Passion (2012)

Carrie (1976)

 

The Fury (1978)

 

A former CIA agent uses the talents of a young psychic to help retrieve his telekinetic son from terrorists, who want to use his mental powers for evil.

From memory: Although the supernatural story doesn't quite convince or make much sense, for that matter, this thriller is fast-paced and exciting and offers some quite spectacular set pieces.

Halliwell*: "Flashy, kaleidoscopic nonsense which never even begins to make sense but is used as the basis for the director's showing-off, which is occasionally worth a glance for those with hardened stomachs."

Maltin***: "Stylish trash...Bloody and violent - the ultimate litmus test for those who prefer form over content." 

 

Hi, Mom! (1970)

 

A Vietnam vet moves into an apartment and views in other people's windows across the street, meets one of the women, and discovers black theater. 

Another early De Palma satire this time around has a more focused narrative with Robert De Niro as its main protagonist, better, if not always good humor and some imaginative sequences.

Halliwell*: "Busy comedy of the drop-out life, full of random satirical jabs and homages to other filmmakers."

 

 

The Wedding Party (1969)

 

Buddies try to talk a bridegroom out of it, after meeting the bride's stuffy parents.

Chatty, wildly meandering satire has its moments, but only occasionally shows much wit, and generally outstays its welcome.

Maltin*1/2: "Talky, corny, boring comic oddity...Self-consciously directed..." 

Greetings (1968)

 

3 friends in NYC discuss how to dodge the draft and Vietnam, JFK assassination, voyeurism, computer dating etc. 

Made with a good sense for cinematic images and sequences and with some wit (albeit not always in good taste), nicely photographed on location, this student film has a rather sprawling narrative and is mostly a hit-and-run affair.

Halliwell*: "Kaleidoscopic stringing together of fleeting satirical bits; talent undeniable but equally uncontrolled."

Maltin***: "Loose, informal, improvisational satire...Exudes a late '60s N.Y.C.-Greenwich Village ambience not to be found in any Hollywood feature." 

Scarface (1983)

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

Deliberately sleazy, but engrossing gangster saga (clearly an Oliver Stone script!) with no redeeming character in sight with screechingly over-the-top performances by Pacino and Pfeiffer, a gawdawful 80s soundtrack (which was already dated at the time of its release) and lots of explicit violence.

Halliwell (no star): "Absurdly brutalized remake, with detailed violence and a superabundance of foul language; the film seems to want to make a political statement."

Maltin*1/2: "...but this film wallows in excess and unpleasantness for nearly three hours, and offers no insights except that crime doesn't pay. At least the 1932 movie moved. Even so, this has become a pop-culture phenomenon, with Pacino's Montana an underdog hero!"

Home Movies (1979)

A cult guru urges a shy disciple to make life a movie and be its star.

Ostensibly made by director De Palma as an exercise with his film students this is a haphazard satire with some neat cinematic ideas and a lot of hit-and-miss humor.

Maltin*1/2: "Flaky farce reminiscent of De Palma's early work...Original in concept but tiresome in execution, although nobody eats a hamburger like Allen."

Casualties of War (1989)

During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.

A horrific crime is given an upright, but a bit homespun treatment as a Hollywood melodrama; nevertheless, there are memorable moments and some excellent performances.

Halliwell*: "Simple minded, melodramatic account of a true incident."

Maltin**: "As the Voice of Reason, Fox is well cast, but his clean-cut decency gets to be a bit much; Penn and Thu Le...are more effective. For all its good intentions, film has a jumbled, detached feel to it..."

New acquisition: De Palma & De Niro

The Untouchables (1987)

Federal Agent Eliot Ness sets out to stop Al Capone; because of rampant corruption, he assembles a small, hand-picked team.

Streamlined entertainment without any depth; quite enjoyable for ist sheer professionalism in all departments.

Halliwell**: "The long-running TV show is given a new polish in this showy, violent gangster picture, which seemed to please all classes."

Maltin****: "High-energy entertainment that packs a wallop...Fluidly (and flamboyantly) filmed, with powerhouse performances by Connery..., and De Niro, as a grandiose Al Capone. Climactic shoot-out, with echoes of POTEMKIN, will have you on the edge of your seat!"

Scarface (1983)

Hi, Mom! (1970)

Body Double (1984)

On the set: Deborah Shelton and Brian De Palma

Mission to Mars (2000)

When the first manned mission to Mars meets with a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting a unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate the tragedy and bring back any survivors.

Well-produced sci-fi adventure with some nice visuals, but the star cast is wasted and the 'metaphysical' ending quite disappointing.

Halliwell (no star): "Grandiose attempt at science fiction with a spiritual message; it never achieves lift-off."

Maltin**: "Stupefyingly dull drama...Film takes a matter-of-fact approach to space travel that soon becomes deadening, with a spell-it-all-out climax for those who still don't get 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY."

 

Blow Out (1981)

A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger.

Classic Brian De Palma thriller with an abundance of cinematic allusions, top-notch in all departments, but, this time around, not quite as suspenseful.

Halliwell (no star): "Showily unpleasant thriller concocted of equal parts of The Conversation, Blow Up, and Kennedy at Chappaquiddik; the work of a copycat talent operating below par."

Maltin**1/2: "Intriguing variation on Antonioni's BLOWUP...Absorbing most of the way, but weakened by show-off camerawork and logic loop-holes."

Obsession (1976)

A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his deceased wife.

Masterful exercise in Hitchcock style clearly referencing Vertigo; atmosphere and tension are well are finely recreated, and the plot has some slight twists without being too complex.

Halliwell*: "Hitchcockian adventure with a few unwise attempts at seriousness, a la Don't Look Now. Generally entertaining, skilled and quite rewarding."

Maltin**1/2: "Viwers who don't remember VERTIGO might enjoy this rehash...Holds up until denouement."

Carrie (2013)

A shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

Straightforward, almost literal remake of the Brian De Palma classic is very professionaly made and has a good cast, but never manages to reach the impact of the original.

Maltin**: "Too similar to the well-remembered 1976 film...Moore is very good, but while Moretz tries hard, she can't overcome her misfortunate miscasting. Climax is much less impressive than in the original movie, reminding us tha CGI is not always an improvement."

Redacted (2007)

The reconstruction of the rape and murder of a 15-year-old Iraqi girl by American soldiers in Samarra in 2006.

Effective and harrowing anti-war movie made in a semi-documentary style very unusual for its director.

Maltin*1/2: "Misguided attempt...Unsavory aspects of the story overwhelm it, while the uniformly amateurish acting completely defeats whatever message was intended."

Dressed to Kill (1980)

A mysterious blonde woman kills one of a psychiatrist's patients, and then goes after the high-class call girl who witnessed the murder.

Although basically a succession of brilliantly staged sequences all in homage to Hitchcock, this movie manages to deliver the shocks and to entertain with a good helping of wicked humour.

Halliwell**: "Occasionally brilliant, generally nasty suspenser clearly derived from many viewings of Psycho. Certainly not for the squeamish."

Maltin***1/2: "High-tension melodrama...Writer-director De Palma works on viewer's emotions, not logic, and maintains a fever pitch from start to finish."