Brian De Palma [Archive] - Forums @ The Digital Fix

earl_roberts2002

01-09-2002, 13:29

Recently been getting 'into' De Palma after buying Carrie, Scarface and Carlito's Way and am getting ready to order Sisters: Criterion Collection and Dressed To Kill R1.

Do any of you have these? How are they? {good I hope!**

Also, does anybody else have any De Palma recommendations? And have any of you seen a film of his called Hi Mom! starring Robert De Niro? Its out on R2 and Play have it for £4.33!!! It's called 'Blue Manhatten' here in England though.

earl_roberts2002

01-09-2002, 13:31

Thanks for the help everyone!

BenH

01-09-2002, 13:42

You only posted this thread two minutes ago!!!

Anyway both Sisters and Dressed To Kill are excellent discs (the latter has the unrated version as well as the cut R release).

Hi Mom, is one of De Palma's early movies that he shot along with the other de Niro movie Greetings. Both are very different to later De Palma, being more heavily influenced by documentary and Jean Luc Godard. Not sure what the disc is like though.

I'm a massive De Palam fan and while can recommend most things (up to a point - Mission To Mars :oh-hum: ) would suggest you seek out the excellent Blow Out (bare bones R1 disc, but 16:9 trasfer), and the fab Special Editions of Scarface (get the r2, better picture) and Carrie. Also, if you fancy something a bit different, get the R1 of de Palma's crazy horror/satire/musical Phantom of the Paradise.

jon smith

01-09-2002, 13:43

Dressed to Kill is a good choice...

Not seen the "Hi Mom" one you mention (or Sisters come to thimk of it), but I would add..

Body Double (I thought this was great, but is very OTT)
Blow Out (excellent movie)
and the obvious choice of Untouchables

Have just realised that I never did get round to buying The Fury, so I may give that a try now.

McD

01-09-2002, 13:57

Casualties of War is one of his better efforts, even if he's licking his own arsehole in the documentary - 'This scene is almost impossible to watch as it's so moving', etc. He has a habit of doing that I believe.

Dressed To Kill is a good disc but one of the most over-rated films of all time. A shamefaced Hitchcock rip-off with loads of fancy photography hiding the fact that the script is utterly abysmal.

I'd take a chance on Hi Mom if I were you. Never seen it myself, but it's a follow-up to a film called Greetings (also with DeNiro) which is an out-and-out classic.

Narshty

01-09-2002, 14:48

Sisters is his finest thriller, in my opinion. Darkly comic, grisly, frightening and a lot of fun, the script is wonderfully unpredictable and the score by Bernard Herrmann is, quite simply, perfect.

Dressed to Kill is one of the most beautifully crafted films ever made. Sadly, however the storyline leaves a huge amount to be desired and undeniably rips off the structure of Psycho. With the depressing predictability from first to last, I simply sat by and watched it and never once became involved or genuinely excited by any of it. It's a film I admire as a technical exercise, but not one I'm particularly engrossed by.

Blow Out, on the other hand, is excellent and well worth anyone's time - even if the character motivation in the final act doesn't make the faintest bit of sense.

paulclissold

01-09-2002, 15:14

You'll enjoy Dressed To Kill. A fine musical score, very good extras and a film that is always worth re-watching. The film caused uproar when it was released........womens groups picketed cinemas,etc. Times change.

Tiffany Bradford

01-09-2002, 15:44

Originally posted by Narshty
Sisters is his finest thriller, in my opinion. Darkly comic, grisly, frightening and a lot of fun, the script is wonderfully unpredictable and the score by Bernard Herrmann is, quite simply, perfect.

Another fan and Criterion owner of Sisters! It is excellent!

chris21

01-09-2002, 16:02

The Untouchables is my personal favourite, but I'm sure you've already seen this:)

MikeS knows more about DePalma than anyone I've spoke to I'm sure he can help you out a lot.

Sorry mate, no pressure;) :)

earl_roberts2002

01-09-2002, 17:16

Definately gonna order Sisters, not too sure about Dressed To Kill now... Blow Out does 'sound' better.
Has anybody read the book Laurent Bouzereau wrote called 'The De Palma Cut' or something similar? Also there is an issue of Projections where Quentin Tarantino interviews De Palma {his favourite director**

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0571178111/qid=1030897006/sr=1-12/ref=sr_1_3_12/026-0591436-5695622

both of which I bet are fascinating!

I think I'm gonna take a chance and order Hi Mom! It is only £4.33 after all, anybody else?

Just Call Me Wanda

01-09-2002, 17:24

I wouldn't be put off Dressed To Kill, it is a fantastic movie and certainly worth purchasing. The R1 is the best version.

Mike

01-09-2002, 21:26

<b>Please</b> don't be put off "Dressed To Kill". One of the finest films ever made, a beautifully crafted, wittily scripted thriller which takes off from Hitchcock into something very much of De Palma's own. The style - erotic, sinuous, sensual - is very un-Hitchcockian and the resemblances to "Psycho" are actually relatively slight - mostly down to the timing of one murder, a playful shower sequence with a very different result and the explanation of the killer's psychology which is then given a twist by having it explained in a public restaurant for the best old lady joke this side of "When Harry met Sally". The supposed show-off camerawork is almost always used to offer insight into character, notably in the stunning art gallery sequence which is at least as good as anything in Hitchcock and possibly better. Even when De Palma's just showing off, he's better at it than any other director currently working.

See my <a href="http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/index.cgi?page=Review&id=280&story=2184">review</a> for a fuller discussion of this much maligned (unfairly) film.

Richie

01-09-2002, 23:25

I can recommend just about every De Palma movie.
I took a chance and bought the R2 "Blue Manhatten" ("Hi Mom"). It's okay for the price and interesting anyway if you like De Palma or De Niro, just don't expect anything flashy!

"Raising Cain" is also an interesting, wonderfully entertaining, much ignored film in the De Palma canon.

Anyone know when "Femme Fatale" will reach us either in the cinema or on dvd?

f_drew

02-09-2002, 17:11

Originally posted by Richie
Anyone know when "Femme Fatale" will reach us either in the cinema or on dvd?
Good question. I saw this in Paris back in May (I think), but not heard any DVD announcement yet. Well worth seeing if you like De Palma's wprk, a lot of it seems to be a "best of" with regards to camera effects and storyline, but they are very well done and I enjoyed it immensely ! :D

Mike

02-09-2002, 21:02

In the New Year was the last I heard regarding an opening date for "Femme Fatale". I think it might be playing at the LFF in November but I don't know for sure.

stigdu

02-09-2002, 22:23

Originally posted by Tiffany Bradford

Another fan and Criterion owner of Sisters! It is excellent!

What she said! :D

earl_roberts2002

06-09-2002, 15:02

Okay, just to finish this thread off...

I've finally been through my Carrie, Scarface and Carlito's Way DVD's {all excellent, enjoyed Carrie the most!** and have just ordered Sisters, Dressed To Kill, Blue Manhattan and, thanks to you lot, Blow Out. Next on the list after these four are Body Double, The Untouchables and Mission: Impossible.

Thanks a lot everyone for the help!!!

Dunbar

25-10-2005, 14:06

And I'll start it up again!

Interested in most of de Palmas early films. I have recently seen Blow Out, which I liked, and now I want to see Carrie, The Fury (intend to rent those two), Obsession, Sisters and Dressed to Kill.

I found out that Sisters is now available in the UK (released in october). Can anyone comment on it and how it stands compared to the Criterion edition?

anephric

25-10-2005, 14:10

Oooh, I didn't know that was out in R2! Is it barebones?

Reno

25-10-2005, 14:27

I only have the Criterion and can't comment on the R2 of Sisters, but I would highly recommend the R1 for Dressed to Kill over the R2, as it includes an unrated version not available on the UK release and some good extras.

I'm a huge De Palma fan, at least up to and including Blow Out. After that his work became more variable and less distinctive. Of the more mainstream films he directed since then I really like Casualties of War and Carlito's Way. More typical De Palma thrillers like Body Double and Raising Caine are not quite as good as the work of the 70's and early 80's but still worth watching as they contain some brilliant individual set pieces. Femme Fatale was De Palma at his most elegant and outrageous, a real return to form. Shocking that it didn't even get e release over here.

earl_roberts2002

25-10-2005, 23:19

Whoa, I started this thread a pretty long time ago!! It's funny cause I'm like a mini De Palma buff now :) (or so I'd like to think!)

Dunbar: For what it's worth, may I recommend the following:

Hi Mom!
Phantom Of The Paradise
Carrie
Blow Out
Scarface
Carlito's Way
Femme Fatale

as definate purchases. Though (nearly) all of his work has it's good points and should certainly be rented, I found the above to be the most rewarding and just flat-out most entertaining of his films.
I always find it a shame that IMO De Palma never had that really great script which fully realised his potential. Carrie came pretty damn close for my money but short of that his best work was often seen in various individual scenes throughout a slew of films but he never had a Vertigo for example, which seemed to wrap up all of his... self I suppose in a singular work.

For news on De Palma nowadays, head here: http://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/

Also, may I recommed http://www.briandepalma.net/ for some interesting writing on interviews relating to his past work.

drush9999

26-10-2005, 00:26

I love De Palma movies, so engaging on many different levels. Also for thrillers that have twists and turns (even if predictable) they are so rewatchable :thumbs:

When I saw Body Double for the first time last year, I watched it maybe ten times in the space of a few weeks.

My personal recommendations are his excellent 80s run:
Dressed to Kill
Blow Out
Scarface
Body Double

and my all-time favourite (easily in my top ten films): Obsession :notworthy

PS: It makes my blood boil when i hear of him ripping off Hitchcock, if you watch carefully he often takes a Hitchcockian theme, turns it on it's head and messes with you

anephric

26-10-2005, 07:35

Mike

26-10-2005, 09:33

The Odessa Steps sequence in "Potiemkin" was heavily "inspired" by the Babylonian sequences in "Intolerance" in the first place, so do we call Eisenstein a plagiarist? All great filmmakers borrow from each other to a greater or lesser extent. Criticising De Palma for doing the same thing is just lazy shorthand by mediocre critics.

Mike

26-10-2005, 09:38

He also deliberately uses Hitchcockian images in order to put a spin on them, particularly in his shower scenes.

Reno

26-10-2005, 09:50

De Palma's usual defence is that Hitchcockian film "grammar" is so deeply ingrained in filmmakers' sub- and consciousnesses that avoiding using his devices is nigh-on impossible in certain genres.

That said, he likes "borrowing" from Argento too. And what about that "lift" from Battleship Potemkin - what's that all about if not "borrowing"?

I always think of his Hitchcock influenced films as variations on a theme. They are too skillfull and delibrate to be mere knock offs and in many ways De Palma's style is the polar opposite to Hitchcocks. Dressed to Kill, the film most closely patterend after a Hitchcock classic, only really makes sense if you're familiar with Psycho.

As to "borrowing" from Argento, that one clearly swings both ways.

anephric

26-10-2005, 10:08

Dressed to Kill, the film most closely patterend after a Hitchcock classic, only really makes sense if you're familiar with Psycho.

I've always thought Obsession was the closest, to be honest.

All great filmmakers borrow from each other to a greater or lesser extent. Criticising De Palma for doing the same thing is just lazy shorthand by mediocre critics.

True - I've just looked at some posts I made about De Palma in the past and I said some terribly stupid and lazy things about him. That said (and it's not representative of him at anything like his best, I know) something like Mission to Mars features as much "lazy shorthand" in its crude Kubrickian rips as any number of critics sniping at De Palma.

Mike

26-10-2005, 10:10

No arguments from me about Mission To Mars. De Palma only did it when Gore Verbinski left the project and it's as uninspired and idiotic as anything he's ever done.

anephric

26-10-2005, 10:21

I'm hugely hypocritical on this topic anyway, seeing as how I quite like Demme's The Last Embrace (which has been summarised as being "Jonathan Demme doing Brian De Palma doing Alfred Hitchcock") and as an exercise in Hitchcockian curlicues it's far less successful (in nearly every sense) than De Palma playing with those forms, yet I still enjoy its hodgepodge homage.

Reno

26-10-2005, 10:22

I've always thought Obsession was the closest, to be honest.

This is probably because so many lazy critics have referred to Obsession as a straight remake.

Dressed to Kills structure is almost identical to that of Psycho and nearly every element in Hitchcock's film has an equivalent in De Palma's, down to the clunky explanation for the killers gender issues at the end.

Obsession follows Vertigo much more loosely. It's structure is quite different and would have been even more so if Schrader had gotten his way and then the whole story would have been playing itself out for a third time. Unlike with Kim Novak's Madeleine Elster, Obsession spends very little time with Genevieve Bujold's first incarnation and the main plot twist is very different. In many ways Body Double resembles Vertigo more closely than Obsession does.

Mike

26-10-2005, 10:33

You have to give credit to "Body Double" for its sheer nerve in conflating "Vertigo" and "Rear Window" and nearly getting away with it (I think it falls apart in its third act)

Reno

26-10-2005, 10:47

You have to give credit to "Body Double" for its sheer nerve in conflating "Vertigo" and "Rear Window" and nearly getting away with it (I think it falls apart in its third act)

Despite a few great setpieces this is my least favourite of his thrillers. It felt like De Palma was starting to reference himself referencing Hitchcock. Craig Wasson's performance makes Cliff Robertson in Obsession look like Al Pacino, I never understood what that Frankie Goes to Hollywood promo was doing in there and as you said, the last third is seriously lacking. The scene on the beach is gorgeous though and the film is also a reminder that before she became a botox zombie, Melanie Griffith was a talented comedienne.

anephric

26-10-2005, 10:51

Obsession has always felt like a coolly cineastic exercise in homage (cool as in not a particularly exciting one, lacking a lot of De Palma's verve) though nothing like as slavish as something like Van Sant's specious re-creation of Psycho.

I don't dislike it (I enjoy Schrader's script) but the twist feels like the one dedicated attempt to throw a stick in the wheel of audience expectation, considering its observance of its sources elsewhere. It "plays" with the structure but it feels like an academic toying.

anephric

26-10-2005, 10:55

Reno

26-10-2005, 11:09

Body Double is one of my least favourite De Palma flicks, to be honest. Craig Wasson is a cheap tv-calibre thesp and the double whammy of him and Melanie Griffith is fairly diabolical (I can't stand her). The main point of interest (to me anyway) was De Palma's intention of filming the sex scenes hardcore. The Rear Window sequence is fairly risible too, imo - it evokes tittering in myself.

De Palma was going to cast porn star Annette Haven, but then the Studio got cold feet and decided that the part demanded a more mainstream actress. I see you're not convinced by the replacement. ;)

I read Double De Palma by Susan Dworkin a long time ago, which I remember to be an interesting account of the shoot of Body Double and De Palma's methods. In some ways it prefigured the Julie Salamon's excellent The Devil's Candy.

anephric

26-10-2005, 11:20

He was intending to "do the nasty" with said actress (well, not personally, I assume) though, wasn't he?

Reno

26-10-2005, 11:27

He was intending to "do the nasty" with said actress (well, not personally, I assume) though, wasn't he?

Yes, he was. I think this was him being the provocateur, proving that he wouldn't give in to demands for censorship made by feminists in response to Dressed to Kill. Even the premise was inspired by the use of a body double for Angie Dickinson in that film.

anephric

26-10-2005, 11:41

I was quite interested, reading David Taylor's Making of Scarface (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump.php?url=http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click^QS^p=18710^QA^a=60823^QA^g=280345^QA^url=http%3A//www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do%3Fctx%3D280;-1;-1;-1%26sku%3D421202), at how much of that film's elements were set in place by Sidney Lumet (Miami, Castro's criminal expulsions etc) rather than (as I assumed) Stone and De Palma. I'd've been quite interested in how Lumet's version turned out, seeing as how he inherited (to the chagrin of people like Quentin Tarantino) De Palma's project Prince of the City (which I've always liked).

Reno

26-10-2005, 11:45

On a side note, funny how activists always get it so wrong when it comes to art. It's difficult to see now what the fuss was all about when watching Dressed to Kill. Angie Dickinson gives such a nuanced, sympathetic performance that the claim that De Palma wanted the audience to side with the killer is truly preposterous and Nancy Allen may be playing a prostitute, but she's also a smart and capable heroine, no more offensive than Shirley McLane in Irma La Douce. If anybody should get offended, then it's probably transexuals rtaher than feminists.

A film I recently saw again which I thought was considerably more offensive with its take on sexual politics was Looking for Mr. Goodbar. While considered controversial that film was widely praised and Oscar nominated just a couple of years before.

anephric

26-10-2005, 11:50

Reno

26-10-2005, 11:57

The moment when Nancy Allen buys it in Blow Out is a personal highpoint for me - my hackles rise whenever she opens her mouth (insert innuendo here). The scene in Dressed to Kill when she mouths the (admittedly fairly ludicrous) dirty dialogue at Caine makes me writhe in embarrassment.

Are you sure you're heart isn't a lump of burnt coal, anephric. ;)

I remember seeing Blow Out at its release and I was genuinely shocked and upset by the ending. It's been among my all time favourite films ever since.

I'm not going to make any claims for her being a great actress, but I'm rather fond of Nancy Allen and the kewpie sex pots she played in De Palma's films. Unlike many of today's go-getting, famished and personality free starlets, her dopey sexuality strikes me as endearingly human. I even liked her incongruous casting in Robocop and my heart missed a beat when she turned up many years later in a cameo in Soderberg's Out of Sight.

In any case, I don't think it was her acting ability that got feminists up in arms at the time.

anephric

26-10-2005, 13:22

Don't get me wrong, I love the ending of Blow Out; it's just always mystified me what Travolta's character is supposed to see in her.

My insides are indeed a rocky place where the seed of sympathy can find no purchase.

earl_roberts2002

26-10-2005, 15:46

Reno

26-10-2005, 16:23

Edited the title as this thread is no longer about the mundane Sisters or the baffling Dressed To Kill anymore. BTW, has anybody ever read David Thomson's writing on De Palma? Funny stuff... if anybody wants it/if I can really be bothered, then I'll type it up from the book later

I'm no fan of Mr. Thompsons dribblings. As always he resorts to cheap shots and facile analogies. De Palma = Leni Riefenstahl, blah, blah, blah....

The man is a buffoon.

Mike

26-10-2005, 19:52

If it were only De Palma that Thomson slags, then that's one thing. But when he's got it in for Billy Wilder, John Ford and John Huston as well, then that's another.

Julian K

27-10-2005, 07:07

Femme Fatale was De Palma at his most elegant and outrageous, a real return to form. Shocking that it didn't even get e release over here.

Au contraire, it did get a release here, in August 2003, but was deleted shortly afterwards.

Reno

27-10-2005, 08:40

Au contraire, it did get a release here, in August 2003, but was deleted shortly afterwards.

Sorry, I meant it's a shame that it never got a theatrical release.

Julian K

27-10-2005, 10:54

Sorry, I meant it's a shame that it never got a theatrical release.

Even more of a shame that the DVD is out of print. Very odd, too.

neeek

27-10-2005, 13:09

Even more of a shame that the DVD is out of print. Very odd, too.
It was a Virgin Megastores exclusive for a bit, I seem to remember. I was waiting for it to appear in one of their sales but it seemed to vanish.

There is a R4 PAL version still available which is very cheap - less than a fiver delivered.

Starman9

28-10-2005, 13:33

It was a Virgin Megastores exclusive for a bit, I seem to remember. I was waiting for it to appear in one of their sales but it seemed to vanish.

There is a R4 PAL version still available which is very cheap - less than a fiver delivered.

The Region 1 is the one to get though. I wonder why this film was "buried" by Warner? It's DePalma, it has Banderas in the lead role, and it is a sexy thriller. Why wouldn't it do well?

I too am getting into DePalma...

I've always LOVED "Scarface", "The Untouchables", "Carlito's Way", "Femme Fatale" and "Blow Out"...

recently added "Dressed To Kill", "Carrie", "Casualties of War" and "Mission Impossible" to my collection too. Enjoyed them all to differing degrees. The first two are stylish but dated IMHO.

What others do people recommend?....

neeek

01-11-2005, 15:11

The Region 1 is the one to get though.
If you want to pay a pound more (or are an NTSC lover). The R1 and R4 specs are identical.

Dunbar

29-12-2005, 10:00

Still no info on Sisters (R2), is it anamorphic etc? It's £5.99 at Play right now.

Affiliate Link (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://playcom.at/thedvdforums?DURL=http%3A//www.play.com/play247.asp%3Fpage%3Dtitle%26r%3DR2%26title%3D677332%26p%3D57%26g%3D72%26pa%3Dsr)

Mike

29-12-2005, 13:12

recently added "Dressed To Kill", "Carrie", "Casualties of War" and "Mission Impossible" to my collection too. Enjoyed them all to differing degrees. The first two are stylish but dated IMHO.

What others do people recommend?....

Missed this at the time...

Glad you're getting into De Palma. I'd highly recommend "The Fury" - could be called style over substance but when style is this good it is the substance. It's also got probably the greatest death scene ever granted to a bad guy and a fantastic score by John Williams.

Also check out "Obsession" - highly flawed and highly derivative but still worth seeing and the deranged and hugely entertaining "Raising Cain".

Quinnsey

29-12-2005, 15:26

Still no info on Sisters (R2), is it anamorphic etc? It's £5.99 at Play right now.

http://www.play.com/play247.asp?page=title&r=R2&title=677332&p=57&g=72&pa=sr

Couldn’t resist at that price, I’ll post details when I receive it. Thanks for posting it!

Cheapest Criterion appears to be £12.45 at DVD Import, but only has a few textual extras.

earl_roberts2002

29-12-2005, 16:04

The criterion on-disc extras aren't too worthwhile, the best thing in the package is the essay De Palma wrote about working with Herrman, specifically about his reactions when he used his scores from Vertigo and Marnie as temp music for Sisters. Good stuff! Can probably be read on the Criterion site for nowt.

Also, gotta agree with Mike when he says about The Fury's score, it's magnificent! Watching E.T is never the same since I heard it as I now always think of Cassavetes being evil when I hear Williams' score for the Spielberg film. Obsession also has a great score but that pretty much goes without saying, the music is probably the best thing about the two films imo. That or Amy Irving's amazingly misjudged performance in The Fury. Boy was she lovely when she was young!!

Dunbar

04-01-2006, 13:27

No "Sisters" yet Quinnsey?

Narshty

04-01-2006, 13:39

Pathe's Sisters seems to be a PAL-NTSC conversion based on the running time given at the BBFC. Not a good sign, especially if it's from the already rather grainy and faded Criterion transfer.

anephric

04-01-2006, 14:45

When did Reno get banned? Eeek.

Starman9

04-01-2006, 14:50

I have the Region 2 "Sisters" from Pathe. It's not too bad. It's very watchable on my 55" inch DLP rear projection TV. Anything larger may show up some more grain/softness. Didn't notice many (if any) NTSC to PAL artifacts (are you sure it was transfered from an NTSC source?). And yes, it is anamorphic, mono sound and may have just a trailer. Personally I thought the film started well but the ending was poor in my opinion. Also very dated. Not one of DePalma's best if you ask me.

Mike

04-01-2006, 16:26

Doesn't even have a trailer. I didn't think the transfer was particularly wonderful but it's watchable.

Not my favourite De Palma by a long shot but still very good fun.

Quinnsey

09-01-2006, 22:46

Finally got my copy of Sisters today.

It’s the original mono thankfully and not the stereo stated on the back of the box. Strangely, the credits are presented in 1.72:1 frameboxed before filling out to 16:9. The picture has a reasonable amount of grain and the heavy compression (3.62GB) has some trouble with it. No subs.

I did a quick comparison with the DVD Beavers Criterion screens and the Criterion is quite a bit better in my opinion. There’s far more fine detail and the R2 is cropped noticeably (although not intrusively) on both the sides and the bottom.

For some reason the capture I took on Power DVD ended up with horrible jaggies when pasted into MS paint, maybe this has something to do with a format conversion? There weren’t any such artefacts during playback though.

The R2 is acceptable, but fans are better off with the Criterion.

f_drew

10-01-2006, 11:15

Are there any release dates for The Black Dahlia yet ?

I've seen the french poster for it and there was a pic of Scarlet Johanssen which mentioned that it was taken during filming (last March !) in one of the tabloids last week.

However, IMDB only lists "USA 2006" in the release dates section. :(

jackal

10-01-2006, 11:33

Doesn't seem to have a concrete date yet. This (http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=vlife&content=jump&jump=features&articleid=VR1117935299&cs=1&query=the+and+black+and+dahlia&display=the+black+dahlia) recent piece at Variety.com opens: as Brian De Palma's "The Black Dahlia" heads for theaters this spring ... while De Palma a la Mod (http://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/) quotes a Premiere magazine reference to a "fall 2006" release.
I'm looking forward to it, too. Really hope it does well - 'twould be nice to see De Palma back with a hit.

earl_roberts2002

10-01-2006, 14:40

I've almost forgotten about it. It was finished ages ago, seeing as Femme Fatale didn't get a release, the fact that this film will eventually get shown in cinemas is the only reason I am thankful for Josh Hartnetts entire existence.

Mike

10-01-2006, 15:16

I think the buzz around Ms. Johansen won't harm the film's chances either. In fact, apart from Hartnett, it's got a fantastic cast.

tpr007

10-01-2006, 15:22

another :thumbs: for Dressed to Kill

Starman9

10-01-2006, 15:25

I think the buzz around Ms. Johansen won't harm the film's chances either. In fact, apart from Hartnett, it's got a fantastic cast.

Strangely, in the U.S. Scarlet Johannson is yet to really "take-off". "THE ISLAND" for instance, was a BIG bomb in the U.S. and most of her other films haven't done much either. Her perf in "Match Point" might help but I think having Hartnett and ******** alongside should (should) help.

Narshty

31-01-2006, 19:24

I recently finally bought the Carrie R1 SE after many years of it being available and I was just floored by the whole thing. My memories of it were very mediocre indeed, but it's quite magnificent from start to finish. Aside from all the usual accolades the film gets (the performances, the score, De Palma's masterful visual techniques), in many ways the pacing is what impressed me most. It's amazingly assured, not so much slow as deliberately drinking in every little detail.

More and more I'm beginning to think the way a director handles pace is the telltale mark of a great artist; essentially the confidence a filmmaker has in not needing to hurl plot points at the audience in quick succession to keep them engaged, but being able to indulge in character and atmosphere detail and other "peripheral" pleasures.

anephric

21-06-2006, 18:54

Anyone bought the new(ish) French R2 (http://www.alapage.com/mx/?id=120921150915873&donnee_appel=ALAPAGE&tp=F&type=4&VID_NUMERO=891506&support=DVD&devise=&fulltext=&sv=X_L) of Phantom of the Paradise? I'm extremely intrigued by the 50-min doc Paradise Regained on the second disc... I'm not sure whether it's worth the £18 or so it'll cost me to import, though, as I've read the transfer of the feature isn't much of an improvement on the old R2.

EvaUnit02

24-08-2006, 13:47

I've very much become a fan of De Palma in recent months. Thus far I've seen Scarface, Carrie, The Untouchables, Carlito's Way, Obsession, Blow Out, Femme Fatale and have enjoyed each one.

1. Anyway I blind-ordered Phantom of the Paradise, how's that?
2. Are Greetings and <strong>Hi Mom</strong> any good?
3. Is Body Double worth seeing/getting despite Mike saying it really sucks?
4. Is Wise Guys a big dud (it certainly looks like one)?

earl_roberts2002

24-08-2006, 13:55

I'll keep it simple :)

1. Fantastic!
2. Greetings: No, Hi Mom!: Yes
3. Worth seeing, definately not worth getting. A horrible film imo
4. Pffft. Certainly

EvaUnit02

24-08-2006, 14:07

Cheers Earl.

Anyway a couple more questions:-
5. How is Snake Eyes? I did see several years ago and do vaguely remember thinking that it was pretty average.
6. Which is the better cut of Casualties of War? I ordered the Extended cut seeing as De Palma supervised it.

Henry

24-08-2006, 14:10

Raising Cain is worth seeing too. Reviewed by Mike here:

http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=3994

Mike

24-08-2006, 14:49

1. It's excellent
2. Both very experimental and both often extremely funny
3. It's atrocious but it's also quite fun - if that didn't come over my comments then I was mistaken
4. Not much good at all
5. Snake Eyes is very well made but tails off badly in the second half due to last minute changes.
6. The extended cut features a lengthier courtroom scene to commend it and that's about it.

Mike

24-08-2006, 14:50

I've reviewed a lot of De Palma for DVD Times and would link but I'm at work at the moment so it's tricky.

EvaUnit02

24-08-2006, 16:03

Thanks for the responses, Mike.

I've reviewed a lot of De Palma for DVD Times and would link but I'm at work at the moment so it's tricky.That's okay dude. DVDtimes search function is pretty damn good.

It's atrocious but it's also quite fun - if that didn't come over my comments then I was mistakenI don't know, I just skim-read the review and got the impression that it was a complete mess.

anephric

24-08-2006, 16:10

It is, but it's hysterically trashy fun in places (the power drill etc). Plus Craig Wasson in any dramatic role is hilarious in and of itself.

EvaUnit02

24-08-2006, 16:57

7: Is the the R2UK of Greetings open-matte?
8: The Wedding Party any good?

Jeffrey K

24-08-2006, 18:36

Plus Craig Wasson in any dramatic role is hilarious in and of itself.
He acquitted himself quite well in Go Tell the Spartans.

The Wedding Party any good?
As I remember, this started as a grad school film project. De Palma co-directed it with his faculty mentor, and it was later padded into a feature. It's really for De Palma completists only, although it features Jill Clayburgh and Robert De Niro in the cast.

anephric

24-08-2006, 18:43

He's a TV-calibre actor all the way. Plus I've had to endure the sight of his John Thomas in Ghost Story. That film should've had warnings.

Mike

24-08-2006, 21:16

Wonderful article about De Palma at Slant Magazine here (http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/features/briandepalma.asp).

EvaUnit02

24-08-2006, 21:32

*bump*7: Is the the R2UK of Greetings open-matte?

Greig

25-08-2006, 22:08

EvaUnit02

29-08-2006, 13:52

Dene

29-08-2006, 15:05

De Palma was due to appear at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Tuesday of this week. I was gutted not to get through to see it. Did no one from on here attend his interview? He can be a pretty grumpy interview subject, but if someone got him to open up he'd have some great tales to tell.Yes, I went to this and thoroughly enjoyed it. He wasn't grumpy at all and it was a terrific overview of his career.

He thinks that very few directors nowadays study their craft properly -- that the work of Hitchcock contains all the correct grammar but unfortunately few are utilising it any more.

BTW according to the interviewer he had been at the EIFF the whole time going to three or four movies a day! Apparently he does this all the time at various film festivals, he thinks it's essential for a director.

Mike

29-08-2006, 20:37

Hey Mike, with Black Dahlia coming up is there any chance that you'd go back and review more catalogue De Palma films like Femme Fatale, Snake Eyes, Bonfire of the Vanities, Wise Guys, etc?

I've been going through your reviews and have been thoroughly enjoying them, top stuff mate. :thumbs:

That's very kind of you, thankyou.

I'll be reviewing The Black Dahlia as a cinema release, I've done Femme Fatale and I do intend to do the others at some point when I get chance :)

Greig

05-09-2006, 22:38

Yes, I went to this and thoroughly enjoyed it. He wasn't grumpy at all and it was a terrific overview of his career.

BTW according to the interviewer he had been at the EIFF the whole time going to three or four movies a day! Apparently he does this all the time at various film festivals, he thinks it's essential for a director.

Just saw this reply - sounds like an excellent event. Very impressed that he didn't just fly in and out again.

Feel even worse about missing it now. I wonder how many people tried to force a script into his hands during his visit!

EvaUnit02

07-09-2006, 13:42

First review of the R1 Body Double SE out next month.
http://dvdmg.com/bodydouble.shtml

50-ish minute doco - hmmm, I smell Bouzereau.

Could you please get this to review Mike? Cheers.

jackal

07-09-2006, 14:15

First review of the R1 Body Double SE out next month.
http://dvdmg.com/bodydouble.shtml

50-ish minute doco - hmmm, I smell Bouzereau.

I'll be tempted to double dip if the verdict on PQ etc. is generally positive. Ridiculous though it is, I'm very fond of the film.

Summerisle

07-09-2006, 14:18

BTW according to the interviewer he had been at the EIFF the whole time going to three or four movies a day! Apparently he does this all the time at various film festivals, he thinks it's essential for a director.

I was wandering down Lothian Road that week, 15th Aug., and he was wandering up, kinda nice to see him in the flesh but didn't stare or stop and ask him anything.

EvaUnit02

08-09-2006, 09:47

Hmmm, Image Entertainment is bringing out an R1 of Murder a la Mod (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000G8NXQ4/thedvdforums-20) next week.

Is Murder a la Mod any good?

BTW we did a screen cap comparison of the Casualties of War R2UK TC DVD vs. R2UK Extended Cut DVD (http://bulletsnbabesdvd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2365&sid=6cd367fbb0c34e33b6eef22d7c3c094c) over at BnB.

earl_roberts2002

08-09-2006, 16:25

There's a review here (http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/M-P/murder_a_la_mod.html) which certainly makes the film out to be watchable at the very least. The whole set sounds like something I'd really be rather interested in checking out!

EvaUnit02

09-09-2006, 01:31

Thanks for the link, Earl. Will strongly consider picking that set up.

EvaUnit02

17-09-2006, 15:08

The Body Double SE DVD (and surprisingly the film as well) have received a glowing review over at DVDtalk (http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=23720).

Jerry Goldwater

17-09-2006, 15:47

I was a child in Los Angeles when the murder of Elizabeth Short took place . Like many others who have learned about unsolved crimes I was haunted by the story . Over the years I met [ seperately and by co-incidence ] three sons of a doctor who was a prime suspect . One of those sons was part of a small group with which I drove to San Francisco , He spoke very candidly about his dad's possible involvement with the victim ....Another of his brothers , a retired police officer , recently published a book about the case . I met the cop when he came to a radio station at which I worked to visit a third brother who was in our news department . All this to establish my own interest and "involvement" . Two days ago I saw the De Palma film and although I found it very watchable I look forward to a possible extended DVD version which might clarify the inter-related threads of the story particularly the deleriously presented solution to the crime . It was printed in one major review of the film that about one hour of material from the directors cut was removed from the released version .

haineshisway

17-09-2006, 18:34

First review of the R1 Body Double SE out next month.
http://dvdmg.com/bodydouble.shtml

50-ish minute doco - hmmm, I smell Bouzereau.

Could you please get this to review Mike? Cheers.

I've had it for about three weeks now - didn't print anything about it since most only listen to one or two people around these parts.

The film remains what it's always been - not very good, but well-made and Melanie Griffith makes it worthwhile.

You are right to smell Bouzereau - and I do mean smell. Certainly there's some interesting info from De Palma and Griffith and Henry and Shelton (no Wasson). But, a third of the running time, as you might have imagined, is taken up with clips, and everything is wall-to-wall underscore.

The transfer is nice and replicates the way it looked in theaters - i.e. a little grainy and, of course, with diffusion - always diffusion in those days. The early 70s through the mid-80s was the worst time for opticals, too - at their grainiest.

jackal

17-09-2006, 20:20

Can't speak for anyone else, but I'm always interested in anyone's opinion of a new release, yours included HHW. Gone and ordered this now - daft film but I love it.

EvaUnit02

17-09-2006, 23:18

Thanks for the comments, HHW.
Can't speak for anyone else, but I'm always interested in anyone's opinion of a new release, yours included HHW. Gone and ordered this now - daft film but I love it.
I agree, don't let all that past Searchers drama stop you from posting your opinions.

EvaUnit02

22-09-2006, 14:50

An article examining locations visited in De Palma films.
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/52848

jackal

05-10-2006, 13:20

Got the R1 Body Double SE the other day, and just wanted to say if anyone's considering upgrading for PQ alone, it's not really worth it IMO - there isn't a massive difference between this and the old R2 release. Worth a double dip if you want the new documentaries with De Palma, Griffiths et al, though. To give you a rough idea:

R2
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3603/pdvd004lc6.png
R1 SE
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/8886/pdvd002ao0.png
R2
http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/5764/pdvd005so2.png
R1 SE
http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/9855/pdvd004tf0.png
R2
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9738/pdvd007nx6.png
R1 SE
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/7990/pdvd008bv2.png

bes

05-10-2006, 15:40

It's curious that in the wake of The Black Dahlia several critics seem to be reappraising Body Double as some kind of 'lost classic', which it clearly isn't.
I watched TBD last night and IMO De palma was on top form throughout compared to the occasional 'bursts' in the entertaining but light-weight Body Double.

Quincunx

09-04-2007, 22:53

Has anyone bought the R1 release of Murder a la Mod (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000G8NXQ4/thedvdforums-20) and, if so, is it worth getting? I'm a long term De Palma fan (but not one who's blind to his faults) so I'd be very interested in hearing any opinions of this new release.

Edit: There's a review of the dvd in the March 2007 edition of Sight and Sound that seems very positive (I did a quick spoiler-avoiding skim through and it certainly seemed positive...).

Mike

10-04-2007, 18:52

The R1 of "Murder A La Mod" is certainly worth getting, especially for De Palma admirers who want to see the early evidence of his signature style. And it's got William Finlay in it.

The DVD looks adequate, considering the source material, and comes with an extra film which is, frankly, *****. If you can get it at a decent price then you shouldn't be disappointed.

Quincunx

10-04-2007, 21:00

Thanks Mike, I'll hunt around for a decent price.

Edit: By the way, has anyone noticed which De Palma film's getting a piece of its soundtrack used in QT's half of Grindhouse?

Todd Tomorrow

13-04-2007, 11:31

Thanks Mike, I'll hunt around for a decent price.

Edit: By the way, has anyone noticed which De Palma film's getting a piece of its soundtrack used in QT's half of Grindhouse?

From what I've heard it's Body Double.