Thursday, May 2, 2013

Movie and a Mani: Hitchcock

It's Thursday again and today I'm reviewing a movie that came out pretty recently so there's a chance you may not have seen this one yet.  Last night we watched Hitchcock starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren.  First off I'm a crazy big Hitchcock fan, which I inherited from my dad, and so when this film came out I knew I was gonna redbox it asap.  We don't really see too much in the theaters anymore unless it's cinematography is greatly aided by watching it on the big screen. It doesn't take too long for films to come to redbox or vudu anyway.  So if you haven't heard about the film Hitchcock, here's a little glimpse for you:

Cast
First of all, I love the casting pretty much all around in this film.  Anthony Hopkins does a fabulous portrayal of the late great, and as this movie points out,Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville had a large role in the production of Hitchcock's films- I was unaware of the team they formed in all the years Hitchcock was making movies and I enjoyed watching their interaction.  Of course Helen Mirren is totally believable and engaging, and there is a great supporting cast that really brings this movie together, including Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, and Tony Collette(love).

Overview
In a nutshell, this biopic tells the story of Hitchcock and Reville's lives during the making of the movie Psycho.  It explores the psyche of Alfred Hitchcock which is in itself absorbing for a fan like me, but even more interesting was learning about the silent partner Alma- the woman behind the man, so to speak.  The movie explores a few themes including successes and stresses alike in marriage, film production(which I felt could have been delved into farther), and Hitchcock's varied obsessions/quirks.  I was also very interested to learn that the film Psycho was an adaptation of a book based on a real serial killer's life.

Manicure
Now this was funnnn.  I knew I wanted to incorporate a few things in this manicure: Old Hollywood, a butcher's knife, and Hitchcock's silhouette.  Can you spot all three?  If it's a little hard to see, we'll just say I meant it to be mysterious...like the films :)

The ring finger is the easiest on which to see the silhouette.



 Here's another angle where hopefully you can see Hitch- So you have the knife from the shower scene, the silhouette, and the beautifully rich scarlet and the silver screen polish represent Old Hollywood.

The polishes used are Ulta Scene Steeler, Sinful Colors Sugar Sugar, and Jordana Black Mark.  

Nail Art in the Movie
Um...nope.  But the Old Hollywood fashion is teriff.  I love the blonde bombshells as represented by Johansson and Biel and their great wardrobes for this film.  You just barely start to get a peek at these women's lives in Hitchcock.  Guess if it had focused more on them then it wouldn't be called Hitchcock.

Additional Review of the Film
"The film started off with a decided dryness.  There were periods during this movie where I questioned why I was watching it.  However, after watching it through to the end I found that I did enjoy the conclusion of the movie.  I found that I learned a lot about one of history's movie-making icons and how he relied on that person in his life that we all so often do to make us great, his wife.  I would give this movie three out of five stars, but could have given it more if it had less dull spots.  Shine this terd up, and it's a five."  -Unnamed hubby

Conclusion
Basically if you like biopics this is worth your time.  I loved gaining insight into the famed director's life.  If you enjoy Hitchcock films this is worth your time.  If you enjoy the actors Anthony Hopkins and/or Helen Mirren this is worth your time.  Be prepared for it not to be wildly fast-paced.  Another thing I noticed was that it didn't exhibit as much humor as I expected it to.  When you watch the trailers that Hitchcock put together for his own films back in the day, he is quite a humorous bloke.  For example:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869/?ref_=sr_1

Trailer

Song of the Day

Hope you enjoyed this review :)

Over and out.

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