Blind Spot Series 2015 – April-October Recap

There are only two months left of the year and therefore only two more entries into my Blind Spot Series for 2015. Since Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel closed for the season in March I have travelled far and wide to complete my Blind Spot Series.

I have witnessed Seven Samurai defend a local village in glorious Kurosawa black and white. The Downfall of Adolf Hitler during the closing weeks of WW2. A dystopian bureaucracy take hold in Brazil and a disillusioned race of obese humans saved by a working robot named Wall-E. Horse Feathers were ruffled by the Marx Brothers in August while the US troops awoke to Good Morning, Vietnam over the radio. Lastly, Miyazaki introduces Princess Mononoke, rounding out the animated entries.

April – Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa’s scorching samurai epic screams and shrills it’s way onto the classics list with its blistering final act. A timeless * * * * .

May – Downfall

Oliver Hierschbiegel’s biographical review of Hitler’s Downfall stuns the viewer into unwilling emotional distress. Captivated by Bruno Ganz’ chillingly authentic performance Hitler is given a human resonance in his final days but Hierschbiegel’s defining direction never strays from the monster beneath. Stunning * * * * .

June – Brazil

Terry Gilliam’s satirical exploration into the madness of bureaucracy sends Jonathan Pryce down the rabbit hole in search of the girl of his dreams whilst battling paper stacks in the bureaucrats ivory tower and air conditioning repair men. Intrigued? You have no idea! * * * *

July – Wall-E

Amidst a gloomy forlorn dystopian landscape the eponymous trash robot, Wall-E, busies himself cubing up garbage, building rubbish skyscrapers and collecting nostalgia from a time long gone. Oh and he saves the human race and falls in love, ain’t no robot like a Pixar robot. * * * *

August – Horse Feathers

Horse Feathers falls within the Marx Brothers golden era, pre-code, during prohibition, and packing plenty of laughs. “Laffs galore, swell entertainment” and as Pfieffer Pfilms and Meg Movies observes, “some of the worst officiating I’ve ever seen at a football game.” * * *

September – Good Morning, Vietnam

Giving time to correct misplaced consensus while providing a light hearted touch with Robin Williams’ effortless comic timing Levinson has ensured the Vietnam war isn’t only covered by brutal war imagery or historical documentaries. * * * *

October – Princess Mononoke

Touching storytelling, stunning visuals, beautifully coloured, and emotionally stirring Princess Mononoke is a brilliant exploration of the limits of animation and it’s ability to tell fantastical tales that take the viewer on a journey through lands unknown and into emotions untouched. * * * * *

Up next: Magnolia by Paul Thomas Anderson.

For the full Blind Spot schedule click here.

~ May the Force be with you ~