The more films I watch by Alfred Hitchcock the more I’m convinced of his genius. He might have called himself the Master of Suspense but really he was the true master of pure cinema. He used all the tools of his trade – lighting, music, editing, etc. to tell his stories as only can be told in the movies. Francis of Assisi is supposed to have once said “Preach Jesus, and if necessary use words.” I don’t know how Hitch felt about Jesus but he made great movies and only used dialogue when necessary.
I first watched Rebecca at a surprisingly early age. I don’t remember exactly when it was, but I’d guess it was around my fifteenth year. We were visiting my grandparents in Tennessee. I was bored. The cousins weren’t around so there was no one to play with and there was nothing on television. Grandma had a VHS copy of Rebecca and we decided to give it a go. At that point, I’d seen Psycho and maybe North by Northwest, but was not yet a fan. I knew Hitchcock made suspense films and figured Rebecca might be fun.
I loved it. It wasn’t at all what I expected. There were no car chases or murders in showers, but it was mesmerizing just the same. It was the first film he made after moving to America. It was also the only film of his to win a Best Picture Oscar. I’ve not seen it since that initial viewing so many years ago but now that Criterion is releasing it on Blu-ray I think it’s finally time to revisit it.
Also coming out this week that looks interesting:
The Flash: The Complete Third Season: The Flash is by far my favorite superhero show on The CW. It’s fun and funny, full of action and suspense. The cast works really well together and there is tons of chemistry between them. This season started to feel a little too familiar with its plot beats and they are stuffing it too full of new characters, but overall, it is still a blast to watch. I’ll have a full review in a few days.
Rough Night: The Rougher Morning Edition: Scarlett Johansson and Kate McKinnon star in this raunchy comedy about a group of girls whose bachelorette party goes awry. Presumably, this cut has more raunch.
Narcos: Season Two: I keep being told I need to watch this Netflix series that details the criminal exploits of Pablo Escobar.
Doctor Who: Series 10 Part 2: I’ve been a big fan of Peter Capaldi’s run as the Doctor. The writing hasn’t always been the best but he’s brought something really special to the character. I hate to see him go, but I’m really interested to see what Jodie Whittaker can do with it. I’ll be waiting on them to release the entire season in one set, breaking the seasons up like this is always obnoxious.
