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'A Report on the Party and the Guests' is not just a biting political allegory on Communism, it is also one of the most astute observations on human nature I have ever seen- which is what makes it universal.

The "plot" revolves around a group of friends who are having a picnic in the park one afternoon, but are eventually forced into going to a birthday celebration for a man they do not know. In order to gain his favor, some of the group betray a friend who left the party. The plot is actually loosely structured after the manner that Czechoslovakia was taken over by the Communists in the 50's, and the way the Czechs allowed it to happen. Interestingly for a film that was "banned forever" by the Communists, I found it to be more scathing in its depiction of the people who were seduced into the situation, and then collaborated with the party overseeres.

In a film with a surrealist plot, the acting is surprisingly realistic. The situation is so bizarre, but the film poses the question: if you were there would you have acted any different? The situation, after all, was very bizarre in real life too. The acting is excellent, the cinemetography is excellent, and Jan Nemec (whose Holocaust film 'Diamonds of the Night' I found to be disappointing) directs with a bold hand. This is a great film, and it's not just a history lesson. There's humor in it too, and it's very interesting from a psychological perspective. 10/10

This looks like it is going to be one of those films that is praised by critics and hated by audiences. Some of the critics I've read have been a bit too over the top in their praise, the films themes of voyeurism, reality vs. fantasy, life imitating art, what if?, etc. are nothing new, and in fact, have been dealt with especially heavily in films of the last three or four years. DePalma has never been much of an originalist, he prefers to take things from other films and expand on their themes with his own stylistic auteurism (which he has been lambasted for in the past- unfairly in my opinion)- but "Femme Fatale" does not seem as fresh as "Run Lola Run," "Memento," "The Man Who Wasn't There," or "Mullholand Drive," also films that deal with some of these topics in their own way. Still, it is a good movie, DePalma's best since 1993's "Carlito's Way." DePalma shows of his visual storytelling prowess in the films opening heist scene, which is exhilerating. There's a scene a little later where Stamos watches a woman in pain contemplate suicide, and we are reminded by DePalma of our part as voyeurs. There's a sexy striptease by Stamos, a funny bit by Banderos playing it fruity, and rewarding scenes where we are able to tie together the loose ends and understand the plot. Really the film is a series of these excellent scenes. Audiences no doubt will complain about the films screenplay and acting. As for the screenplay, it's not bad. The story is pretty good, though it's true that the dialogue on the whole is rather uninspired (though that doesn't matter when long segments of the film are done without needless dialogue), and the acting isn't bad. No great performances, but these are fun actors to watch. On the whole, this is a good DePalma film. Not quite as good as most of his early Hitchcockian works like "Sisters," "Dressed to Kill," or "Blowout," but it certainly nice to see him return to the genre. And it's nice to see him return to the genre in a good mood.

This has to be the most boring gangster film I've ever seen. Basically it's about Robert DeNiro and James Wood's friendship over fifty years or so as they rise and fall in the gang world. It's interesting to do it about Jewish gangsters, because most films center on Italian gangsters, but their being Jewish didn't seem to make much difference in the film. DeNiro and Woods were subdued, and I didn't buy for a second that they actually might care about one another. The female lead and DeNiro had no chemistry. Leone centered more on cinemetography than story, and the little story there was was painfully streched out to almost three and a half hours. Speaking of the cinemetography- sure there were some very nice images, but basically they were going for the same look as "The Godfather" only maybe with a little more of a golden nostolgia feel for it. I don't mind slowly paced films, but that deliberate pace must be used to draw the viewer into the film, the pace of "Once Upon a Time," just makes the viewer wish that he had commited suicide instead of having to watch it. I'm not a big gangster film fan, but this one ranks low among gangster films. It lacks the visual pop of "Goodfella's," the emotional intensity of "Miller's Crossing," the cultural/historic significance of "Godfather," the moralistic elements of "Angels with Dirty Faces," or the acting prowess of "White Heat." And it is certainly a lot more boring than any of the above films listed.