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Clyde wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 8:13 am
Depending on how it's done, it's a fine way to begin a movie--it was a staple of film noir, and both Sunset Boulevard and Citizen Kane do it. You know who else did it? Abel Ferrera in The Funeral, one of his better films. Carlito's Way still isn't good, though.

I guess, though I think BDP does it in the worst way possible in C's W. You know Pacino's going to be shot in the train station, so all the flashback action scenes are moot.

Noticed that Femme Fatale is coming out on blu-ray next month. Saw this one for the first time last week and mostly liked it.

Some of the "convening fates coming to a slow motion, cross-cut climax" stuff laid out in Raising Cain and the like is done with a bit more aplomb and purposefulness here. Femme Fatale isn't a film to be taken 100% seriously, but it mostly hangs together, even if the rules of its cinematic universe can be slippery. The direction often presents part of a given scene in a limited/closely cropped way and then pans or cuts elsewhere or zooms out to reveal another layer of meaning that flips the script. The music seems at times borderline amusing/tongue in cheek. And I got a big laugh out of Sandrine Bonnaire playing herself as an actress/guest of honor on opening night at Cannes. Perfect choice.

Have got several more to see, but this one goes in the "better de Palma" pile.

M.H wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 4:43 pm
That's one of his duds, IMO - I remember Abel Ferrara saying it was a total hack move to open the movie w/ the ending sequences, thus robbing all story (and action sequences) of any tension. I'm inclined to agree.

Hmmm. Stories aren't sports. It's not all about the final score. (TBH, that's a stupid thing to say, in that sports aren't all about the final score. Sorry!) Using this logic, no-one would ever watch a film twice. Or a romantic comedy. Or (given the genre conventions) a gangster film, given that very very few end with the gangster being alive, free and/or more successful than at the outset.

In fact, if you wanted to be snarky, you could argue that it's actually Ferrara's "hack" tendencies that make him think this. Arguing that inevitability kills suspsense or story just feels wrong. It's a gangster film, and they tend to be "rise and fall" stories.

tonyballzee wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 12:14 am
Like Bonfire Of The Vanities, the perfect example of Hollywood turning a great book into a horrid movie.

Ironically, the horrid movie spawned another really great book. I'd recommend Julie Salomon's "The Devil's Candy" to anyone with any interest in movie-making.

The Devil’s Candy is *really* good. Its greatest strength is that Salomon wrote it in real time, so it’s not just an “in hindsight” trashing of an event.

Always wondered if Walter Hill lifted "Swan" in The Warriors from Phantom Of The Paradise.

I like Dressed To Kill and that's really about it.

Wood Goblin wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 8:49 am The Devil’s Candy is *really* good. Its greatest strength is that Salomon wrote it in real time, so it’s not just an “in hindsight” trashing of an event.

I just finished reading The Devil's Candy and it is very good. I liked how, even though the author is a film critic, she refrained from inserting any critique of the movie and just reported her observations. For example she never once mentioned Melanie Griffith's atrocious attempt at a Southern accent.

I'm a sucker for those "peek behind the curtain" showbiz books if they're written well. I don't particularly care for the American version of The Office but I devoured a behind the scenes book about it and enjoyed every page. The Devil's Candy kind of made me want to revisit Bonfire Of The Vanities but I don't know if I have the stomach for it.

Used to think he was a hack.

Blow Out is full blown genius

DtK is near genius

NC

He's one of those guys whose movies I forget are good until I'm watching them. Sitting here, right now, I'm thinking, "Blow Out's not really that good." But while I'm watching it, it's fucking great. Probably explains why I have the DVD, so I have to give him a Not Crap, especially for getting Margot Kidder to do a Quebecois accent that sounded like she was trying to stay awake after taking a Benadryl.

I remember liking The Fury.