TheRetroCritic

That Ben Stiller's latest received predominantly negative reviews both surprises me and makes perfect sense. This sci-fi version of cult comedy classic The 'Burbs tries to have its cake and eat it too. Attempting something unique while still appealing to fans of the likes of The Wedding Crashers and Tropic Thunder was always going to be a bit of a stretch. Perhaps opting for a more Spielbergian approach altogether could have been the way to go? I'm thinking Super 8 with plastic alien boobies. I should not think, like, ever again... Instead, we get a farcical genre-mesh which fails to gel entirely but which presents an all-too familiar style of comedy with fresh material. I, for one, enjoyed The Watch : you've got a solid team of goofy dudes doing what they do best... but with aliens. What's not to like? Granted, no-one is exactly playing against-type here. Hell, new recruit Richard Ayoade looks like he was lifted straight out of The IT Crowd playi

Remaking classic horror films is now, of course, a common Hollywood trend. But back in 1998 such a thing was still regarded as sacrilege. And rightly so. As talented as a director Gus Van Sant may be, he is no Alfred Hitchcock. And remaking one of the latter's most beloved films almost shot for shot is not so much a hommage as it is an insult. Watching this remake is like watching someone butcher a classic. Not that it's a bad film, overall this new Psycho is pretty stylish and entertaining. But it just feels completely pointless and Vince Vaughn, as amusing as he may occasionally be, is not Anthony Perkins and he most certainly isn't Norman Bates. His Norman is bland, barely threatening and unconvincing. The rest of the cast does reasonably well but one could argue that there's very little challenge there when their jobs were essentially done 38 years ago...better. Van Sant's Psycho is worth seeing if you're a fan of the original and you feel