Psycho

Plot

The movie opens in Phoenix, Arizona, where discreet lovers Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and Sam Loomis (John Gavin) want to marry, but cannot, as Sam is in debt and must also pay heavy alimony to his ex-wife. Unhappy and desperate to improve their situation, Marion steals $40,000 in cash from her office and drives to California, where Sam lives. All the while, Marion is nervous and apprehensive, and drives well into the night, eventually parking alongside the road to sleep.

She is awakened by a concerned highway police officer, who warns her that it is dangerous to sleep in a car and tells her in the future to find a motel. However, Marion's agitation and desperation to leave arouses his suspicions. The officer looks at her license and registration, taking note of the plate number. He allows her to go on, but follows her, which agitates Marion further. Realizing that he now knows her plate number, is suspicious of her, and that she can be tracked by the authorities when the money is reported stolen, she trades her 1956 Ford Mainline (and pays an additional $700) for a 1957 Ford Custom 300 before continuing to California. However, the same officer has been watching the exchange from across the street and gotten her new plate number. Marion leaves, worrying that the car trader will express suspicions of his own to the officer.

Marion becomes fatigued from stress and driving in heavy rain and decides to find a proper place to stay for the night, fearing a reprise of the incident with the patrolman. She turns off the main road without realizing it, and arrives at the Bates Motel, a twelve-cabin lodging, rather out-of-the-way with no other guests at present. The young, boyishly handsome and innocent-seeming owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), explains to her that business has decreased dramatically since the new road bypassed the motel. Norman does what little work is left, and also looks after his mother in a sinister-looking house on top of a nearby hill. Marion checks in under an assumed name, though she unwittingly gives her real name to him later.

It is still raining, Marion is very tired, and the nearest diner is ten miles away, so Norman suggests that she have dinner at his house. However, from her room, Marion overhears a heated argument between Norman and his mother, who seems to suspect that his meal with Marion is part of a sordid affair. The two eat in the office instead, where Norman keeps several stuffed birds (his hobby is taxidermy). While eating, they have a gentle conversation at first, but Norman loses his temper after she delicately suggests he gets help in looking after his disturbed mother. Norman recovers from his brief outburst and admits that he would like to leave, but can't abandon his mother. He compares his life to a trap and observes that this aptly describes most people. Feeling that the theft of the money has also got her into a trap, Marion resolves to drive back to Phoenix in the morning. She undresses in her room next door while Norman watches through a peephole in the wall of his office.

Resolving to make amends to her employer, Marion makes a few calculations based on how much the escapade has cost her. She then takes a shower. Suddenly, a human figure enters the bathroom — shadowy through the shower curtain — and brutally stabs Marion to death. She dies shortly after grabbing the curtain, which collapses. Norman is horrified when he finds the bloody corpse, but he pulls himself together and wraps it in the shower curtain. He cleans up the room, then places the body and all of Marion's possessions (including the stolen money which is still hidden in a newspaper) into the trunk of her car before pushing it into a swamp, eliminating any incriminating evidence.

Shortly afterward, Marion's lover Sam is contacted almost simultaneously by Marion's worried sister Lila (Vera Miles) and by a private detective, Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam), hired by Marion's employer to find her and recover the money himself, as her employer does not want police involvement. Arbogast suspects that either of them could know Marion's whereabouts. However, he traces the missing woman to the Bates Motel and questions Norman, who lies poorly. Arbogast wants to speak to Bates's mother but the young man vehemently forbids it. Arbogast then calls Marion's sister from a public phone, and tells her that he is not satisfied with what he has been told. He sneaks into the old house to question Mrs. Bates, but is pushed backwards down a flight of stairs and stabbed to death.

Lila and Sam become concerned when Arbogast does not report again and decide to alert the local police. Deputy Sheriff Al Chambers (John McIntire) is puzzled that Arbogast has claimed to have seen Norman's mother, as she has been buried for the past ten years, having (apparently) poisoned herself and her lover with strychnine. Meanwhile, the Bates' house resonates with a conversation as Norman confronts his mother, urging her to go into hiding in the fruit cellar, as people are already searching for Marion and will eventually search for Arbogast as well. She rejects the suggestion, angrily mentioning the previous occasion when Norman convinced her to stay down there for a long time. She then orders Norman to leave the room. He refuses, picks her up against her will and carries her downstairs to the fruit cellar, with her yelling "Put me down! I can walk on my own!"

Sam and Lila decide to check into the Bates Motel, posing as a married couple. Norman assigns them to a cabin away from Marion's room. They sneak in anyway to investigate, and find that the shower curtain is missing. Lila looks into the toilet and sees a small scrap of paper caught at the edge. The sum of $40,000 is written on it, confirming that Marion had been there. Lila then sneaks into the house with the intention of talking to Norman's mother, while Sam distracts the young man. Sam suggests to Norman that he has killed Marion to get his hands on her stolen money. They argue until Norman realizes that Lila is not present. Furious and panicked, he knocks Sam unconscious and races to the house. Seeing him come through a window, Lila hides from him in the fruit cellar, where she discovers that Mrs. Bates is a semi-preserved mummified corpse. At that moment, Norman (wearing his mother's clothes and a wig) enters, screaming and holding a knife. However, Sam has regained consciousness and arrives just in time to save Lila. He rips Norman's wig and dress during their struggle.

At the end of the film, a forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Fred Richmond (Simon Oakland), explains to Lila, Sam, and the authorities that Bates's mother, though dead, lives on in Norman's psyche. Dr. Richmond explains that while growing up, Norman lived alone with his mother, as if they were the only two people in the world. ("A boy's best friend is his mother," Norman had told Marion early in the film.) Yet when his mother found a lover, Norman became jealous and murdered them both. He was so dominated by his mother while she lived, and so guilt-ridden for murdering her ten years earlier, that he tried to erase the crime from his mind by bringing his mother back to life. Physically, this was done by stealing her corpse ("a weighted coffin was buried," according to Richmond) and preserving his mother's body using his taxidermy skills. This process also created a dual personality in Norman; he incorporated the persona of his mother as a separate part of his psyche. When he is being his "Mother", he acts as he believes she would, talks as she would, and even dresses as she would, in an attempt to erase her absence and with it, his guilt. Because Norman was very jealous of his mother while she lived, he imagined that Mother would be equally jealous of any woman to whom he might be attracted, to the point of murdering them. Norman's psychosis protects him from (consciously) knowing about the crimes the mother figure commits, and it also prevents him from consciously knowing that his mother is long dead. Besides Marion and Arbogast, the sheriff recalls that the disappearances of two other young women in the area have gone unresolved.

The last scene shows Norman Bates seated in a cell. His mind is now completely dominated by the persona of his mother. We hear "her" internal voice as a voice-over. She blames Norman, and plans on demonstrating to the authorities that it was Norman who did the crimes, whereas she is utterly harmless. She knows that people must be observing her, and will show them what kind of a person she is. As a fly crawls on Norman's hand, Mother continues, "I'm not even going to swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They'll see, they'll know, and they'll say, 'Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly'". We see "Mother" give a smile of satisfaction, which shows through Norman's demented stare. (A double exposure shot of Norman's face over a bleached skull.) The film's final shot is of Marion's car being recovered from the swamp.

Awards

Psycho was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Janet Leigh), Direction (Alfred Hitchcock), Black and White Cinematography (John Russell), and Black and White Art Direction-set decoration (Joseph Hurley, Robert Clatworthy; George Milo). It did not win any Academy Awards, though Leigh did win a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, and Perkins tied for best actor in an award from the International Board of Motion Picture Reviewers. Stefano was nominated for two writing awards by Edgar Allan Poe Awards and the Writers Guild of America, East; he won the former only. Hitchcock was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures by the Directors Guild of America. In 1992, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry.

"No other murder mystery in the history of the movies has inspired such merchandising."^[5] Any number of items emblazoned with Bates Motel, stills, lobby cards, and highly valuable posters are available for purchase. In 1992, it was adapted scene-for-scene into three comic books by the Innovative Corporation.^[5] It appeared on a number of lists by websites, TV channels, magazines, and books including the following:

• Its shower scene was featured as #4 on the list of Bravo Network's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.^[28]
• The finale was ranked #4 on Premiere's list of "The 25 Most Shocking Moments in Movie History."^[29]
• #11 in Entertainment Weekly's book titled The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.^[1]

American Film Institute recognition

• 1998 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies #18
• 2001 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills #1
• 2003 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains:
  • Norman Bates - Villain #2
• 2005 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes:
  • "A boy's best friend is his mother," #56
• 2005 AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores #4
• 2007 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies #14

From Wikipedia

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a 1978 comedy film directed by John De Bello and starring David Miller. The film is a spoof of B-movies. Made on a budget of less than USD$100,000, the story involves tomatoes becoming sentient by unknown means and revolting against humanity. Writing credits were shared by John De Bello, Costa Dillon, and Stephen Peace. The concept of Killer Tomatoes was created by Dillon.

Plot

The film opens with a scroll dictating that, when Alfred Hitchcock's film The Birds (1963) was released, audiences laughed at the notion of birds revolting against humanity, but when an attack perpetrated by birds occurred in 1975, no one laughed. This is followed by a pre-credits sequence of a tomato rising out of a woman's garbage disposal unit. Her puzzlement turns into terror as the tomato draws her into a corner. Following the credits, we see the police investigating her death. One officer discovers that the red substance she is covered with is not blood, but tomato juice.

A series of attacks perpetrated by tomatoes occur (including a man dying by drinking tomato juice made from a killer tomato and a sequence where the tomatoes attack innocent swimmers, in a parody of Jaws). While the President's press secretary Jim Richardson tries to convince the public that there is no credible threat, the president puts together a team of specialists to stop the tomatoes led by a man named Mason Dixon. Dixon's team includes Sam Smith, an African-American disguise expert who is seen at various points dressed as, among other things, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and even Adolf Hitler; Navy diver Greg Colburn; Russian Olympic swimmer Gretta Attenbaum; and parachute-toting Wilbur Finletter.

Smith is sent out to infiltrate the tomatoes, eventually blowing his cover when he asks if anyone could "pass the ketchup." Colburn and Gretta are sent to sectors, and Finletter stays with Mason. Meanwhile, the president sends Richardson to the fictitious ad agency 'Mind Makers', where executive Ted Swan spends huge amounts of money to develop virtually worthless ploys including a bumper sticker with 'STP' for "Stop Tomato Plants' on it. It is revealed that a human is also plotting to stop Dixon when a masked assassin attempts to shoot him, but misses. A senate subcommittee meeting is held where one secret pamphlet is leaked to a newspaper editor who sends Lois Fairchild on the story. While she tails Finletter, he mistakes her to be a spy and trashes a hotel room attempting to kill her. He then chases the assassin as the masked man fails again to kill Dixon, but loses him.

Gretta is killed and further regression has led leaders to bring in tanks and soldiers to the west coast in a battle that leaves the American forces in shambles. Dixon, walking among the rubble, sees a trail of tomato juice and decides to investigate. He ends up being chased by a killer tomato to an apartment where a oblivious child is listening to the radio. The tomato is about to kill Dixon but suddenly flies out the window. Dixon peers out to see if it has died when he spots the assassin hijacking his car. He chases the assassin until he is knocked out when it is revealed that Richardson is behind the tomatoes. He is about to reveal his secret of control when Finletter charges in and runs him through. Dixon, picking up some strewn records, realizes that both times the tomatoes left him the new hit song "Puberty Love" had been on the radio. He orders Finletter to gather all remaining people and bring them to the stadium, which is soon attacked by the tomatoes.

The tomatoes are cornered in a stadium. "Puberty Love" is played over the loudspeaker, causing the tomatoes to shrink and allowing the various people at the stadium to squash them by stomping on them repeatedly. Fairchild, meanwhile, is cornered by a giant tomato wearing earmuffs. Dixon saves her by showing the tomato the sheet music to "Puberty Love." He professes his love to her, in song. The film ends by showing a carrot that rises from the Earth and says "All right, you guys. They're gone."

Critics

The film was poorly received by critics, garnering 27% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes.com

From Wikipedia

The Incredible Hulk

Pada dasarnya nih film cukup entertaining walaupun kurang menggigit (IMHO). Kalo dibandingin sama Iron Man, masih kalah jauhlah tapi kalo dibandingin Hulk-nya Ang Lee, yang satu ini emang lebih menarik untuk dinikmatin filmnya. Ada beberapa point aja yang ajdi perhatian gw:

1. CGI-nya lumayan oke koq, lebih berasa hidup dan sangar, yang gw suka, otot2nya kelihatan hidup. Cuma untuk ekspresinya si Hulk, kayanya kurang oke. Masih berasa banget CGI-nya. Gw belom pernah lihat efek CGI sekeren Gollum di LOTR dimana dari segi fisik, karakter dan psikologisnya berasa real banget, bikin kita bener2 percaya kalo mahluk kaya gitu bener2 ada.

2. Edward Norton not badlah jadi si Bruce Banner, Liv Tyler nggak banget jadi Betty Ross, William Hurt cukup mantap dari segi acting untuk meranin Gen Ross cuma secara fisik lebih mirip Sam Elliot, Tim Roth cukup memberi warna untuk karakter Blonsky cuma Gen Thade di Planet of the apes still the best villians.

3. Kayanya di pertengahan film, kalo nggak salah pas si Bruce Banner lagi jalan di Brazil, background musicnya (solo piano) kayanya diambil dari serial Hulk ya ? ada yang perhatiin nggak ?

4. Gw notice 1 hal di film ini, di setiap seragam tentara america ada badge bendera america di lengan kanannya. Tapi benderanya koq kebalik ya ? mustinya kan bintang2nya itu di sebelah kiri atas, tapi ini di sebelah kanan atas. Ada yang tau sebabnya ?

5. Nick Fury sebenerny muncul di film ini, cuma namanya doang di opening title... hehehehe

6. Gw bukan penggemar comic superhero, buat penggemar comic superhero mungkin ada yang bisa jawab pertanyaan gw:
- Di akhir film waktu Tony Stark muncul, sebenrnya dia ngajak Gen Ross untuk gabung ke The Avenger atau ngajak gabung untuk ngelawan Hulk ?
- Dr Stern di akhir film itu bakal jadi the next villian ya ?

7. Big Hole in this movie, masa si Bruce Banner cuma modal baju dan celana robek2 bisa pergi ke Virginia dari Guatemala.. ?!? emangnya nggak perlu lewat imigrasi ya ? atau dia sengaja berubah jadi hulk dulu biar bisa loncat? hehehehehe

Kayanya segitu aja sih, Overall cukup bagus filmnya.

THE HAPPENING

Elliot Moore, seorang guru science yang sedang mengalamai masalah dengan pernikahannya harus mengalami perjalanan panjang untuk keluar dari kotanya bersama dengan istri dan keponakannya (CMIIW) karena adanya serangan virus mematikan di sepanjang Pantai Timur Amerika.

Sebenernya sih jalan ceritanya cuma gitu doang, hampir mirip2 war of the worlds cuma kali ini musuhnya adalah alam.... hehehehehe. Ada beberapa comment dari gw tentang film ini:

1. IMHO, film ini lebih mencekam dari Sixth Sense. kenapa ? karena disini Syahmalan menampilkan atmospheric horror. Tanpa adanya setan tapi tetep mencekam. Dan 1 lagi, adegan-adegan horror yang ditampilkan disini mengingatkan gw sama adegan di film-film horror classic taun 80/90 an, terutama adegan waktu di rumah si nenek-nenek tua itu.

2. Akting para pemainnya standar aja, nggak ada yang luar biasa tapi nggak jelek-jelek amat. Ada yang bilang film ini bisa mematikan karirnya Mark Wahlberg, well... kalo menurut gw justru Mark Wahlberg emang orang yang paling pas untuk meranin Elliot Moore... ;P

3. Message yang mau disampaikan di film ini kurang kena, walaupun gw ngerti maksudnya. Sebenernya film ini kan mau menyampaikan ke kita, kalau Planet yang kita tempatin sekarang ini menganggap manusia sebagai ancaman buat "mereka" sehingga sebagai mahluk hidup yang memiliki naluri untuk bertahan, akhirnya planet ini menolak kehadiran manusia dengan menyebarkan semacam virus yang mematikan. Oke sih messagenya, cuma alasan dari "penolakan" itu yang kurang di explore, memang maksudnya itu kalau manusia semakain semena-mena sama lingkungan kita, tapi hal itu kurang di tonjolin selain lewat gambar pembuangan limbah polusi di salah satu adegan. Sebagai orang yang pernah nonton film2 sebelumnya Syahmalan, akhirnya sepanjang film jadi bertanya-tanya, ini film sebenernya tentang alam atau tentang Elliot Moore itu sendiri, formula yang digunakan di Signs.

4. Gw kehilangan 1 hal di film ini yang biasanya ada di film2nya Syahmalan, Twist Ending! Sepanjang film gw nebak2 twist macam apa yang mau di tampilin di film ini. Ternyata nggak ada. Beberapa "SPOILER" yang gw baca setelah nonton film ini, twist ending film ini justru terletak di akhir film waktu seorang scientist diwawancara di suatu televisi dimana dia bilang : "alam mulai menolak kehadiran manusia dan hal ini merupakan awal dari bencana", kemudian adegan berpindah ke suatu taman di Prancis dimana semua pengunjung taman mengalami hal yang sama seperti di Central Park. Tapi menurut gw, kalau memang itu Twist-nya, yaaaa.... dari pertengahan film juga udah ketebak. Malah karakter utamanya sendiri yang mengungkapkan hal itu... hehehehehe

Akhirnya,
The Happening bukanlah masterpiece dari Syahmalan. Film ini nggak lebih baik dari The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable atau Signs tapi film ini lebih baik dari Lady In The Water :)

Gw cukup terhibur dengan film ini. Dan menurut gw, Hollywood emang butuh "creator" seperti Syahmalan sebagai penyeimbang di industri perfilman Hollywood yang semakin lama semakin membosankan film2nya, even itu film2 Big Budget. Sebagai penggemar Syahmalan, gw justru berharap dia konsisten di jalur ini, Low budget movie with good message. Baik atau buruk hasil akhir eksekusinya, setidaknya gw mendapatkan experience yang beda dari setiap film2nya dia.

IN THE NAME OF LOVE

Triawan Negara (Roy Marten) dan Satrio Hidayat (Cok Simabara) adalah 2 pengusaha sukses yang saling bermusuhan. Perseteruan mereka sudah dikenal oleh pblik secara luas. Triawan menikahi Citra (Christine Hakim) dan memiliki 4 orang anak, Riyanti (Luna Maya), Pandji (Yama Crlos), Banyu (Nino Fernadez), Saskia (Acha Septriasa) dan Dirga (Panji Rahadi). Sedangkan Satrio menikahi Kartika (Tuti Kirana) dan memiliki 3 orang anak laki-laki: Aryan (Lukman Sardi), Adit (Tengku Firmansyah) dan Abi (Vino Bastian).

Permusuhan 2 keluarga tersebut diturunkan ke anak2nya sehingga menjadi abadi. Sampai pada akhrinya Saskia yang merupakan junior Abi ditempat mereka kuliah saling jatuh cinta. Cinta yang nggak mungkin dipersatukan mengingat latar belakang keluarga mereka. Ketika Dirga, adik Saskia, memergoki mereka berdua berpacaran, disinilah konflik dimulai. Kedua keluarga saling buru sehingga korban pun mulai berjatuhan. Keadaan intern kedua keluarga itupun memiliki masalahnya sendiri-sendiri sehingga konflik diantara mereka makin membuat situasi semakin berantakan. Ketika situasi semakin panas, beberapa dari mereka mulai luluh oleh perjuangan Abi dan Saskia terutama Kartika, ibu dari Abi. Mereka berdua pun kabur dari rumah dengan bantuan Kartika dimana tindakan mereka ini semakin banyak memakan korban.

Bagaimanakah akhir kisah mereka ? apa yang sebenarnya menyebabkan kedua kepala keluarga itu saling membenci ? apakah ada hal lain yang mereka tutupi dari anak2 mereka ?

Romeo & Julliete meet The Godfather

Mungkin inilah satu2nya film Indonesia yang dari mulai awal kebangkitannya di pertengahan tahun 2000 yang mampu menampilkan acting yang luar biasa dari para pemain2nya. Baik itu pemeran utamanya maupun pemeran pembantunya. Kita harus buang jauh2 mindset kita tentang kebosenan pecinta film Indonesia dengan seringnya Acha dan Vino Bastian menghiasi layar bioskop di Indonesia. Tapi memang harus di akui, mereka selalu menampilkan acting terbaik mereka di setiap film2nya, termasuk di In The Name Of Love. Banyak adegan nangis ??... memang…. Tapi disitulah inti dari film ini. Christine Hakim, Roy Marten, Cok Simbara nggak usah di bahas lagi soal kemampuan acting mereka, terutama untuk Roy Marten dan Christine Hakim. Mereka bener2 keluarin semua kemampuan dan pengalaman mereka di film ini sehingga kita bisa merasakan hancurnya hidup mereka sebagai orantua ketika mengetahui anak mereka saling jatuh cinta dengan anak dari musuh abadi mereka. Justru yang mencuri perhatian gw adalah Nino Fernandez, Tengku Firmansyah, Luna Maya dan Dicky Wahyudi (serius…. beneran… dicky wahyudi mantan bintang film "esek-esek" itu.. ;p), mereka mampu mengimbangi permainan para senior2nya sehingga kualitas acting mereka terlihat setara dengan yang lainnya. Nino Fernandez walaupun tidak terlalu banyak scene yang melibatkan dia, tetapi kemunculannya selalu mencuri perhatian gw sebagai anak yang berada di posisi netral dan sangat mencintai ibunya. Begitu juga dengan Dicky Wahyudi yang sangat meyakinkan berperan sebagai seorang suami yang selalu berada di "bawah" istrinya (Luna Maya) dan berusaha untuk merebut hati ayah mertuanya (Roy Marten). Mungkin inilah lineup cast terbaik film Indonesia sampai saat ini.

Penyutradaraan Rudi memang nggak banyak berubah. Shoot2 close up dan handheld camera dengan ritme film yang lambat memang sudah menjadi ciri khasnya. Warna2 sephia (Low Key Lighting) menghiasi sepanjang film. Mungkin ini dimaksudkan supaya kita lebih dekat dengan karakter-karakternya. Cuma yang sedikit mengganggu adalah, editing yang masih agak kasar dan gambar yang kadang2 tidak focus (kalo yang ini mungkin bisa jadi proyektor yang dipake di studio4 cilandak21 yang jelek) dan juga plot hole yang merupakan masalah klasik untuk film Indonesia saat ini. Tapi hal ini nggak begitu kerasa karena diimbangi oleh kualitas acting para pemain2nya dan scoring music dari Addie MS yang mengingatkan kita akan film2 Wiem Umboh atau Teguh Karya di era 60 / 70an.

Awal film memang terkesan lambat. Kita diperkenalkan para tokoh2nya dimana setiap karakter keluar, maka akan muncul nama dari karakter itu seperti di film Penghianatan G30S/PKI… hehehehe. Tapi ketika ¼ film berjalan, mulailah film ini menemukan ritmenya kembali. Situasi semakin merembet hingga akhir.

Ending film ini memang dibuat (amat sangat) menggantung dan dimaksudkan akan ada sequel dari film ini secara Rudi memang menyiapkan film ini menjadi Trilogy. Hanya saja mungkin untuk waktu yang cukup lama secara Roy Marten sudah divonis 3 tahun penjara karena kepemilikan (lagi) narkoba… (what a wasted). Tapi menurut gw, inilah film dengan ending terbaik J

Dengan segala kekurangannya, In The Name Of Love adalah salah satu film terbaik Indonesia hingga saat ini.

Sayang…. Nasib film ini seperti Kala-nya Joko Anwar. Film yang bermutu tapi minim promosi. Sehingga banyak yang orang tidak tahu. Mungkin udah saatnya muncul PH2 yang berani menginvestasikan uangnya untuk film2 bermutu seperti ini.