nancy allen Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Retro Cinema: Carrie
Filed under: Horror », United Artists », Retro Cinema »
In the spring of 1999, I had a unique experience. The Roxie Cinema (in San Francisco) was opening a brand-new print of Brian De Palma's Carrie (1976), which I suspect had been struck as a sort of apology for the now-forgotten The Rage: Carrie 2, released just a week before. I attended their press screening -- the very first unfurling of the new print -- but oddly enough, I was the only one to show up. Had the other critics already seen it? Or was there something else? The Roxie guys shrugged, asked if I'd like to go ahead, and I said yes. I sat in the middle, all by myself.
I've seen it again since then, and have become doubly convinced of its excellence. Along with The Untouchables (1987) and Mission: Impossible (1996) it was De Palma's biggest success and yet it's usually left out of diatribes calling De Palma a ripoff artist and a misogynist. Based on the first novel by Stephen King, Carrie uses virtually no Hitchcockian elements, and, actually, only about a half a dozen of De Palma's 28 feature films to date, do. Likewise, it's a fairly perceptive view, not of female sexuality in itself, but of the male fear of it. (And, more importantly, an awareness of this fear.) Moreover, both Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie received Oscar nominations for their performances, a justification for two strong female roles.
Brian De Palma's 'Dressed to Kill' To Be Remade
Filed under: Horror », Thrillers », Deals », MGM », Home Entertainment », Remakes and Sequels »
I guess if you wait long enough, eventually every movie is going to get remade. Variety reports that MGM has partnered with Hyde Park Entertainment for a direct-to-DVD remake of Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill. So far, there has been no mention of a director or cast, but MGM has hired Rick Alexander to write the script. Alexander is also producing the Conan The Barbarian remake with Warner Bros. This is just one of the many projects that MGM has planned for the DVD market; the deal with Hyde Park calls for at least 12 remakes of popular TV and film titles.Like most De Palma films, Dressed to Kill was an ode to Alfred Hitchcock, and Psycho in particular. Right down to an extended shower scene and the somewhat comical transvestism. The film starred Angie Dickinson, Michael Caine, and Nancy Allen with a story that centered on a prostitute (Allen) who is an eye-witness and a prime suspect for the murder of a bored housewife (Dickinson). Throw in Caine as a campy psychiatrist and you have the makings of another over-the-top De Palma classic. Both Caine and De Palma even managed to earn Golden Raspberry nominations, and believe me, there was some pretty tough competition that year. De Palma is reportedly still in talks to direct the prequel to his film The Untouchables; maybe if he's feeling nostalgic enough he could help out on Dressed while he's at it.
Guilty Pleasures: Poltergeist III
Filed under: Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », MGM », Remakes and Sequels », Guilty Pleasures »
Unlike our own Scott Weinberg, I am not a fan of horror films. At all. Not only do they not scare me, they typically bore me like nothing else. That said, I will admit to being scared as a child by two films, Poltergeist and Poltergeist III. The former is not that surprising to you, I'm sure, but the latter may have you questioning my credibility once again. Sure, it isn't a good movie (evidenced by its 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and its 3.6 rating on IMDb, not to mention Scott's claim that it's, "easily one of the worst movies ever made"), but it is really creepy, and it still continues to hold a unique power over me. Every time I watch it, I do double-takes at mirrors for days -- I just have to make sure that my reflection doesn't stay behind when I walk away. Okay, so really it's just that early scene with Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen that gives me the willies, and I admit that I often lose interest half-way in, but I really do love the premise and I can't say I never watch the movie all the way through.The thing I don't understand is how Poltergeist 2: The Other Side is lauded as being the better of the sequels. That movie, aside from giving me an early fear of tequila, isn't scary, nor does it have an interesting plot. Yes, it introduces us to the whole Reverend Kane storyline, but only as a set up to part III, in my opinion. The thing is, you can't beat any pic that primarily takes place in a tall building, especially when it deals with frightening creatures. This was the '80s, and the time had come for the haunted house to become the haunted skyscraper. It works for Ghostbusters, it works for Gremlins 2 (which came later, in 1990) and it works for Poltergeist III. I know I'm not the only one who thinks so, either.
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