Body Double (1984)

Avoid this.......like the plague

This movie was absolutely B-R-U-T-A-L. I cannot believe that this came out a year after Scarface. Brian De Palma must have been burnt out or something. Maybe he fell asleep during the editing process and some studio exec hijacked this film, sprinkling it with gratuitous nudity and violence. Either way this movie is a sloppy mess. It has not aged well at all. Anybody involved in this must have to shield their eyes in embarrasement whenever it comes on television.
To begin with, the acting is absolutely atrocious. The lead actor, Craig Wasson, (now staring in Sasquatch Mountain) a dead ringer for Bill Maher of HBO, makes the wierdest choices. Mostly he just looks confused. Maybe its the script but you think he would show some type of emotion when he comes home to find his wife having random sex with some stranger. If it was me I'd probably be in jail for assault or worse. Instead he just silently closes the door and leaves, going immediately to a bar where he proceeds to fall off the wagon.
This kicks off the film and sets into motion his need for a place to stay. Within a few short scenes he has a new friend named Sam and a convenient new place to live, a bizarre home that looks like a UFO overlooking the Hollywood Hills. The gig comes with one condition, that he be home every evening to water the plants. WTF? It also gives him a view in a neighbors home, where a bombshell puts on a strip tease every night. Soon Bill Maher becomes a regular peeping tom, who wouldn't, but notices another man watching as well. This strange character can only be described as a cross between Freddy Kruger and Micky Rourke from Sin City. Bill knows that she might be in danger but can't tell her exactly how he knows this, since nobody likes to be thought of as a sexual pervert after all. When he finally does approach this woman, the encounter is beyond unbelievable. I'll spare you the details but it involves them nearly having sex in a tunnel after he becomes claustrophic chasing Freddy Kruger to recover her wallet. Again, WTF?
Mostly things just go downhill from there. At one point he steals her panties out of a garbage can. At another point he tracks down porn queen Melanie Griffith who proceeds to tell him that she'll do basically do anything for him but have sex with animals. Normally I hate to spoil a movie for anybody but I do need to offer a strong piece of advice. If you are squimish, avert your eyes when Micky Rourke/Freddy Kruger begins to drill the bombshell into the floor of her bedroom. All of this is witnessed by Bill Maher from the floor of her living room as he is being attacked by a rabid dog.
Anyway this might be the worst movie I have ever seen. I stongly advise you to skip it.


















August 14, 2008

A bit trashy, hard to follow, yet in the end, it somehow manages to work

This murder mystery is very convoluted and moves so slowly at first that it is hard to follow. Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) is a struggling actor who has landed the part of a vampire in a low-budget movie. When he comes home and discovers his live-in girlfriend having a sexual romp in their bedroom, he is suddenly homeless. In an attempt to advance his career, he takes acting lessons and interviews for parts.
To his apparent good fortune, he meets another actor and is asked to take over a housesitting assignment. The deal appears even better when he is told that every evening at the same time one of the neighbor women does a semi-naked exotic dance. However, once Scully sees that another man is also watching he grows concerned for her safety.
Scully follows the woman in an extremely clumsy manner. When the other man that is following her snatches her purse, he pursues the man and gets the purse back. However, his extreme claustrophobia overcomes him in a tunnel and he cannot recover her key to access her house.
Scully then witnesses an Indian attacking and murdering the woman and that sends him on a journey into the dark world of porn. He manages to land a significant part in a film, where he meets porn star Holly Body (Melanie Griffith). The land of porn gives Scully some ideas, but the loose ends are not tied up until the last 15 minutes or so. The conclusion is an unusual one, extending beyond the literal unmasking of the real killer.
The somewhat bizarre nature of having two movies inside a movie makes this one hard to follow at times. You are really required to think and there are a few distracters that are significant and at times difficult to believe. One of the best things about the movie is that even if you figure out who the real killer is, the final ten minutes is so unusual that it is impossible to anticipate.
June 1, 2008

Trash masterpiece from De Palma

A trash gem from Brian De Palma. Here, Rear Window meets Vertigo in the porn subculture of the 1980s Southern California. Jake, a bit actor in B films (played engagingly by Craig Wasson) finds his girlfriend sleeping with another guy and has to move from his home. A fellow actor needs someone (or so he says) to take care of his house while he is away on a trip, and Jake agrees to do the job. Before leaving, he shows him his favorite neighbor, a beautiful and sculptural woman who strips with her window open each night. Jake spies her with the house's telescope every night, becoming obsessed. He meets her once in the beach, and is able to help recover her purse from a thief, but is incapacitated by claustrophobia when the burglar runs through a tunnel. Eventually, Jake witnesses her brutal murder through the telescope by someone dressed as an Indian. But, if you've seen Vertigo (and know De Palma has been paying homage to Hitchcock in virtually all of his movies) you can imagine not everything (or everyone) is what is seems. Melanie Griffith is also great playing what could be described as the updated role Kim Novak played in Vertigo. Among the movie's odd touches: a musical interlude in a video form with 80s band Frankie Goes to Hollywood playing their hit single "Relax". February 3, 2008

Enigmatic Murder Mystery

The film begins in a graveyard. A dead body opens its eyes and roars. They are filming a horror movie. Something has gone wrong. Jake returns home to find a surprise. After a drink he finds a new home. He auditions for another job; he meets a new friend who offers him a house-sitting job. Sam says he must water the plants every evening. A telescope shows a neighbor. [Does this remind you of "Rear Window"?] Scully notices something and follows that woman in her car, then to a shopping mall. He notices some man following her, but calls attention to himself. [This film is too slow paced.]

They walk on the beach, that man grabs her purse and runs away. Scully can't stand an enclosed space like a tunnel. [Does this recall "Vertigo"?] The story ambles on. Jake sees a threat to Gloria and tries to help her. But the dog attacks Jake! Why doesn't it attack the intruder? Jake is too late to help Gloria. The police detective questions Jake as a witness and suspect. Jake says he does not know the husband Alexander Revell. Later Jake watches a TV show and recognizes a woman by a tattoo on her cheek. He begins to investigate and visits an adult movie studio to learn more about "Holly Body". [Any relation to a Hitchcock actress?] Jake discovers the secret of that performance, then calls the police. There is a development with new drama in a reservoir. A secret identity is revealed. Will this nightmare ever end? The final scene shows the use of a "body double", then the credits roll at the end.

"Blow Out" was much better film, perhaps his best. One flaw in this film is the failure of the police to investigate the background of Jake. The biggest flaw was the failure to investigate the alibi of the estranged husband, even if he was in Chicago. This film also suffers from its sleazy tone. All the characters are losers.
January 17, 2008

I Don't Get It

SPOILER ALERT!

I enjoy this movie. In fact, I'm watching it for the umpteenth time right now. It zips along, has a lot of suspense, some thrills, and a nice "video" of the Frankie Goes To Hollywood hit "Relax." But what's never made any sense to me is the plot -- what is the necessity of setting this guy up to view the murder in the first place? Who needs him? Am I missing something? A fun ride nevertheless. -- Don't have the DVD, so I can't say anything about the extras, but I would appreciate a commentary from the director which I understand it doesn't have. September 27, 2007

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