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Domino is
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Listen to
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Supercut video
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Washington Post
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Exclusive Passion
Interviews:

Brian De Palma
Karoline Herfurth
Leila Rozario

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AV Club Review
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A note about topics: Some blog posts have more than one topic, in which case only one main topic can be chosen to represent that post. This means that some topics may have been discussed in posts labeled otherwise. For instance, a post that discusses both The Boston Stranglers and The Demolished Man may only be labeled one or the other. Please keep this in mind as you navigate this list.
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Monday, September 1, 2014
'DRESSED TO KILL' IN MELBOURNE SEPT. 20
NANCY ALLEN & KEITH GORDON TO PROVIDE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTRO FOR CINEMANIACS SCREENING
Cinemaniacs, a film society in Melbourne, Australia, will present a screening of Brian De Palma's Dressed To Kill September 20th at The Backlot Studios. Cinemaniacs screens cult films and fan favorites once a month, and its theme this year is "I Love New York: Celebrating Films of the Big Apple."

Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon will provide an exclusive video introduction for the screening, and Allen has also sent along several signed 8x10's for the society to include as part of its prize giveaways that night. More details and trivia can be found on the Cinemaniacs Facebook page.

(Thanks to Justine!)


Posted by Geoff at 12:05 AM CDT
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Thursday, May 8, 2014
NANCY ALLEN & KEITH GORDON IN FANGORIA
TALKING 'DRESSED TO KILL': "EVERYTHING HAD TO BE PERFECTLY TIMED AND CUED UP"
The current issue of Fangoria (#332, May 2014) features what the cover bills as "Sex and Death in 1980: Dressed To Kill and Cruising." Inside are two separate articles about each respective film. The Dressed To Kill article by Lee Gambin and Camilla Jackson, titled "Murder Most Mod," is an interview with Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon, in which they discuss working on the movie together. Allen talks about how Brian De Palma, her husband at the time, would write in the morning, and when she would get up and get a cup of coffee, he would read to her "his current installment." She was initially excited about it, but later became nervous when she realized how much of the movie she would be carrying by herself, in contrast to the ensemble work she'd done on De Palma's Carrie.

Gordon talks about how his character was originally written as a 12-year-old, but when De Palma found the role difficult to cast, he called Gordon in for a reading, saying he was thinking of reconceiving it. "In the end," Gordon tells Fangoria, "it was more fun; there could be some flirtation, and some of the sexual jokes with Angie worked better than if [Peter] was a little kid not really understanding what people were saying or what was really going on. We kept a lot of the same dialogue, and the lines originally intended for an innocent kid became a bit more tongue-in-cheek and ironic."

The pair discuss working with Michael Cain, Dennis Franz, and Angie Dickinson, who was still working on TV's Police Woman at the time, and would fly in to do her scenes. Whereas Allen and Gordon had plenty of rehearsal time, Dickinson did not. "Angie was finding her movie-acting rhythm again, and that was interesting to watch," Gordon tells Fangoria. "We did that one scene we had and we didn't rehearse it to death, so that was good. I was always trying to make her more comfortable by getting her to laugh and whatnot, and at first she didn't seem to like that, but she slowly warmed to it. Brian would tell her, 'Look, we're not trying to rush through eight pages a day, we can take our time.' and she relaxed into that. You could see that she remembered liking doing movies and having time, unlike TV where everything is bam-bam, real fast."

Allen talks about meeting Dickinson on set: "Angie and I met in the elevator and then said goodbye; it was like 'Hello! And goodbye!' all in one shot! I didn't have to use too much imagination for that scene; it was all there in front of me. All that blood and gore! But of course, it was also very technical. My hand had to be in this place and my eyes had to be there, and it all works because it's so brilliantly edited."

Fangoria then follows up: "The technicality of the shoot in general must have been very complex, with all the cuts, split screens, dissolves and so forth. Did that highly stylized direction dictate your performances in any way?"

Allen responds, "So much of it was all about timing. It felt robotic at times. For instance, at the end, with the shot first of Keith, then of Michael, then of me, everything had to be perfectly timed and cued up. So I would be doing strange things, and sometimes feeling rather awkward."

'UNDER THE SKIN'
There's a lot more to check out in the Dressed To Kill article, and other terrific articles in the magazine, including the cover story interview with Jonathan Glazer about Under The Skin. At the end of that interview, Fangoria's Chris Alexander tells Glazer, "We're putting Under The Skin on the cover of the most widely read horror-film magazine in the world. Many might not consider it a horror movie, but we do."

Glazer replies, "That's interesting. How does it fit into the canon of horror cinema for you?"

FANG's Alexander: "Horror has always concerned the everyday somehow transformed into a place of danger. It's about that sense of dread, of nightmarish ambiguity. No questions are answered at the end of Under The Skin, and it's haunting. Its effect lingers. To me, that's a horror film."

Glazer: "Great. Then I'm honored that it is. If that's what it is to you, if that's how it feels to you, then that's fantastic."


Posted by Geoff at 11:25 PM CDT
Updated: Thursday, May 8, 2014 11:34 PM CDT
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Friday, April 11, 2014
GIRL MEETS FREAK MEETS 'DRESSED TO KILL'
DISCUSSION ENSUES


Girl Meets Freak describes itself as "a horror blog where an expert and a newbie discuss films from the canon." The theme of the blog for April is "perverted killers," which of course led to a discussion of Brian De Palma's Dressed To Kill. And a very lively discussion it is. Here are some excerpts (but definitely check out the entire blog discussion)...
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Sean: The whole concept behind that first shower scene is that this is what Kate is imagining while Mike is ineptly servicing her. I’m wondering if the fantasy scene here (and the other female fantasies articulated throughout the movie, like how Liz talks about sex) work as actual women’s fantasies, or are they just totally straight male ideas of what a “kinky” woman might imagine?

Kristine: I don’t feel comfortable or qualified to speak for all ladies, but I think intruder fantasies are pretty common. I wanted to be into Kate as a sexually adventurous and liberated woman, but I have to say that I found her extremely vocal and almost instantaneous orgasm a little over-the-top and frantic.

Sean: In the cab?

Kristine: Yeah. That seemed like a straight male fantasy of how a horny, kinky woman would respond to “a man’s touch.” I did think the preceding scnee, with Kate cruising for anonymous sex in the museum, was awesome and convincing...

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Sean: I wanted to ask if the painting she was looking at is a recognizable or iconic piece?

Kristine: Yes! That’s an Alex Katz painting she is sitting in front of, considering.

Sean: Tell me about it. It reminded me of those 1930s/’40s soap opera comic strips like Mary Worth or Rex Morgan, M.D.

Kristine: I don’t know that particular piece, but I knew it was Katz right away. He has a very recognizable style. Lots of portraits, especially of women. I think he is known for images of quiet angst. Like, a beautiful couple by a beautiful pool in a perfect L.A. setting, but instead of feeling tranquil and aspirational, it seems to reek of alienation. That is my take, anyway. That painting speaks to my Theory No. 1. However brief, there are several points in the movie where two women survey each other, and each time it seems very meaningful and poignant, though I can’t say I understand what exactly is supposed to be conveyed each time. Kate and lady in Katz portrait is one of the first instances of this female-on-female meaningful gaze of assessment.

Sean: I didn’t catch these lady moments of recognition, other than Liz thanking the lady cop who shot Elliott at the very end. What other ones were there?

Kristine: See, I would exclude that moment from the tally (but I also thought the movie totally fell to pieces at the end). The moments I am talking about are: Kate + Katz portrait, Kate + unfortunate-looking little girl in elevator, and Kate + Liz when the elevator doors open. Significantly, Bobbi is always wearing sunglasses, so that direct eye-to-eye contact is impossible...

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Ratings Roundup

The Girl’s Rating: Sleazesterpiece! AND Mucho racisto AND Neo-Hitchcockian gorgeousness AND Poses great questions, fumbles the answers AND This movie IS the ‘80s.

The Freak’s Rating: Sleazesterpiece! AND Pop perfection

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Posted by Geoff at 3:16 AM CDT
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Thursday, April 3, 2014
ON-SET PHOTO - 'DRESSED TO KILL'
POSTED BY NANCY ALLEN TO HER FACEBOOK PAGE


The photo above was posted today by Nancy Allen to her Facebook page for "Throwback Thursday." It shows Allen, Brian De Palma, and Dennis Franz filming Dressed To Kill in 1979.

Posted by Geoff at 5:05 PM CDT
Updated: Thursday, April 3, 2014 5:08 PM CDT
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Sunday, March 16, 2014




Posted by Geoff at 11:14 AM CDT
Updated: Sunday, March 16, 2014 12:37 PM CDT
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Saturday, March 15, 2014
'DRESSED TO KILL' DCP PROJECTION TONIGHT IN NY

Posted by Geoff at 11:38 AM CDT
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Monday, May 13, 2013
'DRESSED TO KILL' EXPANDED SOUNDTRACK TUESDAY
INTRADA RELEASE AVAILABLE "WHILE QUANTITIES & INTEREST REMAIN"
The rumors were true-- tonight, Intrada announced that its new release for Tuesday is an expanded, remastered edition of Pino Donaggio's soundtrack for Brian De Palma's Dressed To Kill. This edition features many cues never before released in pure audio format. It sells for $19.99. Here is the description from the website:
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DRESSED TO KILL (EXPANDED)

Label: Intrada Special Collection Volume 246
Date: 1980
Tracks: 24
Time = 58:51

At last! Popular Pino Donaggio score for Brian De Palma horror thriller gets brand-newly remixed, remastered & expanded CD! Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen bring delicious psycho-killer tale to life with terrifying results. Donaggio matches mayhem with his most vivid, intense film score to date. Gorgeous main theme plays in direct contrast to suspense material. Deserving spotlight is rhythmic slashing motif, scored for orchestra with frightening trombone glissandi stealing the thunder. Though present on original 1980 two-track mixes, striking color was somehow diminished. Brand new 2013 mix from newly-discovered actual 2" 24-track session masters finally unleashes chilling trombone color at last. Session masters (long considered lost when repeated searches kept leading to partial outtake rolls only) also allow Intrada to premiere dramatic material associated with Peter (Keith Gordon) assembling, mounting his surveillance camera to scope out sinister activities. Many other cues make world premiere appearance, including further exploration of dynamic action material. Two tracks were vaulted in two-track stereo only, the remainder were vaulted in 24-track formats. Together these pristeen-condition masters allow rich, rewarding expansion of what is generally thought of as Donaggio's most terrifying work. Informative notes by Scott Bettencourt, dramatic art design by Joe Sikoryak complete exciting package! Natale Massara conducts. Intrada Special Collection release available while quantities and interest remain!


Posted by Geoff at 8:51 PM CDT
Updated: Monday, May 13, 2013 8:52 PM CDT
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Wednesday, May 8, 2013
RUMORS OF DTK SOUNDTRACK NEXT WEEK
INTRADA FORUM TEASES EXPANDED REMASTER OF "EARLY 80S THRILLER" FOR MAY 14
In a post today on the Intrada Soundtrack Forum, Roger Feigelson teased information about an upcoming Intrada release for May 14 (this upcoming Tuesday). "One Special Collection title," he wrote. "A reissue of an early 80s thriller. This one took a long time because initially all we could find was the album master, but we really wanted to expand it. Finally, after extensive searching we found the 24-track masters of everything but the main and end title. The LP master was a little reverby, but everything else is now heard in crisp, detailed sound -- and much longer. Probably the most important work that emerged from this famous composer/director relationship." For several forum members, that last sentence immediately brought to mind Brian De Palma's 1980 thriller Dressed To Kill, with its masterful score by Pino Donaggio. An expanded remaster of this classic soundtrack would be most welcome-- we'll be awaiting a full announcement.
(Thanks to Randy!)

Posted by Geoff at 11:32 PM CDT
Updated: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 11:34 PM CDT
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Sunday, April 28, 2013
ARROW BLU-RAY OF 'DRESSED TO KILL' JULY 29
NEW ART SLEEVE BY NATHANEL MARSH, ESSAY BY MAITLAND MCDONAGH

The British Arrow Video will release a Blu-Ray edition of Brian De Palma's Dressed To Kill July 29th. According to posts at Horror Digital, the set appears to include almost everything from both the American Blu-Ray and the French Blu-Ray editions, aside from the American edition's "Dressed to Kill: An Appreciation by Keith Gordon" (6:06) and the photo gallery, and the French edition's preface by Samuel Blumenfeld. What's new is the cover ("reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanel Marsh," according to the special features list) and a collector's booklet "featuring new writing on the film by critic and author Maitland McDonagh, illustrated with original archive stills and promotional material."

McDonagh is the author of Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento. In her Terror Trap reflection on seeing Argento's Deep Red for the first time in New York, McDonagh mentions that one 42nd Street theater paired up De Palma's Dressed To Kill with "the totally sleazy Humanoids from the Deep."

Posted by Geoff at 11:33 PM CDT
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013


Posted by Geoff at 8:59 PM CST
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