Nobody can build a thrilling scene like Brian De Palma. He creates an incredible mix of photography, music and editing, that builds unbelievable tension. At the beginning of his career, critics claimed he didn't do much more than rip-off Hitchcock. (If you're going to steal from someone, you might as well steal from the best.) If you take Hitchcock's perfect sense of terror, add in a dash of over-the-top violence and sex, you get a good De Palma film. He was at the top of his game in the late 70's, early 80's, creating such classics as Carrie, Dressed to Kill and Scarface. In the middle of these films, he directed Blow Out, a film that never received the sort of attention these others did. After seeing it for the first time, I understand why.

A very young John Travolta, plays a sound engineer for a low-budget horror producer. He's out one night recording ambient sound effects, when he witnesses a car crash over a bridge. He jumps into the river, saving a girl from the back of the limo. Dying in the accident, was a senator, who had ambitions to become president. Soon Travolta is contacted by the secret service, and told to keep the girl's involvement under wraps. He begins to dig into what really happened. Through his sound recordings and photos taken of the accident he begins to unravel a much larger conspiracy.

The rest of the film doesn't live up to the ending, and Blow Out is certainly one of the lesser De Palma films, especially when he was at the height of his skills. It's not a total waste, it has a couple of well built scenes, I can think of no other film-maker that will show you the same scene multiple times, from a few different angles, so on each viewing you learn something more about what really happened. It's a fascinating skill, but there are better uses of it, in better films. - Grade: C

Instead of Blow Out, and many of his classic films, I'll recommend another of his lesser films, at least by other's standards, for a lesson in how he puts his unique vision to work: Body Double. It's a better made film, keeping you intrigued throughout the film, full of sex, violence and the suspense he's known for.

Honestly I was only half watching this film. I think I was preoccupied with writing some of my other reviews. I usually put the laptop down once a movie starts to get going, but this film never grabbed me enough for me to devote it with my full attention. I listened to the mostly bad dialogue, sprinkled with a funny one-liner here and there, and looked up when somebody got killed. Looking back I have the vaguest recollection of the ending.

This is one of those films where an obviously good looking girl plays the ugly girl and all the guys look past her sexiness to make fun of her. I can never buy into these plots, unless the filmmakers really go out of their way to make the girl look unattractive. All they did here is put her in some drab clothing and minimal make-up... yeah, god, she just makes me want to barf!

Anyways, Tamara is pretty much a rehash of the far superior Carrie. The unpopular girl is continually picked on, until one night it goes to far and she ends up dead. Tamara comes back to life, thanks to some of the minimal witchcraft experience they set-up her up with at the beginning. Now she's wearing tight-skimpy clothing and killing off all of the teenagers that did her wrong.

This is where the film shows some promise. The death scenes are gory and original. When Tamara touches one of her victims she forces that person to carry out some horrible actions against themselves. One guy cuts off his ears and out his tongue, before jamming a knife into his eyes, I thought that was pretty cool. The popular girl barfs up blood until she dies. And the two main bad guys end up sodomizing each other. I give the filmmakers props for these scenes.

Otherwise it's pretty standard straight-to-video fare.

Fido is a completely different spin on the zombie genre. The best and most original zombie film I've seen in quite a while. The film opens with a fun news reel that explains the whole concept of the film. Instead of WWII, there was a war against the zombies. It's the 1950's and America is enjoying the fruits of their winnings, including zombie slaves that do the bidding's of any American that can afford them. A company called Zom-Con has developed a technology that pacifies the zombies into controllable beings.

The story involves a young, lonely boy whose family has just taken in their first zombie slave. After Fido protects the kid from some bullies, the two become good friends. The mother, neglected by her husband, starts to see Fido in a new light as well. A strange new family dynamic is built. Soon the kid is forced to cover up some of Fido's messiness. Carrie-Anne Moss is great as the mom, but it's Billy Connolly, who does a wonderful job with Fido; somehow making you believe he's a mindless zombie, but also has a heart.

Of course everything isn't as happy as Zom-Con wants you to believe. Every so often the "leash" the zombies wear around their necks break down and mayhem ensues, unleashing a new wave of zombies. The zombies and their gore, hold up with any film of the genre.

The film is very nicely done, the photography, set design and costumes make you believe in this alternate 1950's. It's darkly funny, brilliantly written, with a great concept that they carry through the film. If you enjoy dark-comedies or zombie films, I highly recommend this wonderful little film.