Week in Review
Back in January, I was filling up my queue for the Experiment, I picked actors and directors I liked, and picked from what was available. There were also a lot of films that I had heard of, some, like Fellini’s 8 1/2, I even pretended to have seen at one point in my life. There are a few films I have watched over and over: The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Rounders, among others. Why do I watch these films repeatedly when there are so many I haven’t seen? Part of this project was to explore films I should like but don’t know about. Three of these came up this week, directed by Brian DePalma.
Even if you haven’t seen his most notable film, no doubt you’ve heard some Scarface reference or have seen a Tony Montana (Al Pacino’s character) shirt that is so popular nowdays, even if you haven’t seen the movie. Although not his best film by far, millions have seen Mission: Impossible. Many also saw The Untouchables. There were two fine Sean Penn roles in Casualties of War and Carlito’s Way. And if you haven’t seen Carrie, I’d be surprised if you hadn’t seen one of the many films that stole from it.
But still, there’s more from this director that you should check out that I bet you’ve missed.
Phantom of the Paradise
Why this isn’t as well known as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I’ll never understand. It’s a glam rock retelling of Phantom of the Opera. Paul Williams is the evil Satanish baddie, and yes, he’s totally evil.
Obsession
If you like Hitchcock’s Vertigo, you’ll enjoy DePalma’s homage to the film, written by Paul Schrader. John Lithgow steals the show in an early role of his as the cunning and ruthless antagonist.