Favorite Friday #1: American Psycho

I'm here today to start the fabulous tradition of
FAVORITE FRIDAYS
It's a section of my blog where I will include and suggest fabulous films that have managed to find their way into my collection.
Today's selection:
American Psycho: Uncut Edition

A certain Bret Easton Ellis enthusiast suggested this film to me about three years ago. Christian Bale (his recent Batman fame aside) is an actor in my personal high regard, ever since I first saw him in the film adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999). I was of course twelve years old when American Psycho was released a year later and thus I wouldn't have been allowed to see it (rolls eyes) until more recently.

I've added this film to my list of favorites because of a few reasons:

1) It's creepy

2) It makes you think

3) Its creepy

When I first started watching the film for the first time I was sceptical, since my only real experience of Christian Bale was him in Newsies and the aforementioned Shakespeare. But it was after this film that I really began to enjoy him as a true stage presence

This film is diabolical.

Bateman's actions are centered around a desperate need to subscribe to the environment he is in as a means to hide his rather murderous night-time behavior.  What's really fascinating is not particularly Bateman's behavior, but the near-constant ignorance those around him have of that behavior. His yuppie lifestyle perfectly coalesces with his murderous doings: days full of pouring over the price tag attached to business cards and upscale dinner reservations meander into evenings of immense bloodshed. You find yourself hoping the horrible situation won't play out like it is going to--almost cheering for his victims: someone please notice what's going on, please see the trail of blood through the lobby, or the shape of the bag with a dead body in it instead of the brand name of the bag itself.

My personal favorite aspect of the film is the connection between creepy/awful/gory moments of the film with 80's music, Phil Collins, Huey Lewis, Whitney Houston. It makes the film a horror thriller like the piano music does in the Halloween movies: when you hear it you just know Michael Myers is going to come out of the woodwork somewhere.

The reason you should see this movie is because if you've ever gotten tired of horror/thriller films that follow the same formula of bad guy+good guy=dead people and lame cliff hanger ending this is definitely the film to see. 

Rent it. Buy it. It will be one of your favorites soon as well!