I think what is so great about his film's is how different they are. Carrie is my fav King adaptation,Scarface a perfect gangster movie The Untouchables is my Dad's favorite. Carlito's way is just amazing and it goes on and on. Great Video!
I took a philosophy course in aesthetics in 1975ish. Our entire grade was a single paper. I did mine on "truth in literature/as cinema". Phantom of the Paradise was my selection. I earned an A in what was an intense and difficult course. I adore DePalma's filmmaking.
I have pretty much forced every one of my friends to watch it with me throughout the years. It's one of those movies I never tire of watching. Its fkkn great. I'm so pleased that you love it!
10. Body Double 9. Dressed to Kill 8. Greetings 7. Causalities of War 6. Carrie 5. Mission: Impossible 4. Blow Out 3. Carlito's Way 2. The Untouchables 1. Scarface
This is a great list. De Palma may be my favorite director, and if not then he's the director with the most films I love. My top three: 1. Obsession, 2. Phantom of the Paradise, 3. Carrie
Thanks for checking it out! He's one of the few directors out there where we have to make some tough choices in terms of which flicks make the cut in a top 10 list.
Wonderful list, James!. What an awesome director! Absolute agree, Brian de Palma is Hitchcock’s best disciple. Love how he constructs suspense, how he uses the music, hypnotic camera work. Haven’t seen yet “Hi, Mom” and “Sisters” (this I’ve been many times at the point to watch it, but it wasn’t the moment, I needed this, now is on the list for sure). I saw once “The Phantom of the Paradise”, I must say that I didn’t like at all, but again, now you have wake my interest, so It goes to the list. It’s strange how films that I detested in the first view, like “Wild at Heart” or “The Last Waltz” have converted along years as ones of my favorite films. The first De Palma I watched was The Untouchables and it has a very strong impact on me, since its opening credits scene with the incredible Morricone’s soundtrack, and then the use of violence, I’ve never seen until then something like that. And amazed forever with De Niro’s performance, mostly when I had seen not long before in "The Mission". I was wondering how he could change his body in such incredible way to play a character. At that time I knew nothing about cinema or what films had done these people. Scarface came later for me, and I will never forget another impact that still impacts on me when I watch again this movie and it was all the chainsaw scene, how quietly and shiny starts all, and how in a few minutes everything turns in an absolute nightmare. I can’t say now if for me “Blow Out” or Carlito’s Way” are their best, both are masterpieces of suspense and storytelling and how they are filmed is mind-blowing. One of the greatest, a genuine master. Hoping this Coronavirus dissapears to watch soon a "The Movies that Define New York" sequel. Best wishes, and long live to cinema!
Thanks, Mario! Very eager to tackle The Movies That Define New York - Part II' and I can't thank you enough for your enthusiasm for my video. Sounds like you and I have had a very similar relationship with his work throughout our lives.
@@geekinwithJamesHancock I finally saw Hi, Mom !, peculiar, I don't know, maybe I was expecting another kind of movie, but speaking of beginnings, I liked it, now I have to watch "Greetings". I loved De Niro, what a pleasant surprise to discover him in such a first role, genuinely played. Completely shocked with the Be Black Baby sequence, what a fucking madness. Then I saw Phantom of the Paradise and I have to admit that this time I liked it more than that disappointing first time. What I found very curious, about the reference you made about Tommy and The Rocky Horror ... "is that this movie seems to belong to the same universe as Rocky Horror, even if it was before, but the look of the movie, the colors, the characters, the Paradise, there is something that drives me to see the two movies in a double midnight session. Finally I saw "Sisters" and here I really freaked out, the whole movie is really great, from the quiet beginning to not stopping from the next morning. Suddenly I started to feel a relationship of movies within it, from the beginning of "Hi, Mom", where De Niro goes out to dinner with the girl he films from his window. Then the murder, in the purest Polanski's fashion in "Repulsion" and the brutality of Hitchcock in the shower of "Psycho", witnessed by the journalist from her apartment as in the "Rear Window", constant obsessive voyeurism through so many De Palma films. The brilliant use of the split screen in the failed discovery of the murder that "never happened". From then on the film goes like a shot, reaching the final part that drove me completely insane, again I think again of another great film that had not yet been shot, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That house that suddenly turns into a psychiatric clinic, with those characters that seem to be one thing and then another. Both the entrance to the house, and the sudden and strange appearance of the characters that inhabit it, felt the same panic as in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I felt a "Rosemay's Baby" paranoia conection too. The entire final part is superb and pure nightmare. Ending the film in a somewhat strange way but I was not disappointed in any way. What a movie, one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. For a moment I thought about Cronemberg and his wonderful "Dead Ringers", but this is De Palma, punching at the table and saying I'm here and I'm here to stay. Today I had to watch the documentary "De Palma" and enjoy listening to all the stories from the teacher enormously, an absolute pleasure. What a story! We'll see again such incredible cases as that of this gang of visionaries, Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese and the aforementioned ?. Hopefully. A pleasure as always James. Listening to someone talk about cinema in this way, motivates and makes, a much more comforting experience. Long live the cinema and the new flesh!
1. Scarface 2. Carrie 3. The Untouchables 4. Blow Out 5. Dressed to Kill 6. Body Double 7. Carlito’s Way 8. Casualties of War 9. Sisters 10. Obsession Special Mentions: Greetings Raising Cain Guilty Pleasures: Femme Fatale Snake Eyes Have yet to see ‘Phantom of the Paradise.’ Can anyone tell me if there is a pristine blu-ray available somewhere?
Great video coming from me,an avid BDP fan. The small TV not affecting the effect really got me. I love music and have suffered through many talks about the choice of various mediums we use(albums sound better, CDs are a sell-out,etc). If a song strikes me I will be carried away, away from the tiny hiss of vinyl or unreal perfection of a CD.People don't understand. I become enthralled. Anyway how to choose? First I saw was Body Double in 85' and wow! Then Blow Out! Scarface! Then Carrie! On & on. Not too keen on Black Dahlia.The stories do make basic sense and the visuals are Bucket List worthy. Nice to see someone with appreciation.Good table-setting approach,too.
@@geekinwithJamesHancock I´m definitely searching the 2 early De Palma films with De Niro who is a favourite of mine. Great to have found this out, thanks!
I've got mixed feelings about De Palma films but you nailed the top 3. I'm really curious about the upcoming Catch and Kill - a film written and directed by De Palma described as "a horror film set in Hollywood and featuring a predatory movie mogul" promises to be provocative at the very least.
Haven’t had a chance to watch yet James but IMHO Carrie should be number 1 and The Untouchables number 2. Will have to come back a bit later to see if you agreed. Stay inside and safe. I’m in Brooklyn myself☮️
Geekin' with James Hancock cool I look toward to watching it later.😇I’m pretty much home bound anyway and definitely in that susceptibility group. My home health aids are tired of waiting on line for hours to buy stuff. As you know you can’t ‘stock’ up on fruit or it goes bad. Thank god for my premium cable. 🙏🌈🦇
Fantastic list. You make a great case for each film. Here's my quick sketch for a De Palma top ten: 10. Sisters 9. Scarface (the terrible audio really takes this film down several notches for me) 8. Mission Impossible 7. The Untouchables 6. Phantom Of The Paradise 5. Carrie 4. Casualties Of War 3. Dressed To Kill 2. Blow Out 1. Carlito's Way And honorable mentions to Femme Fatale and Raising Cain.
my dad took me to see scarface I was about 8 or 9 my mom was pissed off when we got home one of the ugliest fights I ever saw between my parents totally worth it scarface is #1 on my list , Nancy Allen should have been a bigger star then she was you don't see her in anything anymore
Adderall? I absorbed DePalma over almost 30 years. I saw each of his films at pivotal moments in my life, each one a story in itself. I saw Scarface at the end of 84, during my first sober pass at a North Dakota rehab.
Interesting list James but I don’t agree with a few. Blow Out should have been higher. I still place Carrie at number 1. Sadly I despise Scarface on too many levels to name - lol. I didn’t even see it until about 5 years ago. I’m so old I have a first edition Carrie in paperback. It’s worthless though because it’s fig eared and pages are yellow as hell. I appreciate your effort though.
Geekin' with James Hancock I hear you. I just feel it’s quite solid without ‘gimmicks’ and underrated. I myself have a top 20 or 25 movies with no true order except my number 1 ☮️
1. Blow Out 2. Untouchables 3. Femme Fatale 4. Body Double 5. Carlito's Way 6. Dressed to Kill 7. Carrie 8. Raising Caine 9. Scarface 10. Casualties of War
I will defend Snake Eyes until the day I die. The craftsmanship on display is impeccable. Jaw dropping cinematography, an incredible score, genuinely great, over the top performances from the entire cast. I love it immensely. One of my favorites from De Palma no doubt. Criminally overlooked. It’s pure cinematic enjoyment. So much fun.
That is so crazy that you posted this. Last week as I saw a couple arguing across the street I felt like a voyeur and was reminded of Body Double. I rented that VHS, along with Dressed to Kill, when I was twelve years old. The ma-and-pa rental shops of the day didn't exactly adhere to parental guidelines. Good lord, those movies (back-to-back) packed a wallop. I was scared...but with a hard on. As a prepubescent boy, it was all very new...and absolutely amazing. Then to find out this guy had also directed Scarface?? I instantly (like yourself) became a lifelong fan. Thanks for posting this and for the heads up on the De Plama documentary. Will probably check it out tonight. In case you were curious, Scarface will always be my first love.
4:28 - He's in pretty good company, then. Dario Argento basically got flak for saying the same thing, but parsing it down to its essence even further: "Watching beautiful women being attacked is just more interesting."
My List (Honorable Mention is The Black Dahlia I think it’s underrated) 10) Mission: Impossible 9) Casualties of War 8) Carlitos’s Way 7) Sisters 6) The Untouchables 5) Scarface 4) Dressed to Kill 3) Snake Eyes 2) Carrie 1) Blow Out
Love The Untouchables. Yes it is complete fiction, and is really a Brilliant Western set in the 1930s. Sean Connery a best performance and Morricones great soundtrack teamed with De Palma's fantastic direction of set pieces.
The new #1 “Domino” (2019). That shit is a fucking nightmare. I’m not one for “unintentional comedy”, but the climax of this movie had me doubled over laughing. I went in not knowing he was the director, but when the scoring started beating me over the head in the first foot-chase I said aloud to no one, “is this Brian De-fucking-Palma?!” 10 out of 10, highly recommend.
I've avoided Domino because I know De Palma had a horrible experience making it but at some point I need to hunker down and check it out. It is the only film by De Palma I have not seen.
what i love about de palma is hes as genius as he is unhinged. that mental hospital scene near the end of dressed to kill where it ends up looking like a movie theater is insane yet genius
Underrated psychological thriller Raising Cain and while a really difficult watch the horrifying loosely based on real life events film Casualties of War are also both incredible movies :-)
I had been furiously taking notes with each episode and I was fired up and ready to go, but the last episode kind of killed my enthusiasm. I remain a huge fan of the style and tone, but I was hoping for something a little more apocalyptic and satisfying with the last ep.
I've watched "Carrie" almost as many times as you have. Most of my screenings have been within the past few months because Showtime keeps rerunning it, thank God. It's in my top 10 of all-time films. A stunning film, especially from the prom scene to the end. Thanks for pointing out some of De Palma's more obscure titles. I'll have to watch them. Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music (and movie lover)
My De Palma Top Ten by ranking: 1. PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE 2. CARRIE 3. BLOW OUT 4. THE FURY 5. SISTERS 6. THE UNTOUCHABLES 7. DRESSED TO KILL 8. SCARFACE 9. BODY DOUBLE 10. RAISING CAIN
I was waiting for The Bonfire of the Vanities to at least be mentioned. It is a movie that has the greatest opposition of quality to imdb rating i have found to date. It has a rating of 5.6 while it as 9 easily.
I love De Palm's films too. I haven't delved into De Palm's history and personal influences, and though Hitchcock is his most obvious influence, it would seem Bava and Argento had to seep into his consciousness in regards to his style and framing of women.
DePalma has skills and I completely agree with your 10 but not the ranking. I’d put Blow Out around 2 or 3 - love love love Criterion’s new 4K BluRay release of that film. And I agree that Carlito’s Way is practically perfect.
Pino Donaggio's Telescope remains steadily in my music playlist. I never saw Phantom of Paradise, because I always thought it wasn't for me (not a big fan of musicals). Maybe I'll give it a shot. Also, the deus ex machina of Body Double is a reservoir dog. Perhaps someone should inform Tarantino... ;)
Blow-Out and Carrie are, without doubt, DePalma's two best films. Phantom of the Paradise seems the most underrated. Scarface and The Untouchables seem to be the most overrated.
Been binging De Palma films the past few days.Going through his stuff i hadnt seen.Dressed To Kill which i hadnt seen might be my favorite after Scarface and Carlitos Way.Gonna watch Phantom Of Paradise soon,got high hopes or it.Was De Palma the first to use the split screen in the way that he does,meaning letting the action go on for a long time?Cant think of anyone using it the same way before him.
Body Double is the best movie about voyeurism?? Rear Window, hello! Peeping Tom! I like Body Double, don't get me wrong. But there's far better movies than that about voyeurism.
