2015 Blind Spot Series

Did you know: Making a blind spot list can be sorta depressing :/ Like shit, I have so many films to watch and what have I been doing with my life and will I ever finish watching them and gahhhhhh life sucks!!

      This is one of the reasons for embarking upon this challenge for another year. The 2014 series has been a lopsided success so far in the sense that I have been really late for some of the posts and maybe written a rant instead of a review for one of them, but I have watched and written about all of them and that's a big deal because these are the only reviews I write on my blog currently. I obviously don't want them to remain the only reviews I write but I do hope to be more punctual and less lazy next year. 

         I will be watching most of my 2015 choices at random again though one can spot that there is a horror film, a noir and a movie with numbers in it that correspond to my age as it will be next year so that's a clue on when to expect them.

My Blind Spots:

So what do you guys think? Have you watched any/all of these? What is your opinion on them?

November Blind Spot- The Thin Blue Line

         Documentaries are a part of films where my knowledge is woefully lacking. I think I've only seen about a dozen or so documentaries in my life and I really want to change that. Therefore, including a documentary in my blind spot series was a must and I think I am going to make that into a tradition. All the documentaries I have seen so far have been so different from each other and I am very curious to find out more about them. I don't think I have disliked any of them and my favourite film of last year was a documentary too.

           The Thin Blue Line is about the conviction of a man named Randall Dale Adams for killing a police officer. The film investigates the events of the incident as well as the state of corruption that runs through the police force in Dallas, which is where the film is set.

           I sometimes think it is odd to review documentaries. Like how do you judge real life? Give me fiction, please! Of course, documentaries are still very much part of cinema and in that way, we can critique them. In The Thin Blue Line, there is a lot which is conventionally cinematic, from the reenactments to the close-ups to the score to the actual film clips present in it. I found it really interesting that how much of it felt "directed" and that was one of the most striking things about it for me. I do like a more naturalistic approach more but again, my knowledge of documentaries is very limited and also comprising of pretty recent films which are affected by the kinds of technology available today.

             Technicalities aside, this IS a film about real life, quite literally. The judgment passed on Randall originally was a death sentence. I don't want to treat any subject lightly but a film like this or last year's The Act of Killing just feel so much more important. Someone was killed and someone was set to die and a topic like that needs to be inquired into. I sort of knew about the outcome of the whole case but the film still kept me guessing at what was going to happen.

            As this film is about a court case, listening to different variations of the "truth" by the different people in the film was very fascinating. I think in spite of reports and what we're supposed to know about how the world operates, it was still shocking to see what the authorities try to do in this film, especially with the witnesses in the case. There was a bit of humour injected into it with some of these characters, which is what they felt like in the whole "the truth is stranger than fiction" sense.

               Taking a cue from this and also what I wrote before, the film has elements of suspense, comedy, political drama and horror too and is utterly compelling on the basis of these alone, but then we also have the fact that all of this is true which makes it impossible to look away from or stop thinking about it. Errol Morris is the director and this is my first film of his. I can already understand why he is so well known and respected as a documentary filmmaker. This is a difficult, perhaps even a dangerous subject and he does justice to it while also infusing a cinematic style into the story.

        I briefly mentioned it above but the score of the film really stands out. The score is by Philip Glass, who also composed one of my most favourite scores ever for The Hours. It was haunting and grim and it kind of shakes your insides while you're watching it.

          I have tried and been as vague as possible for this film. I think people need to watch it and ponder over it. I liked it a lot and I really, really, really need to watch more documentaries.

Guest Post by Lesya- Woody Allen: A Documentary

        One of my favourite cinephiles, Lesya Hearst, recently saw this film and wanted to write about it. Seeing how I treat Mr. Allen as my film god and am dying to watch it, I quickly offered the services of my blog. So here it goes. I hope you enjoy it.

           Woody Allen. Every film admirer knows this name, if not loves the artist who bears it. Mr. Allen makes you laugh in Annie Hall and shed a tear in Manhattan or he may engage you in both activities in both movies. He transports you to the most magical of places in Midnight in Paris and somehow manages to make the City of Lights even more charming and mysterious. He adds enchantment even to an old movie theater, pushing make-believe to new highs in The Purple Rose of Cairo. Mr. Allen understands life, death, love, art, and people. And he places this understanding in his peculiar vision in his unique films.

            Woody Allen: A Documentary was made for TV in two installments and its running time nears three and a half hours, which is, let’s admit, a lot. This film was produced as a shorter version for cinema release, but I was extremely fortunate to attend a screening of that lengthy Director’s Cut at the American Independence Film Festival in Kyiv. Being a relatively tiny thing, this event still managed to draw the audience into the theater and even featured some amazing guests of filmmaker kin, including the director of the about-to-be-discussed documentary, Robert B. Weide.

        Presenting his film, Mr. Weide asked us three questions: how many of us were passionate Woody Allen fans, who had seen all of his movies, how many knew only a few of Woody’s pictures, and how many were there just to avoid the bad weather outside. Funnily, I couldn't classify myself. I’m a huge admirer of Woody’s work, but I can’t say that I saw half of his oeuvres, not to mention the majority of them. Anyway, hopefully, the situation is about to be improved, since Woody Allen: A Documentary made me even more interested in the auteur’s filmography. Nothing bizarre about that: if a movie (a doco or a fictionalized biopic) centered on a personality is well-made, you will probably want to know even more about this or that persona.

       Here go a few general things that you should know about the movie. It isn't afraid to dwell on Woody Allen’s life, but most importantly, his creative life, starting with childhood beginnings to his young years as a stand-upper to his slow transition to films as a writer, actor, and director. The milestone motion pictures are discussed in detail and whole-heartedly by a range of professionals who have worked with the master and were inspired by his incredible vision. The audience is lucky to find out more about Woody’s writing habits and his funny stories straight from his lips, too. The documentary never bores, being that long. I can tell from my experience that it was one of the best film viewings in my life: I had a very trying day and my nerves were shattered, but the movie made me relax and I was laughing at many moments alongside other viewers. As Woody Allen: A Documentary went on and on, I thought that it can’t be too long, it’s amazing!

        Can you spoil anything in a documentary? I don’t think that it’s such a problem as in usual narrative films, yet I don’t want to share some details, leaving them for you to find out, when you have the chance to see this movie. However, there is one thing that I think I can talk about, regarding that it was a huge revelation for me. Woody said that he never had a writer’s block. Fancy that! Shocking. I’m not joking. I do consider it a significant eye-opener. If you are a writer or a blogger and you face problems with the muse, think of Woody. Of course, you might say that no one’s like Woody Allen (and that is true), but the point is: if someone can write incessantly, you can too!

        Needless to say, Woody Allen: A Documentary boasts many as great facts as this one. I promise you, if you are an aspiring filmmaker or a movie buff, you’ll find the Director’s Cut a fun ride into the great filmmaker’s life and career. The documentary is funny, smooth, informative, and inspiring. Whoever you are, I bet you would take something from the film that will live in your heart and memory for a while.