the letter o wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 8:34 amWhich reminds me, I don't think I've seen Raising Cain since it was on first release, nearly 30 years ago now. I seem to remember it being quite good fun. Must hunt it down again and see how off the mark I am!

If you do, watch the recut/reissue version of this, based on a fan edit that corresponds to the original script (and not the studio edit that initially hit theaters, came out on VHS, DVD, etc.). It's said to be the best version.

I watched it a few months into the pandemic, though, and while it had its moments, I couldn't really embrace the film as a whole like I'd hoped to. De Palma has often had a preoccupation with artifice over "realism," and while his interrogation of his own impulses/genre tropes is laudable, it can lapse into self-parody, sometimes quite intentional, other times seemingly not. But moreover, where Raising Cain is concerned, despite some stellar passages, I think Lithgow kind of overreached playing multiple characters. Some humorous moments for sure but I can easily see why critics at the time panned it or were like "WTF is this?" Some people have raved about it as a misunderstood gem, but I don't think it's one of his best works.

I'm trying to think of another director I would say I like who has directed so many bad movies and I'm struggling to think of any. But the thing of De Palma's bad movies, is I often still find them totally watchable. And those bad ones still usually have some set-piece or some impressive technical film making that's enjoyable. (I'm thinking of, for example, the end of The Fury where it's an homage to Zabriskie Point but instead of a house it's John Cassavettes, or that ornate 5-6 minute steadicam shot at the beginning of hTe Bonfire of the Vanities.) Although his recent bad films have been basically unwatchable.
I also think I'm somewhat of an outlier as far as DePalma fans go: ya know, Carrie, Scarface, The Untouchables, those are all fine Hollywood films, but to me his two best are easily Phantom of the Paradise and Sisters. Obsession is probably top five for me, too, and I don' think too many of his fans rate that one too highly. (It also has one of Bernard Hermann's best scores.) I also remember liking his early films--when he was trying to be the American Godard--Greetings and Hi, Mom when I saw them but it's been years and I don't how I'd feel now.

He has a novel coming out soon that is apparently based on a screenplay he wasn't able to get produced called Are Snakes Necessary? That is an A+ title right there.

I haven't seen the movies prior to Sisters. I wonder if they're worth checking out; I know DeNiro was in one of them. Still need to check out Obsession and Phantom. Super solid in the 70s; way over-the-top in the 80s, but still very entertaining. Dressed To Kill is a nutso movie that I enjoyed very much. Lithgow is so dang good as the baddie in Blow Out. I don't know what Pauline Kael's obsession with Travolta was all about; I feel like he's one of the most boring actors.

Except for Carlito's Way, his 90s and beyond work has been very disappointing, to say the least. Black Dahlia was one of the crappiest movies I've ever seen- how do you make that subject boring and prompt you to wait impatiently for the merciful end? I still want to read the book, though.

I've seen a decent chunk of the popular favorites (Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out, Scarface, Body Double, Untouchables, Carlito's Way, Mission: Impossible), and while I appreciate the technical skill behind them, I've never been able to get very invested in them, with the exception of Blow Out. Should still see Phantom, Sisters, and Obsession at some point.

That said, I find him talking about movies endlessly interesting, and that Noah Baumbach documentary from a few years ago is great.

Dude is amazing. He is soooo in love with movies and all of his movies are just so god damn cinematic. He loves reminding you that you are in fact watching a movie and it fucking rules that this crazy machine is working. A pervy dude that just lets it all hang out on the screen is so much more interesting than whatever, he really is close to an American Argento, all about throwing CINEMA at you and the vibe. Even his failures are fucking go for broke swings and doing something fun with the form. Hell, the dude has the worst actor from Nightmare on Elm St 3 in the lead of Body Double and made his character a shitty actor so it just works. (Yes I know Body Double came first, but it's the same actor and that he made a great movie with this guy is wild).

Not Crap.

Overrated, from what I've seen. Scarface is overly long and boring, despite that fact that I like the image of a super rich dude sitting in his mansion just feeling crap. Mission Impossible I saw not long ago and it was pretty forgettable except for the hanging-from-the-ceiling scene which was tense.

Carrie is good I guess. Would have to watch again. Some very strong moments.

Used to think he was just a Hitchcock rip off artist who momentarily swerved to tag Blow Up/The Conversation.

Now think he has more pretty great moments than most, with Blow Out being very high on the quality chart, Dressed to Kill nearly so. Don't like all of his signature moves all the time, but he is strong often enough.

Oh my gosh I had forgotten all about The Fury! I have not seen it, but it was one of the ever-present videos at video stores in the early/mid 80s. We did not get a vcr until 1990, and when I was a kid I would sit on the floor in the video section of department stores whilst my mother did actual shopping, reading the backs of all of the horror films and imagining what the actual film must be like. Okay, so The Fury is on my list

His films are heartless fun. The most moment-to-moment enjoyment I’ve taken in any of his films was in “Snake Eyes”. Like others on this thread, I respect his frankness in putting the showmanship and flash up front, but the strong emotions in his films strike me as an extended fake orgasm. We’re not really meant to care about these characters are we? Does that matter?

The part in Snake Eyes where the tables get turned and Nic Cage yells the title of the film back at Gary Sinise with a shit-eating grin: hilarious!