JiM T

This is coming from someone who considers himself a big Depalma fan:

GREAT/REALLY GOOD: Carrie, Untouchables, Blow Out, Casualties of War, Dressed to Kill, Mission: Impossible, Phantom of the Paradise, Sisters, Femme Fatale

PRETTY GOOD/OKAY: Body Double, Scarface, Raising Cain, Snake Eyes, Obsession, Carlito's Way, Greetings, Hi Mom! (As individual movies, the latter two fall easily into this catagory, although in the Depalma filmography, these two are in many ways keys to a better understanding of his later more popular films.) (Plus, he discovered Robert De Niro! Cool!)

PRETTY BAD/SPECATULAR FAILURES: The Fury, Mission to Mars, Bonfire of the Vanities

NEVER SEEN: Get To Know Your Rabbit, Home Movies, The Wedding Party, Wise Guys, Dionysis '69 (?)


I sat in on an 8 week Depalma course at my former film school after I graduated. I was definitely the only fan in there besides the instructor. We would get into heated yet friendly debates over "Mission: Impossible". (It was relatively new back then.) I was adamantly defending it while he was quick to dismiss it as work for hire, along with "Untouchables" and I think "Scarface". Oddly, he was a big fan of "Bonfire of the Vanities", and got the whole class (brainwashed mob!) on his side, even after we watched it. Weird.

JiM T

dork

Favorite: Either Casualties of War or Blow Out

Very good: Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Femme Fatale, The Fury, Greetings/Hi Mom!, Phantom of the Paradise

Good: Carlito's Way, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible, Mission to Mars, Snake Eyes, Raising Cain

Mediocre: Scarface, Body Double, Sisters, Obsession

Crud: Wise Guys, Bonfire of the Vanities