Documentary looks at iconic movie scene that made us scared of showers
Here’s a look at an interesting new release available to rent from cable and digital providers and a new title that has just started streaming.
Video on Demand
“78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene”: In this new documentary, Alexandre O. Philippe (“The People vs. George Lucas”) examines one of the most famous scenes in the history of cinema. Over the course of 91 minutes, he puts the groundbreaking shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” under the microscope. The title refers to the fact that Hitchcock used 78 camera setups and 52 edits to compose the 3-minute sequence with Janet Leigh in the final film. It’s almost impossible to imagine the impact that the scene had on audiences in 1960 and how the complicated editing of the final sequence makes you believe that you’re seeing more than you actually are. Featuring interviews with Guillermo del Toro, Eli Roth and Peter Bogdanovich. (Cable and digital VOD)
Also on streaming services
“The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)”: Perhaps the biggest surprise of this dramedy about a very dysfunctional family is Adam Sandler. He’s been this good before in “Punch-Drunk Love” and “Funny People,” but it has been awhile since we’ve really seen his acting chops put to use. He plays Danny Meyerowitz, a recently separated father who is about to watch his only daughter (Grace Van Patten) go off to college to study film. Danny’s father, Harold (Dustin Hoffman), is a retired art professor whose sculpting career maybe isn’t as beloved as he feels it should be. Danny and his sister Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) have always played second fiddle to their half-brother Matthew (Ben Stiller), a successful businessman who is going through his own relationship issues. There are so many pleasures here among the frequent familial bickering, including the magnificent Emma Thompson, nearly unrecognizable and outrageously funny as Harold’s newest wife, Maureen. The cast is rounded out by Adam Driver, Candice Bergen, Judd Hirsch and even an appearance by Sigourney Weaver, as herself. Noah Baumbach’s follow-up to “Mistress America” was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year and represents another feather in Netflix’s cap. They’ve brought in a prolific independent director and whisked him away from arthouse screens in order to try out a global streaming release. As a result, this movie will probably find a much bigger audience than any of his other pictures, but will it suffer during awards season because of its venue? With a more traditional release, a few nominations would be expected here, especially for the sharply observational screenplay, which manages to be sentimental without being maudlin. If you are a fan of Woody Allen or Baumbach’s “The Squid and the Whale,” you should prioritize this one in your queue. (Netflix)