OJT A boy cycling in the woods discovered a couple of women acting strange, and starts spying on them, until he is discovered. That's the start of this film by cult film director Dario Argento. A clear and present homage to the great director Alfred Hitchcock in absolutely all that is done on screen, and more so, even to the art of film.After the start we get to know a real film buff, working in a room full of movie posters. Is it the young boy at an older age? Yes, it is. He's Giulio, and a real Peeping Tom. Now he gets a chance to spy on a neighboring women undressing, just like the photographer in Hitchcocks "Rear window". I'm already sold... But the references go on. "Strangers on a train", "Psycho", "Dial M for murder", "Blackmail", "Family plot", "Vertigo"...The film refers to so many classics that it's a gem in itself, and the plot is well made up in this story as well. Filmed in the typical Argento style, with the occasional mystical lingering on nature, city scapes and artful Gothic sculptures, this manages to make the right tension. Add music highly inspired by Hichcock and 80'ies thrillers like "Dressed to kill" (DePalma) and all the other ingredients, even down to finger movements, and you're in for a treat. It's not splattery, except from in one scene. OK, but has so much going for it, that it's impossible to dislike, if you got the references on.This Italian/Spanish production is English spoken, dubbed probably due to to bad English, though filmed with Italian actors in Turin, Italy. Maybe some might feel it a bit forced and artificial due to this, and the perfect English voice-over which make our hero more recipient than actually possible. Never mind, it does only add to the fascination.The only disappointment here is that Argento doesn't have a cameo in this film, like sold Hitch did in his!

Michael_Elliott Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) 1/2 (out of 4) I certainly do like Hitchcock but Dario Argento's latest film is a complete and utter disaster. Argento has been called the Italian Hitchcock since his first film and this movie tries to pay homage but it falls apart on every level. The film tries to mix elements of Rear Window, Dial M For Murder and Strangers on a Train but it comes off more as an insult than anything else. A nerdy film student likes to spy on his neighbors when he discovers a young girl and her mother fighting. The next day he sees this girl in a video store discussing the plot of Strangers on a Train with another girl. A few days pass and the girl's mother is brutally murdered making the film student believe that we've got a Hitchcock copycat going on. If it wasn't for some nice film buff discussions and some great posters of various Hitchcock films then this would be even worse than the horrid Phantom of the Opera that Argento released several years back. I was pulling my hair out watching this film because it has to feature the dumbest characters in giallo history. Much like American horror films, Argento has cast this thing with young actors but what makes matters worse is that none of them can act. The dubbing is atrocious and the story seems more like a Hardy Boys mystery than an actual Argento story. It's funny this thing was made for Italian television because it features more nudity and sexuality than any other Argento film I've seen. I had really high hopes for this film but it turns out to be probably my biggest disappointment of the year.

chaosrampant I wonder what goes on in Argento's head sometimes. I'm a huge fan of his work, even his 90's stuff that is usually, and unfairly IMO, dismissed as sub par, but this one just pales in comparison. Not only is it the worst film in Argento's fodder by far, it's a BAD movie on all counts.Now the usual flaws levelled at his work are bad acting and poor scripts, but this one just takes the cake. Ridiculous English accents from people that are obviously supposed to be Italian, and even the establishing shots make it obvious the movie is set in Italy (Turin actually). I could accept it if it was merely the English dubbed version, but from the lips movements, it was pretty clear the actors were speaking English. Awkward dialogues. Poor script, that can't for the life of it masquerade its ineptness through Hitchcock homages to Rear Window or Strangers on a Train. The "twist" and resolution make little sense. There's close to no gore, which on one hand is understandable as this is a TV movie produced for RAI Uno. But on the other hand, there's no suspense, and as this movie was constructed as a homage to the master of suspense, ultimately it fails. Actually, there's one scene that tries hard to be suspenseful (when Guillio tries to get away on a scooter from somebody chasing him), but it's handled woefully bad. The character is supposedly in real danger, but we never feel it, and the scene drags for too long. The comedic bits are far from funny. So what's left? Now, like any Argento fan would do, I would be ready to forget and forgive all these, if his usual flair for visual perfection was on display. But we get none of it. No intriguing camera work, no cameras peering from impossible angles, no rich set pieces, no perverse black-gloved killer, no inventive killings, nothing. Kind of like Jennifer, it's just so pedestrian, it breaks my heart. Pino Donaggio's music was nice and that was about it. I can't believe such a formulaic, uneventful thriller came out from the same guy that gave us Profondo Rosso.For Argento completists only.

Witchfinder General 666 I had pretty high expectations from this movie as it is a tribute from the great Dario Argento to the great Alfred Hitchcock.Dario Argento is one of the living directors i have the greatest respect for, and one of my personal favorite directors of all-time, and there is probably no true cineaste around to doubt that Alfred Hitchcock is one of THE most influential and greatest directors in the history of motion pictures.That being said, I was slightly disappointed with "Ti Piace Hitchcock?" aka "Do You Like Hitchcock?" of 2005. Not because it's not nearly as gory and brutal as Argento's ultra-violent masterpieces from the 70s and 80s - I expected it to be mild for Argento standards, since it's a made-for-TV tribute from a genius director, Dario Argento, to another genius director, Alfred Hitchcock, and this doesn't call for the extreme violence of films like Suspiria or Opera. What I did expect, however, was the suspense, that Argento usually delivers, and I was therefore a bit disappointed, as I found all the parts of the movie that were meant to surprise way too predictable. There is a lot of tension, and the movie highly entertains, no doubt about that but the plot-twists are quite lame and it is simply not nearly as suspenseful as we're used to from Argento, especially after he delivered another great and highly suspenseful Giallo, "Non Ho Sonno" aka "Sleepless" in 2001.The performances are great, Elio Germano delivers a solid leading performances and all three leading actresses - Elisabetta Roncchetti, Christina Brondo and Chiara Conti are both sexy and excellent in their roles, especially Roncchetti is drop-dead gorgeous and delivers a great performance in a great femme-fatale role. The score by Pino Donaggio is very good, but then again it is not nearly as brilliant as the scores by Progressive Rock band Goblin and their genius keyboard-player/composer Claudio Simonetti.Over-all, the movie delivers suspense, atmosphere and good entertainment. It is just not very good for what it is (or could have been), a Hitchcock-tribute from Argento. Argento fans like myself run risk of being a little disappointed, but it is definitely worth the time.