Post a Comment On: Cinema Viewfinder

[Image] My poll asking for your 3 favorite De Palma films closed last week. While not scientific, it certainly didn't surprise me too much with one notable exception. Out of 168 respondents the films broke down like this: Blow Out got 65 votes as the most highly regarded film.Carrie got 55 votes, not surprising given Stephen King's involvement.Dressed to Kill got 44 votes, which I expected because it was probably De Palma at his most popular even if some snobbier critics look down on its violence.Carlito's Way got 41 votes. This seems to be the film that is rapidly rising up in the ranks as one of his more underrated efforts. Cahiers du Cinema recently named it the best film of the nineties, and it is my personal favorite as well.Body Double and Femme Fatale tied with 34 votes each. This is the biggest surprise. Many De Palma fans have a distaste for his sillier gonzo films. But I was gratified to see these both up here,and perhaps it means they are being rehabilitated in some people's minds. Here are the rest: The Untouchables - 29 votes.Scarface - 28 votes.Phantom of the Paradise - 24 votes.Sisters - 20 votes.The Fury and Mission: Impossible - (tie) 16 votes.Casualties of War - 13 votes.Raising Cain - 12 votes.The Black Dahlia - 11 votes.Obsession - 10 votes.Hi, Mom! and Snake Eyes - 8 votes.Redacted - 5 votes.Mission to Mars - 4 votes.Dionysus - 2 votes.The Bonfire of the Vanities, Get to Know Your Rabbit, Greetings, Home Movies, and Murder à la Mod - (tie) 1 vote.And The Wedding Party and Wise Guys were the only ones to fail to get a single vote.As I said in the comments section in an earlier piece, thanks to all of my readers and fellow bloggers for their support during this exciting event. You guys took this to another level by bringing your most intelligent commentary to the party and making this a great place to debate the strengths AND weaknesses of one of my favorite directors. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Brian De Palma for giving us such wonderful fodder for this event. Hope your best films are still ahead of you, sir. And I hope someone made you aware of all the love the blogosphere has for your films. This event was so fun, I'm thinking I'll make it an annual Labor Day tradition. What do you think? Wait until you see who the subject is next year.