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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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« February 2025 »
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De Palma interviewed
in Paris 2002

De Palma discusses
The Black Dahlia 2006


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italkyoubored

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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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Saturday, February 15, 2025
COLLIDER ON DE PALMA'S 'OVERLOOKED' SNAKE EYES
"AN INTERESTING CAT-AND-MOUSE TAKE ON THE CONSPIRACY CONCEPT"
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/snakeeyesimpact0.jpg

Collider's Daniel Cruse's post yesterday about Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes has the headline, "Nicolas Cage Is a Crooked Cop Hunting a Killer in This Bonkers, Overlooked Brian De Palma Thriller." Here's an excerpt:
De Palma's greatest thrillers take after Hitchcock in premise and execution, but they often also reveal wide-spanning political conspiracies that feel more in line with the works of Alan J. Pakula. Pakula directed a trilogy of films about political conspiracies; Klute, All the President's Men, and The Parallax View. Snake Eyes most closely echoes The Parallax View, another movie about an assassinated political figure, and a man tasked with uncovering the shadowy network of people responsible.

Snake Eyes is an interesting cat-and-mouse take on the conspiracy concept, as De Palma and David Koepp's script reveals the main perpetrator to the audience fairly early on, while keeping Cage's character in the dark. This reveal ramps up the tension of the remaining sequences, as the two characters frequently come into close contact, with Santoro unaware of the immediate danger being posed to him as he closes in on the mystery. This choice attracted some criticism at the time, with people feeling that Snake Eyes ran out of steam by the end because of the choice to give away the resolution so early. In an episode of Mark Cousins' Scene by Scene for BBC, De Palma talked about this choice, explaining that the film fundamentally is not about the reveal and instead about "how finding that out affects their relationship."

One trick De Palma uses to keep Snake Eyes fresh throughout the runtime, even after the reveal, is that the movie will cut back to scenes we already saw from Santoro's point of view, but from another perspective. Around a corner, or behind a door that was closed as Santoro walked by, we realize another character was already in place, plotting something or narrowly evading a blown cover. De Palma makes great use of recurring sequences to slowly give out more information, something he also does in Blow Out when John Travolta's character obsessively re-listens to his audio recording to piece together his own mystery.

When everything comes together in Snake Eyes, it may feel a bit too convoluted on first viewing, but De Palma's choice to lay the story out as he did makes it far easier to appreciate on repeat viewings. The film received mixed reviews at the time, but it is one of De Palma's most thrilling and entertaining efforts, reinforcing his mastery of cinematic and visually striking thrillers. Nobody makes them quite like him.


Posted by Geoff at 11:30 PM CST
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Thursday, January 2, 2025
NICOLAS CAGE ON WORKING WITH BRIAN DE PALMA
"HE'S A VERY INTUITIVE FILMMAKER"
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/snakeeyesset275.jpg

Hollywood Outbreak posted a 90-second audioclip today of Nicolas Cage talking about working with Brian De Palma on Snake Eyes. There is no information in the post regarding the context of the clip or when it was recorded (this week? years ago? who knows?), but here is a transcript:
He’s really equally devoted to both camera and his actors. He loves actors. So you get that sense that you can trust him. Because I was a huge fan of Brian’s, I felt like with this character, I could really go for it and take chances and get kind of wild, and that he would use the right takes. So I felt safe with him. I also think he’s a very intuitive filmmaker, in that he tests the range of his actors. In the first few days that we worked together, he would, you know, do a lot of takes and see what the range of my instrument was. And he knew, like, what takes I was better at, or how long I could go before I lost my concentration or had peaked. And I remember I was doing a scene with Carla Gugino in the stairwell, and it never really felt a hundred percent. But he said, “All right, we got it,” you know, and it was lunch, and all right, we’ll go and do the other scene. So I’m at lunch, and I’m thinking about the other scene. We came back from lunch, and he said we’re going to do that scene again. And it was quite brilliant, because then we did it, and it was all there – it just came together perfectly. And it occurred to me that that’s a very intuitive filmmaker, that’s so in sync with his actors, that he knows when they’re going to be firing properly.


Posted by Geoff at 11:06 PM CST
Updated: Thursday, January 2, 2025 11:10 PM CST
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Monday, October 14, 2024
IS THIS SEAT TAKEN? KINO LORBER'S 4K SNAKE EYES BLU - DEC 17
BRAND NEW MASTERS - From a 16bit 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/thecrowd245.jpg

Thanks to Christian for first alerting us to the news that Kino Lorber will release new 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray editions of Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes on December 17. These new masters are sourced from a 16bit 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative. The only special feature, other than the theatrical trailer, is a new audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson.

Posted by Geoff at 11:56 PM CDT
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Saturday, October 5, 2024
'SNAKE EYES' CAGE MATCH AT MORBIDLY BEAUTIFUL BLOG
STEPHANIE MALONE: A "HIDDEN GEM" WITH VISUAL FLAIR & AN ENERGETIC CAGE PERFORMANCE
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/cagematch.jpg

At Morbidly Beautiful, Stephanie Malone and Kelly Mintzer provide their respective takes on the current state of Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes:
Brian De Palma’s “Snake Eyes” was dismissed upon release despite striking visuals and assured direction; is it ripe for a reappraisal?

This week’s Cage Match (as chosen by the random number generator from Cage’s entire filmography) was the chilling, still haunting 1999 thriller 8MM. For the People’s Pick, we put two other films where Cage plays a detective up for a vote: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) and Brian De Palma’s 1998 thriller Snake Eyes (1988). Snake Eyes won that match.

This divisive film received mixed reviews upon release and continues to inspire differing opinions, which you’re about to witness in this Cage Match!


Posted by Geoff at 12:01 AM CDT
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Wednesday, August 14, 2024
WEDNESDAY TWEET - THE FALSE MIRROR / SNAKE EYES
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/falsemirror1.jpg


Posted by Geoff at 11:24 PM CDT
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Sunday, August 4, 2024
MOVIEFINATICS - 'SNAKE EYES' IS AN 'UNSUNG GEM'
ESSAY INCLUDES A DEFENSE OF THE ENDING AS SUBVERSIVE & TRUE TO THE FILM'S THEMES


MovieFinatics has a new "Unsung Cinema" post about Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes. "Looking back," states MovieFinatics, "Snake Eyes stands out as a unique entry in the crime thriller genre. Its imperfections are part of what makes it compelling. The film dares to be different, blending a flashy visual style, a complex narrative structure, and an unforgettable lead performance. Many films from that time played it safe, sticking to formulaic plots and predictable outcomes. Snake Eyes reminds us of the rewards that come with taking creative risks." In a sort of add-on to the initial portion of the essay, there is a "SPOILERS AHEAD" defense of the film's ending:
The ending of Snake Eyes has been a point of contention for many viewers and critics. Some feel it does not provide the cathartic resolution that the buildup demands. However, a defense of the ending reveals it to be consistent with the film’s overarching themes and narrative structure.

One of the primary criticisms of the ending is that it does not offer a traditional, triumphant conclusion for Rick Santoro. Instead, Santoro’s moment of redemption is followed by personal ruin—his exposure to the conspiracy leads to his downfall. This outcome, however, is more realistic and in line with the film’s thematic exploration of corruption and redemption. It underscores the idea that proper redemption comes with a price and that the path to integrity is fraught with personal sacrifice. Santoro’s fall from grace is a poignant reminder that actions have consequences, and in a world rife with corruption, doing the right thing often comes at a significant personal cost.

The ending also reinforces the film’s theme of perception versus reality. While Santoro manages to uncover the truth, the cost is high, and the resolution is far from clear-cut. The audience is left to grapple with the ambiguity of Santoro’s victory—he has done the right thing, but his life is left in shambles. This ambiguity is a deliberate choice by De Palma, reflecting the complexities of real-life justice and morality. It challenges the audience to consider the true nature of victory and whether it is always as clean and satisfying as we might hope.

Snake Eyes deliberately subverts the expectations of the crime thriller genre. Instead of providing a neat resolution, it leaves viewers unease and contemplation. This subversion is a bold move that distinguishes the film from more formulaic thrillers. By refusing to adhere to a conventional happy ending, Snake Eyes remains true to its themes and offers a more thought-provoking conclusion.

Snake Eyes is a film that delves into deep and complex themes, including corruption, the illusion of power, and the dichotomy of perception versus reality. Its ending, while controversial, is a fitting conclusion that aligns with these themes, offering a realistic and thought-provoking resolution. Brian De Palma’s direction and Nicolas Cage’s compelling performance make Snake Eyes a film that deserves to be revisited and appreciated for its ambition and nuance. The film challenges its audience to look beyond the surface and consider the more profound implications of its story, making it a genuinely unsung gem in the world of cinema.


Posted by Geoff at 9:22 PM CDT
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Wednesday, June 19, 2024
CINEMA, FROM A FASCINATING FILMMAKER
CAMERON GEISER LOOKS AT SNAKE EYES FOR THE FIRST TIME


"No, this isn't the G.I. Joe spinoff film, this is cinema," Cameron Geiser begins in his review of Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes at the blog Films Fatale. Geiser continues:
Brian De Palma is a fascinating filmmaker. His oeuvre is wild and wide ranging with films like Carrie, Blow Out (my favorite De Palma film), Scarface, Body Double, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible, and Dressed to Kill to name a few. With the disaster that was The Bonfire of The Vanities (again, I highly encourage giving The Devil's Candy a read) De Palma rebounded in the 90s with a few really solid hits like the first Mission: Impossible movie a couple years prior to this film's release. Snake Eyes was one I never knew about and only added it to the list as it was a Nic Cage movie from the 1990s that I didn't know about until now.

In fact my interest tripled during the opening credits when I realized that this was one of De Palma's films. Snake Eyes is a conspiracy thriller surrounding a high profile boxing match in Atlantic City where a powerful politician is mysteriously shot dead during the height of the match. It just so happens that erratic Atlantic City Detective Rick Santoro (Nicolas Cage) was sitting front row for the killing and immediately puts himself at the forefront of the crime scene. Rick's best friend Commander Kevin Dunne (Gary Sinise) is the head of security for the Senator thus the two attempt to solve the case through their divergent methods.

What I loved about Snake Eyes was, in order, the (inventive) cinematography, the screenplay, revisiting the same scenes and events with new information or from different angles, and the tension/pacing. Obviously Nic Cage entertains here, he's not quite as insane as his Face/Off performance from the year prior, but this character is closer to his Castor Troy character than any other Nic Cage performance I have seen so far. I really dug this film, it reminded me to look further into Brian De Palma's career.


Posted by Geoff at 11:52 PM CDT
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Sunday, April 14, 2024
KINO LORBER 4K 'SNAKE EYES' COMING SOON
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/tweetklsnakeeyes1.jpg

Posted by Geoff at 9:52 PM CDT
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Tuesday, August 8, 2023
'MY LUCKY NUMBER?'
SNAKE EYES - A VISION OF TOTAL ILLUMINATION
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/luckynumber1.jpg


Posted by Geoff at 12:10 AM CDT
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Monday, August 7, 2023
SNAKE EYES RELEASED 25 YEARS AGO TODAY
https://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/snakeyesaug7.jpg

Posted by Geoff at 8:04 AM CDT
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