Rate/Rank Brian De Palma

[monolith94]

Iosos, if you like Kirk Douglas in low-budget comedies, you really ought to check out "Tough Guys".

Anyway, for Depalma:

Carrie – A
Scarface – C-
The Untouchables – B
Mission: Impossible – B+

I am looking forward to checking out some more of his films; I suspect that I could become a big fan of his.

[Yxklyx]

Sisters - 7
Phantom of the Paradise - 9
Carrie - 7
Dressed to Kill - 8
Blow Out - 8
Scarface - 7
The Untouchables - 7

[Morris Schæffer]

Very Good:
The Untouchables ****

Good:
Carlito's Way ***½
Mission Impossible ***½

OK:
Snake Eyes *½

Awful:
Mission to Mars *

[Pop Trash]

Iosos, if you like Kirk Douglas in low-budget comedies, you really ought to check out "Tough Guys".

Tough Guys is the shit. I love how they are supposed to "get with the times" but since it was made in the 80s, it now seems even more dated than our two heroes. I think this was my first intro to the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well. I seem to remember a scene where the two oldsters check out their concert.

[Melville]

I of course knew you were a BDP fan. Have you read my thoughts on Redacted in my blog?

To others: I find many of his best films very emotionally satisfying, especially Blow Out, Carrie, Casualties of War, and Mission to Mars.

Yeah, I guess I can understand Carrie (although it seems a bit too deliberately campy to be really emotionally affecting). I haven't seen the others, which again makes me think that I've been watching the wrong De Palma movies.

[Qrazy]

Yeah, I guess I can understand Carrie (although it seems a bit too deliberately campy to be really emotionally affecting). I haven't seen the others, which again makes me think that I've been watching the wrong De Palma movies.

Of what I've seen they're pretty much all deliberately campy.

[Watashi]

Mission Impossible - ***
Mission to Mars - **½
The Black Dahlia - **½
Dressed to Kill - **
The Untouchables - **
Phantom of the Paradise - **
Blow Out - *½
Casualities of War - ZERO STARS

[Russ]

Although he used to be heavily criticized for it, his full-on Hitchcock mode is my favorite De Palma guise (Dressed to Kill, The Fury, Blow Out, Body Double, Raising Cain). Still need to see Sisters and Obsession.

[balmakboor]

Although he used to be heavily criticized for it, his full-on Hitchcock mode is my favorite De Palma guise (Dressed to Kill, The Fury, Blow Out, Body Double, Raising Cain). Still need to see Sisters and Obsession.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I was wondering why you consider The Fury to be in his full-on Hitchcock mode? I.e., which Hitchcock is he reworking? I ask because I seldom see the film included along with the others with their more obvious riffs on Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window. The riff being made in The Fury isn't as obvious.

[balmakboor]

Mission Impossible - ***
Mission to Mars - **½
The Black Dahlia - **½
Dressed to Kill - **
The Untouchables - **
Phantom of the Paradise - **
Blow Out - *½
Casualities of War - ZERO STARS

You'd make me cry if it wasn't for your reasonable ratings for Mission to Mars and The Black Dahlia. They're too low, but reasonable.

[Russ]

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I was wondering why you consider The Fury to be in his full-on Hitchcock mode? I.e., which Hitchcock is he reworking? I ask because I seldom see the film included along with the others with their more obvious riffs on Psycho, Vertigo, and Rear Window. The riff being made in The Fury isn't as obvious.

Actually, I'm glad you've brought that one up as it's probably the least favorite of the ones I've mentioned. Most folks go on about the ending (which was just really silly); I view the film as almost two separate ones: the first half was really great and that's where I make the Hitchcock comparisons, in the set-pieces utilized (the beach scene, the apartment building chase), which are just fantastic. They may not be riffing on any particular film, but in and of themselves are very Hitchcockian in nature. Then, about halfway through, the film changes gears and becomes...well, less special. It was like De Palma couldn't make up his mind if he wanted to make a thriller or a straight-out horror film. I didn't mind the exposition with the kids with psychic powers, but the rote treatment of the villain, the "good vs evil" showdown (however spectacular it may have been) was just a bit of a letdown given everything that had let up to it.

[Rowland]

I've never been able to get into The Fury much either, and the second half does tend to lose my interest, though it does have its share of fantastic moments.

How about Femme Fatale?

[Russ]

I've never been able to get into The Fury much either, and the second half does tend to lose my interest, though it does have its share of fantastic moments.

How about Femme Fatale?

Femme Fatale was pretty great. Here, De Palma spices his Hitchock with a dose of Lynch and a whole heapin' helpin' of sleaze. And I agree w/iosos, Romijn wasn't really an asset and probably increased the camp factor a bit more than I would have liked. Love the camera work in this film, always a De Palma strength.

[balmakboor]

There was a time when I loved The Fury -- early on in my De Palma explorations. It has since lost some of its luster in spite of some great moments. Robin Wood discusses (in one of his books, can't remember which at the moment) a detailed analysis by a fellow critic (once again I can't remember if it was by Andrew Britton or Richard Lippe) that related The Fury to North by Northwest. It was really quite interesting. I should find it again on my bookshelf.

[Rowland]

Femme Fatale may also be his most optimistic movie, and the most potent as critical self-analysis.

[monolith94]

Tough Guys is the shit. I love how they are supposed to "get with the times" but since it was made in the 80s, it now seems even more dated than our two heroes. I think this was my first intro to the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well. I seem to remember a scene where the two oldsters check out their concert.

sweet, someone else who likes Tough Guys besides me! Yeah, the time-distance that you mentioned makes me think that it is a film which has actually gotten better now, with more distance from the eighties.

[Bosco B Thug]

Phantom of the Paradise - 8/10 (though an inadequate score to express how much I enjoy the movie)
Carrie - 7.5/10
Mission to Mars - 5/10

[balmakboor]

Phantom of the Paradise - 8/10 (though an inadequate score to express how much I enjoy the movie)
Carrie - 7.5/10
Mission to Mars - 5/10

Interesting that out of only three you've seen one is Mission to Mars. By the way, I'm still convinced that Mission to Mars is a sly remake of Carrie.

[Bosco B Thug]

Interesting that out of only three you've seen one is Mission to Mars. By the way, I'm still convinced that Mission to Mars is a sly remake of Carrie.

I've actually seen a number of his others - 'Untouchables,' 'Scarface,' 'Dressed To Kill,' 'The Fury' - but don't feel confident rating them.

Hmmm... a sly remake of Carrie??? I'm intrigued.

[trotchky]

Femme Fatale - ***1/2

[Grouchy]

Excellent:
Carrie
Blow Out
Scarface
Body Double
Mission to Mars
Femme Fatale

Good:
Sisters
Phantom of the Paradise
Dressed to Kill
The Untouchables
Casualties of War
Carlito's Way
Mission: Impossible
Snake Eyes

Bad:
The Black Dahlia
Redacted

Other than his last two movies which were a bit weak, one of my all-time favorite directors. Incredibly intelligent filmmaker who can be a badass rebel and a master entertainer.

[balmakboor]

Hmmm... a sly remake of Carrie??? I'm intrigued.

As with many things I've written long ago (this actually goes back almost five years), I feel I could make a much better case now. But here is something I scribbled out about the Carrie/M2M connection:

http://www.cinema100.com/2007/11/mission-to-mars.html

[Bosco B Thug]

As with many things I've written long ago (this actually goes back almost five years), I feel I could make a much better case now. But here is something I scribbled out about the Carrie/M2M connection:

http://www.cinema100.com/2007/11/mission-to-mars.html

Cool, an effective reading of the film. De Palma's directing has a very pure, crystalline emotionalism to it, and the "roiling water"/rapid montage scene is very very striking.

So, I don't know if this is a stupid question, but I've been sitting on it for a long time (apparently): what was I supposed to understand about the sand worm/storm thing?

[Qrazy]

As with many things I've written long ago (this actually goes back almost five years), I feel I could make a much better case now. But here is something I scribbled out about the Carrie/M2M connection:

http://www.cinema100.com/2007/11/mission-to-mars.html

You're really reaching.

[balmakboor]

You're really reaching.

Maybe. I do wish people would be a bit more specific when making comments like this. It would at least give me a chance to strengthen or re-think my argument.