I have a total hardon for this shot (FRAG ENTER)

[TVC15]

I give de Palma a lot of shit because his movies are the textbook definition of derivative (the movie this shot is from is simultaneously ripping off Blowup, Hitchcock, and Halloween, while trying to politically riff on both the JFK assassination and the Carter-Reagan presidential race, not to mention that it cribs a full scene from de Palma's own Carrie), but this shot makes me ooze custard from my mupepe place.

[aoi tsuki]

O RLY?

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

De Palma owns, hard.  Blowout's ending is non-ironically awesome.  Holy crap, whatta show he puts on there.

There's just something about his staging, music, composition, etc., that make you forget that most of his films have painful dialog, not so great acting, and various other quirks.

Hell, I loved Femme Fatale and I'm not even sure why.

[Fragamemnon]

omg great horned owl!!!

 

Owls are so awesome. I think we have about 40+ owl pictures/miniatures/toys in the office room alone!

[Solo]

De Palma gets far too much hate. Has he made a career of ripping off various Hitchcock films? Yes. Has he proven to be a good filmmaker aside from his lack of creativity? Yes.

Blow Out is awesome.

[TVC15]

De Palma gets far too much hate. Has he made a career of ripping off various Hitchcock films? Yes. Has he proven to be a good filmmaker aside from his lack of creativity? Yes.

Blow Out is awesome.

It's pretty good, but the movie is composed like, entirely of ripoffs, even moreso than his other good early movies.

I still say Sisters is his best, because it at least felt a lil bit like he had his own thing going on with the suspense game (despite a premise ripped from Hitchcock).

[Solo]

The Untouchables is also pure awesome in my book. Probably the last great thing he has done.

[TVC15]

The Untouchables is also pure awesome in my book. Probably the last great thing he has done.

I've actually never seen it.  I have a loose No Costner policy.  Maybe I will check it out. . .BEFORE THE SEQUEL COMES OUT HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA

[Phoenix Dark]

Hmm. TVC what is your opinion on Tarantino?

[TVC15]

Hmm. TVC what is your opinion on Tarantino?

I like Tarantino.  Especially his first 3 movies, but I doubt I'd put any of them on a pedestal aside from Jackie Brown.  He's also a ripoff artist, but it doesn't bug me as much.  I think moreso than the early de Palma films, Tarantino's ripoffs have a bit more of the director's own spin on them.  I mean, the dance scene in Pulp Fiction is ripped directly from Godard's Band of Outsiders, but I could never mistake it for a Godard.  De Palma's Rear Window homage in Sisters, though. . .that could have been directly out of a Hitchcock movie.  Similarly, you would never realize that Reservoir Dogs is taking serious notes from a stylized Hong Kong action flick.

[Phoenix Dark]

Damn anyone have Youtube clips of these De Palma rip offs, and where they came from?

Where do you think the line between "paying homage" and "ripping off" is drawn? 

[TVC15]

Damn anyone have Youtube clips of these De Palma rip offs, and where they came from?

Where do you think the line between "paying homage" and "ripping off" is drawn? 

"Ripping off" is framing it rather harshly--it's not like he denies being influenced by Hitchcock.  His early movies are very good.  I just got worked up because I had never seen him . .. hmm, ripping off in as concentrated a manner as he does in Blow Out.

[Phoenix Dark]

I'm not very familiar with his work, but I've seen...

Mission Impossible - 8.5/10 - I really liked it after seeing it so long ago, and even now I do.

The Untouchables - 9/10 - I like movies/books with interesting characters as well as emotional situations, and the film has that in spades.

Scarface - 8/10 - I'm black: it's impossible for me to not like this. I will admit that this is criminally overrated, and very cheesy, but at the same time cheese is what made the 80s so awesome. Commando is cheesy as fuck and I think it's very entertaining. Same with Scarface for me. I know you don't like it TVC lol

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

The Untouchables is also pure awesome in my book. Probably the last great thing he has done.

I'm a De Palma nut, but I'm not sweet on The Untouchables.  Great music, period recreation, technically awesome, but the script (by David Mamet!? He never sucks?), and the characters aren't much fun.

Also, Sean Connery got a total legacy Oscar for his work in it.  Still not quite as offensive as Al Pacino's win for Scent of a Women, but it still bothers me he got it for just being Sean Connery in a sorta okay flick.  Its the 80's equilivent of The Black Dahila, as it has lots of good things going for it, but the whole just isn't as good as it oughta be.  I'm probably the only De Palma fan on earth underwhelmed by The Untouchables, so what do I know?

Raising Cain, now there's a movie White Man has GOT to see.  Its about the nuttiest damn thing a major studio has released in the last 20 years.  Fever dreams make more sense then that film, but they aren't usually as fun.  Carlito's Way is pretty dang ace in a more conventional way.

[Ichirou]

Blow-Up, The Conversation and Blow Out are three awesome movies on the same theme.  I did a movie night last year where I watched all three one after the other.  It was great.

[CajoleJuice]

Hmm. TVC what is your opinion on Tarantino?

I like Tarantino.  Especially his first 3 movies, but I doubt I'd put any of them on a pedestal aside from Jackie Brown.

But isn't Pulp Fiction one of your 10 favorite movies?