March 28, 2012

Classic Review: Psycho (1960)

Psycho
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Joseph Stefano. Based upon the novel by Robert Bloch.
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Janet Leigh, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire

Overview
The granddaddy of all slasher films, Psycho tells the story of a man driven to madness by an overbearing mother, or so it seems so at the beginning.

Synopsis
When Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40,000 from her employer, she flees, only to find herself at the creepy and derelict Bates Motel, run by the pleasant but oddly sinster Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). Soon afterwards, a private Detective (Martin Balsam), Marions' boyfriend, Sam Loomis, (John Gavin) along with her sister, Lila (Vera Miles) come to Bates Motel looking for Marion. All of them make startling discoveries about the true nature of the Bates Motel and its' caretaker.

The Queering
Watching Psycho for the first time recently, the old saying that "familiarity breeds contempt" kept running through my head. Unfortunately for Hitchcocks' classic slasher flick, I knew too much of the plot going in and the infamous shower scene failed to do much of anything for me. At the time of the release, Hitchcock took extreme measures to avoid the plot from becoming widely known so as to avoid spoiling the shocking twists. He was quite wise to do this. I spent most of the first part of the film, forcing myself to pay attention and not give into boredom. After the shower scene and my knowledge of the plot dropped off, I became a lot more engaged with the film and Hitchcock's mastery of the cinematic medium became more apparent.

However, given the nature of the villian, I was a little worried that the film was going to engage in some rather overt transphobia. Ultimately, I am not sure that this was he case. Yes, the bad guy does crossdress, (technically speaking) but the behavior in this case is more reflective of multiple personality disorder, than anything to do with the experiences of transgender/transsexual individuals. There's even a line from a psychologist at the end, explicitly stating that the character is not a transvestite. I might otherwise make a point about the problematic terminology used here, but given that Psycho was made in 1960 I don't really feel like it. Furthermore, other than a single instance of limp wristedness, I did not notice any attempt to overly feminize the villian, nor did I discern a queer subtext. Ultimately, the film is much worse when it comes to stigmitizing mental illness and one need look no further than the title for proof of that.

For me, there are also some interesting issues related to the attempts of certain parties to censor Psycho or more precisely, what some censors wanted to censor. Objections were raised over the use of the term "transvestite". The shower scene had one shot of female buttocks removed and some censors were worried that a shot of Curtis's nipples had made it into the final cut. Psycho is also famous for quiet likely containing the first scene where a toilet is being flushed and Hitchcock had to fight hard to make sure that this moment was not cut. Oddly enough, the fact that two people are brutally murdered on screen does not seem to have raised quiet the number of objections as the above items, although some film critics apparantly did protest the graphic violence after the film was relased.

From a technical perspective, Psycho is very well constructed, using complex camerawork and bold editing during key sequences. The image of the Bates Motel and shower scene have become etched into our cultural memory for a reason. Anthony Perkins gives the most chilling performance as Norman Bates - the audience does not need any line about the highway being undertraveled to know that there is a reason why no one stays at the Bates Motel. No one else really is given enough to do to leave much of an impression. I may have been underwhelmed by the lack of suspense to the plot (having forknowledge of what would happen before even seeing this) but I cannot deny Hitchock's genius in constructing this classic.

Recommendation
Anyone with an interest in classic films, horror and slasher flicks, or evenjust generally the history of cinema should drive themselves Psycho in order to see this.

The Rating




Trailer


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March 9, 2012

Queer Review: Mamma Mia! (2008)

Mamma Mia!
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Writer: Catherine Johnson
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Dominic Cooper

Overview
What happens when you take the songs of ABBA, mix in a plot light story and the acting talents of Meryl Streep? Why, Mamma Mia! of course, the cinematic equivalent of a sparkler, that is it burns bright once lit but the memory is unlikely to linger.

Synopsis
Sophia (Amanda Seyfried) is in the final preparations for her wedding to Sky (Dominic Cooper) but with one wrinkle. She does not know who her father is. So after snooping through her mother's diary, Sophia invites the three candidates, Harry Bright (Colin Firth), Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgård), and Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan). However, since she did not tell anyone she was doing this, naturally, lots of hijinks ensue, all set to the tunes of ABBA.

The Queering
Musicals, much like the westerns, are a rare breed in modern cinema, but Mamia Mia! proves that there is good reason for them not to go extinct. Completely, lacking in substance (of course) Mamma Mia! still manages to provide a reasonably entertaining cinematic experience. The song and dance sequences are energetic and keep the plot moving at a fast enough pace that other issues become ignorably.

Character development can charitably be called shallow and the plot is as flimsy as the gorgeous, flowing costumes Meryl Streep frequently wears. The most memorable one having her on the prow of a large boat, king of the world style, with a large sash flowing over most of the railings. No matter what, between the song and dance numbers and the gorgeous island scenery Mamma Mia! is at least always interesting to look at. Since Mamma Mia! is set in Greece, it's worth pointing out that it literally does have a greek chorus.

Meryl Streep, while perhaps not quite up to her usual standerds, manages to demonstrate yet again why Hollywood's insistence on putting women past the age of 30 out to pasture is the most moronic of attitudes. Amanda Seyfried is suitably charming. Of the rest of the cast only Pierce Brosnan feels miscast, but that's mostly due to his singing abilities - or more precisely, the lack thereof.

In the "blink and you'll miss it" category, I should point out that Colin Firth's character is gay. Call me cynical and while I generally applaud the inclusion of positive queer characters, even minor ones, the evidence that Firth's character is in fact gay is presented in such a brief and rushed manor that I could not help but wonder about the motivation for putting it in the screenplay. Given that ABBA has a strong following with gay men, I therefore believe that the producers thought that a movie set securely in heteronormative land, might not have played too strongly with the target audience, thus motivating the inclusion of a minor gay character.

Recommendation
A lot depends on how big a fan one is of ABBA in order to determine if one will be screaming with joy or agony while watching Mamma Mia!. For the ABBA fans, this will be a joy to watch, for the non-fans, well, I would wager your time will be better off listening to your K.I.S.S. or Aerosmith albums for the millionth time.

The Rating




Trailer



Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.