Tuesday Movie Blog: Celebrate Psycho

See It: Day & Night (2010). Okay so I’m not exactly telling you to go pay $15 just to see this six-minute short film playing with Toy Story 3. I simply want to call attention to one of the most original, inventive shorts I’ve ever seen. By using both 2D and 3D animation, the creators have enhanced both. This is not a movie where pointy objects fly out at you. Instead, the 2D animation becomes the movie screen and you are able to peer through it into the magical worlds behind. It blends old animation sensibility with Pixar’s flashy sense. It is phenomenal. My Grade: A+

Rent It: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (PG, 2010). Still jonesing for a little more Greek gods action? Well check out this amusing movie that sets the Perseus story among modern teenagers—think Sky High and Harry Potter. The producers hoped this would be a new hit franchise, but it fails to be the next Harry Potter. Based on the popular book series from Rick Riordan. My Grade: B-

Queue It: Psycho (NR, 1960). This past week marked the 50th anniversary of this suspense/horror landmark. Do as I did: turn the lights way down, turn the volume way up, and experience Hitchcock’s unparalleled vision and Hermann’s shrieking opus all over again. My Grade: A+