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flyonthewall2983 wrote:It might be worth a second look considering this coming release, but I remember seeing this a little over a decade ago, and not being impressed with it. It will be interesting to see if Tarantino contributes something to this, because correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is his all-time favorite movie.

Mr Sausage wrote:Blow-Up, The Conversation, and Blow-Out all have the same basic premise (there may or may not have been a murder, of which the main character may or may not have evidence), but only Blow-Out is truly about its premise. The first two films are thrillers only tangentially and use their central mystery as a way to explore other things entirely (alienation, paranoia, anhedonia, insecurity, failures of meaning and interpretation). It's telling that neither film is really interested in solving the mystery. Blow-Out, however, works backwards from its predecessors towards the mystery itself: how a plot is composed, how it is hidden, and most importantly, how it is reconstructed. Basically, the first two aren't about what they're about, while the third is aggressively about what it's about. They're really at cross-purposes.

Blow-Out is rather a good movie. It does not have the same ambition as the other two (all of which are successful in their ambitions), but that's not the reason it's my least favourite of the three. My problem is Blow-Out is less resonant: something about de Palma's surface sheen gives the feeling that the emotional moments are beats in a well-coiled machine, that they, and my reactions to them, are the product of a persistent and calculated purpose, and this feeling begins to intrude on the experience. As a consequence, the movie acquires an impersonal tinge that works against it. Not a major criticism, but it must be said that the character moments are less successful than the purely visual/aural sequences.

AquaNarc wrote:

Mr Sausage wrote:Blow-Up, The Conversation, and Blow-Out all have the same basic premise (there may or may not have been a murder, of which the main character may or may not have evidence), but only Blow-Out is truly about its premise. The first two films are thrillers only tangentially and use their central mystery as a way to explore other things entirely (alienation, paranoia, anhedonia, insecurity, failures of meaning and interpretation). It's telling that neither film is really interested in solving the mystery. Blow-Out, however, works backwards from its predecessors towards the mystery itself: how a plot is composed, how it is hidden, and most importantly, how it is reconstructed. Basically, the first two aren't about what they're about, while the third is aggressively about what it's about. They're really at cross-purposes.

Blow-Out is rather a good movie. It does not have the same ambition as the other two (all of which are successful in their ambitions), but that's not the reason it's my least favourite of the three. My problem is Blow-Out is less resonant: something about de Palma's surface sheen gives the feeling that the emotional moments are beats in a well-coiled machine, that they, and my reactions to them, are the product of a persistent and calculated purpose, and this feeling begins to intrude on the experience. As a consequence, the movie acquires an impersonal tinge that works against it. Not a major criticism, but it must be said that the character moments are less successful than the purely visual/aural sequences.

But dey have similar subject matter!! Just liek hitckock.

Honestly the shallowness of thought at this place amazes me sometimes.

Tribe wrote:

aox wrote:Pardon my e-abrasiveness: I haven't seen this film, but my understanding from people I trust is that it is complete shit and simply a Blow-Up/The Conversation derivative. I look forward to viewing it.

It's entertaining on a Friday night if you're drunk and have nothing much else to do...which isn't a terrible thing, mind you. But I'd hesitate to ever talk about it as being in the same league Blow-Up and The Conversation.

swo17 wrote:

Jeff wrote:I believe this is the first Collection entry from the incredible Vilmos Zsigmond. It won't be the last though...

Until you say otherwise, I'm going to assume this means that The Long Goodbye and/or Heaven's Gate are entering the Collection.

fasozupow wrote:Btw, I happened to watch Blow Out and Peeping Tom back to back the other day (says something about my tastes) and I couldn't help but notice a number of similarities...

Cold Bishop wrote:

fasozupow wrote:Btw, I happened to watch Blow Out and Peeping Tom back to back the other day (says something about my tastes) and I couldn't help but notice a number of similarities...

Well, it shouldn't be surprising; De Palma is part of that late 60s group that helped coronate the film as a masterpiece, and he's always mentioned this and The Red Shoes as two favorites. And the subject matter is certainly right up his alley.