 "A Shocking Horror Story" | 2009-09-26 |
| - Reviewed By no-names |
The film begins in stark black and white, the frantic music is a clue to the story. In Phoenix Arizona Marion Crane has a long lunch hour with her boyfriend Sam. Sam has an ex-wife and financial problems. You can see a man standing in the street when Marion returns to her job in an office. Can drugs or money buy happiness? Customer Tom tells about himself. Marion must deposit $40,000 into the bank. [That would be over ten years' wages for Marion.] Will she go for a vacation? People could sleep in their cars then. Who is watching Marion? [Note the product placement in automobile brands.] A voice-over carries the story forward. After a long tiring drive she stops at a small motel. [Is the rain symbolic?]
Is motel manager Norman Bates a nice young man? What about his mother? "She isn't quite herself today." Norman's hobby is taxidermy, the preservation of the dead (like a mummy). "She's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds." Does this talk pad out the film or lull the viewer before an action scene? Marion takes a shower to wash away her caress. But someone else is there! The attack is done with taste. [That eye is not dilated.] Now Norman has another mess to clean up and dispose of the leftovers.
Marion's sister Lila visits Sam to inquire about her. So does a private investigator to locate the missing money. Arbogast visits hotels to search for a backtrail. One of these places is the Bates Motel. Arbogast recognizes Marion's signature, and then Norman remembers the details. Arbogast decides to go back and question Norman's mother. What a surprise! Then Sam returns to search for Arbogast. Sam and Lila visit Sheriff Chambers, who tells them about the history of Mrs. Bates. Who else was in the house?
Sam and Lila return to investigate the Bates. Did Arbogast leave after learning something? Lila slips out to see Mrs, Bates. Her elaborately decorated bedroom is empty. Norman guesses their scheme and returns to the big house. The good guys win in the end. A psychiatrist provides details to explain this story. Were there other missing persons? Does the ending now seem to be unintentionally funny?
This is a low-budget film with few actors. The story made this successful in the late 1950s. Note how Marion wears white underwear before the theft but black underwear afterwards. She was punished for her sins like in a morality play. The novel by Robert Bloch was inspired by a true crime in 1956 Wisconsin. The new highway damaged business for the Bates Motel, a reflection of the declining small businesses of the 1950s. The few outdoor scenes show southern California without traffic or smog.
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 "ALL WAYS A FANTASTIC CLASSIC, WILL NEVER DIE!" | 2009-09-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A211QS8A92IYXD |
| GREAT MOVIE AND ALL WAYS GREAT TO SEE AGAIN AND AGAIN. GREAT SELLER, SUPERFAST SHIPPING. ALL AS DISCRIBED BEST PRICES ANYWHERE IS AMAZON.COM. I ONLY BUY FROM AMAZON.COM THEY ARE THE BEST STORE EVER!!! THANKS |
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| "1960 Hitchcock" | 2009-09-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: ASJ54MITON1NO |
| One of Hitchcock's best films, carefully constructed, visually, and thematically. Before the slasher films were popular, which this film influenced, the psychological suspense film, done only the way Hitchcock could, was a more effective approach to the subject matter. Most of the associations of the events, takes place in the mind of the viewer, rather than on the screen. Leaving much left to the imagination, rather than having the events crammed down our throats, the way they appear in today's slasher films. |
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| "A true classic." | 2009-09-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2XNQA6WRX0MMA |
| What can be said, this movie is one of the true classics out there. It will be forever remembered as one of the top greatest. |
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| ""Now This Is A True Classic"" | 2009-07-13 |
| - Reviewed By nicksam16 |
Anthony Perkins became a household name after starring in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Playing the mentally unbalanced momma's boy Norman Bates, Perkin's portrayal is both mesmerizing and haunting as he leaves the viewer enthralled with his vivid performance of one of the cinema's most complicated characters. Janet Leigh is also fantastic in this, although her character is killed off early in the film. Out of all of Hithcock's films "Psycho" is the best, with his other masterpiece "The Birds" coming in a close second.
If you enjoy "Psycho" you will love the "Psycho" sequels and prequel that are available in one fabulous set: in it you get all three remaining "Psycho" films, "Psycho 2", "Psycho 3", and the prequel that was made for cable TV called appropriately "Psycho 4". There is also a remake of "Psycho" that is available individually starring Anne Heche and Julianne Moore, directed by Gus Vant Sant, that was released in the late '90's. Not up to par with the original, it is nevertheless entertaining.
This particular set of "Psycho" is filled to the brim with bonuses, the best being an informative 90 minute documentary on the making of this Hollywood classic. One thing is certain after watching "Psycho": you will be nervous when taking a shower. Janet Leigh stated many years before her death that after filming wrapped she could never take a shower for the rest of her life. |
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| "It is Crucial That You See Psycho From The Very Beginning" | 2009-06-24 |
| - Reviewed By mwarren122 |
Psycho, when it first starts, turns out as a mundane lady trying to stela money and get away. Byt the time the movie , all of those moments that were in the movie beforehand come together in an eirre way, and you will understand that Psycho is pretty unforgettable.
Alfred Hitchcock is known for his director's techniques, and of course, it's here. You can tell by the many shots and angles, I don't know, I haven't really discovered much Hitcock. But still, I still can see many cool shots (?) in this movie. Something I am a bit more informed on is the soundtrack, which is yet another reason why Bernard Herrmann is a legend in the movie business, and music as well (come on, his resume includes this, Citizen Kane, and Taxi Driver!). The sets aren't very stylized or jaw-dropping, but it's good a nice look. The acting is very good, but there's no doubt Anthony Perkins steals the show. His crazy stare? Just brilliant and creepy, even I was creeped out! Pretty much everybody else does a meh kind of job, though believeable.
But what makes Psycho so good beyond all this? The psycholigcal leanings, of course! While I feel that some of the psychological , there is no doubting that the human mind explored here is fascinating and unusual. I still question the whole Mother/Son split personality, something I have no past experiences, though I do have two sides of me that gabber on sometimes, and even I talk to myselves (don't ask). Psycho will give you a bit to chew on, and will have you walked away with a feeling of shock. Not quite the shock of seeing your mother ________ right in front of you shock, but maybe a bit of amazement and the shock you get when something it enlightned.
To tell you the truth, Psycho is a movie that I admire more than I enjoy, though I did enjoy it, but wouldn't exactly watch it all the time. But even then, when I sat in some bored fazes during the movie (mostly attributed to the fact that we know exactly what there going to do), you still can't deny Psycho's credibility, and it's much more than a horror movie (more of a psychological thriller). Now I see where Blue Velvet got it's inspiration from (I still love that movie, however). Remember to watch it all the way through, as there is no other way to watch it.
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Expedited Available
