American Psycho

American Psycho, Election 2016, and the Entropy of the American Dream The ‘80’s described in the book were a time of excess, immorality, and sloth. They were also significantly a time when the American Dream, as originally described was one of hard work and charismatic patriotism, changed to one of excess and moral competition. In this, the human persona became more animalistic; so begins this discourse with a genius line from the main character of American Psycho, Patrick Bateman, “There wasn't a clear, identifiable emotion within me, except for greed and, possibly, total disgust. I had all the characteristics of a human being -- flesh, blood, skin, hair -- but my depersonalisation was so intense, had gone so deep, that the normal ability…

In 1835, a young Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a short story called, “Young Goodman Brown” about a man’s spiritual journey in Puritan America. A hundred and fifty-six years later Bret Easton Ellis wrote, “American Psycho” once more focusing a man’s journey, although less about his spirit and more of his psychological problems during the 1980s. Although, on the surface, these two stories do not seem similar they do share a lot of similarities, almost to the point where American Psycho could be seen…

The most recent movie I can recall watching that deals with abnormal behavior is American Psycho directed by Mary Harron and staring Christian Bale. This has been one of my favorite movies (and books) for several years primarily due to its deep cultural satire. The movie follows the life of millionaire Patrick Bateman, who is secretly a psychotic serial killer. A series of abnormal, and disturbing, events are presented, including Bateman obsessing over his routine and physical appearance,…

In American Psycho, the main character, Patrick Bateman, exhibits reoccurring gruesome murders and executions. His tendencies are closely associated with psychopaths, but Patrick Bateman has the antisocial personality disorder. Repeated law offenses, recurring violations of other’s rights, manipulation by charm, hostility, impulsive activity, and lack of remorse characterizes the antisocial personality disorder (“Antisocial personality disorder”). Those with this disorder ordinarily disregard…

Hollywood’s overzealous portrayal of mental illnesses in movies, such as American Psycho, has caused psychopath to become synonymous with serial killer. However, the term psychopath generally describes a person who charms easily, lacks remorse, manipulates, and craves stimulation. Throughout the novel, Edward Pierce exemplifies the traits commonly assigned to psychopaths, suggesting his motivation for the crime of the century stems from the disorder. To accomplish his lofty goal of robbing a…

this in Psycho, and it is “ranked among the greatest films of all time, it set a new level of acceptability for violence, deviant behavior and sexuality in American films, and is widely considered to be the earliest example of the slasher film genre“ (Wikipedia). American screenwriter Joseph Stefano (1922 - 2006) wrote the screenplay for Psycho. Stefano is…

Psychological concepts are present in our everyday lives and are especially seen through different forms of media because these concepts are fascinating and many want to learn more about them. The 2000 film American Psycho starring Christian Bale is a perfect example of how the media incorporates psychological disorders. The protagonist Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, is a rich New York investment banking executive by day and serial killer psychopath by night. This film explores many…

thing to consider of the importance of studying Hitchcock films is his influence on other directors like, Brian De Palma, and the Wachowski Brothers. His films definitely elevated the medium as a form of art more so than any artistic director. Since its beginnings, art, photography and film, has played a very important role in society. The journey from hand paintings to the use of the camera, all have been useful in shaping culture, history and identity. Art and culture is a very significant…

Watch the clip below several times. Analyze the scene about 2 plus pages typed double spaced. Use the google doc below please. 1. Explain the cinematic elements (camera angles, camera movement, framing, character placement, lighting, composition, depth of view, density, staging positions, character proxemics). 2. Explain any elements of symbolism, motifs and foreshadowing in the plot development. Madelynn Phillips IB Film 8 Psycho Shower Scene Analysis The “shower scene” is one of the…

Every now and then after watching a certain amount of movies you’ll come across one that has an undecipherable meaning, but certain parts of the movie will stick with you for a while. Nicolas Winding Refn’s Valhalla Rising is a good example of that. The story revolves around One-Eye, a silent ruthless Viking warrior who had been enslaved for years by a chieftain He sets out on a quest to regain his own freedom and cleanse his own soul by helping a small group of Christians crusade to Jerusalem.…