tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post2385839151365644212..comments2024-03-15T04:08:16.172-04:00Comments on Only the Cinema: Blow OutEd Howardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-63687015742657486332010-12-30T11:06:05.246-05:002010-12-30T11:06:05.246-05:00Emmitt, thanks for pointing out that review, that&...Emmitt, thanks for pointing out that review, that's a great point about the scream.<br /><br />DS, no, I haven't seen <i>Obsession</i>. I'll add it to my list, I definitely need to see more De Palma.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-12231538875662928262010-12-29T22:36:49.637-05:002010-12-29T22:36:49.637-05:00Ed, have you seen De Palma's 1976 film "O...Ed, have you seen De Palma's 1976 film "Obsession?" I think it's by and far his greatest film.Dylan Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15280497532611568473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-20065789268284922252010-12-22T16:04:56.781-05:002010-12-22T16:04:56.781-05:00By the way, have you read John Kenneth Muir's ...By the way, have you read John Kenneth Muir's review of the movie? He argues that Sally's death scream being used in the slasher flick is actually commentary on sexism in media. Sally is exploited by different factions throughout the movie until she finally ends up exploited by the media.<br /><br />http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2009/08/cult-movie-review-blow-out-1981Emmittnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-39573862988462066692010-12-22T08:59:31.775-05:002010-12-22T08:59:31.775-05:00Emmitt, I love movies about movies too: the sense ...Emmitt, I love movies about movies too: the sense of self-awareness in directors who work on that meta level often makes their films thrilling and fascinating. That final scene, where the scream gets used in the cheap slasher flick, is just chilling, and one gets the sense that De Palma is being self-critical there, making a dark joke on his own use of primal emotions.<br /><br />Everything I'Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-7881332292086114902010-12-21T16:58:34.322-05:002010-12-21T16:58:34.322-05:00Yeah David, Femme Fatale is another swell example....Yeah David, <i>Femme Fatale</i> is another swell example. All in all I think this decade was pretty nice for De Palma: he had two great films (<i>Femme Fatale, Redacted</i>) and two "flawed great films" (<i>Mission to Mars, The Black Dahlia</i>). That probably shows all of you how much of a fan I am!<br /><br />That's cool what Jonathan Rosenbaum has said about De Palma going to a Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-90778500382821669142010-12-21T14:59:42.319-05:002010-12-21T14:59:42.319-05:00One of my favorite movies. That 360-degree shot bl...One of my favorite movies. That 360-degree shot blew my mind when I first saw it. <br /><br />I'm a sucker for movies about movies and scenes in movies where a process is methodically shown in detail (be it counterfeiting, drug making, whatever) and Blow Out happens to include both. I love that it shows Jack recording sounds that will be decontextualized and recontextualized in a sleazy Emmittnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-62160431220700897972010-12-21T11:34:48.354-05:002010-12-21T11:34:48.354-05:00DePalma directed THIS VIDEO of Frankie Goes To Hol...DePalma directed <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2TLAxTY9Xs" rel="nofollow">THIS VIDEO</a> of Frankie Goes To Hollywood singing "Relax" for <i>Body Double</i>.<br />I for one think it's better than the film itself.DavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-48692560468320838212010-12-21T11:28:21.685-05:002010-12-21T11:28:21.685-05:00Redacted is in many ways a more interesting remake...<i>Redacted</i> is in many ways a more interesting remake of <i>Casualties of War</i> (a DePalma that Kael was crazy about but not me.) <br /><br /><i>Femme Fatale</i> is a very good example of what you're talking about, Adam. Eespecially the tour de force opening scene. ike Argento, DePalma is all about <i>scenes</i><br /><br />A side note: DePalma is an iveterate film fan. Jonathan DavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-17792340202720186962010-12-21T08:40:49.996-05:002010-12-21T08:40:49.996-05:00Adam, that 360-degree shot really is great, probab...Adam, that 360-degree shot really is great, probably the best shot in the film. You really feel Jack's dizziness and confusion as the camera just stoically pans around and around. I love it. As Jason said in our Aronofsky conversation, some movies just seem to loudly announce, "this was directed!" - and most of De Palma's work seems to fit into that category, which can make for Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-8955723464983301732010-12-21T03:45:22.737-05:002010-12-21T03:45:22.737-05:00Ed, you should read Tarantino's interview with...Ed, you should read Tarantino's interview with De Palma. QT tells the man right to his face that his three favorite films of all time are <i>Rio Bravo, Taxi Driver</i> and <i>Blow Out</i>. De Palma's reaction: "Wow, quite a list. And I'm on it!"<br /><br />Odly enough, as crazed of a De Palma fan as I am, I didn't immediately love <i>Blow Out</i>. I've had to watch Adam Zanziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14524618281515322239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-38587971571294847242010-12-20T11:38:44.242-05:002010-12-20T11:38:44.242-05:00Thanks for the comments, Jeffrey & JD. It seem...Thanks for the comments, Jeffrey & JD. It seems like I didn't connect to this film quite as deeply or intensely as you guys have, and I'm also not as well-versed in De Palma in general, so maybe that has something to do with it. But it's undoubtedly a fascinating and thrilling film, and probably the best De Palma I've seen so far. <br /><br />I really liked Travolta's Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-41910541565678061072010-12-20T11:20:38.324-05:002010-12-20T11:20:38.324-05:00Excellent piece. This is definitely of my fave, if...Excellent piece. This is definitely of my fave, if not my fave film by De Palma. While it certainly isn't on the level of BLOW UP or THE CONVERSATION, it is an exceptional piece of filmmaking in its own right and one where De Palma's style doesn't get in the way of story proper as sometimes happens with him.<br /><br />It also reminds one of just how good an actor John Travolta used Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-612463883696260472010-12-20T09:19:31.865-05:002010-12-20T09:19:31.865-05:00A wonderful piece, Ed, on one of my favorite films...A wonderful piece, Ed, on one of my favorite films. <br /><br />I agree with you that the visceral impact of the De Palma film separates it from both the Antonioni and Coppola works which inspired it. <br /><br />I also love what you have to say about BLOW OUT's formal qualities:<br /><br />"De Palma takes such obvious joy in these kinds of touches that it's obvious that the Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-43236458468124571122010-12-20T08:59:23.029-05:002010-12-20T08:59:23.029-05:00I mean, I'd never say it's an amazing movi...I mean, I'd never say it's an amazing movie or anything, but as a slick thriller it's pretty solid. As you say, it has a lot going for it technically. Like De Palma in general.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296479421292377391.post-69430237456107694152010-12-20T08:53:41.033-05:002010-12-20T08:53:41.033-05:00Can't say Ienjoyed it as much as you did. As a...Can't say Ienjoyed it as much as you did. As a <i>giallo</i> stylist DePalma has a lot goijg for him technically. But it works best when tied to a strong narrative and characters as in <i>Carrie</i> and <i>The Fury</i>.<br />While lithgow is always good, DePalma gets the best out of him in <i>Raising Cain</i>.<br /><br />Curiously the film he's most celebrated for these days is <i>DavidEhrensteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11016905507543736049noreply@blogger.com