Spanish_Prisoner Reviews

Body Double (1984)

hilarious exercise in style and murder mystery

[8/10 · 12 January 2005]

I've been a fan of De Palma long time and I just saw this one this night. To my enjoyment, I had a few smiles, even laughters, intensity, involving to the storyline, getting that suspense that is needed.

This movie is a perfect example to pull of what Hitchcock has done best in "Rear Window" and "Vertigo". De Palma set up those two basic ideas into a story that's really enjoyable and intense same time. Especially when you are in the knowledge of the movies of the 40s and 50s and the art of making a thriller you are just going to be pleased.

My guess is that De Palma made this movie out of pure pleasure, doing all those great stuff with claustrophobia, sexual need, voyeurism, grotesque murder, and most of all terrifying suspense.

The murder sequence was in my opinion of a well crafted exercise in suspense. You fear, then you hope, then you try to guess, it goes all right, then all wrong, the hero comes, it seems at right time, but still too late, it all goes on and on and you can't believe it happened. Loved and hated the sequence, for film-making and emotional purposes.

Not the greatest, but definitely one of De Palmas best.

The Russia House (1990)

missed the potential!

[5/10 · 9 December 2003]

Ok, this movie has some great actors (Connery, Pfeiffer and Brandauer) and with that a story combined, make a huge potential to be put onscreen. It never quite gets above average, though many times it was interesting.

What disturbed me was the pacing and redundancy of so many scenes. I don't mind longer and well shot scenes, as long as they fit and hit. In "The Russia House" the entire movie has a plot cut down to only a few moments of talking and walking and love, which isn't bad, but was made bad through the directors artistic feeling for this picture. He tried to make some melancholy and drama by forcing a slow pace and long shots. It doesn't work when nothing happens. As well some scenes (especially in the beginning when Connery is in Lisbon in an interrogation) take very long to be established because the director showed them several times, just with different angles and dialogue which do not further the story or character.

If only some of the more suspenseful scenes (they weren't that suspenseful) were shot to be suspenseful, even just for the cause to be suspenseful, this movie would have been much better and I would have rated it sure above 5 points.

Face to Face (2003)

Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord!

[8/10 · 26 August 2003]

I attended the premiere screening of this awesome film in March '03. To see a movie made with a very tight budged is always interesting and in this case also an inspirational and encouraging experience to sit in a crowded audience cheering up as the film unfolds.

Basically the story follows the two brothers through a tale of vengeance. Though the two brothers have the same goal, to find the murderers of their parents, they are completely different personalities, which gives this story more depth and of course unavoidable conflicts. Love, betrayal, identity, honor and trust will all play a major role in this film and still stay true to the theme. There's a scene in the film, when the two brothers have done a mistake and realize they're not better than the murderers of their parents and the consequences are inevitable. Maybe the most terrific moment in the whole movie! I loved it.

Still there remains some things I don't quite agree with Marco von Moos. The beginning and ending sequences should've been longer and more intense, instead of the, in my opinion, too short scenes. And also I think one major character (No name, I don't want to spoil) appears too late, thats why I feel like watching a stereotype that character embodies. Though the most of the dialogue and acting was pretty good, there are moments when it becomes a little amateurish (the two lovers in the zoo).

After all, everyone with ambition to make movies should watch this film and learn.