Tag Archives: Dennis Franz

1984 Films, Barbara Crampton, Brian De Palma, Craig Wasson, David Haskell, Deborah Shelton, Dennis Franz, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Gregg Henry, Guy Boyd, Lane Davies, Melanie Griffith, Satire, Thriller

Body Double-1984

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Body Double-1984

Director Brian De Palma

Starring Craig Wasson, Gregg Henry, Melanie Griffith

Scott’s Review #1,475

Reviewed April 5, 2025

Grade: A-

Brian De Palma is one of my favorite directors. His stylistic body of work in the psychological thriller/horror genre is masterful, with treats such as Carrie (1976) and Dressed to Kill (1980) as my favorite films.

Body Double (1984) allowed De Palma much creative freedom because of the success of these films and the underwhelming but successful Scarface (1983).

It is a fly-under-the-radar type of film that pays direct homage to 1950s Alfred Hitchcock films, most notably Vertigo (1958) and Rear Window (1954).

I get triple pleasure from watching Body Double. I compare scenes to the above-mentioned Hitchcock films and scenes to De Palma’s own films, especially Dressed to Kill. Plus, it stars Melanie Griffith, daughter of Hitchcock star Tippi Hedren.

The setting is Los Angeles, with B-movie film sets, posh Hollywood mansions, and hilly views of the vast City of Angels landscape. I am fascinated by the city and its mixture of glitzy glamour and dark subtext, which is a perfect recipe for watching this film.

While not De Palma’s very best work it is pretty damned good and somehow isn’t as revered as other films.

Craig Wasson plays Jake Scully, a struggling actor who loses his acting role and his girlfriend, Carol (Barbara Crampton), on the same day. While taking a Method acting class, his friend Sam (Gregg Henry) offers him a gig house-sitting an ultra-modern home that overlooks mansions.

While peering through the beautiful home’s telescope one night, he spies a gorgeous blonde, Gloria (Deborah Shelton), dancing in her window. Becoming obsessed with her, it leads to a vicious crime and into the world of adult entertainment along with porn star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith).

Fans of De Palma will undoubtedly love Body Double because it feels like a De Palma film. At other times, he veered too far away from his brand for my tastes, but the sultry and glossy voyeurism is fully displayed.

Who won’t instantly think of the museum scene in Dressed to Kill during the mall scene in Body Double? It’s a titillating cat-and-mouse chase scene with Jake following Gloria through a parking garage, a Fredericks of Hollywood-type store, and ultimately watching her try on panties, which he steals.

The panties serve as a version of the glove in Dressed to Kill, while the final shower scene in Body Double made me think of the steamy shower scene in Dressed to Kill.

I often thought of Rear Window and Vertigo, but De Palma honors them instead of stealing from the treasures. Jake is obsessed with Gloria yet knows nothing of her. Is she who she appears to be? Is she in danger? Is Jake being set up like Scottie was in Vertigo?

The telescope that Jake peers through is a modern version of the one from Rear Window. In both films, a murder is attempted while the protagonist helplessly watches from afar.

Anyone who enjoys acting will be satisfied with a dose of a method acting class being showcased, as well as nifty low-budget sets and set pieces reminiscent of a Hammer Horror set.

Finally, the overarching theme of a ‘body double’ frequently used in films when the ‘star’ is replaced by a stand-in, usually for nude scenes, is cleverly referenced in the final scene when a girl with perfect breasts is used while filming a shower scene.

The trickery of filmmaking is celebrated.

The camera work and musical score are a large part of the appeal. The eroticism smolders while Jake and the audience watch Gloria and Holly dance amid moody, electronic 1980s dance beats. The camera captures the moment perfectly.

The glossy, sensual elements forever link De Palma with Hitchcock, 1980s style.

1980s films are often dismissed as cheesy or mainstream affairs, but Body Double’s look is 1980s in the best possible ways. The expensive cars, the big hair, the cocaine, and the L.A. porn world all mesh together fabulously. Incorporating the monster hit, ‘Relax’ and the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood is a significant win.

With Body Double (1984), De Palma provides slick entertainment and thrilling sensuality and helped launch the career of Melanie Griffith, a star of the 1980s and 1990s.

1980 Films, Comedy, Dennis Franz, Donald Moffat, Linda Hunt, Musical, Musical Comedy, Paul Dooley, Paul L. Smith, Ray Walston, Robert Altman, Roberta Maxwell, Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall

Popeye-1980

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Popeye-1980

Director Robert Altman

Starring Robin Williams, Shelley Duvall

Scott’s Review #1,474

Reviewed March 31, 2025

Grade: C+

As a loyal fan of the legendary director Robert Altman, I had never seen his 1980 effort, Popeye, which starred his muse, Shelley Duvall, and then rising movie star Robin Williams.

My favorite Altman films, Nashville (1975), Short Cuts (1993), and Gosford Park (2001), are masterpieces sprinkling overlapping dialogue with enormous casts.

Qualities that I adore.

I hoped Popeye would follow the same formula, but strangely and disappointingly, it doesn’t. The end product feels nothing like an Altman film and is a wacky, jagged attempted comedic affair that results in disappointment.

Desperately, it regains some semblance of control during the mid-section when sentimental and touching musical numbers surface, but this cannot save the film from mediocrity.

The entire affair seems rather pointless and overly messy.

When a muscled sailor named Popeye (Williams) journeys to the port town of Sweethaven, looking for the father (Ray Walston) who deserted him as a baby, he befriends an array of bumbling eccentrics.

He falls madly in love with dorky, sweet-natured Olive Oyl (Duvall).

Conflict erupts when it’s revealed that she already has a suitor, the jealous Bluto (Paul L. Smith). Popeye discovers an abandoned baby, Swee’Pea, whom he raises with Olive Oyl’s help, cementing their courtship. But when the spurned Bluto kidnaps Olive and the child, Popeye takes action with the help of his magic spinach.

Williams and Duvall are wonderfully cast and easily the best part of the otherwise ineffectual film.

The chemistry propels an investment in the couple despite the overreaching, zany dialogue. Williams dazzles with a cartoonish performance that befits who the funnyman would play best during his career despite turns towards more dramatic fare.

There is an infectious likeability factor that oozes from the screen. He’s also surprisingly cute.

Duvall nearly upstages Williams and everyone else with a maddingly frenetic and manic, excellent acting job. The actor was born to play Olive, even suffering from the nickname as a child.

Her constant and irritatingly grating ‘oohs’ are irresistible, and I mimicked her well before the credits rolled, much to my husband’s and my amusement.

The best moments occur midway through, with a combination of hits, such as ‘He Needs Me’ and ‘It’s Not Easy Being Me, which are performances by Duvall and Williams, respectively.

Both songs made me fall in love with the characters and made me thirst for more sentimentality over silliness.

You’d think I would have loved the film if for Williams and Duvall alone.

From the opening sequence, though, I found myself unamused and unenamored with the rest of the film.

Meant to be funny, the Taxman (Donald Moffat), Wimpy (Paul Dooley), and Bluto (Paul L. Smith) feel over-the-top and silly. They each lack any warmth or endearment and seem like caricatures of the cartoon.

The finale is meant to be edge-of-your-seat peril, with an octopus added to eat Olive Oyl and Swee’Pea, presumably. This is mixed with an uninspired performance by Ray Walston as Poopdeck Pappy (Popeye’s father).

Waiting for the spinach representation, but this comes too late in the game. Recognizing Popeye’s dislike for spinach, Bluto force-feeds it to him before throwing him into the water. The spinach revitalizes Popeye and boosts his strength, helping him defeat Bluto and Salty Sam.

Popeye celebrates his victory and his newfound appreciation of spinach.

If I made a list of Robert Altman films, I would rank Popeye (1980) toward the bottom. Reviled by critics at the time of release, the film has grown some appreciation over the years, but I’m not sure why.

1978 Films, Amy Irving, Andrew Stevens, Betty Buckley, Brian De Palma, Carrie Snodgress, Charles Durning, Dennis Franz, Fiona Lewis, Horror, Jim Belushi, John Cassavetes, Kirk Douglas, Melody Thomas Scott, Thriller, William Finley

The Fury-1978

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The Fury-1978

Director Brian De Palma

Starring Kirk Douglas, Amy Irving, John Cassavetes

Scott’s Review #1,446

Reviewed October 15, 2024

Grade: A-

The Fury (1978) is one of Brian De Palma’s films that flies under the radar and is underappreciated. It contains many of his trademark effects like slow-motion camerawork and incorporates actors who appear in more than one of his psychological thriller films.

The story might be more complicated than it needs to be and while legendary actor Kirk Douglas gets top billing he disappears for a good part of the film before returning towards the end. He hands the reins to Amy Irving who capably carries the rest of the film.

This is a small gripe for a film that ranks pretty close to classics like Dressed to Kill (1980), Carrie (1976), and Blow Out (1981).

I’m as guilty as anyone else for underappreciating The Fury since it’s only my second time viewing it.

The all-star cast features John Cassavetes as the villain, Carrie Snodgress, Charles Durning, Douglas, and Irving. That’s enough to make cinema fans want to see it. There are also unique actors in small roles who flesh out the quirky cast in a major win.

The screenplay by John Farris was based on his 1976 novel of the same name which feels a lot like a popular Stephen King novel.

The Fury utilizes the talents of esteemed John Williams who scored such greats like Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), and Jaws (1975), to name a few. The highly lauded composer aptly uses the music to enhance the overall product.

Events start in Israel when a plot separates CIA agent Peter Sandza (Douglas) from his son, Robin (Andrew Stevens), but the distraught father manages to see through the ruse.

He realizes that Robin is being held at an institute by Ben Childress (Cassavetes) because the teenager possesses supernatural powers that Ben intends to use as weapons.

Meanwhile, Gillian (Amy Irving), a teen with telekinesis, forms a psychic connection to Robin and teams up with Peter to find and rescue him. They are forced to endure villains intent on destroying them for their gain.

I am amazed how well the film, made in 1978, holds up tremendously decades later considering the characters play dated video games and the automobiles are very 1970s. The overindulgence of 1970s ‘stuff’ is what holds the most appeal.

Appealing is the glimpse at hundreds of extras appearing in the many exterior Chicago scenes. While Gillian and her friend La Rue (Melody Thomas Scott) stroll down the boardwalk they pass teams of regular people harkening back to a time long ago.

The unwieldy American sedans popular in the mid-1970s pepper the streets of Chicago while the sofa and carpet styles of the time are prominently featured at the Paragon Institute feeling like a nostalgic hug in authenticity.

When the character of Gillian is introduced during a high school sequence parallels to the film Carrie are immediately noticed. Carrie and Gillian are both high school students, who possess psychic powers, including telekinesis, and these powers harm people who physically touch or provoke her.

The kicker is that Irving also appeared in Carrie but not as the title character.

The best scenes are when Hester (Snodgress) is struck and killed by a car propelling her bloody body through the windshield or when Institute employee, Dr. Susan Charles (Fiona Lewis) is tortured and spun to death over a lavish dinner table setting.

The food references are plentiful, mouthwatering, and fun to track. Hester and Gillian chat and giggle over heaping hot fudge sundaes, while scrambled eggs and dinner are mentioned during other scenes.

Some plot holes or inexplicable story points like Robin’s turn into a psycho and turning on his father because another psychic will replace him aren’t as compelling as other points of the film.

During one scene Gillian has Robin’s powers transfer to her causing her body to writhe and contort in an unconvincing way and Irving looks plain silly.

Being a huge De Palma fan I’m glad I dusted The Fury (1978) off the shelf because it’s a terrific watch with an exceptional cast. It contains many of De Palma’s trademarks making it fantastic, especially for his fans.

1981 Films, Brian De Palma, Dennis Franz, John Lithgow, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Thriller

Blow Out-1981

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Blow Out-1981

Director Brian De Palma

Starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen

Scott’s Review #574

Reviewed December 31, 2016

Grade: A-

The follow-up to the 1980 masterpiece that was Dressed to Kill, Brian De Palma carves a web of intrigue and mystery with Blow Out, a film starring some of the same cast members from Dressed to Kill (1980) and from 1976’s Carrie.

Comparisons can be drawn to the trio as they are all in the psychological thriller/horror vein- notwithstanding, the predecessors are the superior films.

Blow Out is not quite on the level with those masterpieces but is still a worthy effort and a must-see for fans of De Palma’s work.

John Travolta and Nancy Allen are the stars of the film-recreating their chemistry from Carrie. In that film, the pair are the clear villains, but in Blow Out they are the heroes and have a rooting value.

Dennis Franz appears as a shady thug and John Lithgow is superb as the dastardly  Burke, hired to commit a crime, and enjoying it all too much.

Travolta plays Jack Terry, a sound effects technician, working and living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He works on low-budget horror films and is highly respected for his craft. Alone in a remote park, recording sound, and video, he records a car careening off a bridge into a creek.

He saves Sally (Allen) from the sinking car and this is the point in the film where the intrigue takes off. The driver of the car is a governor and he has died- Sally was having an affair with the governor and his aides are intent on covering this up.

To make matters more complicated, Jack has detected a gunshot on his recording-just before the crash, leading to obvious foul play.

I adore the beginning sequence of the film- my favorite. The film begins as a slasher film, unbeknownst to the audience. A collection of dizzy college girls dance, drink, and shower, as the cameras are placed outside of the dorms.

We see all of the action through the glass windows, then the steady cam is used from the killer’s point of view. This is a highly effective scene and rather humorous too. Inevitably, a creepy killer appears in the shower to butcher one of the college girls until the real beginning of the film starts.

This aspect is clever on the part of  De Palma. Why not trick the audience early and keep them guessing?

Also compelling is the villain of the film- Lithgow. Typically playing sweet-natured characters, it was interesting to see him as a maniacal killer- and reminiscent of the crazed killer from Dirty Harry, in his harried, grotesque facial features.

One particularly chilling scene involves the murder of a prostitute at the train station. I like this scene because the audience gets to know her a bit before she meets her fate- adding a level of empathy for the victim.

Enjoyable are the location sequences of Philadelphia, which give authenticity to the film. Specifically, the train station. Grizzled, dirty, and bustling, the locales set the tone of the film.

The chemistry between Travolta and Allen is decent, though I found more chemistry between them in Carrie. I did not care for Allen’s use of an accent- intended to be a Philadelphia accent, it seemed a New Jersey one to me and simply does not work at all in the film.

This distraction is the only weak point of the film.

All in all, Blow Out is a very good film. It combines mystery, political intrigue, and the famed De Palma stamp- which in itself is worthwhile enough to watch.

Blow Out (1981) contains a dream-like element- as Carrie and Dressed to Kill before it did, which only enhances the mystique. The not so happily-ever-after ending is superb.

1978 Films, Carol Burnett, Comedy, Dennis Franz, Gary Sinise, Geraldine Chaplin, Independent, Independent Comedy, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Lillian Gish, Mia Farrow, Paul Dooley, Robert Altman, Satire

A Wedding-1978

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A Wedding-1978

Director Robert Altman

Starring Carol Burnett, Mia Farrow, Paul Dooley

Scott’s Review #539

Reviewed December 17, 2016

Grade: A

A Wedding (1978) is an obscure, brilliant gem penned and directed by Robert Altman- a film genius and one of my most adored directors.

I love most of his movies and A Wedding is no exception. The creative way that Altman weaves intersecting storylines and dialogue, thereby creating a real-life tone, gives immense realism to his films.

In A Wedding, he takes a basic life event and turns it into a well-nuanced, fascinating, comical, yet dramatic story.

He is known for having enormous casts (in A Wedding it is forty-eight principles), but every character serves a purpose.

The viewer will feel that they are a fly on the wall of a real wedding.

Altman’s actors primarily improvise the dialogue, speaking at the same time, bringing a realistic edge. I adore this quality.

The film is a satire- people either love or loathe attending weddings and Altman’s film caters to the latter. He creates a setting, from the ceremony to the reception, riddled with awkward moments, and social guffaws.

In pure satirical, soap opera fashion, two wealthy families gather at a lavish estate for the ceremony to commence. Hilarity ensues when the corpse of the matriarch of one family lies in her bed, nobody realizing she is dead.

Other hi-jinks, such as the revelation of a nude, life-size portrait of the bride, the caterer falling ill, and a tornado wreaking havoc.

Slowly, secrets are revealed by the families, as the alcohol flows and the characters become involved in the perilous situations.

Altman does it again as he creates a masterpiece based on real-life situations that most can relate to.

1980 Films, Angie Dickinson, Brian De Palma, Dennis Franz, Horror, Keith Gordon, Michael Caine, Nancy Allen, Scott's Top 100 Films, Scott's Top 20 Horror Films, William Finley

Dressed to Kill-1980

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Dressed to Kill-1980

Director Brian De Palma

Starring Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Michael Caine

Top 100 Films #13    Top 20 Horror Films #5

Scott’s Review #164

60020714

Reviewed September 2, 2014

Grade: A

Dressed to Kill (1980) is Brian De Palma’s greatest work throughout his storied career.

Set in New York City the film is essentially divided into two halves.

The first half centers around Angie Dickinson, who plays a bored housewife named Kate. She is unhappy in her marriage and seeks therapy from a psychiatrist played by Michael Caine, to whom she makes sexual advances.

She is unfaithful to her husband yet is a kind, intelligent, cultured woman. She adores her son and loves her husband but is utterly unfulfilled with life.

Do we, the audience sympathize with her? Does she get what she deserves? Is she a victim? One powerful scene involves a wide-eyed little girl who cannot stop staring at Kate. Can she sense Kate’s shenanigans? Does she sense her conflict? Does Kate feel guilt?

Kate is a complex character and brilliantly played by Dickinson, who gives the character sexiness, softness, and appeal.

After a shocking event in a high-rise elevator rivaled only by the shower scene in Psycho (1960) in its surprise and terror, the remainder of the film belongs to Nancy Allen, who plays a prostitute named Liz, determined to solve a mystery to clear her name.

De Palma sets the dreamlike tone with a sizzling opening shower scene sure to make the prudish blush in its explicitness, which I found deliciously sexy.

A ten-minute museum sequence speaks volumes without dialogue as Kate has a cat-and-mouse flirtation with a stranger.

The brilliance of Dressed to Kill is its versatility and complexity and contains one surprise after another, from the elevator scene to the final reveal to the final stage itself.

It is part horror film part thriller and always stylish.

The film was not well regarded upon its release, but over the years has been respected due to its creativity and excellent mood. Many scenes are shot in slow motion adding an effect to them.

Dressed to Kill (1980) is simply brilliant on every level.