A director full of promise, best known for his stylistic bravura. I never really like his films though, even when there's always at least one scene where I see the potential. Still, one of the greats of cinema, which makes his oeuvre required viewing.
Movies
A pretty damn cheesy De Palma film, somewhat saved by its ridiculous plot and overdone genre moments. I'm not sure the film was actually intended to be a full-on cheese fest (probably not, to be fair), but it was the only way for me to get some enjoyment out of it. A great film this is not though. Craig Wasson is a terrible actor, the thriller elements aren't tense at all and the plot is pretty hilarious. At least the pacing is decent enough and because everything is overdone, it never becomes excessively dull. This might've been a fun flick in its time, but like most of De Palma's films, they've gone downhill as time passed.Read all
A very poor effort by De Palma. I'm sure he's aware that this film isn't quite up to par with his earlier work, but the need to make films must still be strong. The acting was horrific, the film looked cheap, there was no tension, no atmosphere, no nothing really. I think it's time for De Palma to seriously consider retirement, because this doesn't look well on his resume.
Not De Palma's most famous film, though it has a pretty big cult following. It's a political thriller in the same vein as The Conversation, though a tiny bit more stylish in its execution. It's a far cry from De Palma's best work though, and there were quite a few moments where I lost my interest in the plot. De Palma's eye for visual splendor breaks through from time to time, but not often enough to save the film. The performances are middling, the plot is pretty dull and the runtime is excessive. I will say that I'm not a big fan of these (slow) political thrillers from the 70s, so Blow Out was fighting an uphill battle from the start.Read all
A somewhat tepid thriller from the hands of De Palma. His films are a tad more stylish than their contemporaries, but time hasn't been kind to them. Watching something like Dressed to Kill now is mostly just a trip down memory lane, and as someone who prefers modern cinema, there's not much fun in that. The film has been described as a sexier version of Hitchcock's Psycho, and there's something to it (though I found it more cheesy than sexy). The performances aren't great, the twist is a little lame and even though De Palma does his best to add some visual flair, most of his attempts are in vain. Forgettable fluff.Read all
Rather tepid and predictable thriller, with some minor horror elements. There are some interesting split screens and the reveals, while hardly surprising, were properly executed, but that wasn't enough to keep me interested. Mediocre performances, a lack of suspense and tame chills render this De Palma obsolete.
