Tag: Jared Leto

Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Retrospect Reviews, Women in Film

Retrospective Review: American Psycho

“American Psycho” is now twenty years old, and yet this psychological thriller, bathed in hilarity and chock full of underlying societal context, is still as effective as it was then. This is primarily due to the amazingly spot-on performance from Christian Bale, and the confident direction of Mary Harron.

With a screenplay adapted by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel, the movie is an exercise in control as much as it is about the loss of it. Our main character is all about his routines, his ability to keep everything in check, but there’s something festering beneath that he can’t quite keep contained. Continue reading Retrospective Review: American Psycho

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31 Days of Horror, Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Halloween

31 Days of Horror, Day 24: American Psycho

Self-proclaimed satirist and author Bret Easton Ellis is less than a fan of the cinematic adaptation of his novel, “American Psycho” (2000). Not besmirching the film, instead noting it’s key differences – director Mary Harron focus homed in on Ellis’ own goals but made them largely accessible for a mainstream audience, or at least the cult following it now has.

In adaptation, the film’s success lies in two major aspects; its direction, and in turn the performance of Patrick Bateman, a role only Christian Bale could carry in this incarnation of the text. As time has gone on, Marron’s cutting irony, and Bale’s synonymous grin, as he plunges headfirst into depravity without a second thought to his image is inspiring for actors who fear taking roles which ‘tarnish’ their image. Continue reading 31 Days of Horror, Day 24: American Psycho

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