Psycho
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Movie Reviews of Psycho
Movie Review: Improved impression of a masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
I've just purchased this DVD from Amazon and have to ask what all the screaming is about. Firstly Hitchcock simply took Joseph Stefano's screenplay and produced his vision of the story. Gus Van Sant has now produced his vision of the same story and as much as it is alike to Hitchcocks version, Van Sants vision, in my opinion, is a much creepier and visceral experience. I'm not trying to disrespect Hitchcock, his "Psycho" is one of my favourite movies but with Van Sant I just got that extra punch that I felt "Psycho" always needed. Given the fact that I've seen the original so many times should have had detrimental effect on my enjoyment of the remake, naturally the old law of diminishing returns should have applied here but it was simply crumbled under the power of Van Sants wonderful interpretation. Vince Vaughn is by no means better with his portrayal of Norman Bates but he is on an equal par with Anthony Perkins and in some awkward way is slightly more disturbing when you know what insanity lurks beneath his handsome demeanour. Janet Leigh I've always been a fan of in the Horror genre from this movie through to "The Fog" and right up to her recent appearance in "H20" but Anne Heche seems to exude that caring "Girl next door" emotional concern that, looking back, Janet seemed to lack in the original. It's silly to compare one against the other really, both should be enjoyed for what they achieve and every one will always have their favourite among the two. The DVD itself offers a stunning 1.85:1 framed image with bright saturated colours and deep night-time blacks and the dolby digital soundtrack is pretty impressive given the lack of loud explosions, but it plays well with the atmospherics. Listen to the eerie whispers in "Mothers" bedroom when Julianne Moore checks out the wardrobe or the childs laughter that underscores the music in Normans bedroom. Very effective. But it's the commentary by Gus Van Sant, Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche that makes this disc all the more worthwhile. Offering thoughtful insight into the purpose of this remake with humourous stabs at its production, make for a very entertaining get together. Add all this to "Psycho-path" a clever, "fly on the wall" documentary charting the remakes growth, from it's on set production to the movies release and you have one of the best collectors discs Universal have released so far.Movie Review: This isn't a remake. It's a tribute!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Loads of people are slating this movie for being made at all considering the original was perfect in so many ways and constantly ask why did they do it?Gus Van Sant isn't remaking Psycho here he's doing what is his version of a tribute. If you go to the film's official website there is a whole section about why they decided to remake the film. Many people said the reason they did this movie was so we'd all have a version of Psycho that is in colour. So why not release the original in coloured format? Well that's because the film works as a black and white piece and turning it into colour would probably ruin it's effect. The classic shots would just end up looking tacky! Gus Van Sant states he isn't trying to make a film which would try and sqaush the original because that just can't be done! He's simply creating a film which would be available to a young audience the way the original Psycho was when it was first released because a group of teenagers would rather see a film with good effects and currently popular stars right! Not watch a black and white film with a cast that is mostly dead now. He wants to keep the memory of Psycho going and by doing that has released this film.
A lot of people also criticise Vince Vaughn for not playing Norman Bates the way Anthony Hopkins did. Vince clearly states on the website that when he read the book he realized that Anthony had portrayed the character in a completely different way. A better way! He didn't want to risk trying to do that so portrayed Norman the way he is written in the original book. Also personally I thought Anne Heche was great as Marion! Plus Alfred Hitchcock's daughter worked on this movie a lot and she says that her father would be extremely proud and flattered that somebody is remaking his movie. If you wanna read all these interviews for yourself just go to www.psychomovie.com
People set their expectations too high for this film and they only have themselves to blame. Gus Van Sant picked Psycho up from the ground when it was dying to revive it so younger audiences would remember it and it would live on forever and you're putting him down for it! SHAME ON YOU!!! At least this film is better than the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre if you can call it that! It was a completely different story just with the same name! It would've been a lot more fitting being named The Texas Chainsaw Massacre : Part 5!
Movie Review: You'd Be Crazy to Miss Vince Vaughn's 'Psycho'
Summary: 5 Stars
As the title of my review suggests this is Vince Vuaghn's Psycho, not Alfred Hitchcock's, not even Gus Van Sant's, he's the key component that makes his film worthy of repeat viewing. He plays Norman Bates to such eerie perfection that I'm sure would've made Anthony Perkins pround. It's not to say it's a better performance, certainly it's not subtle, just more accurate. Vaughn's Norman slips in and out of conciousness, both figuratively and literally. He lets on to the fact that he's a lost soul looking for acceptance anywhere he can find it, even in a stranger, a passer-by who he finds attractive and in one particularly revealing moment, masturbates to. Perkin's Bates was much more friendly and outgoing, the type of guy you'd like to have coffee with, not as threatening and some may think that in itself makes his performance the better of the two, an argument I agree with - to an extent. I can't say which version I perfer because both are thoroughly entertaining and each has it's own claim to supremacy. It's a generational argument that likely will go unanswered though the orginal will likely be remembered with more fondness if simply for the fact that is was so groundbreaking for it's time. The only gripe I have with this remake is that it's little more than a shot-for-shot retelling of the movie rather than reverting back to the book which was in my opinion the better than the movie to begin with. We already know what's going to happen so why not spare us the gimmacks that we so inovative forty years ago and beef up the story a bit more? You'd think Joe Steffano who wrote the book and both scripts would want his orignal vision of this story to be seen but instead treds the same farmilar ground, not wanting to step on any toes. But despite my dissappointment in the writing, the performances themselves make this movie a must-see. And I strongly suggest DVD owners listen to the commentary track as Vince reverts back to his Swingers mode to stealing his co-star and director's thunder.Movie Review: P S Y C H O
Summary: 5 Stars
By now everyone knows the plot to the classic horrror film "Psycho" right? A nice young woman steals a loud of money from her boss and and drives away from basically her life to start a new one. She ends up getting off the main road and ends up at "The Bates Motel", a very quiet and rather empty motel. Then a nice young man by the name of Norman Bates comes and signs her in, helps her with her luggage, then gives her some dinner and tells her about his disturbed mother who lives just feet away from the motel. Then the nice woman, Marion Crane, decides she is going to go back and return the money. So before going to bed she takes a shower, well as most all of you know about or know of the famous "shower scene", you know what happens next. Then after the disaperence of Marion Crane, her sister, her boyfriend, and a detective begin searching for her, and well, lets just say by the end of the film we know the terrifying truth behind it all and the disturbing truth behind Norman Bates.This 1998 remake by favored director Gus Van Sant is a wonderfully, skillfully, almost shot by shot remake of the classic Hitchcock film! The cast does a beautiful job with their roles, especially Vince Vaughn who gives just a nail biting performance as Norman Bates. The visuals in the film are stunning, and the way they took different things from the original and made it a modern version, setting it in 1998, is just remarkable. Ignore the other reviews if you haven't seen this yet, go rent it and see what I am talking about!
Overall: A stunning, almost shot by shot remake of the classic Hitchcock film! Just absolutely great!
Grade: A
Movie Review: a classic
Summary: 5 Stars
Alfred Hitchcock made this dark essay into psychosis as a "black comedy" (his classification), and that it was, as well as a character study (and what characters), a suspense/mystery, and an outright horror film. So many subthemes surround the characters and their interrelationships (and their respective fates) that whole books can (and have) been written on the subject. What this translates to for the viewer is a film that can be watched one or fifteen times, and can be as fascinating the fifteenth time because (if you pay attention) you'll spot something about it that you didn't see or understand before. (Norman's description of his mother's condition: "Why, she's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds over there" didn't register through the scariness until I'd seen it at least twice, and ditto for "My mother--what's the phrase--hasn't been herself lately"). Oh, yeah!!! Tony Perkins, Janet Leigh, and the rest of the cast were unforgettable in the subtle way the master loved best. Hitchcock's complete mastery of storytelling via cinema has never been more evident than in this wild, quirky film, from the tricky camera work to the double & triple meaning of the dialog to, of course, the set piece of the whole show, the shower sequence, that takes the film in a wholly different direction than you thought it was going at first. Not to be missed, but much to be savored by cinema lovers and horror buffs alike (not to mention, of course, Hitchcock fans).