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The actor AlanArkin has died. He was 89 years of age.His family announced it on July 1st. Arkin had a body of work spanning six decades and was known for his roles in "Catch-22," "Edward Scissorhands," "Grosse Point Blank," and "Argo."
Alan Arkin was born in New York in 1934 into a family of Jewish immigrants who came to the US. Beginning in 1957, Arkin made his film debut in a small part in the musical film "Calypso Heat Wave." He subsequently secured roles in movies, television, and even as a Broadway actor, making his stage debut in "From the Second City" at the Royale Theatre in 1961. But his first significant role was that of a Russian sailor in Norman Jewison's 1966 Cold War comedy "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming." Arkin's portrayal would earn him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. In 1967, he appeared in the psychological thriller "Wait Until Dark" with Audrey Hepburn. The following year, he was in a lead role as a lonely deaf-mute in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," for which he earned his second Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
The most notable role of Arkin's early career was Capt. John Yossarian in Mike Nichols's 1970 adaptation of "Catch-22." While his performance was strong, the movie was beaten by the similarly themed "M*A*S*H," which came out in the same year. In 2006, Arkin would eventually play the heroin-snorting grandfather in the tragicomedy "Little Miss Sunshine." His performance brought him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He also appeared in "Last of the Red Hot Lovers," "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution," "Fire Sale" (which he also directed), "The In-Laws," "Simon," "Edward Scissorhands," "The Rocketeer," "Glengarry Glen Ross," "Grosse Point Blank," "Get Smart," "Sunshine Cleaning," "Stand Up Guys," and "Going In Style." He also won acclaim for his performance as a fictional Hollywood producer in Ben Affleck's 2012 thriller "Argo," for which he received his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. Later in his life, Arkin starred in the Netflix series "The Kominsky Method," for which he earned back-to-back Emmy nominations.
Columbia Pictures (presents) Sony Pictures Animation
Marvel Entertainment (in association with) Pascal Pictures Lord Miller Arad Productions
Distribution
Sony Pictures Releasing Australia
Genre: Animation/Family/
Action
Rating: PG
Runtime: 140 minutes
Budget: $100,000,000
Box Office Gross: $690,824,738 (Worldwide)
Plot Summary
Reunited with Gwen Stacy, the friendly Brooklyn-based Spider-Man finds himself hurled across the universe, where he
meets a team of Spider-
people tasked with
safeguarding their kind's
existence. But Miles
finds himself at odds with
the other Spiders when
the heroes clash over how to deal with a new threat. To protect the people he loves most, he must redefine what it means to be a hero.
Voice Cast
Shameik Moore - Miles Morales Hailee Steinfeld - Spider-Woman/Gwen Stacy
Oscar Isaac - Spider-Man
2099/Miguel O'Hara
Luna Lauren Velez - Rio
Morales
Jake Johnson - Spider-Man/
Peter B. Parker
Issa Rae - Spider-Woman/
Jessica Drew
Andy Samberg - Scarlet Spider/Ben Reilly
Daniel Kaluuya - Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown
Jason Schwartzman - Spot/
Jonathan Ohnn
Brian Tyree Henry -
Jefferson Davis
Karan Soni - India Spider-
Man/Pavitr Prabhakar
Shea Whigham - George Stacy
Greta Lee - LYLA
Mahershala Ali - Uncle Aaron
Amandla Stenberg - Margo Kess/Spider-Byte
Jharrel Jerome - Miles G. Morales
Jack Quaid - Peter Parker
Rachel Dratch - Ms. Veber Kimiko Glenn - Peni Parker
(Uncredited)
Ziggy Marley - Lenny
Jorma Taccone - Vulture/
Adriano Tumono/'67
Spider-Man
J.K. Simmons - J. Jonah
Jameson
Kathryn Hahn - Doctor Octopus/Olivia Octavius
Ayo Edebiri - Glory
Elizabeth Perkins - May/
Quippy Spider-Person
Nicole Delaney - MJ
Antonia Lentini - Betty
Atsuko Okatsuka - Yuri
Peter Sohn - Ganke
Melissa Sturm - Mary Jane
Lorraine Velez - Maria
Nic Novicki - Lego Spider-Man
Taran Killam - Web-Slinger
Metro - Metro Spider-Man
Josh Keaton - Spectacular Spider-Man
Sofia Barclay - Malala Windsor: Spider-UK
Danielle Perez - Charlotte Weber: Sun-Spider
Yuri Lowenthal - Insomniac Spider-Man
Live-Action Cast
Donald Glover - Aaron Davis (Cameo)
Peggy Lu - Mrs. Chen (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Crew
Directors - Joaquim Dos Santos,
Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson
Creator: Spider-Man - Stan Lee (Uncredited)
Writers/Producers - Phil Lord and
Christopher Miller
Writer - Dave Callaham
Executive Producers - Brian Michael Bendis,
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey,
Rodney Rothman and Aditya Sood
Producers - Avi Arad, Amy Pascal
and Christina Steinberg
Co-Producers - Julie Groll,
Alonzo Ruvalcaba and Rebecca Karch Tomlinson
Production Designer - Patrick O'Keefe
Visual Consultant - Kevin Aymeric
Art Director - Dean Gordon
Character Designers - Kris Anka,
Brie Henderson, Mauro Belfiore,
Jesus Alonso Iglesias, Evan Monteiro,
Joseph C. Moshier, Omar Smith,
Ami Thompson and Christine Tseng
Heads of Story - Octavio E. Rodriguez
and Miguel Jiron
Head of Character Animation - Alan Hawkins
Senior Animation Supervisor - Humberto Rosa
Supervising Animators - Chad Ellis,
Emmanuel Gatera, Chelsea Gordon-Ratzlaff,
Rohini Kumar, Robert Lehman,
Nicholas Nostbaaken, Jeff Panko,
Daniel Pozo, Philip Rudolph, Adam Sarophim,
Samuel Arturo Rico Vazquez and Kelsey Wagner
Lego Animator - Preston Mutanga
CG Supervisors - Benjamin Aguillon,
James Carson, Patrick Cohen, Pablo Holcer,
James Park and Benjamin Hendricks
Heads of Layout - Tom Bruno Jr. and
Rich Turner
Visual Effects Supervisor - Mike Lasker
Editor - Mike Andrews
Supervising Sound Editor - Geoffrey G. Rubay
Sound Designers - John Pospisil,
Kip Smedley and Alec Rubay
Re-Recording Mixers - Michael Semanick
and Juan Peralta
Additional Re-Recording Mixers - Ryan Collins
and Gary Summers
Foley Artists - Gregg Barbanell,
Alex Ullrich and Jeff & Dylan Wilhoit
Music - Daniel Pemberton
Music Supervisor - Kier Lehman
Review
When it came out in 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versewas a smash hit. It was an incredible animated film that introduced me to multiple versions of Spider-Man, each coming from a parallel universe. I had no idea they existed until I browsed the internet. Fans and critics took notice, dubbing it the best Spider-Man movie, which made it tough to top and is better than the previous live-action iterations by Sam Raimi, Marc Webb, and the MCU. Though No Way Home comes close to succeeding. However, when word got out that there was to be a sequel bigger than its predecessor, I found myself speechless.
Despite my worries about ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE not living up to the expectations of the original film, it proved me wrong and was a worthy successor. The team at Sony Animation realised how successful the first instalment was and decided to expand the Spider-Verse by inventing new ways to develop the plot for this sequel. The movie is an immense effort for those involved in the first film, including Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who returned as its writers and producers. The animation still has the comic-book style and is better than the original, but the film got overstuffed with visuals. However, each universe had its own colour scheme and animation style, including Gwen Stacy's, which consisted of pink and blue.
The characters in this film have grown so much since we first saw them. Gwen and Miles, in particular, are now older and dealing with their teenage years while helping out in their cities. This film contains so many Easter eggs that fans will not miss. As in the first movie, the voice acting was outstanding, particularly Oscar Isaac, who is a standout and nails the role of Miguel O'Hara.
ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE is the penultimate film of the soon-to-be Spider-Verse trilogy and is even better than the original. The ending reminds me of the cliffhanger in The Empire Strikes Backand leaves it open for a sequel,Beyond the Spider-Verse, which won't be out until next year. It takes everything that made the first film special and adds it. The great thing about animation is that it is an art form of cinema, not entertainment for young kids, as most people have said. Still, I give this movie ten out of ten.
"John Farnham: Finding the Voice" is an intimate exploration of the life and achievements of one of Australia's most iconic
artists. This authorised
documentary traces
John Farnham's journey
from humble beginnings
as a child star to record-
setting success as a
legendary solo artist.
Interviews with Farnham,
his family, friends, and
colleagues paint a vivid
picture of his professional
and personal life.
Along the way, you will see how he persevered and overcame obstacles to become a popular and lasting figure in Australian music history.
Cast
Jimmy Barnes - Himself
Daryl Braithwaite - Himself
Angus Burchall - Himself
Paul Dainty - Himself
Céline Dion - Herself
Tommy Emmanuel - Himself
James K. Farhham - Himself
Jill Farnham - Herself (Voice)
John Farnham - Himself (Voice)
(Archive Footage)
Robert Farnham - Himself
Venetta Fields - Herself
Peter Foggie - Himself
Ross Fraser - Himself
Brett Garsed - Himself
Graham Goble - Himself
Bev Harrell - Herself
David Hirschfelder - Himself
David Mackay - Himself
Richard Marx - Himself
Olivia Newton-John - Herself (Voice)
Cherie Romaro - Herself
Chris Thompson - Himself
Gaynor Wheatley - Herself
Glenn Wheatley - Himself
Robbie Williams - Himself
Rose Farnham - Herself (Voice)
John Farnham, Sr. - Himself (Archive Footage)
Daryl Sambell - Himself (Archive Footage)
Crew
Writer/Director - Poppy Stockell
Writer/Script Supervisor/
Executive Producer - Paul Clarke
Executive Producers - Mikael Borglund
and Martin Fabinyl
Producer - Olivia Hoopmann
Director of Photography - Aaron Smith
Editors - Scott Gray and Steven Robinson
Re-Recording Mixer - Wayne Pashley
Original Music - David Hirschfelder
Review
I know what you're thinking. You thought this was another biopic about a legendary singer, like Freddie Mercury, Elvis, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, or Whitney Houston. No, it is a full-length documentary that offers an intimate and insightful look at one of Australia's greatest artists. It's neither Jimmy Barnes nor Daryl Braithwaite. It's a story of friendship and overcoming obstacles. Growing up, "You're the Voice" was the song of my childhood, but I did not discover John Farnham until my late teens. Since then, I have become familiar with the artist and have enjoyed listening to his music. It's hard to imagine that John Farnham became a household name in Australia thanks to his music and the famous anthemic tune he was proud of.
It's incredibly moving that this film explores the ups and downs of his career, his current health problems, and things you'd never know about the singer, including his three-year stint with Little River Band. The filmmakers assembled a surprising amount of footage and photographs from John Farnham's life, including his childhood and early years as TV Week's King of Pop. The documentary shows the singer paying his respects to fellow singer/frequent collaborator Olivia Newton-John, along with his manager, Glenn Wheatley, who both sadly passed shortly after being interviewed.
JOHN FARNHAM: FINDING THE VOICE is a heartfelt look at the singer, which makes us try to understand who he is. It's a must-see documentary for any Farnham fan, offering a glimpse into his personal life like never before.
Still grieving Gamora's loss, Peter Quill must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. Failing to do so could potentially end the Guardians as we know them.
Cast
Chris Pratt - Peter Quill/ Star-Lord Zoe Saldana - Gamora Bradley Cooper - Rocket (Voice) Dave Bautista - Drax the
Destroyer Vin Diesel - Groot (Voice) Pom Klementieff - Mantis
Will Poulter - Adam Warlock Elizabeth Debicki - Ayesha
Karen Gillan - Nebula Sean Gunn - Kraglin/On Set Rocket
Chukwudi Iwuji - The High Evolutionary
Krystian Godlewski - On
Set Groot
Maria Bakalova - Cosmo (Voice) Sylvester Stallone - Stakar
Ogord
Michael Rosenbaum -
Martinex T'Naga
Tara Strong - Mainframe (Voice)
Stephen Blackehart - Steemie Blueliver
Terence Rosemore - Xlomo Smeth
Linda Cardellini - Lylla (Voice)
Asim Chaudry - Teefs (Voice)
Mikaela Hoover - Floor (Voice)
Noa Raskin - Baby Rocket (Voice)
Judy Greer - War Pig (Voice)
Miriam Shor - Recorder Vim
Daniela Melchior - Ura
Jennifer Holland - Administrator Kwol
Nico Santos - Recorder Theel
Kai Zen - Phyla
Sarah Alami - Ssssaralami
Jasmine Munoz - Hoobtoe
Giovannie Cruz - Orloni Peddler
Elan Gale - Beardy Ravager
Molly Quinn - Molly Ravager
Nathan Fillion - Master Karja
Benjamin Byron Davis - Bletelsnort
Tiffany Smith - Frinki-
Clorterborm-Zokko
Darla Delgado - Neelie
Randy Havens - Till
Sarah Anne - Latti
Lloyd Kaufman - Gridlemop (Cameo)
Christopher Fairbank - Broker
Rhett Miller - Bzermikitokolok
Murphy Weed - Murf
Michael Rooker - Yondu
(Cameo)
James Gunn - Lamb-Shank
(Cameo)
Karen Abercrombie - Grandma
Quill
Gregg Henry - Grandpa Quill
Slate - Cosmo
Dee Bradley Baker - Blurp (Voice)
Dane DiLiegro - Unsavory Octopus
Pete Davidson - Phlektik (Cameo)
Seth Green - Howard the Duck (Voice) (Cameo)
Crew
Writer/Director - James Gunn
Star-Lord/Mantis Creator -
Steve Englehart Star-Lord Creator - Steve Gan Gamora and Drax Creator -
Jim Starlin Groot Creators - Stan Lee,
Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby
Rocket Raccoon Creators - Bill Mantlo
and Keith Giffen Mantis Creator - Don Heck Howard the Duck Creators - Steve Gerber
and Val Mayerik
Executive Producers - Victoria Alonso,
Louis D'Esposito, Simon Hatt and Sarah Smith
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Nikolas Korda
Producer - Kevin Feige
Co-Producer/First Assistant Director -
Lars P. Winther
Co-Producer - David Grant
Casting Director - Sarah Finn
Production Designer - Beth Mickle
Visual Development Supervisor - Andy Park
Supervising Art Directors - Alan Hook
and David Scott
Set Decorator - Rosemary Brundenberg
Property Master - Russell Bobbitt
Costume Designer - Judianna Makovsky
Makeup Department Head - Alexei Dmitriew
Director of Photography - Henry Braham
Second Unit Director - Guy Norris
Stunt Coordinator - Heidi Moneymaker
Stunt Co-Coordinator - Wayne Dalglish
Aerial Coordinator/Pilot - Frédéric North
Special Effects Supervisor - Daniel Sudick
Supervisors: Legacy Effects -
Lindsay MacGowan, Shane Mahan and
J. Alan Scott
Visual Effects Supervisor - Stephane Ceretti
Visual Effects Supervisors: Framestore -
Alexis Wajsbrot, Stéphane Nazé and Ross McCabe
Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta FX - Guy Williams
Visual Effects Supervisor: SPI - Theo Bialek
Visual Effects Supervisor: Lola VFX - Edson Williams
Additional VFX Supervisor - Daryl Sawchuk
Visual Effects Producer - Susan Pickett
Visual Effects Sequence Supervisors: Weta FX -
Jason Galeon and Daniel Maccarin
Executive Producer: Framestore - Annette Wullems
Animation Supervisor: Weta FX - Michael Cozens
Creative Finishing Supervisor - Evan Jacobs
Film Editors - Greg D'Auria, Fred Raskin
and Tatiana S. Regiel
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor -
David Acord
Supervising Sound Editor - Cheryl Nardi
Additional Sound Designer/Temp
Re-Recording Mixer - Chris Diebold
Production Sound Mixer - Lee Orloff
Re-Recording Mixers - Christopher Boyes
and Gary A. Rizzo
Music - John Murphy
Music Supervisor - Dave Nelson
Review
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania gave Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) a rocky start. I'm concerned that another entry could be as lacklustre (if not catastrophic) to the superhero movie franchise. Fortunately, audiences and fans rejoiced when the third GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movie came out in theatres recently with better reviews (though some are slightly less negative than others). I've heard that most critics considered itthe best MCU movie in years since Avengers: Endgame, which had me pounding with excitement.It is a gratifying send-off for the titular heroes, as James Gunn said it would be his last MCU film before moving to DC to restart its movie universe.
While the familiar humour is still intact, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 is the trilogy's darkest instalment. Even in its darkest moments, it maintains the franchise's status quo and retains the charm of the first two films. It focuses on Rocket Raccoon, who is one of the titular Guardians. His backstory is tragic and devastating, and I wish we had seen more of his origins, like how he first met Groot. The movie throws us straight into action without sacrificing its serious moments, and, incredibly, these sequences stay well coordinated. Throughout the film, there is significant animal cruelty. I know it is crucial to the story, but the film is dark, and the animals have evolved, sometimes drastically.
The movie features a whole bunch of new characters. The High Evolutionary is a terrifying, despicable villain who experimented on Rocket. He intends to create a perfect universe, but his experiments sometimes ended up deformed or not what he expected, so he destroyed them and started over. One of the best character arcs in the saga was Nebula's. Since we first met her, she has grown so much. The friends Rocket made as an experiment were some of the best additions. Heartbreaking but essential to the narrative. Kraglin and Cosmo, seen in the Holiday Special, were also terrific additions to the cast. Adam Warlock didn't do much and seemed unimportant. Still, he was a welcome addition to the team, and I hope we see more of him in the future. As usual, the acting was phenomenal.
While some may think Marvel has lost its way, this film proves it hasn't. In retrospect, the third instalment of GUARDIANSOF THE GALAXY lived up to its reputation and is the best of all three movies. It was a marvellous way to end an otherwise fantastic saga. It's tearfully bittersweet. It might be the last time we see some of these characters. I highly recommend it to those who have seen the previous two movies.
Fuji Television Network (presented in association with)
Distribution
Universal Pictures Australia
Genre: Animation/Family/
Adventure/Comedy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 92 minutes
Budget: $100,000,000
Box Office Gross: $1,360,783,214 (Worldwide)
Plot Summary
Two plumbers from
Brooklyn, Mario and his
brother Luigi, are
transported down a
mysterious pipe into a
magical new world while
working underground to
repair a water main. When
the two brothers are
separated, Mario sets off
to find him. With help
from Toad, a Mushroom
Kingdom resident, Mario
unleashes his powers
He also trains under
Princess Peach, the
Mushroom Kingdom's
strong-willed ruler.
Voice Cast
Chris Pratt - Mario
Anya-Taylor Joy - Princess Peach
Charlie Day - Luigi
Jack Black - Bowser
Keegan-Michael Key - Toad
Seth Rogen - Donkey Kong
Fred Armisen - King Cranky
Kong
Kevin Michael Richardson - Kamek
Sebastian Maniscalco - Spike
Charles Martinet - Mario's Dad/Giuseppe (Cameo)
Jessica DiCicco - Mario's Mom
Rino Romano - Uncle Tony
John DiMaggio - Uncle Arthur
Khary Peyton - Penguin King
Juliet Jelenic - Lumalee
Scott Menville - Koopa General
Crew
Directors - Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic
Co-Directors - Pierre Leduc and Fabien Polack
Writer - Matthew Fogel
Executive Producers - Brett Hoffman, Bill Ryan and Yusuke Beppu
Producers - Christoper Meledandri and Shigeru Miyamoto
Co-Producer - Christelle Balcon
Production Designer - Guillaume Aretos
Art Director - Matthieu Gosselin
Additional Art Director - Yoriko Ito
Character Designers - Tohru Patrick Awa,
Daniel Fernandez Casas, Maxime Mary,
Sam Nielson, Nicolas Olivieri, Tony Siruno
and Philippe Tilikete
Head of Story - Ed Skudder
Studio CG Cinematographer - James C.J. Williams
Animation Directors - Christophe Delisle
and Ludovic Roz
Supervising Animators - Adrien Kedochim,
Aymeric Palermo, Basile Heiderscheid,
Benjamin Faure, Benoît Guillaumot,
Ludovic Savonnière, Mathieu &
Nicolas Menard, Bruno Scheerens,
Pierre Avon and Quentin Piq
Editor - Eric E. Osmond
Additional Editors - Tiffany Hillkurtz,
Ken Schretzmann, Julian Smirke and
Andrew Walton
Supervising Sound Editor - Daniel Laurie
Sound Designers - Jamey Scott
and Randy Thom
Re-Recording Mixers - Pete Horner
and Juan Peralta
Foley Artists - Ronni Brown,
Sean England and Jana Vance
Original Nintendo Themes - Koji Kondo
Music - Brian Tyler
Review
Five years in the making, THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE has been in the pipeline since 2014, and it seemed like the right option to adapt the franchise into an animated feature. It is also an apology letter to fans who were hugely disappointed by the 1993 live-action adaptation, which didn't capture the games. Illumination is the only animation studio, besides DreamWorks, willing to produce an animated movie based on a popular video game franchise. Its track record is mixed, with successes like the Despicable Me franchise, The Secret Life of Pets, and Sing. I'm unsure if they are the right people to handle this sort of film, but thankfully, they proved me wrong.
Audiences loved the movie more than critics, who gave it mixed reviews and are not huge fans of the games. THESUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE evokes nostalgia for those who have played the games while remaining faithful to their accuracy. However, I am delighted to see it keep its colourful world and menagerie of characters, brought to life by splendid animation. The storyline is average, but that's a minor misstep I won't have to worry about. Bolstered by an ensemble voice cast of highly trained, well-known actors and a killer soundtrack.
Chris Pratt was incredible as Mario (when he took over from Charles Martinet in the video games), despite what many thought about him not being the perfect fit for the role. Pratt nailed that part, even capturing the accent. Jack Black swaps roles, playing Mario's arch-nemesis, Bowser, rather than the heroic characters he's played before, including the shark in Shark Tale and Po in the Kung Fu Panda series. It isn't the first time Black has played a character that bad since The NeverEnding Story III, a film he didn't wantto acknowledge existed.
In hindsight, this movie adaptation is much better than its critically maligned, in-name-only live-action interpretation. It's an introduction for youngsters who have never even heard of the Super Mario Bros. games, let alone own a Nintendo Switch. The movie is in general release and recommended to Mario fans who have played the game on every Nintendo console.
The beloved Australian comic genius Barry Humphries has died after complications from a broken hip. He was 89 years old.
Humphries was best known for his comic personas, the most famous of which was Dame Edna Everage. For over seven decades, he entertained audiences on stage and toured globally. He even appeared in more than twenty films.
The 21-year-old actor conceived his feminine alter ego in 1955 for a skit he performed on stage in Melbourne, satirising Australian suburbia, when Edna Everage was just a housewife in Monee Ponds. The character made film appearances, such as "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie" and "Barry McKenzie Holds His Own," the latter of which elevated her to dameship, evolving into a more over-the-top figure that audiences loved. Barry continued to play Edna in several stage tours, talk shows, and TV specials in the coming years, including "The Dame Edna Experience" and "The Dame Edna Treatment." Aside from playing Edna, his other satirical personas include the drunk and lecherous cultural attaché, Sir Les Patterson. Throughout his career, Humphries has appeared in films, playing characters like the great white shark Bruce in "Finding Nemo" and the Great Goblin in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." His other film appearances include "The Naked Bunyip," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Shock Treatment," "Spice World," "Da Kath & Kim Code," and "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie."
He received many honours in his lifetime, including being an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1982 and becoming a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2007.
Unhappy with her job as a secretary at a real estate
office in Phoenix, Arizona,
and frustrated with her
relationship with a hardware
store manager, Marion
Crane steals $40,000
from her employer and
flees Phoenix to start a
new life. After 36 hours
of paranoia and exhaustion,
Marion decides to spend the
night at the dilapidated
Bates Motel. She meets the
polite but high-strung
proprietor Norman Bates,
a young man with a hobby
for taxidermy and a
complicated relationship
with his mother.
Marion's journey ends with
her taking a shower when
she meets her grisly demise
at the hands of an unknown
assailant. First, a private
detective, then Marion's
sister and lover, search for
her. It is then that they
begin to unravel the
identity of her mysterious
killer.
Cast
Anthony Perkins - Norman Bates
Janet Leigh - Marion Crane
Vera Miles - Lila Crane
John Gavin - Sam Loomis
Patricia Hitchcock - Caroline
Martin Balsam - Milton Arbogast
Simon Oakland - Dr Fred Richman
John McIntire - Sheriff Al
Chambers
Frank Albertson - Tom Cassidy
Vaughn Taylor - George Lowery
Lurene Tuttle - Mrs Chambers
John Anderson - California Charlie
Mort Mills - Highway Patrol Officer
Virginia Gregg - Norma Bates (Voice) (Uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock - Man Outside
Real Estate Office (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Paul Jasmin - Norma Bates (Voice)
(Uncredited)
Jeanette Nolan - Norma Bates (Voice)
(Uncredited)
Ted Knight - Policeman in Hallway
Opening Door (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Crew
Producer (Uncredited)/Director -
Alfred Hitchcock
Assistant: Mr Hitchcock - Peggy Robertson
(Uncredited)
Based on the Novel - Robert Bloch
Screenplay - Joseph Stefano
Art Directors - Robert Clatworthy and
Joseph Hurley
Costume Designer/Wardrobe: Women -
Rita Riggs (Uncredited)
Costume Supervisor - Helen Colvig
Makeup Supervisors - Jack Barron
and Robert Dawn
Director of Photography - John L. Russell
Camera Operator - Leonard J. South
(Uncredited)
Assistant Director - Hilton A. Green
Film Editor - George Tomasini
Pictorial Consultant/Titles Designer - Saul Bass
Music - Bernard Herrmann
Awards
1961 Academy Awards
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Janet Leigh
(Nominated)
Best Director - Alfred Hitchcock (Nominated)
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White -
John L. Russell (Nominated)
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration -
Joseph Hurley, Robert Clatworthy and
George Milo (Nominated)
Review
On a rainy Halloween evening in 2022, I started watching PSYCHO, often cited as a breakthrough in modern thrillers and one of Alfred Hitchcock's landmark masterpieces. I had never seen it before. I thought it would be a great experience since I was old enough to handle its terrifying psychological themes. What began as a pre-production episode for Alfred Hitchcock Presents has evolved into a groundbreaking feature. It's impressive that a low-budget movie could become a milestone.
Almost everything in PSYCHO makes it work, from Hitchcock's artful direction to the groundbreaking camerawork to Bernard Herrmann's identifiable music score. My only complaint is that the first half drags, but it picks up once the tense atmosphere kicks in. The film packs a few incredibly shocking plot twists, but I won't spoil them since this is my critique. I loved the iconic shower scene, a pop culture staple spoofed countless times in TV shows and films. The acting performances were fantastic, especially Anthony Perkins, who did a great job as Norman Bates.
PSYCHO is not just a pinnacle in Hitchcock's career as a director. It is a suspenseful movie with a mystery tied into the storyline. I say this because it is not a horror film, as many would believe. It is a terrific classic despite the slow first half. I'd still recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it or any classic filmgoer.
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