Filling in the Blind Spots

We've all got 'em: those skeletons in the the cinephile's closet (and using the term cinephile makes me feel more than a little unsavory), those teeny little films we keep meaning to get to, but never do.

Things like GONE WITH THE WIND, which I didn't see until just a few years ago. You know, the obscure films.

I was thinking about that after reading Drew McWeeny's ruminations concerning the purpose of his blog over at Motion / Captured at HitFlix (for those not in the know, Drew was the great Moriarty over at Ain't It Cool News until he left for brighter waters). A couple of his thoughts seemed to dove-tail nicely into my own thoughts about how I want this blog to evolve. I mentioned in my first post that I had two over-arching goals:

1. Improve my overall writing with regards to film criticism.
2. Expand the breadth and scope of the films I see. I made a promise that for 2009 I would make every attempt to see as broad a range of films as possible, and try my damnedest to erase the enormous stockpile of DVDs I have lying around the house.

Embedded in the second item is catching up on those movies that seem to be required viewing for anyone who wants to claim to be a "cinephile" or even a "film buff" in like company. The problem is I've always been pretty resistant to people pushing stuff on me, especially when it comes with the tag of:

"You're not a real ________ unless you've seen ________."

(fill in your preferred term/film)

Time to "Man up" and admit it: There's a gaping hole in my film vocabulary that can't be completely explained away by things like scarcity or disinterest. I've been plugging those holes a few at a time, usually late at night so as to not cause a stir in the hen house that is my circle of friends/acquaintances I can discuss movies with. But in the interest of full disclosure I think I'll turn my education process into a monthly (to start) feature here at Celluloid Moon. Every month I'll take one movie and go into a little more detail than the general reviews that are posted, and talk about the film's impact both on the world of cinema and me personally.

Which, all things considered, is probably what every review should be like.

Looking back in January I think Jean-Luc Godard's BREATHLESS certainly fits the bill if not the overall format. I've already picked this month's choice, and I just wanted to add before you pass out at the fact that it's positively outrageous that I've never seen this, that if you have any suggestions or recommendations you'd like to see on this blog, whether it's a film to review or a discussion related however tangentially to film, let me know.

Okay. Enough procrastinating. This month's film: RAGING BULL