alexander (Bertil Guve) and Fanny. (Pernilla Allwin) Their father suddenly passes away in the film's first act, and their mother Emilie (Ewa Froling) remarries a bishop Edvard (Jan Malmsjo) despite him giving her several red flags like his bare as a bone house and his request that she and her children move their with no possessions whatsoever. Spoiler alert: he turns out to be a super douche. 

Igmar Bergman is still a director I'm new to. This was his 3rd film on my list, and it honestly felt so different from the other two I watched. I hate to say it, but it was a little over indulgent. The film is nearly three hours long when it had no right to be. I've seen a lot of comparisons with The Deer Hunter (coincidentally the first film I watched on my Blind Spot List) in terms of the first act. While I wasn't crazy about DH's first hour, I liked this one even less.

It's not to say the film is bad. It isn't. The story is interesting, it's very festive and the production design is flawless, I just think he over reached a bit. I see why he would want to, it is semi autobiographical. 

Recommended: Sure. It's still a good film, albeit a little bloated. 

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "I can speak for myself, but not for them." Emilie (Ewa Froling)

2014 Blind Spot Series: My Neighbor Totoro

What I knew going in: This was meant to be a companion piece of sorts to the insanely depressing Grave of the Fireflies. And I have a ton of memories of commercials for this movie when it was dubbed the first time back in 1998.

I watched this movie with my three year old son. The film follows a family who moves to the country side and finds some friendly spirits in and around their house. Here's a breakdown of our experience.

5 minutes in - "Can we watch Ninja Turtles?"

10 minutes in - "Mommy, Ninja Turtles."

20 minutes in - "Ninja Turtles"

Cat bus appears - 

Kid: "...what?"
Me: "See, that kitty is a bus!"
Kid: "Kitties can't be buses!"
Me: "Yes they can, see."
Kid: "NO!"
Me: *laughs at son's ridiculous response to the cat bus*
Kid: "IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

Then he got up and walked away so I finished this movie alone like a loser. Despite it not being his cup of tea (and I'm really not sure why, he watches a variety of stuff) I thought My Neighbor Totoro was a very sweet film. It felt so different from any other children's movie I've seen. It was very imaginative and it didn't once get into depressing territory like I was afraid it would. (The girls' mother was sick)

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I'm not afraid" - Mei (Elle Fanning in the version I watched)

Although let's be real, I didn't like that cat bus either. Mostly because it had windows that were like holes in the cat's body and I don't like holey things and this is getting weird so I'll leave it at that.

2014 Blind Spot Series: Wild Strawberries

What I knew going in: Not much, only that when I asked for recommended Bergman films, this one came up frequently. 

Igmar Bergman was the director I had in mind when I started my Blind Spot list. His films occupied 3 spots in my 2014 list, and 2 more in my preliminary 2015 one. This one was almost always recommended.

Dr. Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom) is a professor that's been isolated from nearly everyone for many years. He's on his way to a University to pick up an honorary award and decides last minute he's going to drive there. Along the way with his daughter in law, Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) and eventually a few other passengers (including Bergman favorite Bibi Andersson) he reminiscences about his life and comes to the realization that maybe he's been a little too distant.

I kind of felt like this movie was a few beats away from being a road trip comedy. At least Bergman road trip comedy. Parts were amusing, other parts very ethereal. I think the pacing kind of dulls the movie a bit in places, but the story was fascinating and Sjostrom was wonderful. I can see why this is a Bergman favorite. I definitely preferred Persona to this one, but this was still a good watch.

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "I have liked having you in that house." - Isak Borg (Victor Sjostrom)

2014 Blind Spot Series: North by Northwest

What I knew going in: Pretty much the entire movie, I just never sat down to watch it.

Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is an advertising executive that ends up being mistaken for a possible spy named George Chaplin. Suddenly, people are trying to kill him, he gets accused of murder himself and has to go on the run to escape police and figure this all out.

I like Cary Grant, and I hope I get to check out more of his movies. He had a lot of charisma. The film created an interesting story that continued to escalate, but at the same time felt kind of predictable. The film is also distractingly dated. Any scene involving a crowd of people (or just more people than the main characters) didn't feel organic and looked way too staged. Then there's those car scenes, but that's really nitpicking. I had a similar reaction to Citizen Kane. I felt like I was watching an important movie, but it really just wasn't my cup of tea. I'll stick with Hitch's horror movies.

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "Roger..pay the two dollars." - Clara (Jessie Royce Landis)

2014 Blind Spot Series: 12 Angry Men

What I knew going in: That this film spends the majority of the time in one room.

I had a really strange experience while watching this film. There was the fact that I couldn't take my eyes off my computer screen while I was watching this. (It's on Netflix Instant right now) but at one point in the film, it starts raining, and I felt like I could actually smell it. Apparently it's possible to get TOO into a movie. Has that ever happened to anyone else?

12 Angry Men follows a jury as they deliberate over a murder charge. A young man from a troubled home as killed his father, and everyone except Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) thinks he's guilty. Now they must go over the facts and debate on whether or not that is the case.

Like I said, this film was fascinating. I imagine it's hard to make a feature length film in one location and have it work every step of the way. I've seen films like this before, but none as good as this one. I can see why so many people speak so highly of this.

Grade: A+

Memorable Quote: "You don't really mean you'll kill me, do you?" - Juror #8 (Henry Fonda)

2014 Blind Spot Series: The 400 Blows

What I knew going in: Nothing, really. 

Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) is a schoolboy that's neglected by his parents. His mother seems to dislike him, his father is disinterested, his teacher has no patience for him. It's no wonder he gets bad grades and makes questionable decisions. Soon, he starts skipping school, sneaking in movies and stealing. 

This is my first "French New Wave" film. I think it can be risky when you have a child lead, but Leaud did a wonderful job. I feel like Paris as a city really does enhance every film it's in. I found the parents in this film pretty insufferable, but it just made me sympathize with Antoine even more. (It's sad when the bed at the juvenile detention center looks more comfortable than the one he has at home)  I ended the film with the hope that he can turn everything around.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "They don't believe me when I tell the truth.." - Antoine (Jean-Pierre Leaud) 

2014 Blind Spot Series: Persona

What I knew going in: Alex and Josh love this film. There was one scene I instantly recognized. 

This is my first Ingmar Bergman movie. My Bergy cherry is broken, I'm so proud. *tear* I have about 5 other movies of his in my Netflix queue, and two more on my Blind Spot, but that one is reserved for December.

Alma (Bibi Andersson) is a nurse who's been charged with looking after Elizabet (Liv Ullman) an actress who has stopped speaking. She seems perfectly healthy, so Alma takes her to a colleague's summer house to get away from it all. Alma pours her heart out to Elizabet, who doesn't respond, just listens. Eventually, the lines get blurred. 

Wow. What the fuck? I feel like I have a million different theories about what I have just seen, but in a way, do any of them matter? Is there really a right or wrong here? Bergman just wanted to mess with people, right? The only things I'm sure of are that Andersson gave one of the best performances I've ever seen, and I'm jealous of Ullman's lips. I wish I had something more eloquent to add about a film like this, but honestly. I'm just kind of speechless.

This film was quite the experience. I wasn't crazy about the intro, but it captivated me through out, and even if I can't place my finger on what exactly I thought happened, I'm happy to have seen this, and I look forward to the rest of Bergman's work.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "I'm not like you. I don't feel like you." - Alma (Bibi Andersson)

2014 Blind Spot Series: Rebel Without A Cause

What I knew going in: This was James Dean's second to last film.

Jim Stark (James Dean) is a troubled young man that has moved around a lot in his life. Once he and his family settle in a new town, he makes friends with Plato (Sal Mineo) and becomes attracted to Judy. (Natalie Wood) Too bad her friends aren't as smitten with Jim as he is with her. An accident happens that changes this group of kids forever.

Have you ever watched a film with a certain amount of expectations, then start to wonder if maybe you're watching it the wrong way once you realize you are having the polar opposite reaction that everyone else has had? That's kind of how I felt here. How was this movie nominated for Oscars? This is a joke, right?

I'll get the good out of the way first. Wood and Mineo gave great performances. They were quite young when they filmed this, and they were solid. The story overall was solid too, despite all of the theatrics.  That's what threw me off here, everything felt overly dramatic. James Dean probably had a lot of potential to be a great actor, but I felt like he was just mugging here. There's only so many times you can do the "dramatic head tilt," the "pout," and the "eye fuck" without it becoming a farce.  And The score! The way the music picked up during the dramatic scenes was laughably bad. Then there's the car crash, which I shouldn't make fun of because this film was made in 1955, but oh my God. That was awful. I know I kind of gave Vertigo crap on not aging well, but I take all of that back after seeing this.

This is the first film on my Blind Spot list that I flat out didn't like. Sure, I was underwhelmed by Citizen Kane, but I can at least appreciate what it did at the  time of its release. This was just..kind of bad to be honest. Wood and Mineo were the only saving graces. 

Recommended: No

Grade: D+

Memorable Quote: "You're tearing me apart, Lisa!" Jim Stark (James Dean)

Blind Spot Series: Vertigo

What I knew going in: I recognized the man falling into the spiral image. Seriously. 

What's kind of nice about most of the films on my Blind Spot list is that I haven't bothered to read the plot lines of some of them. I chose them all out of hear say. So when I got Vertigo in the mail and saw it's PG rating, that was a surprise. I didn't know what I was getting into.

When we first meet Scottie, (James Stewart) a detective, he's running across the roof tops chasing a criminal with his partner. He slips and nearly falls off a building, he looks down, and vertigo hits. Turns out Scottie is petrified of heights. it doesn't help that the other police officer trying to save him falls to his death while doing it. When we see Scottie again, it's been some time since this highly publicized incident. He's retired now, and approached by an old college friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) who wants him to tail his wife. (Kim Novak)

Vertigo is quite fascinating, it's also kind of a mind fuck. When the credits hit, I nearly restarted the film just to make sure I processed everything correctly. I didn't though, I just gave it a bit of time to settle in. The film doesn't age particularly well. The effects are kind of awful, but it's one of those things you just have to dismiss. I really enjoyed the story Hitchcock told here. It was very complex. James Stewart was also a high light for me. I was surprised to find a lot of negative things said about him on the net about his performance in this film. I thought he was great.

This is one of two Hitchcock films on my Blind Spot list, the next being North by Northwest.  Venturing away from his horror movies is off to a good start.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "It's a brassiere!" - Midge (Barbara Bel Gaddes)

Blind Spot Series: Some Like It Hot

What I knew going in: That many Marilyn fans say this film is their favorite of hers.

Musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) inadvertently witness the St Valentine's Day massacre and quickly try to leave town to avoid some mobsters from killing them as well. The only way out is to pose as women in a traveling band. They are "reborn" as Josephine and Daphne, they quickly befriend Sugar, (Marilyn Monroe) the naive singer in the band. They have trouble keeping their cover when Joe (out of disguise) tricks Sugar into thinking he's a millionaire and Jerry finds himself the object of a horny old perv's (Joe E. Brown) affection.

Marilyn Monroe is just someone that never interested me. I don't idolize her like a lot of women I know do. When I took public speaking in college, someone used a quote from her in a speech, and the entire class got into an argument over whether she actually said that or not. Clearly, Miss Monroe evoked a lot of emotions. After watching this film, I can almost see why, she was mesmerizing. This role felt like it was made for only her to play. Jack Lemmon was the film's stand out for me. (That and Joe E. Brown's face) I thought he was absolutely wonderful as Jerry/Daphne.

Some comedies don't hold up well over time, this one certainly does. (Even though some of it is probably unintentional) After reading some of the trivia on IMDb, this movie sounded like it was hell to shoot, but it doesn't translate that way on screen. This one was a lot of fun.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "Hello, I'm Cinderella II" - Jerry (Jack Lemmon)

Blind Spot Series: Citizen Kane

This is my 2nd entry in Ryan McNeil of The Matinee's 2014 Blind Spot series. Here is my initial post.

What I knew going in: I knew what Rosebud was, which turns out is a gigantic spoiler.

Before the Dos Equis guy was the most interesting man in the world, Charles Kane (Orson Welles) was. He was a rich newspaper tycoon who has recently passed away. The last word he uttered was "rosebud." Since Kane was the hottest news item, a reporter named Jerry Thompson (William Alland) is assigned to figure how who 'Rosebud' is. We see him interview a few of Kane's old friends, colleagues, and wives.

This movie came with high expectations. It's frequently called 'The greatest film of all time.' Or I've seen this reference 'This is the 'Citizen Kane' of blah blah blah.' I didn't even bother to read the synopsis of it before adding it to my Blind Spot list, I just knew I *had* to see this one.  Did it live up to those expectations? Not exactly.

There were some things I really admire about Citizen Kane. The thing that stuck out the most were some of the camera techniques being used. I felt like I was watching them at their inception, and that was truly a gratifying experience. The film itself was never boring, but when I think about the hype this movie comes along with, I don't even think it would make my top 30. This film to me was just "okay" not spectacular, just okay. Still, I'm glad I finally got around to watching it, as I do feel it's still an essential film to watch, I just didn't love it as much as I was expecting to. Please don't throw things at me.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "I know too many people. I guess we're both just lonely." - Charles Kane (Orson Welles)

Blind Spot Series: The Deer Hunter

The movie Gods must be on my side, because right after I posted my list for Ryan McNeil's 2014 Blind Spot Series, the Sundance channel aired The Deer Hunter. How convenient.

What I knew going in: 1) The fate of Christopher Walken's character. I didn't know when or where, but I knew it happened. 2) That Russian Roulette is the big theme.

The Deer Hunter follows 3 men, Michael, (Robert DeNiro) Steve (John Savage) and Nick (Christopher Walken) who are about to leave for a tour in Vietnam. We spend the first hour of the film together getting to know these men and seeing Steve's wedding to Angela. (Rutanya Alda) We also meet various other people. Nick's girlfriend Linda, (Meryl Streep) whom Michael also seems to have feelings for. There's also their other friends/hunting buddies Stan and John (John Cazale, who was dying of cancer while filming this, so his frail frame was very upsetting and George Dzundza) The 2nd hour of the film has them being captured in Vietnam and forced to play Russian Roulette, and their eventual escape. The 3rd hour is the aftermath.

Yes, I divided this film into thirds, much like I did with The Place Beyond The Pines and 2005's King Kong. They all felt distinctly different. The first hour, while I felt was necessary to get to know these characters was too long. I think they could've condensed it a little more. The wedding scene alone clocks in over a half an hour. At the same time, I enjoyed watching these guys dance and have fun knowing what they were in for. So I really can't tell you what exactly it is that I would cut out.

The performances are fascinating, especially Walken. I could not take my eyes off of him. DeNiro is tasked with carrying the weight of the film, but it's Walken who I wanted to see. The score is nearly as intense as the film itself. And that finale scene? So, so heartbreaking. In fact, I was so into this film at one point, that a commercial for The Lost Boys played immediately after, and it took me a few seconds to realize that I wasn't watching the same movie. I was really in the zone, apparently.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A-

Memorable Quote: "Just promise me you won't leave me behind there." - Nick (Christopher Walken)

2014 Blind Spot Series

Time to get on that classic film bandwagon, Brittani.

For the past few years, Ryan McNeil over at The Matinee has been running a blogathon called The Blind Spot Series. Where he asks that you make a list of films that you haven't seen, but feel that you should. I'm going to stick with 12 like he suggests. One film a month. Mostly, I'm going to focus on the Classics, since I'm terrible at actually going back to the earlier stages of film. I'm calling this a "preliminary list" in case I have to change any of it due to not being able to get my hands on a DVD and what not.

*EDIT It's now time to replace my side bar with my 2015 list, so I've updated this list with the letter grades I gave each film.*

1) Citizen Kane (C+)

2) Persona (A)

3) 12 Angry Men (A+)

4) North by Northwest (B-)

5) Vertigo (B)

6) Some Like It Hot (A)

7) Wild Strawberries (B-)

8) The Deer Hunter (A-)

9) My Neighbor Totoro (B)

10) The 400 Blows (B)

11) Fanny and Alexander (B-)

12) Rebel Without A Cause (D+)