Tockinit not horrible nor great

Sexylocher Masterful Movie

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

IncaWelCar In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome.

proud_luddite A documentary film exposes the life and career of Hollywood director Brian De Palma who began making films fifty years ago.This film tells a fine history, not just of De Palma's films or films in general, but also of the various historical events that influenced movies throughout the decades. Any history of the period that began in the late 60s and continued through the 70s is always welcome. De Palma mentions that there was much more freedom in those days before the business lobby took over Hollywood in the 80s and continued dominance ever since.There is enjoyable nostalgia in seeing clips of De Palma's films (which include a young, pre-stardom Robert De Niro) and those of other films that influenced him. These clips are the only alternative to this movie's main source of storytelling: De Palma himself narrating his history. While he is engaging and never dull as a speaker, the documentary feels incomplete as it lacks interviews from others - whether they be specifically for this film or older film clips from friends and foes.At one point, the renowned director mentions that he was condemned as misogynist for depicting violence against women. While he defends himself well, it would have been more interesting to hear directly from the other side. In fairness, male characters were also brutally treated in his films. His thrillers pushed the boundaries for violence. Personally, I've never been a fan of this kind of film-making even though I've enjoyed some of De Palma's films. Some of his films may stand out in movie history but I don't think the genre of excessive violence is worth glorifying.

SnoopyStyle This is a documentary about Brian De Palma's movies and career. It's almost entirely him sitting and talking about his movies. His Hitchcockian influence is obvious to any passing fans. This is a good documentary for anyone who likes his movies. Having come up along with many young directing icons of the era, he has some good insights and stories about everything. It doesn't get too salacious but he's not really sugar-coating too much either. It's a compelling watch and a fine insight into his movies. This is basically a compilation of the best of twenty plus movie commentaries by the director.

PimpinAinttEasy Think about it. A film like Carlito's Way was made only 23 years ago. I cannot imagine a film like it getting made today. It cost $30 million in 1993. It would cost approximately $50 million to make today (I used % increase in CPI). I don't think any studio today would finance a $50 million gangster flick with little or no action. Unless it was made by Tarantino or someone.And even if it were to get made today, who would play Pacino and Sean Penn's roles? Tom hardy? Ryan gosling? Di Caprio? The actors today are simply terrible.I guess I went a little off topic. This documentary had De Palma talking us through some of his early socially conscious Greetings era films to his erotic films and also the big studio films. De Palma is like a really candid and jovial character who nonetheless exudes a certain toughness. It was interesting to note that he spoke at length about the movie composers that he worked with. De Palma worked with the very best of movie composers - Bernard Herrmann, Pino Donaggio, Ennio Morricone etc.He also gave an important advice to young filmmakers - most filmmakers do not make the films they want to. Certain films come their way and they make the best of it. He gave a few examples of how he would be working on one screenplay or a novel but then he would be offered something else to make and he would abandon the project he was working on. I thought that was very interesting.

ujtc This interview/documentary on Brian DePalma's work is completely fascinating - it's not bloated with expert perspectives or critical assessment of DePalma's work. Rather we get an unfiltered story from the director himself which works its way through the last 50 years of cinema and discusses in much candor the highs and lows of a directing career. Particularly compelling are the practical steps DePalma took to stay relevant in a rapidly changing industry, as well as his pragmatic approach of dealing with hard-nosed movie executives, difficult actors and minuscule budgets. Throughout the DePalma's interview narrative is supplemented with clips from his own movies as well as other contemporary pieces, which convey the story line brilliantly. The documentary was filmed over the course of a view days based on dinner- time conversations between DePalma and Bombauch/Paltrow. Wonderful editing, amazing perspective; a must-see for any film lover or aspiring director.