This is kind of interesting, because the thing about Psycho is that the story is actually pretty good (unlike follow-ups like Friday the Thirteenth which get endless sequels).
What I mean is, the actual plot and set-up about Clairvale CA and Mrs. Bates' ill-fated Motel ("He was the one who convinced her to open that Motel," the shrink tells the attorneys/cops about the man who married Mrs. Bates; the man who was Norman's first murder) is rich and atmospheric enough that you really can return to it and find more novelistic material. (The Robert Bloch novel is quite different from Joseph Stefano's innovative, Freudian screenplay.)
This doesn't necessarily mean that there "should be" a sequel or anything else, cinematically, but it does mean that the Psycho sequels are very interesting writing projects. Psycho II is a great script. If Hitchcock had done it, it would have been, well, pretty good...if anyone with any skill had done it, it would have been pretty good, but as it stands it's so badly made that you can't really get a grip on it.
But nevertheless Psycho II (1985) (which really has Tony Perkins in it, doing his excellent schtick) is a near-perfect conceptual sequel to Psycho. The (peripheral) role played by smug shrinks in the first movie is extrapolated into a whole sweeping concept of Bates' sanity as a major focus of the second film's drama. Norman knows he's nuts ("My mother is dead; I have come to accept that," he tells the parole meeting that Vera Miles pickets) and struggles with the roots of his Oedipal rage directly in front of us, on screen. The idea that someone would try to drive Norman Bates crazy again (Um, "spoiler warning") is a richly rewarding idea, and the fact that the house is still right there on the Universal backlot meant that they could basically spend four dollars and ninety-eight cents on the movie and still flawlessly reproduce the look of the original. (Although shooting in color was a big mistake, I believe).
So now there's no Tony Perkins and no Vera Miles and who know what they're going to do, but it might be good, because (as I'm saying) Psycho always remains interesting.
(Psycho III had Perkins directing, and was all right; not great and certainly not as good as II.)
We've got to get you watching movies with us in October, dude. You can just watch ones you like.
All I was going to say is I can't believe they keep bringing up the fact they made Ring Two. If it were me, I'd never mention it. If someone asked, I'd shrug and wrinkle my forehead a lot and say "huh? They made a Ring Two?"
June 28, 2007 11:51 AM
[Image]From bloodydisgusting, Production company Vertigo Entertainment (The Invasion, The Strangers, Addicted,The Ring, The Grudge, The Echo) has inked a first-look television deal with Lionsgate to develop and produce scripted programming for broadcast and cable, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Vertigo will be making its first foray into scripted television with The Bates Motel, a re-imagining of Psycho that's being developed with Universal Media Studios. Read on for the full announcement.
Vertigo, which was formed in 2001 by Roy Lee and Doug Davison, has a track record of producing U.S. remakes of Asian films. In addition to best picture Oscar winner "Departed" and "Ring," Vertigo has been a producer on the "The Grudge" and its sequel, "The Ring Two" and "The Lake House." The company recently entered the TV arena with the MTV series "I'm With Rolling Stone." It also is making its first foray into scripted television with "The Bates Motel," a re-imagining of "Psycho" that's being developed with Universal Media Studios, and a high-stakes gambling drama created by writer Matt O'Neal that is being shopped to networks.Vertigo's agreement with Lionsgate expands the existing relationship between the companies, which are working together on "The Eye," a thriller produced with Cruise/Wagner that stars Jessica Alba. "Roy and Doug have tremendous creative instincts, outstanding relationships within the industry and the proven ability to recognize, acquire and develop high-quality material with widespread appeal," said Kevin Beggs, president of television programming and production at Lionsgate. "We look forward to a productive and rewarding relationship as we work together to produce exciting television." Lionsgate's deal with Vertigo comes on the heels of a first-look deal the studio inked with film production company Killer Films to develop and produce programming for broadcast and cable (HR 6/14)." The creative sensibility that defines and drives Lionsgate really appealed to us," Lee and Davison said. "Our vision for our television business seems to fit perfectly with how Kevin is growing Lionsgate Television, and we know we will be creating compelling programming together." Vertigo also is a producer on the upcoming films "The Invasion," a remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig; "The Strangers," a suspense thriller starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman; "Addicted," a psychological thriller starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lee Pace; and "My Sassy Girl," a romantic comedy starring Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford.The company also is in various stages of production and development on such films as the dark comedy "Assassination of a High School President," starring Bruce Willis and Mischa Barton, and "Confessions of Pain," a crime thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
"After Friday the 13th: The TV series and A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy's Nightmares, why not?"
2 Comments -
This is kind of interesting, because the thing about Psycho is that the story is actually pretty good (unlike follow-ups like Friday the Thirteenth which get endless sequels).
What I mean is, the actual plot and set-up about Clairvale CA and Mrs. Bates' ill-fated Motel ("He was the one who convinced her to open that Motel," the shrink tells the attorneys/cops about the man who married Mrs. Bates; the man who was Norman's first murder) is rich and atmospheric enough that you really can return to it and find more novelistic material. (The Robert Bloch novel is quite different from Joseph Stefano's innovative, Freudian screenplay.)
This doesn't necessarily mean that there "should be" a sequel or anything else, cinematically, but it does mean that the Psycho sequels are very interesting writing projects. Psycho II is a great script. If Hitchcock had done it, it would have been, well, pretty good...if anyone with any skill had done it, it would have been pretty good, but as it stands it's so badly made that you can't really get a grip on it.
But nevertheless Psycho II (1985) (which really has Tony Perkins in it, doing his excellent schtick) is a near-perfect conceptual sequel to Psycho. The (peripheral) role played by smug shrinks in the first movie is extrapolated into a whole sweeping concept of Bates' sanity as a major focus of the second film's drama. Norman knows he's nuts ("My mother is dead; I have come to accept that," he tells the parole meeting that Vera Miles pickets) and struggles with the roots of his Oedipal rage directly in front of us, on screen. The idea that someone would try to drive Norman Bates crazy again (Um, "spoiler warning") is a richly rewarding idea, and the fact that the house is still right there on the Universal backlot meant that they could basically spend four dollars and ninety-eight cents on the movie and still flawlessly reproduce the look of the original. (Although shooting in color was a big mistake, I believe).
So now there's no Tony Perkins and no Vera Miles and who know what they're going to do, but it might be good, because (as I'm saying) Psycho always remains interesting.
(Psycho III had Perkins directing, and was all right; not great and certainly not as good as II.)
June 28, 2007 9:03 AM
We've got to get you watching movies with us in October, dude. You can just watch ones you like.
All I was going to say is I can't believe they keep bringing up the fact they made Ring Two. If it were me, I'd never mention it. If someone asked, I'd shrug and wrinkle my forehead a lot and say "huh? They made a Ring Two?"
June 28, 2007 11:51 AM