tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post535402029800391221..comments2024-03-11T01:39:11.362-04:00Comments on At the Scene of the Crime: Dr. Hollywood: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Misleading Speculative FictionPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-40400136560527449072012-12-04T12:34:01.243-05:002012-12-04T12:34:01.243-05:00Never seen the Trouble With Harry, but wanted to s...Never seen the Trouble With Harry, but wanted to second Bill's appreciation for Rope. I'm given to understand that Hitch himself didn't like it much - calling it an "experiment that didn't work out." Maybe it's because I haven't been to film school, but I thought it worked out brilliantly. Frist rate, really.Joshua Herringhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11308855629543914221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-81733163722846372902012-12-01T11:34:52.520-05:002012-12-01T11:34:52.520-05:00I loved Psycho and still do though, but as I noted...I loved Psycho and still do though, but as I noted in an article at Criminal Element recently, everything that spun off from it after that was fairly worthless, including that remake. <br /><br />It's also a bit tiresome that Hitchcock has suddenly become flavor of the month. Given his stature, I don't think he really needed that posthumous 15 more minutes of fame. <br /><br />As for favorite Hitchcock movies, I always like to plug a pair of underappreciated ones - Rope and The Trouble With Harry.Billhttp://traditionalmysteries.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-14647986047563727542012-11-30T06:44:54.402-05:002012-11-30T06:44:54.402-05:00One other odd thing that needed updating is that R...One other odd thing that needed updating is that Rebello talks about a treatment for PSYCHO IV being circulated around, whereas reading in 2012 I know very well that PSYCHO IV was made, and with Perkins squeezing it in before his death, no less. Rebello also doesn't mention the 1998 remake, a movie that I might very well consider the worst remake of all-time, not because it's morally objectionable or terribly put together, but because it doesn't show a speck of originality and basically copies the entire movie shot-for-shot, except with Walkmans and the heroine kicks the killer at the end because She's A Strong Independent Woman!<br /><br />I know I rounded up quite considerably, but I did say that the movie is *approaching* its 60th anniversary. Somehow, you don't expect an e-book, obviously published after the dawn of e-reading technology, to read with the same out-of-date touches as a used book you found in a bookstore for $1.50.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-78506322945298986842012-11-30T06:40:41.607-05:002012-11-30T06:40:41.607-05:00Most of those reviews, however, have freely admitt...Most of those reviews, however, have freely admitted they aren't experts, haven't read the book, etc. Since I basically know everything they could reasonably throw at you, I looked for reviews that revealed more about plot and most of these agreed that the romanctic angle is "prominent" and that comparatively, there isn't much behind-the-scenes stuff.<br /><br />The trailer seems to once again give Hitchcock credit for Robert Bloch's ideas, such as killing off the heroine early on, playing it up for a joke that isn't all that funny. Maybe it works better in the theatres, and Anthony Hopkins always delivers a solid performance... but honestly, my enthusiasm for the movie was sapped out of me all at once. The way I feel right now, I don't think I'll go see it.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-34442023384097315002012-11-30T05:40:54.036-05:002012-11-30T05:40:54.036-05:00I read this yonks ago Patrick and quite liked it -...I read this yonks ago Patrick and quite liked it - that comment about Christie and Spillane is pretty daft though. I suppose what he meant was that in the mystery market at the time, as far as whdunits went, there was the Christie school, with plenty of deaths but little seen, and the Spillane, with everything pulpily on show but in the gritty hardboiled mode - but clearly he is being far too broad and is basing this on a very populist conception of what people would have considered a mystery!<br /><br />In terms of updates, well, yes, I know what you mean there too becasue the book came out in 1990 and that is a long time ago wihout some sort of uopdate now that all the main participants of the film (apart from John Gavin and Vera Miles) are gone, though 60 years is definitely an exaggeration chum - the movie came out *only* 52 years ago ...Sergio (Tipping My Fedora)http://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-55173956231200505022012-11-29T19:48:41.427-05:002012-11-29T19:48:41.427-05:00I am quite excited to read this book, since I rece...I am quite excited to read this book, since I recently bought it for my Kindle. Your praise of Stephen Rebello's work is making me very excited, and I hope that the book is as informative and entertaining as everyone says it is.<br /><br />As for the movie, the few reviews I have read on IMDB suggest that the film gives a nice balance between the scenes of the movie's production and Hitchcock's relationship with Alma. I hope that eases your worries a bit...for now at least. Nick Cardillohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12941093024318184603noreply@blogger.com