Rating: 
Summary: Psycho (1998)
Review: This lame remake by Gus Van Sant is effortless and a waste of time anyway. Vince Vaughn has absolutely no comparison to the master, Anthony Perkins, as Norman Bates and Anne Heche as Marion Crane, is a character I really do not feel sorry for. Janet Leigh was much better.
This remake of Psycho is a remake in every sense of the word, having the majority (maybe 2 or 3 words have been changed) of the lines from the original kept, and the shots are pretty much the same. The crew has also added some unnecessary things such as the crude shots of bare bottoms and sideview breast shots. And what was up with the cow in the middle of the road and the blind-folded lady when the detective comes flying down the stairs???
This is an awful remake and really embarrasses all the cast and crew involved. A waste of time in the making and in the viewing. Don't rent it and certainly do not buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It
Review: Some movies are so great they should never, ever be done over, and the original "Psycho" is one of them. Whoever had the idea of doing a remake should have his head read. Gus Van Sant deserves an A for the effort but this project was doomed from the start; there is no way he could have hoped to improve on the original, so what was the point? Vince Vaughn is a good actor and I liked him very much in "The Lost World" but let's face it, Norman Bates he ain't. Shooting the remake in color actually lessens the impact of the film. I have to give Anne Heche credit for giving a very good performance as Marian Crane, and the scene of her rolling her eyes in disbelief as Norman says that a boy's best friend is his mother is priceless. This "Psycho" is not a bad movie but there is no way it can touch the Hitchcock version. Rent this one, if you must see it, but buy the original.
Rating:
Summary: Psyched
Review: As regular readers of my reviews already know, I became interested in the films of Alfred Hitchcock, after studying about him in film school. When I heard that director Gus Van Sant was doing a "remake" of Psycho, at first I thought "why mess with perfection"? But then, curiousity got the better of me, and I decided to see for myself, whether or not it worked. I went to the theater in '98 and felt disappointed but not as though sacreligion had been committed. That said though I hadn't seen it since until now. I decided to give it another look, along with the bonus material, on the Collector's Edition DVD.Marion Crane (Anne Heche) is a typical office working girl, tired of having to steal away fleeting moments to meet her lover, Sam Loomis, (Viggo Mortensen) who cannot get married because most of his money is tied up in alimony payments. One Friday afternoon, Marion's employer asks her to take $400,000 in cash to a local bank for deposit. Desperate to make a change in her life, she impulsively leaves town with the money, determined to start a new life with Sam. As night falls and a torrential rain obscures the road ahead of her, she finds herself exhausted from the long drive and the stress of her criminal act. She decides to spend the night at the desolate Bates Motel. The motel is run by Norman Bates, (Vince Vaughn) a very peculiar, yet very friendly young man. Little does Marion know, Norman is hiding a few family secrets. After he fixes her a light dinner, Marion goes back to her room and decides to take a shower... The film may be a 95% shot for shot clone of the original, but the problems with this version have nothing to do with that really. Any film is subject to being remade and after all this time, and reinterpetations of other classics like Planet Of The Apes, more are probaby on the way. It's important to remember that even Hitchcock remade his own film called The Man Who Knew Too Much. Vaughn's performance is not as nuanced as it needed to be. I'm not saying he needed to copy Anthony Perkins, but his acting chops are not up to role regardless. Also miscast is Heche. Two of the story's pivotal roles miscast and you are gonna have problems. William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, and Mortensen are better in their respective roles though. I liked the fact that Van Sant used original scripter Joseph Steffano and Bernard Herrmann's score, adapted by Danny Elfman, for the project. Good Idea. The DVD audio commentary from director Van Sant, Vaughn and Heche is ok--despite the fact that Vince got really annoying after awhile. The 35 minute documentary cleverly titled "Psycho Path", discusses the hows and whys--complete with the Blessing of Hitcock's daughter Pat--for the project. Production notes, the theatrical trailer, web links and DVD ROM top off the disc. I don't mind the film having been made, I just think some of the casting choices could have been better. For me, since everything else is basically in tact, from the classic--this is why the 98 version only gets ** stars
Rating:
Summary: Psycho
Review: There are several terms you can use to describe Gus Van San'ts remake of Hitchcock's original: Pointless, shot-for shot, dull and so on. But the real question is, is the film, as a stand-alone experience any good? Well, yes and no. There are good points, the film itself looks good, William H. Macy is great as Arbogast and Anne Heche is suitable for the part of Marion. But the problems do outweigh the good things. The actors, with the exception of Macy, are cardboard, and feel like they're reading the lines off the walls, giving very stilted performances. Vince Vaughn, in particular, is nothing compared to the excellent Anthony Perkins, as Vaughn manages to smirk and laugh his way through the film, conveying a sense of comical nature that dosn't work. Where Perkins was sinister and convincing, Vaughn comes off hammy and peculiar. Julianne Moore is good, if not great and Gus Van Sant seems to be playing it safe with the dialogue and action, which makes a point of "why bother?"
In short, it always comes back to the old adage: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Cherish the original.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing New
Review: Though no worse on several levels than the original, much-overrated "Psycho," Gus Van Sant's remake offers little that is new. Thuggish Vince Vaughn takes up the reins as Norman Bates--he's about as interesting to watch as the stuffed birds in the motel office--and pixie Anne Heche--who is more talented than most people give her credit for--gets to be his first on-screen victim. The comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock's "masterpiece" are not only obvious but required, as Van Sant, a bit too lovingly, literally re-creates nearly every scene, and Danny Elfman's score raids Bernard Herrmann's. Despite all the technical attention, though, there's something desperately missing from this version . . . perhaps the casual, plasticky times in which we live in seem rather "hollow" compared to the "grown up" 1960s in which the original was set, making the style of this film more campy than creepy. In an age when sex and violence are common commodities, even the subtext of the infamous shower scene probably gets lost among viewers used to seeing a 14-year-old's conception of such things. By the time blank-slate Jullianne Moore arrives, much of the momentum from comparing this version to the first is gone, making the rest of the film an exercise rather than entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: So yeah, I enjoyed the remake!
Review: Personally, this movie is worth the effort for the cast. Some great people are in here - in fact most of the main players are in my "favourites" list. I liked Vince in the starring role - he's a great actor - although I thought there were times he looked a bit too "camp" - especially when he was watching the car sinking. He wasn't as scary as Perkins, but then not many people are!
I thought Anne Heche, one of my favourite actresses, was excellent - and, of course, she's very gorgeous and always watchable.
One of my favourite actors, William H. Macy was great as usual.
And one of my favourite actresses, Julianne Moore, was also great.
One point which has to be made: This is the only version of Psycho which features an appearance by Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Overall, this movie isn't bad at all and works on certain levels, fails on others but is great entertainment all the same.
When are they gonna remake Psycho 2?!
Rating:
Summary: If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It
Review: Some movies are so great they should never, ever be done over, and the original "Psycho" is one of them. Whoever had the idea of doing a remake should have his head read. Gus Van Sant deserves an A for the effort but this project was doomed from the start; there is no way he could have hoped to improve on the original, so what was the point? Vince Vaughn is a good actor and I liked him very much in "The Lost World" but let's face it, Norman Bates he ain't. Shooting the remake in color actually lessens the impact of the film. I have to give Anne Heche credit for giving a very good performance as Marian Crane, and the scene of her rolling her eyes in disbelief as Norman says that a boy's best friend is his mother is priceless. This "Psycho" is not a bad movie but there is no way it can touch the Hitchcock version. Rent this one, if you must see it, but buy the original.
Rating: 
Summary: Psycho
Review: I just finished watching the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho.This movie is totally and utterly pointless.Anne Heche is the only thing that makes this film any good.She does a great performance.First of all this film is exactly the same as the original shoot to shoot.The only difference is it is in color and has different actors and acteresses.The director must have been watching the original in the back while directing at the same time.I think that it's nice they tried but you can't remake PSYCHO.They should have at least tried to make it their own version.Thumbs up to the actors but thumbs down to originality.The man playing Norman Bates does a good job but you can't be as good as the original Bates.If there was an award for a film that was a remake and exactly like the original then Psycho(1998) would be a nominee and winner.If you like this movie then you should definetly like the original if you haven't already seen it.Don't waste your time if you've already seen the original.I just wish this one could have made it, but maybe there will be another remake that's better. "So much of Van Sant's 'new' version of the classic remains the same that you sit there shaking your head, mumbling, why, oh, why?"
-- Peter Brunette, FILM.COM
Rating: 
Summary: Buy This Movie!!!!!!!
Review: This movie was one of the best I hav ever seen. It is way better than the original. You have to see it. Vince Vaughn is the BEST Norman Bates. Very tense and thrilling a must see movie.
Rating:
Summary: So yeah, I enjoyed the remake!
Review: Personally, this movie is worth the effort for the cast. Some great people are in here - in fact most of the main players are in my "favourites" list. I liked Vince in the starring role - he's a great actor - although I thought there were times he looked a bit too "camp" - especially when he was watching the car sinking. He wasn't as scary as Perkins, but then not many people are!
I thought Anne Heche, one of my favourite actresses, was excellent - and, of course, she's very gorgeous and always watchable.
One of my favourite actors, William H. Macy was great as usual.
And one of my favourite actresses, Julianne Moore, was also great.
One point which has to be made: This is the only version of Psycho which features an appearance by Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
Overall, this movie isn't bad at all and works on certain levels, fails on others but is great entertainment all the same.
When are they gonna remake Psycho 2?!
|
