Psycho

I can understand why people give Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho so much shit. It's not quite as bad as I was led to believe but it is a little frustrating to watch. The remake uses the same script as the original, almost word for word. And it's a little jarring hearing modern actors trying to deliver forty year old dialogue. It's very unnatural. Except for William H. Macy's performance, he knocks that shit out of the park. Also, late 90s cars and clothing have not aged as gracefully as those of the early 60s. And no one ever needed to hear the sound of Norman Bates masturbating.

Rating: Let me get my Walkman%

(Image from IMDB)

Psycho

I don't really need to tell you anything about Psycho. You probably know the story already or at least a few of the major plot points. Even the slightest mention of the shower sequence probably brings to mind the soundtrack's screeching violins. It's a movie that is impeccably shot, acted, edited and scored. It's a masterpiece. I can't wait to see how terrible the sequels are...

Rating: 95%

(Image from IMDB)

The Simpsons: Treehouse Of Horror XX

A Month Of Halloweenie Reviews #18

Of course it wasn't very good, much like any regular Simpsons episode from the past seven or eight years, but just that there have been twenty of these Halloween specials is enough to earn it a few extra percent. I don't watch the show anymore, but I wonder if I'll feel bad whenever it finally bites the dust. Probably not.

RATING: 34%

(I'm clearly not having a very good Halloween season.)

Vertigo

#48 on Glenn's Top 100 Movie List

My favorite Hitchcock film. The color in this movie is fantastic. I know that we've been mainly doing color films for about 50 years now, but can't modern directors still pay a little more attention to color, please? I mean, come on. In the 50s Hitchcock did, and that's basically like cavemen times or something. Also, I love Bernard Herrmann. This is the last film from my list to be from before 1960, so sorry all old film buffs. I am very pedestrian. Also in the olden days they were stupid so great films like this one were a rarity.

RATING: 88%