I have always felt Psycho is overrated (while being a major Hitch fan — I prefer Rope, Rear Window, and Dial M, alomg with the original The Lady Vanishes)…

But yes, editing is king. I am put in mind of The Abyss, Cameron’s precursor to Terminator 2, where he first used the “morphing” techniques put to good use in T2.

The Abyss is largely forgotten, because it is SOOO horribly edited. Two major flaws stick in my head 3 decades later:
1 – early scene, amention is made of hours acclimation to the deep water high pressure environment… So they get into the chamber, then get right back out.,, no effort is made to show the passage of time through any of a dozen classic tropes
2 – this is the one that really killed the movie… Mary Elizabeth has drowned, and Ed Harris is trying to revive her… and trying… and trying… and trying… and trying… and trying…. and trying… and… Yeah, I’ve tried to capture the scene, there. It’s supposed to be a VERY dramatic scene, yet it is so endlessly drawn out that the audience in the theater started laughing. It just goes on for FAR FAR too long.

I will cite for you the excellent “Best…” Youtube video series by CineFix. Search youtube for “CineFix” and “best”.

Here are a couple pertinent ones:
https://youtu.be/bQtkbQkURCI

https://youtu.be/f78muH3MG7M

https://youtu.be/ORK8k8_mHyk

I have no explanation for this, except that the industries seemed to throw out everything that was learned in the 70s and 80s through a lot of hard (and successful!) work by companies like IBM, Microsoft, and later, Apple, and put a bunch of art school dropouts in charge of these things.

And when it comes anything that runs on a TV… they are maddeningly stupidly designed. And when it comes to kiosks and stuff like that, I often find that they are designed with assumptions about the user that are in my case, with my somewhat warped and overly logical thinking, kind of confusing.

I find a similar problem when talking to people sometimes. I’m very precise with my language, and I find people rarely seem to notice. For instance, we were watching a movie last weekend (“Thor: Ragnarok”, which is possibly the best comic book movie ever made), and I wanted to relate a story about how one of the lines in the movie was suggested by a kid visiting the set through the “Make-A-Wish” Foundation… and I asked my 19-year-old to “get ready to pause the movie”, so he walked over and paused the movie. /facepalm

Recently made two trips to watch grand son conclude his college cross country career. The first by air. What can I say? The flights flew, and we arrived on safely. That is the positive; but, the overall experience is anything but pleasant.

The second was by car from SoCal to the Sacramento area via Cal-99 one way, and I-5 the other. It can be a depressing experience. The infrastructure is decades behind acceptable; and there is a sufficient number of clueless fools on the highway to cause concern about the future of our society.

Well, I should note that the young woman at the HI Express in Madera who is responsible for the complimentary breakfast is exceptional. She is on the job long before the sun, and presents a very credible breakfast; along with a cheerful presence. The highways are dotted with folks who work to make our travels less onerous.
I will also give a shout out to Perko’s Diner in Madera because they offer plain, but good, food at a reasonable price served with quintessential small town cheerfulness. Those experiences are nearly enough to offset the negatives.

Well, wait. We also stopped for lunch at the Black Bear Diner in Arvin, as we usually do. A year and a half ago, while eating lunch, our grand daughter (a leukemia survivor) felt that she was having cardiac issues. The manager contacted 911. While we waited for the excellent First Responders, our waitress, a youngish Black woman, did everything she possibly could to comfort her, as well as grand mother. Way beyond anything we would expect. So, on this trip our waitress was, wait for it, Tiffany. This was actually our second reunion with Tiffany; and it was a grand union with many hugs between Tiffany and grand ma. Tiffany told us that she had often prayed for grand daughter; and grandma said that she would never, ever forget Tiffany’s kindness. As we left, we learned that Tiffany had comped our lunch. (I am so glad that I left a somewhat exceptional tip at the table.)

Well, so much for my original premise that travel is always drudgery. If you can get clear of the rat race, and have the opportunity to meet real people in a more relaxed environment, it can be a rewarding experience. Fingers crossed that both grand daughters, who are flying home, will have smooth trips. Blessings to all who travel to be with loved ones this weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

As

Julie near Chicago: You’re welcome! “Hitchcock” came out in 2012, so I imagine you shouldn’t have trouble finding it. I borrowed a copy from the library.