Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow's documentary exploration of the career of controversial filmmaker Brian De Palma, aptly named De Palma, opens in theaters on Friday, June 10.
As film lovers, we all likely have our own love, hate, or bit of both story with De Palma. Critics have had a storied relationship with the man that HiFfix's own Drew McWeeny describes as the “proto-Tarantino.”
His work was a significant part of my early introduction to film. In part, purposefully on the part of my mother. De Palma was a favorite of hers, and I had a particular affection for thrillers.
My very first De Palma experience, however, was entirely against her will. When I was eight my friend and I managed to sneak into her parents' bedroom and watch Body Double. If you haven't seen it, it's essentially De Palma's take on what an X-Rated (or nearly X) Hitchcock film would look like.
Many of the images from that exploration of erotic violence are burned into my psyche. It shaped how I look at what a film is, can, or should be. It left me with a taste for filmmakers who challenge the viewer to confront their own depravity. Filmmakers who allow lay their own conflicted darkness bare on the screen.
Here, Drew McWeeny and Roth Cornet talk about De Palma in the larger context of film history, as well as their own personal connections with his work.
Take a look in the player above and below and let us know what your favorite De Palma films are here or on Twitter.
Drew: @DrewAtHitfix
Roth: @RothCornet