June Movie reviews, part the second

In today's Webisode you'll learn how totally creeped out "Notes on A Scandal" made me. First let me say, it is very hard to watch Judi Dench be bad; though, of course, she's very good at it.

Now, with that out of the way: my critique. The people in that movie were messed up, but in a very sad sort of way. I suppose it's a story about loneliness and the lengths we will go to to fill that void, to drive the loneliness away. These two women, played by Dench and Cate Blanchett, are extreme examples, but I think their pain is something we've all felt, which is what makes it so interesting to watch. But also, I think, is what makes it so creepy. The whole "there, by the grace of God, go I" feeling.

I also saw a version of "Psycho" that spliced the original and the remake together, switching back and forth between the characters to give each two different personalities through out the film. I read it as our "good" self and the self that we really are; the actual idea was to present the self we wanted others to see and the self that we actually are. The most interesting part was the shower scene where it first (if I remember correctly) switched back and forth and then, as she's dying, presents the two selfs next to each other. I can't remember if the overlap at the end. It seems like yes. But what really interested me in this was in the quick cuts to the shower head and the drain — the inanimate objects, there was ALSO two versions. As if, even inanimate objects have the self they present and the self they are. I was really intrigued by that idea, though I have no idea if that was on purpose or not. I forgot to ask. Anyway, I'm supposed to be getting a copy of this mashed up "Psycho," which I'll be happy to share. By the way, I never actually saw the remake. Probably should have done that first...