What can I say about Woody Allen? That Annie Hall and Manhattan are two of my all time favorite films? Undoubtedly. Both are hilarious, touching, and endlessly quotable. That for five decades - as a writer, director, actor, and author - he has produced a staggering amount of classic works, from the absurd to the profound? Unquestionably. That his influence rivals those of his heroes, Groucho Marx, Charlie Chaplin, and Bob Hope? Indubitably.But rather than wax eloquent on such, let's let t...
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When it comes to filmmaking, I've said for years there is a fine line between homage and rip-off. With that in mind, I think no other filmmaker has straddled this line quite so successfully as Brian De Palma. His early films, especially those from the 70s and 80s, were by and large "Hitchcockian" thrillers. What was so shocking about them -- other than the obvious subject matter -- was the extent they actually succeeded in spite of their obvious nods to the British Master of Suspense. But he...
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