Look, I get it. He's a badass dude who made his own way by being the meaner motherfucker. A tough guy that only has two things in the world, his balls and his word, and he doesn't break either. He lives by the sword and dies by it; he goes from absolutely nothing to running most of the world. Like I said - I get it.

But even with that aforementioned stuff, there are four things that pretty much kill any reason why people should emulate Tony "Scarface" Montana. These are aspects of his character that should be "deal breakers" to his ever increasing fanbase, but for some reason people overlook them just so they can speak in a bad/borderline offensive Cuban accent.

There's an obvious appeal to Montana, a reason why Scarface is the idol of millions, but for people that watch Scarface obsessively - it seems odd that these 4 dealbreakers are ignored. Don't get me wrong - a Latin stereotype delivered by the constantly screaming Pacino who whacks Salieri and Robert Loggia is cool. Again, it's a badass thug who makes his own rules and takes nothing from nobody. But to celebrate the movie and character without acknowledging some serious character flaws seems like a pretty dumbass move.

Here's a true story to illustrate my point: a friend of my (then) girlfriend had a foreign boyfriend with a lot of money. He was an odd European fellow, let's call him "Don," who came from a lot of money, hobnobbed with the elite in society and eventually begin traveling with a bodyguard. One time we're all at a birthday party at a bar and Scarface is playing on several television screens. Don can't stop watching it, no matter how much people try to engage him in human interaction. Now I hate interacting with people and, worse yet, I'm bad at it. But I can talk movies with anyone. So I start asking him "oh you like this movie?" and he responds "oh man i love it. it's the best. it's like - live like that, right?" To which I nervously chuckled and realized I needed to escape this conversational cul de sac toot suite. A few months later, Don was indicted on a number of felonies and spent some time in the clink. Oh and that money he had wasn't there either, and he has fallen from grace in a spectacular, if a bit ignoble, fashion. My point, and the reason for my awkward reaction to his adoration of Scarface, is that if you model yourself after Scarface - your life is fucked.

So keep sampling the movie, rappers, and hanging the poster up in your dorm room, frat boys - but next time you introduce people to "your little friend," think of these 4 Reasons why Scarface is a pretty shitty role model to have.

[SPOILERS for a 28 year old movie that has been referenced and riffed on ad nausem lie AHEAD]

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Double Dip Demands is a column in which I propose films that deserve a re-release on DVD/Blu-Ray with more special features, better transfers and other nerdy bits. Some of the films have no DVDs out there for Region 1 viewers, and some of them have a really crappy version that's bare bones or poorly put together. Who speaks for these films? I do.

The Film: Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

Cast & Crew: Brian De Palma (writer & director); Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper

Plot Synopsis (from IMDB): A disfigured musician sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music.

Is It Out on DVD Currently?: Yes - but in a bare bones release with no extras.

Why Does It Deserve Special Features?: Phantom of the Paradise is an underappreciated gem that has gone on to influence many of the most lauded filmmakers today. Of particular note, Edgar Wright, Guillermo Del Toro and Quentin Tarantino have referenced the movie directly in interviews and implicitly in their films. A movie that is a crossroads between the stories of the past and the direction of the future, Phantom of the Paradise deserves a closer examination and analysis. A deluxe Phantom disc would be a great way to spread the gospel to cinephiles everywhere.

What Should Be On the Disc?

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