Rear Window/Disturbia

As a longtime Hitchcock fan, I was glad my friend Joan invited me over last Saturday night to watch 'Rear Window.' I've seen several of his movies, but not all. And not this one. I remember watching 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' as a child/young teen and LOVING it. I sense this is where my tastes (and my writing) may have been greatly influenced. That, and reading Poe in the 7th grade. My teacher had a classroom library and at least two of the books were Toned-Down-For-Kids versions of Poe's stories. Still, they were awesome!

But Hitch, well, I thought he was a genius. His silhouette alone could induce chills in me! I just ordered that series on DVD (2 seasons anyway); I'm sure you'll hear more about that in weeks to come. I always remember, though, that Tippi Hedren said Hitch stalked her and sent her a miniature coffin as a gift once. Maybe ol' Hitch was a little off? Well, no matter, cause Art is Art. And his was great.

'Rear Window,' in case readers are unaware, contains this plot:

L.B. Jeffries (Jimmy Stewart) is house-bound, after breaking his leg. As entertainment for his boredom, he stares out of his rear apartment window and observes the goings-on of his neighbors. He can see in every apartment; it's summer and these people have very thin blinds (and it was 1954). One night, he hears a female scream, and notices that a neighbor's wife seems to have vanished from the apartment. Jeffries involves his girlfriend (Grace Kelly) and housemaid (Thelma Ritter) in the speculations, and gradually all three become engrossed in solving this murder mystery. It's not modern, and shiny, and technologically brilliant, like today's films, but when the suspected murderer stands outside of Jeffries' door in the dim light, your heart thumps.

Because 'Rear Window' is a favorite of Joan's, she wanted to also see the modern update, now out in theaters, 'Disturbia.' I agreed, since I love suspense and horror-type movies. 'Disturbia' was only 'horror' in that it contained some of the classic horror staples (the basement room full of torture tables and decomposing bodies, the teens in danger motif, and the idea of people being hacked up). But really, as with the original, it was more suspense. 'Disturbia' stars Shia LeBeouf in the Jeffries role, except Kale (Shia) is housebound because he snapped off and clocked a teacher for mentioning his deceased father. So Kale wears an ankle monitor, and can only go so far from the house. Once Kale's mother (Carrie Ann Moss! I love her!) takes away his iTunes and his X Box online, Kale feels he might lose it from boredom.

So he watches. Along the way he gains a girlfriend (the first neighbor he watches), and he employs his best friend to assist in solving this mystery. The mystery this time is similar to that of the original. The neighbor's wife has vanished...and where has she gone? Is the neighbor really a serial killer mentioned daily in the papers and on CNN? Kale needs to find out, especially before his mother starts having dinner with the guy!

All in all, both very enjoyable films.
If you enjoy suspense, you should truly enjoy these.

Rear Window: A
Disturbia: A

Have a great eve.