Krell Laboratories

Never. Mirren is eternal, I think. And it doesn...

2012-05-25T19:43:09.106-07:00

Never. Mirren is eternal, I think. And it doesn't matter the version, whether the nymph from Michael Powell's Age of Consent, the vamp from Excalibur, the woman of a certain age in Prime Suspect, or this in her after years. The movies were invented to document this.

Vulnavia: Loved this post as I love all good writi...

2012-05-25T15:52:21.916-07:00

Vulnavia: Loved this post as I love all good writing about Shakespeare. It's just so much fun to think about Shakespeare, and all things that come from Shakespeare, isn't it? As you say, the greatest writer in the history of the world - you were simply tossing correctness a bone when you say "arguably." I have always been fascinated by the yawning chasm that exists between all other human sentences and those of Shakespeare. I don't think he was human. I think he visited briefly from another cosmos.

One quick question: When does Mirren stop being hot? In the grave? Without putting too fine a point on it, I doubt even then.

Vulvania: As you indicate, commenting, like writin...

2012-05-23T20:20:13.194-07:00

Vulvania: As you indicate, commenting, like writing about the Avengers; feels like shoveling sand in a sandstorm. What difference does it make? I'll see it, probably buy the Blu-ray, blah fucking blah. It simply is the perfect Hollywood product. It is overpowering in its attraction - in all its slick surfaces. I'm so sick of Downey I could shit on my shoes, but I'll still buy it. I can't stand it that Jackson is cast as Nick Fury (Fury as Shaft - just to please current audiences); but I'll eagerly shove it into my player. I hate that Kirby got screwed, but sign me up anyway.

I hate this fucking movie. My copy is on pre-order. After viewing, I'll forget it in a week.

Fine set of movie answers, even though we'll h...

2012-05-21T09:44:25.344-07:00

Fine set of movie answers, even though we'll have to agree to disagree about Henry King ;-).

You stole my thunder on SODOM AND GOMORRAH! I love...

2012-05-21T09:39:18.067-07:00

You stole my thunder on SODOM AND GOMORRAH! I loved running across this one on TV during rainy Saturday afternoons when I was a kid. Then when I discovered it was "co-directed" by Sergio Leone I suddenly had all the validation I needed for my spurious, lurid taste in biblical spectacles!

Hi, Tinky. Thanks! What do you think would be a go...

2012-05-19T21:30:23.863-07:00

Hi, Tinky. Thanks! What do you think would be a good dish to serve with Psycho?

Hi, Joe. One of the great things about this blogathon is the opportunity to find new blogs. I'm really digging yours. Awesome stuff.

Christianne: Thanks for sharing your analysis of ...

2012-05-19T21:23:33.230-07:00

Christianne: Thanks for sharing your analysis of the movie. It makes sense. Thanks also for sharing your personal thoughts on the way transgender people have been shown in movies since Psycho. This has been a great blogathon. I have learned many things.

Yes, while I certainly don't agree with the Me...

2012-05-18T15:33:30.530-07:00

Yes, while I certainly don't agree with the Medveds that this was one of the 50 worst movies of all time (that particular books trashes all sorts of movies that I love -- Alfredo Garcia, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Griffith's Abraham Lincoln), I did find Jamaica Inn to be a crushing bore. I remember very little about it aside from that finale where Laughton is up on the ship, or... something.

Yay for guest posts! Unfortunately I've yet t...

2012-05-18T14:48:30.958-07:00

Yay for guest posts! Unfortunately I've yet to see one of Hitchcock's silent films (I've seen a few parts of Blackmail, but that doesn't count). I really must rectify this situation soon.

-jesse

That year (1899) must have been something special:...

2012-05-18T13:58:01.163-07:00

That year (1899) must have been something special: not only Hitchcock but Noel Coward and Duke Ellington were born then. I'd love to see a play about the three of them. Thanks for the synopses; it's nice to have these films in order.

I have to say I disagree. I saw Jamaica Inn last ...

2012-05-17T17:35:28.442-07:00

I have to say I disagree. I saw Jamaica Inn last year and was wowed by it. I know Hitchcock hated the film, and that making it was an awful experience. To me it seemed very daring and unusual. Laughton certainly demands your attention, but I felt the character was interesting enough to justify this. He's a madman, but also very human. To my mind, this is one of Hitchcock's most vivid portrayals of the violent and unpredictable world we live in. I thought the film was disturbing and fascinating.

V, Everyone's younger selves are idiots. We ...

2012-05-17T13:15:42.016-07:00

V,

Everyone's younger selves are idiots. We just don't know that until we are older.

Hi, Tink, I know what you mean. Talk about an ir...

2012-05-17T06:45:28.454-07:00

Hi, Tink,

I know what you mean. Talk about an irresistible force meeting an immoveable object! Yikes!

It would have been interesting to be a fly on the ...

2012-05-17T06:41:31.366-07:00

It would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall observing the two egos, Hitchcock and Laughton, interact! It's always intriguing to revisit films one saw as a youngster and take note of one's changed perspective; you give a thoughtful analysis here....

Hi, Joe. My favorite long take in classic Hollywoo...

2012-05-16T21:41:05.138-07:00

Hi, Joe. My favorite long take in classic Hollywood, Touch of Evil aside, is at the beginning of Ride the Pink Horse. It's so subtle that it sneaks up on you. I like that.

Hi, Casey,

I knew that Hitch had the hots for Ingrid Bergman, but I can't blame him for that, I guess.

Hi, Kevyn. Thanks.

If it makes it any easier, you can find the complete film on YouTube, which is where I watched it. The print I watched wasn't bad, either. Though I guess Netflix is probably a better choice. Oh, and my younger self was usually an idiot. I can't believe some of the stupid things I used to believe.

Great piece on a film I haven't actually seen....

2012-05-16T14:52:23.182-07:00

Great piece on a film I haven't actually seen. It is one of the few Hitchcock's I have yet to see, but is at the top of that said list.

I really enjoy how you keep second-guessing your younger self. I do the same thing. Many films I saw as a youth and was totally meh about (Some Like It Hot, An American in Paris, Rear Window) I now gleefully include in my all-time favourites.

Again, great article. It has forced my hand and made me place Under Capricorn at the top of my Netflix queue.

I haven't seen this one but probably will at s...

2012-05-16T09:48:23.605-07:00

I haven't seen this one but probably will at some point, although I'm not going to rush out! I love the work "creaks."

I remember seeing The Lodger years ago. I don'...

2012-05-15T22:31:12.945-07:00

I remember seeing The Lodger years ago. I don't think that movie had a proper ending! Best as I can remember, the lodger, thought to be the film's vicious serial killer, runs off and is attacked by a large crowd, then the police show up and say that the real killer has been caught, then the lodger and his beau kissTHE-END.

This is one of the most eloquent, well written pie...

2012-05-15T17:07:38.939-07:00

This is one of the most eloquent, well written pieces I have seen in any of the three annual blogathons. I'm not sure I agree that showing the graphic violence WAS the next step, but it's a great argument, one I'll think about...

Nice breakdown of Under Capricorn. Even though it...

2012-05-15T14:17:45.812-07:00

Nice breakdown of Under Capricorn. Even though it doesn't totally work, I've always thought it was a pretty interesting movie. As you say, it seems like Hitch was trying to think about film differently. Also, he may have been more focussed on Ingrid Bergman than on the movie. According to Donald Spoto, Hitchcock's interest in Bergman was a large part of the motivation for making Under Capricorn.

Hi, Anonymous. I'm transsexual. I was born ma...

2012-05-15T09:13:43.915-07:00

Hi, Anonymous.

I'm transsexual. I was born male. I transitioned medically, legally, and socially to female.

Hi, Chris, "Three O'Clock" is terr...

2012-05-15T09:12:06.342-07:00

Hi, Chris,

"Three O'Clock" is terrific. Extremely suspenseful. It turns the screws tight.

I've seen all of the sequels to Psycho (including the lamentable Psycho 4). Psycho did pretty well with sequels. I'm very fond of Psycho 3, actually. Tony Perkins did himself proud with that film.

How are you transgender?

2012-05-15T02:29:54.853-07:00

How are you transgender?

Have you ever seen Psycho 2? It's really good ...

2012-05-15T02:26:21.237-07:00

Have you ever seen Psycho 2? It's really good for an unneeded sequl!

What do you mean saying that 'Three O'Clock' is excruciating? As in suspenseful, or as in terrible?

I'd vote for a rewatch of "I Confess,&quo...

2012-05-14T22:05:01.955-07:00

I'd vote for a rewatch of "I Confess," because I have a lot of affection for that film, and consider it among the most underrated of the Hitchock oeuvre!

-jesse