Four with Pacino for the Fourth

Great news -- The Cinématek at the Brooklyn Academy of Music is holding a wonderful mini-festival over the 4th of July weekend -- four films starring New York's own, Al Pacino. What's particularly exciting is that they will be showing Jerry Schatzberg's Panic in Needle Park (Thursday, 1 July), which Filmbrain has never seen on the big screen. The other films are Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon (one of the best depictions of a blisteringly hot New York City summer day), William Friedkin's controversial (and slightly bizarre) Cruising, and Brian De Palma's Scarface ("Say hello to my little friend!"). Filmbrain wonders why they didn't rather choose De Palma's Carlito's Way, which would have been more in keeping with the NYC theme. Oh well -- still a great festival. All four films are worthy of the trip out to Brooklyn, even on a hot July night. Plus, it's a perfect excuse to go here afterwards.

Comments

[Aaron]

Wow, I'm going to be out of town otherwise I would absolutely be there. I've only seen "Panic in Needle Park" once, and that was when I was about 12. Strangely enough, I was in Paris visiting my uncle, the weather was atrocious, and it was one of the few english language videos they could find. I don't really remember it, and would love to see it again.

IMO, "Scarface" is a better movie than "Carlito's Way," even if Al chews the scenery more in the former. "Carlito's" was fine, but it, along with "Raising Cain," was the beginning of De Palma starting to copy himself rather than simply copying Hitchcock.

I used to be a big De Palma fan, and still love his earlier work. "Dressed to Kill," "Psycho" rehash or not, is still one of the scariest movies I ever saw. But lately ... ugh. And don't even get me started on the fact that he's directing an adaptation of one of my all-time favorite books, James Ellroy's "The Black Dahlia." I'll be discussing that in due course.

[Filmbrain]

LOL! Great movie for a 12 year old. Did it scare you straight?

I go back and forth between Scarface and Carlito's Way. (Were you aware that Cahiers du Cinema voted it best film of the 90's?) Pacino does overdo it a bit in Scarface. Watching CW again recently, I can see why C du C loved it so much -- but best of the 90's?

I'm a De Palma apologist, though it's been harder and harder -- I defended Mission to Mars though I was on shaky ground.

I really enjoyed Femme Fatale though!

Hadn't heard the news about Black Dahlia -- hmmmm.....

[colinr0380]

No, not Mission To Mars! I really like the rest of Brian De Palma's films, but this was so deeply, insultingly bad I couldn't believe my eyes! Even Red Planet was better, as much as it pains me to say so!

Still I still will give him the benefit of the doubt and check out his next films! I did like Carlito's Way a lot, though I would agree with the huh? at it being voted best film of the 90s!

[colinr0380]

No, not Mission To Mars! I really like the rest of Brian De Palma's films, but this was so deeply, insultingly bad I couldn't believe my eyes! Even Red Planet was better, as much as it pains me to say so!

Still I still will give him the benefit of the doubt and check out his next films! I did like Carlito's Way a lot, though I would agree with the huh? at it being voted best film of the 90s!