5 Off The Top Of My Head - De Palma's Day

It's Brian De Palma's 68th birthday today. He's been on my mind sorta the past couple of days, ever since Nat injected a little De Palma love into a recent post of his, so I figured I'd take advantage of Brian's bee-day and give him a little love of my own. Last year I gave him birthday love in the form of a visual poem; this year I think I'll list my five favorite flicks of his...

Carrie (1976)

"Pimples are the Lord's way of chastising you."

Dressed To Kill (1980)

"Thank god, straight fucks are still in style!"

Body Double (1984)

"I do not do animal acts. I do not do S&M
or any variations of that particular bent,
no water sports either. I will not shave my pussy,
no fistfucking and absolutely no coming in my face.
I get $2000 a day and I do not work without a contract."

Sisters (1973)

"Did you know that the germs can come through the wires?"

Blow Out (1981)

"That's a terrible scream.
Jack, what cat did you have to strangle to get that? "

The only one of these that I'd classify as a "great" film is Carrie... and maybe Blow Out; the others are all varying degrees of swoon-inducing trash that I love anyways. Yes, I favor these to Scarface or The Untouchables or Causalities of War or any of "serious" picture he's made. It's only when he gets lurid and rips off Hitchcock left and right that I love him. It's why Fiona Shaw and Hilary Swank were the best parts of The Black Dahlia - Swank's ridiculousness is often overshadowed by Shaw's RIDICULOUSNESS but I love what Hilary did all the same.

Another highlight not mentioned yet -
Carla Gugino in Snake Eyes:


Another another highlight not mentioned yet -
John Lithgow in Raising Cain:

Or Rebecca Romijn in Femme Fatale!!!

Great and sorta awful sometimes and crap I love it all.
Just look through this post and imagine cinema without these things.
Barren, it'd be. So happy birthday, Brian... you absolute nutcake.
.