Over the years, I’ve become a pretty big Brian De Palma fan. It has been a slow process. I first came to him through the Oscar-winning, Al Capone-drama The Untouchables in 1987, then it was likely another decade before I caught him again in Mission: Impossible. I’d then catch a film here, a film there. Then the last couple of years, I’ve really started to pay attention. I’ve caught up on a lot of his older films – The Fury, Blow Out, Dressed to Kill – and while his stories are often a gloriously mess, I really dig his visual style.
Still, I’ve only seen about half his filmography so I’m looking forward to catching all the films I’ve missed. This includes some of his earliest films. Lucky for me, Arrow Video is putting out a collection of his first three films, all starring Robert De Niro. These three films (The Wedding Party, Greetings and Hi, Mom!) are low-budget, counter-culture comedies which struggled to get any sort of release. I don’t expect any of them to be particularly good as both director and actor were still learning their craft, but they should be fascinating to watch. And no doubt Arrow will put them together in the best way possible.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
The Equalizer 2: Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua team up once again in this follow up to their 2014 hit about a vigilante out for revenge.
Small Foot: My daughter is pretty excited about this animated adventure about a Yeti who goes looking for the mythological creatures known as humans.
Peppermint: Jennifer Garner stars in this revenge thriller about a woman who remakes herself into a badass heroine after her husband and daughter are killed by a ruthless gang.
Lizzie: Chloe Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, and Kim Dickens star in this based on the true life story of Lizzie Borden, an oppressed, independent-minded young lady who experiences a sexual awakening with the new maid much to the chagrin of her parents.
Colette: Keira Knightley stars as the real life Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette who wrote a semi-autobiographical novel for her husband. When it becomes a success, she must fight for creative ownership.
Forty Guns (Criterion Collection): Samuel Fuller directs Barbara Stanwyck in the Western about a tough-as-nails landowner butting heads with a gunslinger-turned-U.S. Marshall.
A Dry White Season (Criterion Collection): Donald Sutherland, Susan Sarandon, and Marlon Brando star in this drama about apartheid in South Africa.
