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Last year was my first full year of doing this Blind Spot thing and it was a ton of fun. It compelled me to watch some films I should have already seen and to dive into classics that others have spoken so highly of. Now it’s a new year which means a new Blind Spot list. Here are the movies I’ll be seeing or seeing in full for the first time in 2017.
JANUARY – “Infernal Affairs” [REVIEW]
FEBRUARY – “In the Mood for Love” [REVIEW]
MARCH – “Diabolique” [REVIEW]
APRIL – “Umberto D” [REVIEW]
MAY – “Days of Heaven” [REVIEW]
JUNE – “Ikiru”
JULY – “L’Argent”
AUGUST – “Grave of the Fireflies” [REVIEW]
SEPTEMBER – “The King of Comedy”
OCTOBER – “The Passion of Joan of Arc”
NOVEMBER – “The Fly” (1958)
DECEMBER – “The Producers” [REVIEW]
So that’s this year’s Blind Spot list. What do you think? Are any of your favorites included or are there some you still need to see? What do I have in store for me? Please share you thoughts in the comments section below.
keithandthemovies.com 
I’ve only seen two of these myself. I have a couple of the others saved on the dvr or as a DVD, I should see them also. I tried to see the Passion of Joan of Arc at the TCM Film Festival this year but it conflicted with something else. The Long Goodbye is a terrific film, I don’t own but should. I look forward to following your journey. Maybe I’ll join you for some of these.
Sounds fantastic. It’s funny, when I examined my first list for 2017 it was nearly all foreign pictures. I had to prune it just to include a little more variety. I finally just settled on this group which I’m anxious to dive into.
I’ve seen Passion, King of Comedy, The Producers, In the Mood for Love, and The Long Goodbye out of the films you’ve listed. All are great and I would recommend Passion and King the most. A couple of years ago, in fact, I actually got to see the latter at a special screening with De Niro, Scorsese, and Lewis in attendance.
Oh I bet that was an experience. I have no excuse for not seeing King before now. The Producers is one of those I have seen bits of at different times. Never the whole thing though.
So you haven’t seen Grave of the Fireflies? That’s one I probably would never see if I wasn’t doing this feature. I’m so picky when it comes to animation and I tend to resist anything remotely resembling its art style. But the praise for that film is so significant. I feel I need to see it.
I’ve never explored anime very much. Admittedly I’m one of the few people who never cared much for Spirited Away; I enjoyed the animation but found the story to be unappealing, although I did only see the dub so perhaps watching the subtitled version would be better.
See, I’ve never seen Spirited Away either. I don’t know what it is. Maybe my general dislike for anime is that strong of an influence. I adore foreign cinema so it should be up my alley. Hopefully Fireflies will resonate with me.
Quite the line-up, Keith. Looking forward to reading your thoughts on these.
I’m anxious. Some I’ve wanted to see for a long time. Any of them stand out to you?
Certainly, “Diabolique”, along with “In the Mood for Love”. I much prefer “Infernal Affairs” over Scorsese’s award-winning remake, THE DEPARTED, but that’s just me. Well, at least he made “The King of Comedy”. 😉
Really anxious to see Infernal Affairs (that’s why it’s at the top). Probably watching it tonight. I can’t wait. It and “In the Mood for Love” couldn’t be more different, right?
This don’t make any sense. Everybody knows blind folks can’t see them moving pictures!
Claude…I honestly worry about your comprehension skills.
He is a troll. Some friendly advice Keith, and I know this is not my blog nor my business, but you can adjust comments where the blog owner manually approves comments. You can filter stuff like this out. I’m not sure if this guy has a mental problem or something, but it seems like he is bent on leaving you useless comments. Again, it’s not my place, but there is a way to filter stuff like that out.
Thanks brother. I’ve thought about weeding him out, but so far his ignorance is only effecting him. He’s not far though. I’ll happily donate him to be a follower on your site. 😁
Ha, I say that only because I’ve experienced something similar and I one day just said enough is enough. I very nearly closed comments permanently but thought that would be unfair to all those (the vast majority) who leave thoughtful, intelligent comments 🙂
Great list, Keith. Half on your list I’d like to see, too. Thanks for the reminders and I look forward to reading your reviews.
Thanks Cindy! Any goodies from the list that you’ve seen?
OK, I’ve seen half of these films in the list. Umberto D. is a film I have in my never-ending DVR list as I’ve never seen that. Grave of the Fireflies is something I want to see as I tried to watch it but the DVD I borrowed from the local library was badly damaged. The Producers and King of Comedy are films I want to see while I have never seen the original version of The Fly. L’Argent is one of several films of Bresson that I really want to see as I’ve seen most of his work in the 50s and 60s and pretty much enjoyed what I’ve seen so far….
I’m a huge fan of Bresson and really wanted to see his final film. I’ve seen about half of the fly but never the entire thing. Same with The Producers. This will help me remedy that.
Only seen one on your list, to be honest! Hope you enjoy them!
Thanks Zoe! I’m curious, which one have you seen? Is it good?
The King of Comedy. It was a blind spot of mine a few years back, and it was really good!
Awesome! Can’t wait to see it!
Excellent! I’ve only seen 4 of these (Grave of the Fireflies, King of Comedy, The Producers and The Long Goodbye). I actually prefer the more toned-down Ghibli films (well, what I’m trying to say is I prefer the ones that are more rooted in reality to the Miyazaki animes) and really enjoyed Fireflies. The Long Goodbye is great fun and Gould is so good; it has that same kind of foggy, near-impenetrable plot that put a lot of people off Inherent Vice, but if you go along with it it’s really rewarding. I don’t think it’s Altman’s best but very good nonetheless. The King of Comedy is a film I never have been able to fully appreciate. I think at the time I saw it (20-25 years ago!) I was more into the more straightforward, macho side of both DeNiro and Scorsese and didn’t really know what to make of it; I can imagine thinking differently about it today, and pretty sure it’s worth a rewatch! I just got a Scorsese box set too…
And I hope you enjoy all 12!
I put Fireflies near the top because I’m really anxious to see it. I have absolutely no attraction to anime which has generally steered me away from so many of these films people love. Even though the stories sound intriguing, I have a hard time shaking the animation. but I really feel I need to see that film.
Can’t wait! As for me, I’ve only seen GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, THE PRODUCERS and THE FLY… as well as their respective remakes and sequels.
The Fly is one I’ve seen around half of. For some reason I never went back to see it in full. October seems like a good month to remedy that.
Infernal Affairs almost made my own list. I’ve only see Grave of the Fireflies and The Passion of Joan of Arc, and I hope you like those movies more than I did.
I saw the Producers remake if that counts. lol
Well you are actually two movies ahead of me. Watching Infernal Affairs tonight. Really excited for that one. Hong Kong cinema can be a lot of fun.
An ambitious and great-looking list Keith. I have seen precisely none of these myself, so I’ll be learning a lot along the way as well. I am debating joining in on this Blind spot thing as well, it seems like a sure-fire way to get yourself to watch stuff you might not otherwise watch or stuff you know you should have watched before and just haven’t, for whatever reason. What holds me back is knowing I will have a deadline of some kind each month (but hey, I run my 30-for-30 installment, and I may bring back another character study, so those are also monthly scheduled posts. I doubt adding a third to the rotation would be an issue, but I’ll have to see.)
Looking forward to these reviews.
Such an excellent list, and I look forward to reading your reviews! I have seen most of them, but really want to see L’Argent and The Long Goodbye. Get the tissues ready for Grave of the Fireflies and Ikiru.
I wrote a blog post recently on Ikiru and The Passion of Joan of Arc f you want to check them out at some point, preferably after you watch the films! My blog site is http://charsmoviereviews.wordpress.com
Thanks so much for the link. I’ll certainly check it out. Really excited for Ikiru. I can’t believe I haven’t seen that film yet. It is such a gaping hole for me. I will certainly have my tissue box in hand!
I just watched it in October. It truly was one of the most moving film watching experiences I have ever had. And thanks for checking out my blog 🙂
The King of Comedy is probably my favourite Scorsese film. Certainly his most undervalued, at any rate. Passion of Joan of Arc was on my list a couple of years ago and is just an incredible piece of cinema. Conversely, Grave of the Fireflies was on my list last year and I found it really underwhelming. I like anime, but I didn’t think that medium suited the story at all.
Now I’m really excited. I adore several of Scorsese’s pictures so that is high praise. Can’t wait to see it. Passion is one I have no excuse for not seeing. I’ve had multiple opportunities. I’m super curious about Grave. Not an anime fan so I’m not sure how I’ll respond to it.
Seems like a diverse list to me, though I’ve only seen Grave of the Fireflies, The Producers, and The Passion of Joan of Arc. The Producers isn’t among my favorite Mel Brooks films, but Passion is amazingly impactful for a silent film. Grave of the Fireflies is by far my favorite and is still the only film that makes me cry every time. I don’t know if you’ve seen much anime, but Fireflies is much more serious and affecting than the majority I’ve seen. Hope you enjoy your picks!
Thanks so much. Really looking forward to these. I really don’t care for anime which is the main reason I haven’t seen Grave. But I feel I must see it and your enthusiasm excites me more.
You reminded me of quite a few I need to watch. The only one I’ve viewed from your list is The Producers.
I’m really excited about this year’s films. So what do you think about The Producers?
It’s been a long time since I saw it, but I remember it being entertaining.
Good to hear. I’m looking forward to it.
I must add The Passion of Joan of Arc to my list, heard so much about it.
Hi, Keith:
You have some great selections for your Blind Spots!
‘The Grave of The Fireflies’ excels in detailed animation. In a tale that doesn’t go the way most would think.
‘The Producers’ never gets old. And is one of Mel Brooks’ earliest masterpieces.
‘Diabolique’ has mood and atmosphere to burn. And a villain you will love to hate.
Jerry Lewis still has it and rocks out loud in ‘The King of Comedy’
And Elliot Gould does manage a very laid back Phillip Marlow in ‘The Long Goodbye’.
You’re going to have your hand full… Enjoy!
Oh that sounds fantastic. You’ve elevated my height level even more. The one I’m most curious about may be Grave. The story sounds so interesting but I’m not a fan of anime. I’m hoping there won’t be a clash there.
You’ll be surprised. The fluidity and detailing in several scenes gives a sense of live action.
I’ll leave it at that.
Sounds perfect. I’m pumped. That’s one reason it is set for February. I didn’t want to wait long.
hope you enjoy these!
Looking forward. Finished January’s already and let’s just say it’s off to a good start.
Infernal Affairs is BRILLIANT. Grave of the Fireflies is going to break your heart.
Here is a little hint of things to come – I completely agree with you on Internal Affairs.
This is such a good list! I loved Diabolique, Passion of Joan of Arc, Grave of the Fireflies (though it’s utterly sad)… you’ve got a lot of great films to look forward to!
That’s fantastic to hear. I’m really excited for these. Some inexcusable blind spots that I get to plug. I’ve heard that about Grave. I’ll get myself mentally ready for it.
Yay! I love seeing Blind Spot lists. Infernal Affairs – I keep meaning to watch that. 2018 Blind Spot list for me! I thought about putting Diabolique on my list too. Grave Of The Fireflies is fantastic (but I love Studio Ghibli). Hope you like Ikiru (I know we talked about that one). 🙂 The King Of Comedy is my third of your 12 that I’ve seen. Looks like I have to add a lot of these to my own list! : )
I’m really excited for this group of movies. Let me say, Infernal Affairs is mighty good! You’ll have a blast with it.
Cool! : ) Isn’t there a sequel as well?
Yep. Actually I think there may be two sequels.
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Wow that’s a pretty good list Keith! Love the Producers, haven’t watched it in a while myself and really need to revisit it as a tribute to the late, great Gene Wilder.
King of Comedy, I think you’re in for a good surprise with that one (especially if you’re only familiar with Jerry Lewis from his classic comedies). The Fly is a good choice for chilly October, it’s a little silly but good atmospheric b-movie fun, look forward to your review on that one!
Thanks Chris. Really excited although I’ve already found myself out of order. For weird reasons I won’t get into, i’ve ended up watching three of the films from later in the year ahead of my March and April picks. Need to fix that!