Hail Ceasar !
Coen's weakest effort of their post-
No Country for Old Men spree. If some of their previous films suggested that they just like to make movies without really having anything to say, than this one confirms that. It's funny in spots and has a lot of incredible photography, an all star cast, and a lot of great stand alone scenes, but it barely ties together. This would have been premise for a television series, but doesn't really merit a feature film.
North By Northwest
Pure over the top entertainment. My second favorite from my mini-marathon of Hitchcock movies. Although it gets increasingly goofy in the second half and has the obligatory Hitchcock scene where everything is unnecessarily explained to the viewer, this action-flick holds up incredibly well.
The Innkeepers
Just a simple, slow paced jump scare marathon. If that sounds like your kind of thing you'll probably enjoy this one.
Shadow of a Doubt
Dated. This movie is older than the dirt it sleeps in and it shows. There are some funny moments and witty dialogue in the first half, but it all seems to dry up as this painful experience stretches far beyond a reasonable run time. This is a stupid movie, it makes your typical 80's slasher flick look distinguished in comparison. None of Hitchcock's
good trademark elements are really here yet.
Critics cite this as a sort of time capsule for the 1940's, but that would only suggest that everyone back then was mentally retarded. Were people really this alien back then, or were they pretty much the same as us today ? (as examplified in many movies of that era like Third Man, Citizen Kane, Double Indemnity, Casablanca)
Notorious
Hitchcock made this one only a few years after
Shadow of a Doubt, but it's a huge step forward. As expected it's incredibly goofy, but it immerses you in the plot pretty effectively. Unlike
Shadow of a Doubt there's an actual sense of dread hanging in the air, but this gets fumbled in the second half where every single twist is explained in the least entertaining way possible.
Vertigo
Hands down my favorite Hitchcock movie yet. Right off the bat you're treated to an incredible intro sequence set against Bernard Herrmann's terrifying and hypnotic musical score. The mystery takes it time unfolding, until another unnecessary reveal, yet in
Vertigo there's so much going on that this isn't a huge blow against the story.
James Stewart gives the performance of a lifetime and Hitchcock's cinematographer is just going absolutely nuts behind the camera. This movie comes alive in every aspect, even though I think they kind of botched the execution of the final scene, there's too many stunning, memorable moments in this movie for it be considered "just good".