In 2013 I jumped on the Blind Spot bandwagon and had a grand time watching all kinds of movies that I had put off for years. I expected the experience to be a rewarding one, but it still surprised me how much I enjoyed doing the series. Even though a good portion of my reviews for this website are just me scratching titles off my neverending watchlist, the Blind Spot selections were special in that they were films that I definitely would have pushed off for later without the prodding of being on a list. So here I am at the end of the year, ready and willing for round 2! I can’t wait to get crackin’ on these titles, and I hope I enjoy them as much as I imagine I will.
The 12 films for 2014 will be:
January: Oldboy
February: All Quiet on the Western Front
March: Who’s That Knocking at My Door
April: Dragon Inn
May: Five Easy Pieces
June: Persona
July: The Great Silence
August: Reefer Madness
September: The Grapes of Wrath
October: Night of the Creeps
November: Angels with Dirty Faces
December: Meet Me in St. Louis
Each post will go up on the last Monday of the month, as I did this year. Thanks again must be given to Ryan McNeil at The Matinee for starting this little blogging endeavor and spreading the cinematic joy throughout the community at large. If you’re curious, his 2014 list can be found here.
Super-stoked that you have found this whole caper to be rewarding. It’s come into question over the last several weeks, so I’ve started to doubt its merit somewhat, but reading about this sort of enthusiasm has really given me a shot in the arm.
I’ve actually only seen six of your twelve, so perhaps I have some work to do myself! I’ll be especially curious to read your review of Scorsese’s first film…for reasons I’ll explain later.
Glad to give you a bit of a boost. I honestly don’t understand the hostility towards the series. It’s true that “film is not a mission,” and that we shouldn’t be watching movies simply because of some kind of cinema guilt. But to me that’s never been what the series represented. It’s all about expanding horizons and reveling in the many splendors that film has to offer. No matter how dedicated you are there’s always something great out there you haven’t seen. It always felt like those participating have done so out of a love of movies, not peer pressure or shame. There’s always a choice involved as well, so everyone’s list is tailored a bit to their personalities or their interests. It’s been fun, rewarding and one of my favorite series in 2013. It never once felt like homework, and if it did I’d be doing it wrong.
Some good choices there, Will. I’ve seen three of them — Oldboy, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Reefer Madness — and they’ll all be films that you’ll find interesting to watch, albeit for very different reasons. There are a few of the others that have been on my own personal watchlist as well, so I’ll be interested in seeing what you have to say there too.
Reefer Madness is one that I don’t have high hopes for, but I can’t wait to finally watch it. Hope you enjoy the reviews of these when they come down the pike!
Oh, it’s an awful film all right. But it’s comically awful.
That’s what I’m counting on!
Oldboy to kick off the year? Nice work.
I always considered doing something like this myself, but lack the time in amongst all the other things. Perhaps when the kids are older and I have more free time! Looking forward to reading more of your stuff, Will! Happy new year to you and yours!!
I’ve gone too long hearing how great Oldboy is, while also having to avoid spoilers about it; I just need to see it. That’s why I made it the selection for January.
You should do it! It’s fun and not that hard to do, it’s only one movie a month. Happy New Year to you too!