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Recent Headlines
a la Mod:

Domino is
a "disarmingly
straight-forward"
work that "pushes
us to reexamine our
relationship to images
and their consumption,
not only ethically
but metaphysically"
-Collin Brinkman

De Palma on Domino
"It was not recut.
I was not involved
in the ADR, the
musical recording
sessions, the final
mix or the color
timing of the
final print."

Listen to
Donaggio's full score
for Domino online

De Palma/Lehman
rapport at work
in Snakes

De Palma/Lehman
next novel is Terry

De Palma developing
Catch And Kill,
"a horror movie
based on real things
that have happened
in the news"

Supercut video
of De Palma's films
edited by Carl Rodrigue

Washington Post
review of Keesey book

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Exclusive Passion
Interviews:

Brian De Palma
Karoline Herfurth
Leila Rozario

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AV Club Review
of Dumas book

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« January 2022 »
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Interviews...

De Palma interviewed
in Paris 2002

De Palma discusses
The Black Dahlia 2006


Enthusiasms...

De Palma Community

The Virtuoso
of the 7th Art

The De Palma Touch

The Swan Archives

Carrie...A Fan's Site

Phantompalooza

No Harm In Charm

Paul Schrader

Alfred Hitchcock
The Master Of Suspense

Alfred Hitchcock Films

Snake Eyes
a la Mod

Mission To Mars
a la Mod

Sergio Leone
and the Infield
Fly Rule

Movie Mags

Directorama

The Filmmaker Who
Came In From The Cold

Jim Emerson on
Greetings & Hi, Mom!

Scarface: Make Way
For The Bad Guy

The Big Dive
(Blow Out)

Carrie: The Movie

Deborah Shelton
Official Web Site

The Phantom Project

Welcome to the
Offices of Death Records

The Carlito's Way
Fan Page

The House Next Door

Kubrick on the
Guillotine

FilmLand Empire

Astigmia Cinema

LOLA

Cultural Weekly

A Lonely Place

The Film Doctor

italkyoubored

Icebox Movies

Medfly Quarantine

Not Just Movies

Hope Lies at
24 Frames Per Second

Motion Pictures Comics

Diary of a
Country Cinephile

So Why This Movie?

Obsessive Movie Nerd

Nothing Is Written

Ferdy on Films

Cashiers De Cinema

This Recording

Mike's Movie Guide

Every '70s Movie

Dangerous Minds

EatSleepLiveFilm

No Time For
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De Palma a la Mod
site

Entries by Topic
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.
All topics  «
Ambrose Chapel
Are Snakes Necessary?
BAMcinématek
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Carlito's Way
Carrie
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Columbo - Shooting Script
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Cop-Out
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Dionysus In '69
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Dressed To Kill
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Fire
Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Fury, The
Genius of Love
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Get To Know Your Rabbit
Ghost & The Darkness
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Happy Valley
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Hi, Mom!
Hitchcock
Home Movies
Inspired by De Palma
Iraq, etc.
Jack Fisk
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Keith Gordon
Key Man, The
Laurent Bouzereau
Lights Out
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Magic Hour
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Mod
Montreal World Film Fest
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Murder a la Mod
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Newton 1861
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Print The Legend
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Raising Cain
Red Shoes, The
Redacted
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Sisters
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Saturday, January 22, 2022
MOVIE BRAT BROS. PODCAST SEASON 1 IS ALL DE PALMA
FIRST EPISODE OF "DE PALMA-RAMA" LOOKS AT PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/moviebratbros.jpg

Let's start at the beginning: there's a podcast called Caged In: Coppola Connections that stems from the host, Petros, having "watched, reviewed, and lost his mind watching every Nicolas Cage film." That podcast looks "at the Coppola family, whether it's Francis Ford Coppola or Patricia Arquette for the 5 years she was married to Nicolas Cage." Now comes a spinoff, or "sister podcast," titled Movie Brat Bros., and season one, "De Palma-Rama," delves into the filmography of Brian De Palma. For the first episode, Petros is "joined by Jeanette and Daryl Bär to discuss Brian De Palma's 1974 Musical Horror Comedy, Phantom Of The Paradise." According to the episode description from Petros, "We chat the the plot, production and legacy of this film whilst seeing how it compares to Francis Ford Coppola's '74 output. We dive into the cultural impact of this film and the other Movie Brats' musicals."


Posted by Geoff at 12:01 AM CST
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Friday, January 21, 2022
MORE ART & DETAILS FOR WAXWORK'S 'CARRIE' OST
RE-MASTERED SOUNDTRACK SHIPPING FEBRUARY 4TH, CD VERSION ALSO AVAILABLE
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/carriewax4.jpg

As promised the other day, Waxwork Records made its newly re-mastered edition of Pino Donaggio's score for Carrie available for pre-order today. It turns out there is also a CD version available. Both will be shipping on February 4th. Here is the Waxwork Records description of the vinyl version:
Waxwork Records is thrilled to present CARRIE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Pino Donaggio! Expanded and re-mastered for its 45th anniversary, this deluxe double LP album marks the very first time that the complete film music has been released on vinyl. Carrie is a 1976 Horror film adapted from author Stephen King's very first published novel of the same name. The movie stars Sissy Spacek and is directed by Brian De Palma (Scarface, Phantom Of The Paradise).

The score by legendary composer Pino Donaggio (The Howling, Tourist Trap) skillfully captures the pressure of forced innocence, the humor of teen drama, and the trauma of coming of age as a girl in 1970’s America. The album also features the tracks “Born To Have It All” and “I Never Thought Someone Like You Could Love Someone Like Me” by Katie Irving.

CARRIE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features the expanded film music re-mastered and pressed to 180 gram "Prom Fire” colored vinyl, with new artwork by Phantom City Creative, and old-style tip-on gatefold jackets with matte satin coating.

CARRIE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Features:

The Expanded and Re-Mastered Soundtrack
180 Gram "Prom Fire" Colored Vinyl
New Artwork by Phantom City Creative
Deluxe Packaging
Old Style Tip-On Gatefold Jackets with Matte Satin Coating



Posted by Geoff at 7:51 PM CST
Updated: Friday, January 21, 2022 7:55 PM CST
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Thursday, January 20, 2022
'DE PALMA & ALMODOVAR VIBES' - 'SUPERIOR' TRAILER
NOMINATED FOR GRAND JURY PRIZE AT 2021 SUNDANCE, RELEASE TO ROLL OUT THIS SPRING & SUMMER
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/superior55.jpg

"Erin Vassilopoulos’s moody and stylish Sundance debut feature Superior is a spiritual sequel to her 2015 short film of the same name," states IndieWire's Ryan Lattanzio. "Both revolve around twin sisters trying to distinguish themselves from one another, and they’re played by Alessandra Mesa and Ani Mesa. This throwback thriller serves up ’80s vibes and Brian De Palma-esque thrills." According to Lattanzio, Superior was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize last year at Sundance 2021. "Factory 25 will release the film March 25 at BAM Cinemas in New York," Lattanzio informs, "followed by a nationwide expansion. A digital version of the film, as well as a limited edition Blu-ray, will be available later in the summer of this year."


Posted by Geoff at 12:01 AM CST
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Wednesday, January 19, 2022
RE-MASTERED 'CARRIE' OST FROM WAXWORK RECORDS
THIS FRIDAY - 2xLP EXPANDED DONAGGIO ALBUM ON "PROM FIRE" COLORED VINYL, ART BY PHANTOM CITY CREATIVE
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/waxworkcarrie55.jpg

Waxwork Records posted the following announcement today, via Instagram:
Coming this Friday. CARRIE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 2xLP by Pino Donaggio. This special 45th Anniversary album features the expanded soundtrack re-mastered and pressed to 180 gram “Prom Fire” colored vinyl, new art by @phantomcitycreative, and deluxe packaging! 🔥


Posted by Geoff at 11:46 PM CST
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Monday, January 17, 2022
'DRESSED TO KILL' - 'LAST NIGHT IN SOHO' MATCH-UPS
PUT TOGETHER BY 9.a.r.t, POSTED ON INSTAGRAM
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/dtklnis.jpg

Instagram user 9.a.r.t put together the above set of echoed images from Brian De Palma's Dressed To Kill and Edgar Wright's latest, Last Night In Soho. Scroll through 9.a.r.t's post there to see larger comparisons and a couple of bonus shots of the white coat for further comparison.

Previously:
Edgar Wright contrasts past & present in Soho


Posted by Geoff at 6:01 PM CST
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Sunday, January 16, 2022
MORE THAN JUST A MOVIE PODCAST - CARLITO'S WAY
AUSTIN GATES & ALLAN WHETSTONE REWATCH AND DELVE INTO DE PALMA CLASSIC
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/mtjamcarlito.jpg

Posted by Geoff at 11:55 PM CST
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Saturday, January 15, 2022
EDITOR TWEETS ENTHUSIASMS FOR 'CARLITO'S WAY'
ON FRIDAY NIGHT, VASHI NEDOMANSKY SHARED SIX VIDEO EXAMPLES OF DE PALMA'S VISUAL TECHNIQUE
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/tweetvashi.jpg

"Gorgeous 60-second 'table-top' 360-degree shot crafted by cinematographer Stephen H. Burum for Brian De Palma," film editor Vashi Nedomansky tweeted Friday night along with a video clip of the shot. "Important story point is shared while showcasing the beautiful set design, staging and lighting." Nedomansky is a former pro hockey player who has been editing film and television features for over a decade. As well as editing features such as David Zucker's An American Carol and TV movies such as Sharknado 2: The Second One, among others, he was an editing consultant on David Fincher's Gone Girl and Tim Miller's Deadpool.

Following up Friday's initial tweet about the 360-degree shot, Nedomansky posted five more video clips from the film, each with its own comment, beginning with a "SPLIT DIOPTER ALERT! 5 examples of Brian De Palma's well-embraced visual storytelling technique in Carlito's Way (1993)." He followed that with a clip of the film's shot near the beginning, which moves from the ceiling fluorescents down to Gail, medics, and police, turning upside down and then moving to show Carlito on the stretcher. "I don't even want to know how they did this shot," Nedomansky wrote. "Just want to appreciate its powerful effect..."

Going back to the scene that had the 360-degree shot above, Nedomansky then tweeted a clip foucusing on Carlito's reactions to the conversation around the table. Nedomansky imagined the brief working conversation between De Palma and Burum:

De Palma: Let give Pacino a nice push-in.
DP Stephen H. Burum: I got this.

From there, Nedomansky moved on to "The 125-second 'oner' at Grand Central Station," which, he added "was filmed by Steadicam operator Larry McConkey. De Palma shot 28 takes of the scene and used take 26 in the final film. It was shot without sound so De Palma could yell out instructions to cast and crew."

Nedomansky concluded the series of clips with a beauty: Carlito holding a trash can lid over his head in the rain as he spies Gail with her ballet class through windows across the way. "Carlito tries to reconnect with Gail after 5 years in jail," Nedomansky tweeted. "A beautiful moment as both characters finish the scene with mirrored body poses via a perfect match cut. Subtle and emotional as fuck."


Posted by Geoff at 12:01 AM CST
Updated: Sunday, January 16, 2022 11:06 AM CST
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Thursday, January 13, 2022
ARTIST ERNESTO RENDA ON THE CUTAWAY
IN HIS PIECE, "VIEW OF DOWNTOWN FROM SOUTH STREET SEAPORT (AFTER DRESSED TO KILL (1980))"
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/ernestorenda7.jpg

On Instagram a few days ago, ​artist Ernesto Renda shared images of his new piece, "View of Downtown from South Street Seaport (after Dressed to Kill (1980))". The piece -- wax pastel on canvas, glue relief on board, 12 x 18 x 2 inches -- focuses on a cut from Brian De Palma's Dressed To Kill, from Kate screaming orgasmically in the back of a taxi, to the "view of downtown" mentioned in the title. In De Palma's film, shot by Ralph Bode, the camera tilts down from the skyward glimpse of the World Trade Center towers (where, incidentally, Liz and Peter will meet up for lunch near the end of the film), and then pans right to show the taxi arriving at the man's apartment building. In his Instagram post, Renda also shared the two stills he focused on from Dressed To Kill:

In a scetion on his website, Renda describes his interest in "inserts and cutaways" --

Inserts and cutaways are shots used to avert the viewer's gaze from some intense or visceral sight onto something else. They are a sort of dissociation from the visible. I'm interested in the way that film images, as dialectical medium, form meanings together. In these types of sequences, the director imbues the second shot with the ecstasy, pain, intensity of the first shot.

What interests me as well is when these shots are used to convey the ambivalence of the non-human world or the surroundings of the characters. An example would be a scene "behind closed doors" cutting to the literal closed-door to express the intimacy, privacy, and secrecy of the action.



Posted by Geoff at 12:01 AM CST
Updated: Friday, January 14, 2022 12:29 AM CST
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Tuesday, January 11, 2022
'A RETURN TO ALMODOVAR'S FAMILIAR SANDBOX'
"WITH SHADES OF BRIAN DE PALMA" - NADINE SMITH ON 'PARALLEL MOTHERS'
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/parallelmothers6a.jpg

At Hyperallergic, Nadine Smith reviews Pedro Almodóvar's Parallel Mothers:
Time passes, and the two collide again after Ana loses her child to SIDS. Janis takes her on as a live-in nanny, but something has begun to feel off to her about her child. Secrets fester as Janis and Ana’s relationship thickens and intensifies, with the film evolving into a beguilingly uncanny thriller. After the more contemplative autofiction of Pain and Glory, Parallel Mothers is a return to Almodóvar’s familiar sandbox of applying a tender touch to pulp and genre tropes. With shades of Brian De Palma, he even employs a nanny cam to inventive ends.

The tension between Janis and Ana might be emotional and sexual at heart, but there’s a historical rift as well. Janis is the child of a Republican stronghold from the time of the Spanish Civil War, and is all too aware of the hidden mass graves throughout the countryside. In contrast, Ana is disconnected from the past, and the daughter of the fascist upper class. Almodóvar has become such an established brand and an icon of cinematic queerness that the sociopolitical context he emerged from is often forgotten. But it’s impossible to separate the thorny sexuality or vibrant color in his films from post-Franco Spain’s explosion of cultural and personal expression. No nation is ever free of its genealogical trauma. The cotton swab of a DNA test is a double-edged sword in Parallel Mothers — it both cuts away the veil from uncomfortable secrets, but is also a scientific tool that connects Janis to the bodies of long-lost family members. Almodóvar reminds us that the sins and struggles of our mothers are never washed away.



Posted by Geoff at 11:57 PM CST
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Monday, January 10, 2022
'SENSATIONALISM VS. REALITY' IN 'BLOW OUT'
AT THE SMART SET, MATT HANSON LOOKS AT DE PALMA'S FILM, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CAMILLE VELASQUEZ
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/smartsetblowout.jpg

"Blow Out might be the greatest film De Palma ever made," states Matt Hanson in the opening paragraphs of an article posted today at The Smart Set, "and it grows increasingly relevant in its unsentimental wariness about the potential for hidden forces at work through the highly charged space where media and politics meet. Blow Out contains premonitions galore about where conspiratorial thinking, and the technology that encourages it, ultimately leads us."

Here's an excerpt:

As a character, Terry is defined by his capacity to listen. His professional responsibility is to capture sounds that most people would either not notice or otherwise ignore. Terry’s receptivity is similar to the forever wired, content-soaked world of today, where we’re constantly getting information stimulation from everywhere, all the time. It’s been widely remarked that the ubiquity of cell phones and social media allow us all to become amateur filmmakers, eagerly posting the daily rushes of our lives for public consumption. But we shouldn’t assume that this constant videotaping of the world around us will make us wiser. As Blow Out reminds us, just because you get something important on tape doesn’t mean that people will listen.

If anything, recent history has demonstrated that, alas, mere documentation isn’t proof. Orwell once said that seeing what’s directly in front of one’s nose requires a constant struggle. If anything, that’s even truer now. Anyone can choose to see what they want to see in a certain picture or video, especially if they have an agenda or a preconceived notion of how they are supposed to respond. How visual information gets processed, and who decides how it’s interpreted, all too often ends up as more fodder for our national melodrama — another exciting plot twist in an interactive live socio-political soap opera that never ends because secretly, whether they want to admit it or not, nobody wants it to.

When Blow Out was released, paranoia and conspiracy theories tended to trend left. De Palma himself explained that he became obsessed with the Kennedy assassination and its disturbingly incomplete official narrative about who was where when: “the more you blow it up, the less clear it becomes.” Assuming that operatives are trying to influence elections and alter the country’s political life was, in hindsight, a very realistic response to the bright shining lies of Watergate and Vietnam.

The obsession with surveillance and how that purloined information is bent to the will of nefarious corporate or political actors was definitely a major theme in films of the late ’70s. Consider The Conversation, made by De Palma’s longtime friend Francis Ford Coppola, and Alan Pakula’s trilogy Klute, All The President’s Men, and The Parallax View, all of which interrogate who’s watching the watchers.

Now the tin foil hat points rightward. No doubt conspiracy theories exist on the left as well, but the right has openly mainstreamed its paranoia. Major figures promote it in campaign speeches, cite it in fundraising drives, and keep it circulating throughout their media echo chambers. Fast and loose, postmodern approaches to truth are no longer the purview of radical academics. Treating truth as a socially constructed puppet of power is a rhetorical gambit that routinely fills stadiums. “Alternative facts” will do just fine for an excited crowd that already knows what it wants to hear.

Yet maybe Terry’s solitary anguish, caught in the crossfire over who will get their hands on his recording, still contains a residue of hope. De Palma described Terry’s plight in self-sacrificial terms: “he has to sacrifice to solve this mystery that no one cares about.” Exactly. Terry loses his own peace of mind and the woman he loves precisely because of his idealistic refusal to ignore the empirical truth of what happened on that bridge.

It’s not just that Terry can’t bear to think of the darker implications of the recording, which are indeed troubling — he refuses to give up on what he knows to be true. He can’t understand why people want to accept the idea that no one else cares. Instead, Terry insists that his recording should be on the evening news. Terry’s not a particularly heroic figure — after all, he’s just a B movie hack who feels guilty over a mafia wiretap gone wrong — but nevertheless, he insists on committing to the truth even if no one else believes him or bothers to listen. This refusal to be gaslit is rather noble if a bit quixotic.


Posted by Geoff at 7:40 PM CST
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