It was nice to have to sit through a lecture today at my University that was for once not about the original 'Psycho'. It was actually about the controversial remake by Gus Van Sant - a film that I've always been amazed at the negative reaction by older filmgoers around the world.
From the reaction in class today, it's nice to know that like me, there are plenty of people my age (in there mid 20's) who liked the original but like the remake even more just for trying something knew and appropriating a classic for the younger generation. So maybe in 40 years time this film will become a classic once the backlash has died down. After all, the original 'Psycho' was panned upon it's release and didn't achieve cult or classic status until the late 70's.
This really is not only an interesting film but also a very good one. Yeah, yeah, Vince Vaughn is no Anthony Perkins but who said he was supposed to be? He does a great job at re-interpreting the character as does over cast member in the film.
After watching the original film a few weeks ago, as much as I still like it, I find every character in the film - with the exception of Norman Bates - to be flat and very uninteresting.
John Gavin's performance in the original 'Psycho' was terrible as he was nothing but a man there to solve a mystery while the same character in the remake is a laid back cow-boy thanks to Viggo Mortensen. Julianne Moore's aggressive performance as the gay sister Lila makes Vera Miles' performance look like it would be better suited for a soap opera. Anne Heche makes for an interesting Marion Crane and comes across as far more 'human' than Janet Leigh did.
Take the amazing performances and add some surrealistic colour that is quite unique, plus some clever cinematography from Chris Doyle, Bernard Hermann's groovy score (in stereo!) and the result is a film that is creepy from an entertainment point of view and a fascinating film from an analytical point of view.
The original 'Psycho' was way before it's time and it's nice to know Van Sant was able to shoot some scene's off Hitchcock's original story boards that he wasn't allowed to film in 1960. This remake was never meant to be better than the original 'Psycho' but it was supposed to re-create something that cinema has lost these days and it pulled it off beautifully.
All those people who detest this film for simply being a remake of 'Psycho' really have no idea what film making is really about and should be very pleased that Gus Van Sant didn't turn 'Psycho' into a tacky 'slasher' film. He stuck to the original ideas and at the same time challenged us to open our minds a little. For these reasons, I love this film and am more than happy to give it a 10 OUT OF 10 (not that it will make much difference to the score of the film on the main page).
From the reaction in class today, it's nice to know that like me, there are plenty of people my age (in there mid 20's) who liked the original but like the remake even more just for trying something knew and appropriating a classic for the younger generation. So maybe in 40 years time this film will become a classic once the backlash has died down. After all, the original 'Psycho' was panned upon it's release and didn't achieve cult or classic status until the late 70's.
This really is not only an interesting film but also a very good one. Yeah, yeah, Vince Vaughn is no Anthony Perkins but who said he was supposed to be? He does a great job at re-interpreting the character as does over cast member in the film.
After watching the original film a few weeks ago, as much as I still like it, I find every character in the film - with the exception of Norman Bates - to be flat and very uninteresting.
John Gavin's performance in the original 'Psycho' was terrible as he was nothing but a man there to solve a mystery while the same character in the remake is a laid back cow-boy thanks to Viggo Mortensen. Julianne Moore's aggressive performance as the gay sister Lila makes Vera Miles' performance look like it would be better suited for a soap opera. Anne Heche makes for an interesting Marion Crane and comes across as far more 'human' than Janet Leigh did.
Take the amazing performances and add some surrealistic colour that is quite unique, plus some clever cinematography from Chris Doyle, Bernard Hermann's groovy score (in stereo!) and the result is a film that is creepy from an entertainment point of view and a fascinating film from an analytical point of view.
The original 'Psycho' was way before it's time and it's nice to know Van Sant was able to shoot some scene's off Hitchcock's original story boards that he wasn't allowed to film in 1960. This remake was never meant to be better than the original 'Psycho' but it was supposed to re-create something that cinema has lost these days and it pulled it off beautifully.
All those people who detest this film for simply being a remake of 'Psycho' really have no idea what film making is really about and should be very pleased that Gus Van Sant didn't turn 'Psycho' into a tacky 'slasher' film. He stuck to the original ideas and at the same time challenged us to open our minds a little. For these reasons, I love this film and am more than happy to give it a 10 OUT OF 10 (not that it will make much difference to the score of the film on the main page).