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. Jake's life is in a downward spiral when he meets a guy in an acting class that is willing to help him out. He hooks him up with a place to stay. The place overlooks another house where a mysterious woman claims Jake's attention. He is infatuated with her and starts following her around. Then he finds out he's not the only guy trailing her. 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.
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.
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. Jack works as a soundman on B-movies. When he's out in the mountains recording sounds, he witnesses a car crash. The cause of the accident was a blown tire, but Jack's trained ear heard a second bang, right before. When he is interrogated by the police, it's clear they don't want to record his version of the facts. 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
