Alfred Hitchcock directed this boring as a dog’s ass spy flick about an American agent (John Forsythe) trying to bring down a global spy ring known only as “Topaz”.   The French also send an agent of their own (Frederick Stafford) to investigate and together with Forsythe; they get embroiled in some international intrigue with not only Russia , but Cuba as well.   Once Stafford...

...jar and blackmails her into marrying him.   He tries to figure out what makes the no-good lying and thieving chick tick and eventually falls in love with her.     There are a lot of Alfred Hitchcock’s trademarked themes are at work in Marnie.   The scheming blonde, the overbearing mother, the domineering husband, etc. all figure prominently into the plot.   While this patchwork of ideas...

...Russell Mulcahy. Natalie Portman Replaces J-Lo In ‘Love And Other Impossible Pursuits.’ Shyamalan, Dowdles & Nelson Team on 'Devil.' Director Mickey Lidell on 'The Haunting of Molly Hartley.' Hitchcock's Legacy DVDs: 'Psycho', 'Rear Window' and 'Vertigo.' Paramount fast-tracks 'Footloose' ("After watching Zac Efron and director Kenny Ortega deliver a $42 million opening weekend for 'High...

There's a documentary on the Criterion DVD of Michael Powell's Peeping Tom called A Very British Psycho , which seemed like the perfect lead-in to a Very American Psycho , namely Alfred Hitchcock's. Released just three months after Peeping Tom , Psycho met with a similarly icy reaction from the critics, but it was a big hit with audiences and bolstered Hitchcock's reputation as the Master...

It's impossible for me to name just one Hitchcock film as my all-time favorite, but 1959's North by Northwest is definitely in the running for the title. One of the most breezily entertaining films he ever made, it reunited him for the last time with Cary Grant, who was getting a little long in the tooth to be playing the romantic lead, but he still managed to pull it off with aplomb. As Manhattan...

Classic stars: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, William Holden, Sandra Dee, Marilyn Monroe (12) Hitchcock films: Notorious, Rear Window (11) Mad Men (20) My Family BBC (12) The Mummy (15) Xena/Hercules (13) Classic stars: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, William Holden, Sandra Dee, Marilyn Monroe 01-04 05-08 09-12 Hitchcock...

In spite of the risk of ensuing teasing and embarrassment, I have to confess that I find young Peter Falk quite thoroughly handsome. In fact, in the tradition of all Hitchcock anti-heroes, lethally handsome. (How did they do it?) And yes, I did just say Hitchcock . I just finished watching "Bonfire," a 1962 episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Hour, starring Peter Falk as the main character. As the...

One of Hitchcock's most difficult and rewarding films is 1958's Vertigo , which was the fourth and final film he made with James Stewart. It's a film that doesn't so much encourage repeat viewings as it demands them. The first time you watch it, it plays like a straight mystery, with the audience in Stewart's shoes trying to piece together the baffling story surrounding the apparent haunting of...

Only two (two!!!) before 1980. I must be slipping. First viewings Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage (2005) ( Sophie Scholl: The Final Days ) - Okay. I have mixed feelings about Sophie Scholl ...to her. Ugh. BUT, actually, I really do love High Noon - Gary Cooper, the soundtrack (DO NOT FORSAKE ME OH MY DARLING), Katy Jurado (she makes sense and she isn't a victim anymore either,

I expect more people have seen Hitchcock's 1956 remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much than his 1934 original, but that's hardly surprising considering the position he was in when the later film was released. It was Hitchcock's fourth and final collaboration with screenwriter John Michael Hayes (they had a falling out over the writing credit) and his third with star James Stewart, playing an Indianapolis...