Brian De Palma | The Movie Rat

Film Discoveries (a.k.a. Best Older Film First Viewed in) 2023

Posted on February 1, 2024 by bernardovillela

Introduction

I decided to go with both possible titles for this list because while “film discoveries” is breezier I sometimes get too bogged down in the semantics of whether or not a film was truly a “discovery,” which could potentially eliminate a great film I saw for the first time despite the fact that I already knew of it. So there’ll be some commentary on whether or not I was familiar with a film, and for the more well-known titles I will explain why I might not have gotten to see it and how I finally did.

I also felt it was time to post this sort of list again because it used to be a staple on this site, and while I intended to do one encompassing the pandemic, but I never did. That despite the fact that I did have year-specific hashtags for newly viewed films on my Letterboxd page.

The titles are presented in no particular order. I didn’t disqualify any films from consideration due to its having recent release year, only 2023 titles were ineligible. Without further ado the films.

Mission: Impossible (1996, Dir. Brian De Palma)

As a kid I was aware of the original series, knew the theme song and concept, although, I don’t know if I ever caught it on Nick at Nite, but when the film came out it’s not something I made a point of seeing. After seeing a billion parodies of the famous vault scene I thought it had nothing else to offer.

As the years went by I did see later installments as they came out, not much if any information regarding previous films was necessary to follow and enjoy them. However, this initial film in the series has a lot of legendary talent involved like Brian De Palma directing, Robert Towne, David Koepp and Steven Zaillian on the screenplay, and a villainous turn from Jon Voight, make this not just another highly watchable ‘90s studio product but an exemplary one.

I viewed this film when it was on Netflix, it has since shifted over to Paramount+ and Amazon Prime.

Benny’s Video (1992, Dir. Michael Haneke)

Knowing of a film’s infamy is not the same as watching it. Not only is it harrowing and terrifyingly matter-of-fact but it eschews any and all impulses toward the sensational and exploitative and is instead contemplatively brutal and brooding as we’re left but to watch footage both diegetic and non-diegetic that illustrates cause and effect without vocalizing except in simplest terms without the character being able to fully comprehend his compulsion when we, over the course of the film, can.

I saw this film thanks to Criterion’s new release of Michael Haneke’s Trilogy from Criterion. Whether familiar with his work or not, I wouldn’t recommend doing as I did and watching all of these films in rapid succession.

Terrified (Aterrados) (2017, Dir. Demián Rugna)

This was a film that I flirted with seeing for a while on Shudder. When I finally watch it it was just before I saw When Evil Lurks (Cuando acecha la maldad). This film takes a fascinating approach at looking of paranormal events occurring in Buenos Aires by staring us smack dab in a police interrogation room, as the mystery of what the police and the people accompanying them want to know is solved more imponderable and horrendous ones unfold.

Black God, White Devil (Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol) (1964, Dir. Glauber Rocha)

At a time when a coup d’etat and military dictatorship were descending up Brazil this film, essentially a western set in the 1940s the lines between good and bad, god and the devil, bandit and victim are all blurred in a deliberately paced but nonetheless electrifying film.

I viewed this title on 35 mm at Film Forum, in a beautiful new restoration. Having never seen it prior I’m sure the new subtitles are far better than the original, but as a Portuguese speaker I found it unfortunate that the subtitles stripped some poetry from the song lyrics and even dialogue in the film

Which brings me to an additional point, this film was one of those that made me want to return to listing both English and native language titles as mentioned in my most recent post. While the English title is snappy and gives a glimpse of the duality and contradictions found within this film the original title literally translated God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun, aside from being poetic that touches on the allegorical elements of the film.

At current there is no news of a North American physical media release.

The Possessed (La donna del lago) (1965, Dir. Franco Rossellini, Luigi Bazzoni)

When a film is described as “proto-” of a given genre it is noteworthy by default but it doesn’t mean it is good by default, but this proto-giallo is captivating, atmospheric, well-rendered, and fans of the genre will definitely see the blueprint for later gialli here.

This was a film I was able to see thanks to the great Giallo Essentials box sets from Arrow Video.

Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991, Dir. Stephen Herek)

This is one I think I saw a few select scenes of in the past but never saw the whole thing. As a kid when it first came out I didn’t want to see it because I was not yet truly familiar with the concept of a dark joke much less a dark comedy. Not that this one is textbook dark comedy, but that’s just an illustration of my naïveté at the time. I saw the beginning of it the morning of December 23rd but last minute food shopping for a holiday gathering needed doing so I saw it from the beginning, all the way through, that night on HBO Max.

Questions about how Sue Ellen lied to payroll at her employer notwithstanding, it is quite a funny, irreverent film that’s sadly not entirely irrelevant in its handling of women in the workplace.

El Pico 2 (1984, Eloy de la Iglesia)

Severin Films with this release introduces me to the subgenre in Spanish cinema known as Quinqui, which emerged in the 1970s and dealt with drug addiction and delinquency. De la Iglesia’s work deals with the aforementioned topics and homosexuality in Spain in a more blunt and compassionate manner than many of his contemporaries. These films also feature a touch of neorealism casting many who were not previously actors but who turn in marvelous performance in part because these things are true to their lived experiences, most notably the lead José Luis Manzano.

The capstone of de la Iglesia’s Quinqui trilogy offers the most well-crafted, complete, and emotionally rounded look at this circle of characters whose struggles were followed. Flashbacks are incorporated organically and completes a tough to watch but artful and affecting saga.

Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (Il tuo vizo è una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave) (1972, Dir. Sergio Martino)

This was a film I was able to see thanks to the great Giallo Essentials box sets from Arrow Video. It possesses one of those titles that make you either love or hate the genre and the setup is one that can be described similarly: a rash of murders breaks out at the estate of a debauched, abusive writer and his wife. As always with Martino the visual style of the film is as gorgeous as the story is twisted and suspenseful.

Nancy Drew…Reporter (1939, William Clemens)

I DVRed some Nancy Drew titles for some light fare to watch when there was a TCM bloc of them in honor of Bonita Granville’s birthday a while back. I got to watching a few and still have a few more to go. The movies are generally fun and brisk, however, this one worked a little better to me because it’s funnier and all the characters function better within the stories framework and the actors more comfortable playing said characters. Comedic boxing scenes are always a winner.

The Venus of Ille (La Venere d’Ille) (1981 Dir. Mario Bava, Lamberto Bava)

The Venus of Ille (La Venere d’Ille) (1981Dir. Mario Bava, Lamberto Bava)

This was horror legend Mario Bava’s final film and a collaboration with his son Lamberto, an accomplished director in his own right. It was produced to air on Italian television as part of an an anthology series called The Devil’s Eyes (I giochi del diavolo). It’s based on an 18th century short story by Prosper Merimée, while the inspiration is older text its interpretation of the star-crossed infatuation with a statue is infused not only with Bavas’ treatment of the Gothic but also a touch of French New Wave as one scene mirrored Jules and Jim (Jules et Jim).

Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part I (1981, Dir. Mel Brooks)

Not sure why I have Mel Brooks blindspots still, but I do and this was one. The weird thing about finally viewing it was I watched it in order to then see the sequel series (not that I’d be confused, it just wouldn’t feel right) but then I didn’t watch the show.

It’s not Blazing Saddles, but it is pretty funny.

Favorite Older Films First Viewed in 2013 (Part 3 of 5)

Posted on January 13, 2014 by bernardovillela

This is a list I first saw on Rupert Pupkin Speaks. The idea is to list your favorite films from the past year that you saw for the first time, but exclude new releases. This allows much more variety and creates a lot of great suggestions if you read many of them.

Since I tracked these films much more closely this year my list grew long. I will occasionally combine selections by theme, but there is enough for five posts. These choices are in no particular order.

Enjoy!

Maya (1966)

This is one of two titles that appears on this section of the list thanks to their being made available by Warner Archive. This is one of the great things about Warner Archive is that they do rescue these titles from obscurity. This was one of Jay North’s rare film roles after Dennis the Menace was done airing, and it was apparently popular enough to spawn a TV-Show spin-off that ran for a season, which starred both himself and his sidekick Rajid Khan.

Maya tells a simple tale of a boy who runs away in India after a fight with his father, but does so very entertainingly and creates great adventures, and a wonderful bond between its two leading characters.

Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)

If you like films that take place all in the course of 24 hours it’s kind of hard to do better than Bad Day at Black Rock. The film brilliantly takes its time, paints xenophobia and builds tension. Furthermore:

This film sets itself up so well and does things that work in its favor constantly. It deals with xenophobia, with regards to its ghost character; it deals with the stranger-in-a-strange-land trope brilliantly, with its protagonist; however, it also makes the paranoia felt in this town so palpable the lead is instantly on the defensive, such that you’re left unsure as to what his business in town is. It’s a cloistered and oddly claustrophobic tale, in what looks like an inhabited ghost town that’s well worth watching.

Bolt (2008)

This was one of my more fortuitous viewings of the year. It was already into my March to Disney theme it was early on a Sunday, before you even ponder doing much of anything, and this came on Disney Channel. I found myself not only pleasantly surprised that this was a good Disney animated feature of recent vintage that I didn’t give a fair shake when it was released theatrically, but also that it shared similar themes and topics as a classic with modernized touches.

A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971)

When you’re dealing with the two titans of Italian horror you’re lucky to find a new-to-you film. Recently, prior-to-its-reissue, I happened upon a region-two DVD of this hard-to-find film.

When one gravitates towards Italian horror and starts to navigate it, one is generally made aware of the two most titanic figures in it: Argento and Fulci. Many viewers make it seem like you have to embrace one and scorn the other. I do not believe that is so. They both operate in rather different ways, but this title perhaps could be viewed as the closest to there being a stylistic overlap, certain tropes are similar: the approach to the narrative highly stylized, while the protagonist “witnessed” the incident in a dream, or fugue state early she (like us) is trying to make sense of what she saw, to identify the culprit, going in chase of them parallel to police activity, and independent of them.

A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin may not be Fulci’s greatest work, but it is another great work of Fulci’s I was glad to discover.

The Smart Set (1928)

I will admit there is an unevenness to the lead performance in this title. William Haines is a jokester who has to start realizing the consequences of his actions and be brought back down to earth. He loves a girl, he’ll want to win her. Perhaps one of the brilliant things about the film is that is does work despite the fact that for about 30 minutes Haines seems to be enacting a slapstick performance from the decade prior. However, when he starts acting more like a person he is pretty good and charming. The film is funny, romantic and dramatic and really starts to kick into gear. This was a film I discovered thanks to Coy Watson, Jr.’s biography, and he does brilliantly in his small role. The standout may be the reconstructed, gorgeous score of the film. Many thanks to Warner Archive for that and for making this great film available.

Sisters (1973)

One way I chose selections for 61 Days of Halloween was Stephen King’s list of standout horror films from 1950-1980. On it a few selections were Brian De Palma films. I went into this film a virtual blank slate and was very glad I did.

Sisters is a great little gem. I use that term because it starts with a fairly small series of events one after another that slowly turn in to a much bigger plot than was intimated at first. The simple Hitchcockian mystery element gets more byzantine as it progresses; even throwing some last second misdirection, making certain things even weirder than they are.

Hell Night (1981)

This is a choice I owe completely to my being invited to participate in my first ever podcast as a guest. Because of that I finally got around to viewing this film. If you want more in depth discussion of the film you can go check that out. For a quick blurb that may convince you, read this:

It may be another slasher, another slasher with college co-eds but it does try to spice things up. Firstly, the four pledges who are locked in the house of ill-repute overnight are two different factions: those very much into the fraternity/sorority process and those not so enamored with the idea, doing it because they feel they have to.

And as mentioned on the podcast, it does masquerade as a haunted house film a bit which gives it an additional layer.

The Neverending Story (Original German Cut) (1984)

This was an alternate cut that I didn’t even know existed until I saw an announcement from Diabolik DVD. If you’re interested in specific, detailed explanations of what changes in this version the IMDb does have an exhaustive user-submitted list.

In short: some of the voice talent is different, the score is different, some scenes play out longer and better. You have to be a huge fan of the film to want to pay to get this version (the Blu-Ray is region-free, by the way), but if you are it’s well worth it, as there is a different, at times darker feel to it. It also has a German dub that I may try out one day.

Dead Souls (2012)

There are a few noteworthy things about this film. First, it’s the newest title and second it’s the only made-for-TV movie that appears on the list. It’s one that I wish I had sneaked into my 2012 BAM Awards. As it stands, I didn’t and it makes an appearance here.

What this film does that’s slightly off the beaten path is that it plays out like a haunted house/ghost story, but also has an element of occult building and that puts it’s own spins on the events.

It leaves its protagonist John (Jesse James) alone much of the time. That’s good for character work, especially when there’s an expressive actor in tow. James has a natural sensitivity that exudes off the screen and allows him to carry the vehicle quite easily. He effortlessly handles the notes he has to play in the film: thoughtful, quiet, scared – and, upon learning what he deals with, feeling an emotional pull to the place and his family he’d never known. He does brilliant work here.

It’s definitely worth checking out.

61 Days of Halloween: Carrie (2013)

Posted on October 22, 2013 by bernardovillela

Introduction

For an introduction to the concept of 61 Days of Halloween, as well as a list of previously featured films, go here.

Carrie (2013)

I’m well past the point of complaining about remakes based on principal alone, as a matter of fact, the same goes for sequels too. In part, the reason for that is that it’s sort of a myopic view of things. Throughout the whole of film history there have been series of films that refused to die as well as stories that either we (or the studios) have not grown tired of. Stephen King, as much of an institution as he is, is still with us such that it may seem that three adaptations in 39 years of the tale being in print is a bit much, especially when the writer is in question is not only alive but prolific.

However, as I said, some tales just have a way of sticking around (in the words of King himself “Sometimes They Come Back”). Therefore, invalidity cannot be assigned based on the existence of this third version alone. The second being a 2002 rendition that I needed to be reminded just recently was actually a thing that I’d forgotten about.

With regards to the text itself, I am not a huge, huge fan of the book. I like it fine. However, when Stephen King recounted that early on he was dissatisfied enough to throw out his manuscript and it was his wife’s salvaging it and belief in the story that had him stick with it; I was not surprised. And, of course, I’m glad she did see something there because the rest, as they say, is history. It’s just that from among his oeuvre it never stuck out as a favorite, and it makes me glad I didn’t read him chronologically for that may have had me go on to other things. Prior to continuing, I must preemptively state that much of my discussion of this film will read like comparative analysis and fanboy whining. However, I’m left with little recourse since the version created here reads so much like a copy of the first.

I do, however, share King’s own high regard for Brian De Palma’s version of the film. It’s a tremendous cinematic treatment of the tale that’s masterfully directed, but moreover, a lot of that success is due to Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie’s portrayal as the mother and daughter (earning each an Academy Award nomination), whose relationship is scarier than anything supernatural that occurs in the book or film.

However, owing to the fact that film was released in 1976, and so much has occurred in the world, some things in the tale needed to change. Due to the supernatural element added to the tale, this was never a film that caused too much hullabaloo with regards to its depiction of violence in schools (this recent Variety opinion piece not withstanding). This was a book that though occasionally banned, was never cited as the impetus for violence as his brilliant Rage was (written under his nom de plume Richard Bachman). Keeping all that in mind, as well as all the horrific incidences of bullying and school violence in the intervening years since the original big studio release and this one, something had to be altered to make this truly effective to a modern day sensibility.

Now, that’s not to say Carrie had to be altered to a point of un-recognition, or be tasteless and tactless in rendition, but while the situation she’s put in (the infamous inciting incident) does engender sympathy it seems a mere drop in the ocean compared to the stories of real life occurrences. Granted there are two escalations of Carrie’s humiliation with regards to that incident, however, it feels it needs a bit more.

The incongruous and dated feeling that her humiliation gets is not aided by many production choices. In aesthetic terms the film feels stuck in many regards. While there are cell phones and an upload of the video to the internet some of the costuming (Miss Collins, the gym teacher’s attire) as well as the automobiles (all seeming to be of an older vintage) that had the film feeling stuck between a modern 1970s-set remake and an update that underscores the relative timidity of Carrie’s initial torturing. If anything the backward nature of the White house house should have stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the town.

Much of the discussion regarding the film and whether it works or not has surrounded Chloë Grace Moretz. If you look at my site you’ll see that in her breakout year she won my Entertainer of the Year Award. Clearly, I am admirer of her work in general. And where her involvement in this film falls short has more to do with production than anything on her part. The first thing that must be acknowledged is that all actors are artists, and the inclination of anyone remaking something is to put their own stamp on it. So expecting Moretz to reproduce Sissy Spacek’s turn is folly for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that you’re not casting someone to imitate someone else but rather for what they bring to the part. Considering she does have a past with horror, and vast experience, Moretz makes about as much sense as anyone. Things that were lacking with regards to building her performance have to do with editing (when it’d be more effective to see the results of what she’s doing rather than her reaction to it) but more often it’s actually in hair and make up. And I mean that in all seriousness.

There is a sequence of edits when the coach is trying to build her up and in some editing slight-of-hand she’s tidied so the barely-hidden, beautiful girl she is. The fact is more work needed doing to make Moretz seem more like a Carrie White than a Sue Snell. Her hair and dress both needed frumping up. It came off a bit too much like the glasses-and-a-ponytail gag in Not Another Teen Movie.

Yet the biggest flat-lining in the film is the rote repetition of the exact story beats almost exactly as they happened before save with more advanced but inconsistently rendered CG. The wrinkles were often good (the principal’s inability to say the word “period,” Maggie’s self-mutilation, Tommy playing lacrosse, etc.) but these are all small things and when so much of the film is precisely the same, but emotionally flatter; you need more. There are occasional moments of viscera at the beginning and end but far too much “meh.”

“They’re all going to laugh at you,” Miss White says. This version isn’t quite laughable, but I was not impressed this time around at all.

4/10

61 Days of Halloween: Sisters (1973)

Posted on October 3, 2013 by bernardovillela

Introduction

For an introduction to the concept of 61 Days of Halloween, and a list of previously featured titles, please go here.

Sisters (1973)

One of the good things about going off a list, at least in part, to decide on viewing options is that it allows for more occasions for you to be a blank slate. A lot of the selections I’m seeing for this year are from Stephen King’s list of the best horror films from 1950-1980 that he included in his book Danse Macabre. I have replicated the list on my Letterboxd page (check it out!).

When I received Sisters from Netflix I knew it was De Palma and before Carrie and that’s all I could remember. Thankfully, the synopsis on the disc mailer didn’t give too much away.

On a personal note this may be my favorite film I’ve seen that set mostly on Staten Island. I had no idea that was coming and how it’s introduced is great: Danielle (Margot Kidder) is a Quebecois model/actress, and after a gig her and Philip (Lisle Wilson) have dinner and have it cut short by her ex (Emile Breton). Philip offers to take her home. She tells him she lives on Staten Island, and it goes something like this:
“Staten Island?” he says.
“Yes, Staten Island is part of New York isn’t it?”
Philip, smiling, says: “I guess it is.”

I was born in Manhattan, but I spent most of my formative years on Staten Island, and that statement in a nutshell is the conundrum of being from there; that whole “We’re New York too, dammit” subtext. A short exchange of dialogue encapsulates it on both sides.

Personal baggage aside, Sisters is a great little gem. I use that term because it starts with a fairly small series of events one after another that slowly turn in to a much bigger plot than was intimated at first. The simple Hitchcockian mystery element gets more byzantine as it progresses; even throwing some last second misdirection, making certain things even weirder than they are.

The first suspenseful passage features, yet another recently-viewed example of, a great use of split-screens. It’s a film that’s tied up in the psychology of its characters, their relationship to one another and secrets buried in the past.

In a certain way there were also parts of it that reminded me of Cronenberg as there were weird, significant things afoot with few characters noticing or being affected.

With scoring by the legendary Bernard Herrmann this film is quite the riveting pulse-pounder with a few jaw-dropping moments in store for those who do see it.