My 2018 Blind Spot + How I did in 2017

Another year, another Blind Spot! I can't thank Ryan enough for starting this blogathon. He's the reason I'm making an effort to go back in time in cinema. It's something I always had a hard time being pushed to do. I jumped on the bandwagon in 2014, and I'm going to continue in 2018. But first, let's look at my final grades for my 2017 picks:

1) Sleepers (B)
2) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (A+)
3) Videodrome (B)
4) Paris, Texas (B)
5) Sunset Boulevard (A+)
6) Three Colors Trilogy: Blue, White, Red (B, B-, A-)
7) Jackie Brown (B)
8) Metropolis (C-)
9) Midnight Cowboy (C+)
10) Do The Right Thing (B+)
11) Boyz in the Hood (B)
12) In The Bedroom (B-)

2017 was my over achiever year because I squeezed the Three Colors trilogy in there. I now have two movies on my all time favorites list in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane and Sunset Boulevard. As always, the biggest plus is that I didn't hate anything. Thankfully that's only happened once. I had a bit of drama not being able to get my hands on Cinema Paradiso or In the Heat of the Night. Some day. 

2018

1) All About Eve
2) Rear Window
3) The Birds
4) Suddenly, Last Summer
5) The Seventh Seal
6) M
7) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
8) sex, lies, and video tape
9) Singin' in the Rain
10) Philadelphia
11) Cabaret
12) A Streetcar Named Desire

Alternates: Cinema Paradiso, In The Heat of The Night, A Woman Under the Influence, My Left Foot

Yes, I put Cinema Paradiso and In The Heat of the Night on the alternate list again, because unless Netflix puts them on instant stream I'm having a really hard time finding them. I know I'll probably get a lot of shit for Monty Python but despite recognizing all the jokes, I've actually never seen this movie. Only clips of it. 

What do you think of my picks? Have you seen them? Which is your fav? Any you hate? Let me know in the comments! I hope some of you join in on this too.

2017 Blind Spot Series: Metropolis

What I knew going in: That the film was once lost, then mostly recovered with a few title cards to fill in the gaps. 

December was a rough go at the Blind Spot. My original pick was Cinema Paradiso, but it's been stuck in "Very Long Wait" hell on Netflix all year. So I held a twitter poll on what I should replace it with, and In The Heat Of The Night won. Then what do you know, Very Long Wait there too. None of these films were on Youtube or Daily Motion. I'm sure I could've found them on Vodlocker but the audio is always out of sync towards the end so I had to go with what came in 2nd on the Twitter poll. Good ol' Metropolis. And look at that, Netflix has it on instant stream.

Set in the year 2026, a futuristic city is run by lowly workers underneath the streets and buildings the upper class call home. One day Freder ( Gustav Fröhlich) sees a beautiful woman (Brigitte Helm) and follows her underground to see the workers that fuel the city. He never knew about them, and they're in need of a liberation.

Guys, what the fuck is this movie? Somewhere in my medicine filled haze (get your flu shot, everyone) I managed to forget this was a silent film. Mind you, this film is 2 and 1/2 hours. I have a hard time focusing on silent films I always have, I hate that I can't enjoy this medium but it just doesn't work for me. 

All of the performances are over the top. They always are in silent pictures. I can definitely see why sci fi writers today are inspired by this film. One thing I appreciate about the movie was the scope of it. This was filmed in the 20's and this production looks huge. There's hundreds of extras around the main characters for most of the movie. I have to commend that. That is no easy feat. I just wish film worked as a whole for me. It felt all over the place and dragged in parts. I ended up enjoying a few of the title cards explaining the film more than I enjoyed the scenes I was watching. The prelude of this film alone is 60 minutes, and the exciting stuff doesn't happen until towards the end. 

I'm glad I watched this. I think this is oldest film I've watched if I don't count a few Charlie Chaplin shorts. This is also one of my father's favorite films and I was really hoping I'd like it too so we could nerd out to it together, but alas. That was not in my stars.

Recommended: No

Grade: C-

Memorable Quote: "Let them die! Kill them! The Machines!" - Maria (Brigette Helm)

2017 Blind Spot Series: Videodrome

What I knew going in: That it was a popular body horror film. 

Max Renn (James Woods) runs a sleazy TV channel and is always on the look out for new material. He discovers a pirated tape called Videodrome which shows nonstop snuff. Max's girlfriend Nicki (Debbie Harry) wants to audition for it, and soon he's drawn into Videodrome's bigger picture.

Damn, this movie is weird. 

Director David Cronenberg was put on my radar with A History of Violence. Then he made Eastern Promises which is one of my favorite movies of all time. I've been meaning to go backwards in his filmography for a while and Videodrome is the one that gets mentioned the most. I can definitely see where some of his ideas for History of Violence at least came from. 

James Woods is naturally a creepy fucker so his casting is spot on. I really appreciate that Cronenberg didn't show a bunch of sexual violence. So many other horror directors would've taken the opportunity to go over the top with it and he didn't. With it's reputation with body horror, I was expecting a bit more of that, but what was in there did not disappoint.

I'm glad I finally watched this. It was a perfect way to start my October.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "Long live the new flesh." - Max Renn (James Woods)

2017 Blind Spot Series: Jackie Brown

What I knew going in: I knew the actors in it, but not much of the plot.

Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is a stewardess who smuggles money from Mexico for Ordell Robbie. (Samuel L. Jackson) She's busted one day by two officers. (played by Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen) Ordell sends his bondsman, Max Cherry (Robert Forster) to get Jackie out of jail. Jackie strikes up a deal to get the rest of Robbie's money to the officers to avoid jail time, but she plans on taking it for herself.

This almost felt like Tarantino-lite to me. I was expecting it to be as violent as his other films, so not seeing a ton of blood was surprising. What works the best is the cast. They're all wonderful in their roles, especially Pam Grier who carries this film wonderfully. I loved the chemistry between she and Robert Forester. 

For such a straight forward story it managed to catch me off guard a few times which is always appreciated. One thing I do regret doing is watching this after I had to get up and take a 5:00 am flight. I really felt the run time and I'm sure had I not been so tired I wouldn't have. Since it's on Netflix Instant, I at least know I have the opportunity to watch it again.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I hope you felt appropriately guilty about it afterwards." - Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson)

2017 Blind Spot Series: Paris, Texas

What I knew going in: It often appears on "Best of" lists for independent films.

As a lover of indies, Paris, Texas has always been one that has escaped me. So many hailed it as one of the best. Yet, I kept skipping over it in my Netflix queue. Thankfully the Blind Spot Series gave me the motivation I needed.

Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) has been missing for four years when he decides to wander back into society and meet up with his brother, Walt (Dean Stockwell) who in turn has been raising Travis' seven year old son, Hunter. (Hunter Carson) Travis decides he wants to find his long lost wife and takes Hunter along for the ride.

Travis wasn't a likable character for me. He's selfish and reckless but at the same time I was still so curious about his journey. The film didn't answer all the questions I had, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. Stanton is excellent and carries everything well.

It tends to feel longer than it's 2 1/2 hour run time, but there's a lot of beauty here. The way it was shot reminded me a bit of My Own Private Idaho. The final scene of the film is my absolute favorite.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "But you just found me." - Hunter (Hunter Carson)

2017 Blind Spot Series: Boyz in the Hood

What I knew going in: I had seen parts of this film before, but never in order.

We follow three boys in inner city Los Angeles. There's Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), who is raised by his father "Furious" (Laurence Fishburne) to have a strong sense of character and his friends, half brothers Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Darren (Ice Cube) who are taking two very different paths. 

For all the times I managed to catch this film on TV, I never realized that it actually started with our three leads as children. Another one of the many reasons I love the Blind Spot Series. 

Boyz in the Hood still feels very relevant today with its commentary on racism and violence. It's well paced and even though you know something awful is likely going to happen, that's not the point. The violence in that place and time was predictable and that's the saddest thing of all. 

Fishburne was the standout to me. Furious' name seems like it would come from what lies beneath. He's a very steady character, intimidating, and gives you the instant feeling that you do not want to disappoint him. Gooding, Cube, and Chesnut all do a good job with their roles as well, even if their characters aren't always likable. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "Any fool with a dick can make a baby, but only a real man can raise his children." - Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne)  

2017 Blind Spot Series: Do The Right Thing

It's gonna get hotter. 

What I knew going in: Aside from the themes about racial divide, not much at all.

Sal (Danny Aiello) owns a pizza place in Brooklyn. His customers are almost exclusively black due to the area he built in. His racist son, Pino (John Turturro) thinks he should relocate, but he refuses. One day one of his customers, Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) asks why he only has photos of Italian American white men and no black men on his walls. This disagreement turns into Buggin Out attempting to boycott the pizzeria, which continues to escalate throughout the day. Mookie (Spike Lee) A friend of Buggin, but an employee of Sal finds himself caught in the middle.

Doing "day in the life" films can be difficult. It's hard to follow someone, or a few people around for a set period of time if their story doesn't progress or shift in any way. Do The Right Thing makes it look easy. There's a lot going on in this film. Through Mookie's eyes, we meet all of his neighbors. Some more memorable than others but every single one felt like they served a purpose.

It's hard for me to describe how this film was shot. To me, it looks like a music video, and it absolutely works. The camera is often above our character, shooting them at a downwards angle. It's not afraid to get in their personal space. I imagine that's how Lee wanted his audience to feel. Like we needed to get in there to understand the importance of it all.

It's so strange for me to see Esposito in a role like this after being so used to him as the methodical Gus Fring in Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul.  I'm glad Lee cast himself in this as well. The acting is great all around, especially from the supporting cast. I felt myself getting very defensive of Roger Guenveur Smith's Smiley several times. But I can't for the life of me figure out why out of all these people, Aiello ended up with the lone acting Oscar nomination. He's good, don't get me wrong, but I didn't feel that he was the strongest.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B+

Memorable Quote: "You should boycott the barber that fucked up your head."  - Sweet Dick Willie (Robin Harris)

2017 Blind Spot Series: Sleepers

What I knew going in: The entire plot. 

Shakes(Joseph Perrino), Michael (Brad Renfro), Tommy (Jonathan Tucker), and John (Geoffrey Wigdor) are four friends growing up in Hell's Kitchen. When a prank they play goes disastrously wrong, they're sent to a reform school where they are subjected to an unspeakable amount of violence. We cut to more than 10 years later and they're all grown up. (and played by Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Billy Cudup and Ron Eldnard) They plan on taking revenge against the guards at the reform school, but they need the help of the one stable adult in their lives, Father Bobby. (Robert De Niro)

This was one of those films where I had heard so much about it and had seen bits and pieces that I felt like I had already watched the entire thing. I'm glad I finally sat down and got it in one sitting, but man is this film long. They could've shaved off about 30 minutes of it.

The story was harrowing but so fascinating. They did a good job of balancing the story between past and present, even though it got a bit long. Personally, I wanted more from the court room scenes. What I loved was the use of narration. I know that gimmick isn't popular but I love it, especially when it's done right like it is here.

Despite the strong cast, acting wise the only one that really stood out to me was Robert DeNiro. His face when Shakes tells him what happened at the reform school was heartbreaking. Watching him try to keep it straight while processing all of that information was extraordinary. Don't get me wrong, everyone is good. But De Niro knocked it out of the park.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I always keep the stubs." - Father Bobby (Robert De Niro)

2017 Blind Spot Series: In The Bedroom

What I knew going in: I had seen bits and pieces of this movie before, just never in the right order.

Matt and Ruth Fowler (Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek) are not thrilled that their college age son, Frank (Nick Stahl) is dating an older woman, Natalie with kids. (Marisa Tomei) Although their relationship is a happy one, Frank is showing signs of wanting to skip out on college, and Natalie has an abusive ex-husband, Richard (William Mapother) who is proving to be a problem. 

In The Bedroom is a good film that could've been great. I feel a bit strange saying this, because I think Wilkinson and Spacek are very talented actors, they're just not very exciting ones. After Stahl and Tomei stop appearing on screen consistently, the film ends up dragging a bit. It's not that the story isn't there, because this is a very interesting character study on Matt and Ruth's marriage and lives after tragedy strikes them. But it just felt like it was missing something after starting off so well.

The acting is very good all around, Tomei being my favorite. Wilkinson gets the most to do and carries the film well. The editing was very choppy. I think they were trying to avoid being grittier than they could've been, but the result is that this film that was released in 2001 feels like it could've came from the early 90's. It just needed a bit more polishing to match how strong the story itself is.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "If he's like this now we're gonna be in trouble." - Frank (Nick Stahl)

2017 Blind Spot Series: What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?

What I knew going in: I knew of the feud between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Also stupid trivia fact: This was the movie playing at the theater in the House of Wax remake.

Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis) was once a child star. At some point, her sister Blanche (Joan Crawford) became a better actress and took all the limelight. Not wanting to be a brat like Jane, Blanche wrote it in her contract that Jane must get a movie every time she does. Years later, Blanche is confined to a wheelchair and relies on her sister, now a serious drunk for help. 

I wanted to see this one before Feud started airing on FX.(I watched this in February) I'm so glad I rushed because it was amazing. Davis is absolutely marvelous as the washed up Jane. Crawford's Blanche gets to be very kind and pleasant, so it's Davis that gets to have all the fun.

The way the film is shot is very dated. It tries hard to avoid any type of gore that could stem from the story, but the atmosphere is perfect. The ending came as a shock to me, and I found it morbidly fascinating in the same way I enjoyed Sunset Boulevard. If the film has one fault, it's a subplot surrounding a piano player (Victor Buono) who comes in to help Jane with her come back. The story itself makes sense, but Buono is so terrible that I'm shocked he was given an Oscar nomination for this. Luckily, it's such a small part it's easy to ignore his acting and focus on the real stars of the show.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A+

Memorable Quote: "Oh Blanche, you know we have rats in the cellar?" - Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis)

2017 Blind Spot: The Three Colors; Blue, White and Red

What I knew going in: I had read plenty of reviews on each of the films.

Blue: "Liberty" - Julie (Juliette Binoche) loses her husband and young daughter to a car crash. Now she's determined to shed every thing from her old life and to keep to herself in Paris. However the music from her composer husband's last piece of work haunts her, and she can't shake it.

Reading the synopsis of each film,  I thought Blue would be my favorite but it's kind of a downer. However, it really is an incredible piece of filmmaking.  I like how introspective the film was. It had to be that way, because that's how Julie lives now. She's distancing herself, and the film almost distances us from her. While I would normally hate the "fade to black" cuts director Krzysztof Kieslowski uses frequently, I like how it sort of forced us to focus on the music instead. B

White: "Equality" Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) is a Polish man living in France, but is divorced by his wife, Dominique (Julie Delpy) and forced to move back to Poland with no money. He starts to forge a new life for himself, but he has one thing on his mind now: Revenge.

White needs some serious suspension of disbelief at times. A little more than I'm willing to give, unfortunately. I really liked the characters of Karol and his new friend, Mikolaj (Janusz Gajos) and acting wise, they were fantastic. They elevate the story. I wasn't a fan of the ending, mostly because I just don't understand how Karol could still feel the way he did after everything that happened. Blue and Red will probably stick with me for a long time, but I can't see White doing that.  B-

Red: "Fraternity" Valentine (Irene Jacob) is a model living in Geneva. She accidentally runs over a dog one night (don't worry, he lives) and when she tracks down the dog's owner, she finds a retired judge, Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who has taken to wire tapping his neighbors phone calls. They form a unique friendship over his crime.

Red takes a while to get going. I had the strangest sensation while watching this film. It's like I was just idly enjoying it, then it hit me; wow. I really love Valentine and Kern's relationship. I always feel like I can relate to curious characters. Valentine's curiosity is what propels their friendship. There's a subplot with her neighbor, Auguste that I thought was a massive waste of time, though it makes sense at the end, but even that couldn't dampen just how invested I was in Valentine. They talk about love whilst eavesdropping and I felt like I was falling more in love with the film as it went on. A-

I'm glad I got ambitious with this. I can see why this trilogy is so highly regarded from a film making standpoint. You can tell by my ratings what order I'd put them in. I definitely recommend all three. 

2017 Blind Spot: Sunset Boulevard

What I knew going in: I knew of the iconic line "Alright Mr. DeVille, I'm ready for my close up" but that's it. Another I put in based on title alone.

Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a struggling screenwriter who has ran into recent money troubles as no one is taking his work. One day he gets a flat tire while driving, and parks his car in what he thinks is an abandoned garage. He ends up on the sprawling property of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) a former silent film actress who still believes she has legions of fans waiting for her glorious return. She decides to keep Joe on her property to re-write a script that she has been working on. 

This is the 3rd Billy Wilder movie I've had in my Blind Spot lists. I have yet to be disappointed. I like that he included narration. Joe being a screenwriter, it's only fair that he also tells the story of his own life as if he were writing it down. 

The acting is excellent, particularly from Swanson. Norma was so over the top and theatrical. I was completely convinced she used to be in silent films with how expressive she was. She steals the entire show, though Holden and other supporting actors Erich von Stroheim - playing Norma's Butler, Max and Nancy Olson - playing a Paramount "reader" named Betty and semi-love interest to Joe all turn in excellent work as well. I wish there had been more of Betty. I loved her from the minute she appears on screen telling her boss that the script she just read was crap.

Sunset Blvd was the perfect film to kick off my 2017 list. I hope the rest are equally as enjoyable.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A+

Memorable Quote: "Sometimes it's interesting to see just how bad bad writing can be." - Joe Gillis (William Holden)

2017 Blind Spot List + how I did in 2016

Another year is over and I completed my 2016 Blind Spot List! This event has been a great way for me to actually get off my ass and watch so many classics. I'll always be grateful to Ryan for starting it. Before I put up my 2017 List, here's how I did in 2016.

1) Au Revoir Les Enfants (A+)
2) One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (A)
3) The Apartment (B)
4) Marnie (B)
5) Funny Face (B-)
6) Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (A)
7) The Passion of Joan of Arc (C)
8) The French Connection (B)
9) JFK (C+)
10) The Miracle Worker (A-)
11) All The President's Men (A)
12) Chinatown (A-)


Au Revoir Les Enfants was easily my favorite of the bunch. The only one I disliked was The Passion of Joan of Arc, even though I didn't want to. For next year, I'm going to get a bit ambitious as I wanted to do the Three Color movies, but had so many others I wanted to throw on here. So I'm going to combine them into one month. here's my 2017 Blindspot List:

1) Sleepers
2) Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
3) Videodrome
4) Paris, Texas
5) Sunset Boulevard
6) Three Colors: Red, White, Blue
7) Jackie Brown
8) Cinema Paradiso
9) Midnight Cowboy
10) Do The Right Thing
11) Boyz in the Hood
12) In The Bedroom

Alternates: The Birds, Suddenly Last Summer, All About Eve

Right now, I'm not finding a place to watch Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, so if nothing turns up, I made a shortlist of replacements. This also might be the "youngest" of all my Blind Spot lists as I have a lot of 80's and 90's films here, which isn't usually what I'm aiming for. What do you think? Have you seen the films on my list? Am I going to hate any of them?