Doppelgangers

Doppelgangers

German for “double walker”
The good and the evil that all humans posses
“conflict within the soul”
Often a twin,  shadow, or mirror image
Closely resembles protagonist
May have the same name

“Evil twin”

In Psycho:
Two physically similar male figures
Reflection in window glass
Both Norman Bates and Marion Crane have two sides

Psycho is an enduring franchise, spawning several films over many decades http://www.thepsychomovies.com/
a new TV series called Bates Motel on A&E http://www.aetv.com/bates-motel/
and even a haunted house:  http://www.thebatesmotel.com/

What do you think are some of the reasons for the continued interest?

-PK-

How scary was Psycho?

I have been wondering this for awhile. My mother tells me that the original Exorcist is the scariest movie she has ever seen. When I watch it I am not so sure that is true. Our generation of movie watchers seems to be desensitized over the years. Me especially, because I play  a lot of video games. My question to you is, how scary was the film for you?

Know What I Heard the Other Day?

This is a slightly obscure bit of Reservoir Dogs, but it illustrates one of the aspects that makes Tarantino entertaining.  Mr Pink asks offhandedly after Mr. Brown's disquisition on Madonna's Like a Virgin (something we learn in the original script was Mr Pink's speech):

                        MR. PINK
                 No, I can't.  You know what I
                 heard the other day?  "Heartbeat -
                 It's Lovebeat," by little Tony
                 DeFranco and the DeFranco Family.
                 I haven't heard that since I was
                 in fifth fuckin grade.

If you're expecting that song to be more like the other Seventies' songs on the song track, you couldn't be more wrong.  Tony DeFranco and the DeFranco Family was a sort of Osmonds knockoff which managed a couple hits and shot little Tony into the teen idol stratosphere where Donnie and David orbited for a time.  I can't decide if Tarantino just really liked the song (which is sort of catchy) or just wants to undercut Mr. Pink  and set up his obnoxious rant on tipping. In any case, feast your ears (if you dare) on the DeFranco family in all their 70s glory.  I actually missed this tune at the time it came out (I'd moved onto FM music by that time I imagine--when wavelength still defined musical style), but have heard it more recently and just didn't realize it had popped up in RD until I watched it again for the class.  

From Vampire to Human

Did anyone else find it odd that out of nowhere Caleb comes up with the idea of being injected with blood rather than biting on prey?  I have no idea how he knew it would turn him back into a human.  The story transition was weakly supported and more time could have been spent showing how the two characters were able to turn back into humans in my opinion.  This was the only real major flaw I saw in the movie because it gave the audience no idea of how it brought the two key characters from being vampires to humans. 

Tangerine Dream Official Score of Near Dark

The jewels

I have a question that I'm not sure there is an answer to.  I believe Mr. Pink mentions that he has the jewels and he hid them.  When everybody went to move the cars, did they get the jewels?  Is that was Mr. Pink took with him when he left the warehouse at the end?  Are the jewels the shining thing inside the brief case in Pulp Fiction?  Tarantino has said that the shining thing is not Marsellus's soul, but I don't think there has ever been a verified answer....or has there?  Does anybody know?