Anthony Hopkins as Hitch?

I know Anthony Hopkins is a legend and all—and a much-revered one at that—but he's one of those guys who I just don't see what all the fuss is about. Honestly, I can't think of anything I've actually thought he was really good in since The Silence of the Lambs (though I did like him as Nixon). Maybe it's just me, but he seems to play every role over the past 15 years or so exactly the same. But when he's good—and when he does something a little different from his usual—he can be really good. I'm hoping that'll be the case if he ends up playing the most famous and most influential director of all time.

According to THR, Hopkins is in talks to portray Alfred Hitchcock in a film based on the 1998 book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. If you're not familiar with the story, it's an interesting one: at the top of his career, Hitch decided to slum it and make a horror film. No studios would touch it, fearing that it'd ruin his reputation, so he financed it himself, shot it in black and white, and the rest, well, is film history. It's easy to overlook Psycho these days because it's so over-reference and over-celebrated—and we won't discuss what Gus Van Sant did in the late 90s—but it really was a landmark achievement. It's a film that's still influencing many a director today.

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Video - Alfred Hitchcock Explains MacGuffins

Here's a fantastic video by Isaac Niemand with animation by JealousGUY that features Alfred Hitchcock's explanation of a MacGuffin. Though in terms of dramatic structure, the device is as old as the hills, Hitch is known for coining the phrase, which dates back seven decades.

Just about any discussion of Hitchcock's work involves a MacGuffin because he used them so frequently. In Psycho, for example, it's the money Marion Crane steals from the bank. To show its popular use over the years, think of the briefcase in Pulp Fiction or even The Maltese Falcon itself. I'm guessing this audio is taken from the Truffaut interviews with Hitch from the 1960s, but it could be a spiel he'd rehearsed over and over again and it just came from another speaking engagement. Of course, Hitch himself is the MacGuffin in this video. Watch for the animation; it's top flight.

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Happy 50th Anniversary, 'Psycho'

You might want to watch Psycho tonight. It's the 50th anniversary of Hitchcock's classic, the godfather of the modern horror film. It's a little dismissive to just give it credit in that department, because it set quite a few standards.

Alfred Hitchcock self-financed it, costing him about $800,000, because Paramount was understandably afraid of the content. Remember, this was 1959, 1960. The trick of killing off the heroine early was uncommon, as well. Then you have the physical elements of the film, from the shower scene to Bernard Herrmann's unmistakable score to Anthony Perkins' undoubtedly creepy portrayal of Norman Bates. Oh, and matricide. Not a lot of that popping up in the age of Pillow Talk. Some have said it was the first real psychoanalytic thriller, although it's easier to just put it in Hitchcockian context as his likely his last of many classics.

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New Thriller Seeks Modern Spin on 'Psycho'

I dug Disturbia, even though Rear Window is my favorite film and the Shia LaBeouf flick is a clear remake of Hitchcock's voyeuristic classic. Now FilmNation Entertainment and A Bigger Boat are trying to "be to Psycho what Disturbia was to Rear Window," which is easier said than done.

The movie in question is House at the End of the Street, and The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Jennifer Lawrence and Max Thieriot, which doesn't exactly make me jump out of my seat. Lawrence was in The Burning Plain with Charlize Theron, and Thieriot has primarily played kids in family-friendly films, so a Norman Bates turn will be a big switch.

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'Psycho' 50th Anniversary Blu-ray Details Announced

On June 16th, Psycho turns 50. The godfather of modern horror films is a tad dated, particularly because the Hays Code wouldn't let Alfred Hitchcock get deeper into the perversion of Norman Bates and because the psychological explanation at the end is pretty overwrought. Outside of that: Just about perfection, and it established the slasher genre, which still has yet to improve upon the example.

In honor of the big five-oh, Universal is releasing a "meticulously restored" 50th anniversary Blu-ray on October 19th that includes a new 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack in addition to the restored mono soundtrack. Blu-ray.com has all the specs on the new single-disc release, and we just stole them:

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