Shutter Island

[thepaulo]

Martin Scorsese.....Great book. One of a very few on a short list I'm looking forward too.
Won't be out until October.

[TooLowBrow]

Martin Scorsese.....Great book. One of a very few on a short list I'm looking forward too.
Won't be out until October.

the movie is re-titled Ashecliffe

[hammersavage]

the movie is re-titled Ashecliffe

Maybe you should moderate this forum.


I also look forward to this release Paul. I enjoyed the book very much and loved all of Lehane's adaptations.

[thepaulo]

the movie is re-titled Ashecliffe

I doubt that title will take.

[Snoogans]

Vinny Chase as the lead is gonna suck. Especially after he got all fat

[hammersavage]

I don't know where else to ask you and I don't feel like pming you but have you seen 'The Great Buck Howard' Paul? I've been waiting for it to come out for what seems like years now.

[FUCKTWATtheCLOWN]

I don't know where else to ask you and I don't feel like pming you but have you seen 'The Great Buck Howard' Paul? I've been waiting for it to come out for what seems like years now.

I watched it last night on IFC on demand. Wasn't quite what I was expecting. Acting was good all around and the story was solid but it was very PG and cliche'. It was a good movie but not one you could really sink your teeth into.

[hammersavage]

I watched it last night on IFC on demand. Wasn't quite what I was expecting. Acting was good all around and the story was solid but it was very PG and cliche'. It was a good movie but not one you could really sink your teeth into.

Did not know it was on there. I'll check it out, thanks.

[razorboy]

I liked the book, but Scorsese has put out one big fat disappointment after the other as of late, outside of No Direction Home. We shall see.

[FUCKTWATtheCLOWN]

I liked the book, but Scorsese has put out one big fat disappointment after the other as of late, outside of No Direction Home. We shall see.

I can understand the Departed although I liked it, but you didn't like the Aviator? I'd put that in his top 3 all time.

[razorboy]

I can understand the Departed although I liked it, but you didn't like the Aviator? I'd put that in his top 3 all time.

I liked Leo and Blanchett, but I was disappointed in the overall piece, and I certainly wouldn't put it anywhere near the top of his list.

[thepaulo]

The Howard Hughes story is amazing story but the Aviator seemed only like part one....I wanted more.

[Gerald]

It should be a great October with this and Spike Jonze's WTWTA:

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[Gerald]

The Howard Hughes story is amazing story but the Aviator seemed only like part one....I wanted more.

I dunno if his days inside a Vegas hotel suite with Kleenex boxes on his feet would've been very cinematic.

[thepaulo]

I dunno if his days inside a Vegas hotel suite with Kleenex boxes on his feet would've been very cinematic.

I completely disagree. another 1/2 hour to show the epic arc...instead of cutting it short.

[hammersavage]

Well, its definitely called Shutter Island. It looks much more like a horror movie than the books reads.

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[Gerald]

I completely disagree. another 1/2 hour to show the epic arc...instead of cutting it short.

That probably would've caused restlessness in viewers. And it might've structurally incompatible since the thrust of the story chronicled his glory years as a trailblazer and a pioneer while the turmoil inside him was developing. Besides, the narrative had already devoted a sizeable chunk of its running time to Hughes secluded from society and humanity as he was engulfed with his psychosomatic demons. Doubling back to that could've resulted in redundancy. The final recidivistic scene of him in the bathroom after his spruce goose triumph concluded the story on a haunting note which foreshadowed the future unraveling of his sanity that was in store.

[Gerald]

He's an alternate embed in case the one above doesn't load for you either...

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Looks fantastic. The buzz from test screenings is that this is up there with Leo's best performances. Looks like all the other competitors in the Best Actor category are going to get SHUT out (AGGG).

[Gerald]

I think the trailer gives away too much though. Not that I'm worried because you could know all the details of a Scorsese film well in advance and still be wowed by his presentation of it.

[Gerald]

Also, it's nice to see three of the pivotal cast members from Zodiac in Mark Ruffalo, Elias Koteas and John Carroll Lynch reuinted at last.

[Sleeves]

That probably would've caused restlessness in viewers. And it might've structurally incompatible since the thrust of the story chronicled his glory years as a trailblazer and a pioneer while the turmoil inside him was developing. Besides, the narrative had already devoted a sizeable chunk of its running time to Hughes secluded from society and humanity as he was engulfed with his psychosomatic demons. Doubling back to that could've resulted in redundancy. The final recidivistic scene of him in the bathroom after his spruce goose triumph concluded the story on a haunting note which foreshadowed the future unraveling of his sanity that was in store.

get a show you two

[razorboy]

I really like Leo as an actor, but his accents are consistently awful.

[Gerald]

I really like Leo as an actor, but his accents are consistently awful.

Except for when he spoke in a water-head dialect in Gilbert Grape.

[thepaulo]

That probably would've caused restlessness in viewers. And it might've structurally incompatible since the thrust of the story chronicled his glory years as a trailblazer and a pioneer while the turmoil inside him was developing. Besides, the narrative had already devoted a sizeable chunk of its running time to Hughes secluded from society and humanity as he was engulfed with his psychosomatic demons. Doubling back to that could've resulted in redundancy. The final recidivistic scene of him in the bathroom after his spruce goose triumph concluded the story on a haunting note which foreshadowed the future unraveling of his sanity that was in store.
I think the film could have a had a few minutes cut to make room for a short coda of the old man in the the penthouse.

[GreatAmericanZero]

i watched the trailer and nothing clicked with me. its like i didn't watch anything at all. In one ear out the other. I just didn't find anything worthy of interest

obviously i'll see it in theaters cuz scorsese's name is on it, but i am not impressed

[Gerald]

Pushed back to Feb. 2010 for nebulous reasons. :thumbdown:

[hammersavage]

Paramount has shocked nearly everyone by moving Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island out of 2009 awards contention to a February 19th, 2010 release date. The move is such a huge surprise because everyone expected the film to be a big player in the Oscar race. But now with a February release date, the movie’s award chances are slimmer, and of course, the film is disqualified for most of the 2009 Awards altogether. So why did Paramount make the change/move? Is Shutter Island not the Oscar contender that everyone had hoped it might be? Answers after the jump.

The film tested highly, in the high 80’s/low 90’s and even Scorsese brought the running time down to under 2 hours. Even a /Film reader who reviewed an early cut of the film mentioned the potential Award-winning performances. So why did Paramount move a film with mainstream and award potential? Blame the recession. According to Nikki Finke’s source, “Paramount told the filmmakers it doesn’t have the financing in 2009 to spend the $50M to $60M necessary to market a big awards pic like this.” Wow…

So instead the studio has decided to put Shutter Island in The Silence of the Lambs slot. And as we all know, Silence of the Lambs went on to win five Oscars in 1992, despite the mid-February handicap. The thought is that now that the Academy is nominating 10 films for Best Picture, Shutter Island will still have a chance for the 2010 Academy Awards, and the studio will better be able to fund an award campaign at that time.

ech

[KnoxHarrington]

The only way moving this movie back to February makes any sense is if they realized it's just not Oscar-material, and they wanted that plausible deniability. "Oh, well, if we hadn't had to release it in February, it would have cleaned up..."

I gotta say, the Scorsese/DiCaprio collaboration so far has been spotty at best. 3 films so far that are interesting in spots, but don't hold together well in the end, and are often as silly as they are intriguing.

[thepaulo]

It's gonna have to compete with this movie

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480046/

[thepaulo]

As the release date approaches, my hopes are rising.

[Chigworthy]

As the release date approaches, my hopes are rising.

I think that the story is so well executed, that it would be hard to fuck it up too bad on the screen, as long as they stick to it.

[Snoogans]

i didnt read this whole thread. did anyone else notice the fuck up of the name?

So what is this, an island full of window shutters? Isnt it supposed to be shudder?

[Chigworthy]

i didnt read this whole thread. did anyone else notice the fuck up of the name?

So what is this, an island full of window shutters? Isnt it supposed to be shudder?

For you, it would be Shuttel Isrand.

It is Shutter Island.

[Gerald]

Of the Leo/Marty collaborations thus far, my fave is Aviator by a wide margin - love the performance, love the recreation of the era, love the dichotomy between genius and madness. Gangs had a classic character in Bill the Butcher, but it fell more than somewhat short of being a classic film because of its rushed third act (give me an expanded cut where the story is given breathing room). Departed was inconsequential cops n' crooks silliness, but it's hard to fully resent any picture that finally delivered Marty's richly deserved first Oscar. I'm hopeful that Shutter Island will be a return to Cape Fear form for the monolithic director since tremendous watchability ensued in this last instance where he set out to make a pure thriller. Next in the pipeline: a remake of Haneke's Cache and a Teddy Roosevelt biopic, both with his muse Leo attached.

[realmenhatelife]

Wee ah doooly appointed federal mashhhhals.

Its as if he evaporated (hand and pipe move) through the walls.


This movie is going to be the hammiest peice of shit.

[Gerald]

Tomatometer started off very high and then took a swift dip. A lot of polarized reactions out there, which intrigues me. This might mean that it's more of a horror movie than a thriller because the former rarely gets critical approval.

[TeeBone]

Am I alone in the opinion that Leo is not only a bad actor, but a really bad actor?

[hammersavage]

Am I alone in the opinion that Leo is not only a bad actor, but a really bad actor?

Yes. Have you never seen Basketball Diaries or What Eating Gilbert Grape? or The Aviator?

[thepaulo]

Tomatometer started off very high and then took a swift dip. A lot of polarized reactions out there, which intrigues me. This might mean that it's more of a horror movie than a thriller because the former rarely gets critical approval.

It's pretty faithful to the book.

[TeeBone]

Yes. Have you never seen Basketball Diaries or What Eating Gilbert Grape? or The Aviator?
Yes-Yes and Yes, that's my point. I'll give you, Gilbert Grape but that's about it. Have you seen: Titanic, Blood Diamond or The Beach? His 'performance' in Blood Diamond for example; is so bad I left my wife in the theater to go and play Centipede (yes, that's right a throw back game) in the theater's arcade. Drugs did play a part in that decision; albeit a small part.

[Chigworthy]

His 'performance' in Blood Diamond for example; is so bad I left my wife.

A bit of an overreaction.

[Gerald]

It was obvious from the opening scene that Leo was totally bat-shit. In the ensuing scenes, it was even more obvious that the head doctors on the Island were privy to his deteriorative mental state. The sense of mystery was gone before it could even find any footing, and it instantly became a matter of getting to the revelatory denouement where all the cards are laid out on the table for how or why he was separated from his sanity. This road for me was a ponderous one, virtually devoid of chills and totally lacking in the passion and conviction that are hallmarks of the best of Marty's work. The second half of the film is fatally...inert. Leo was really good, though, even though there's a lot of residual carryover from Howard Hughes in his mannerisms.

[Gerald]

I'm going to see it again, though. Maybe it'll benefit from another viewing where other things could be taken into consideration. Maybe I walked in with the wrong expectation mindset.

[thepaulo]

It was obvious from the opening scene that Leo was totally bat-shit. In the ensuing scenes, it was even more obvious that the head doctors on the Island were privy to his deteriorative mental state. The sense of mystery was gone before it could even find any footing, and it instantly became a matter of getting to the revelatory denouement where all the cards are laid out on the table for how or why he was separated from his sanity. This road for me was a ponderous one, virtually devoid of chills and totally lacking in the passion and conviction that are hallmarks of the best of Marty's work. The second half of the film is fatally...inert. Leo was really good, though, even though there's a lot of residual carryover from Howard Hughes in his mannerisms.

sometimes how you view a film is based on your expectations going in. I hadn't read the book. I had an open mind. I still have an open mind to the film and think I could benefit from repeated viewings.

[Doctor Z]

It was obvious from the opening scene that Leo was totally bat-shit. In the ensuing scenes, it was even more obvious that the head doctors on the Island were privy to his deteriorative mental state. The sense of mystery was gone before it could even find any footing, and it instantly became a matter of getting to the revelatory denouement where all the cards are laid out on the table for how or why he was separated from his sanity. This road for me was a ponderous one, virtually devoid of chills and totally lacking in the passion and conviction that are hallmarks of the best of Marty's work. The second half of the film is fatally...inert. Leo was really good, though, even though there's a lot of residual carryover from Howard Hughes in his mannerisms.

Unfortunately gotta agree with you on this. Does not take away from another incredible performance by DiCaprio however. He is one of the greatest of our time, it's a shame he doesn't have an Oscar.

[Dan 'Hampton]

Blood diamond was awful. I hate any movie about Africa when the natives are shown waving rifles around in he back of pickups. That movie sucked a smuggled dick.

[K.C.]

Tomatometer started off very high and then took a swift dip. A lot of polarized reactions out there, which intrigues me. This might mean that it's more of a horror movie than a thriller because the former rarely gets critical approval.

I saw it today.

The polarization of the tomatometer has to do with the actual story, because most of where the plot is going is very clear from the beginning.

So in that sense it become predictable, hence people saying the movie misses the mark.

I actually liked it a lot, and the reason I liked it is because of the attention to detail in the movie (that and I loved Michelle Williams' performance in it). It very well executed, and Scorsese does an excellent job creating the world of this film.

A lot of people also complain that it's too slow moving in the beginning...I disagree, because I think you get a lot of good clues early in the movie as to the character of the guy through the early dialogues.

Is it really predictable? Yeah, for the most part. I think this movie is also hurt by the fact that everyone has said there's a twist to the movie in the PR roll out of this thing. You go into it expecting it which I think hurts the early part of the movie.


For the record, though, there's

The twist

Leo is crazy, which is pretty obvious from the beginning.

The twist inside the twist

the case he concocted for himself was drawn from his real life in which his own wife drown his kids.

And then the hammer

He's cured through the treatment, but detaches his brain from reality, because it's better to die a hero than life as a monster, and he wants to die.


I got the first part right away, I got about half of the second part, although part of that was surprising....the third caught me by surprise.


I like the movie, though.

[thepaulo]

I saw it today.

The polarization of the tomatometer has to do with the actual story, because most of where the plot is going is very clear from the beginning.

So in that sense it become predictable, hence people saying the movie misses the mark.

I actually liked it a lot, and the reason I liked it is because of the attention to detail in the movie (that and I loved Michelle Williams' performance in it). It very well executed, and Scorsese does an excellent job creating the world of this film.

A lot of people also complain that it's too slow moving in the beginning...I disagree, because I think you get a lot of good clues early in the movie as to the character of the guy through the early dialogues.

Is it really predictable? Yeah, for the most part. I think this movie is also hurt by the fact that everyone has said there's a twist to the movie in the PR roll out of this thing. You go into it expecting it which I think hurts the early part of the movie.


For the record, though, there's

The twist

Leo is crazy, which is pretty obvious from the beginning.

The twist inside the twist

the case he concocted for himself was drawn from his real life in which his own wife drown his kids.

And then the hammer

He's cured through the treatment, but detaches his brain from reality, because it's better to die a hero than life as a monster, and he wants to die.


I got the first part right away, I got about half of the second part, although part of that was surprising....the third caught me by surprise.


I like the movie, though.

Like you said, Scorsese has paid a lot of attention to detail. The most interesting for me is the choice to make the movie. What was Scorsese's motivation?

[Gerald]

What was Scorsese's motivation?

Dual homage to the Hitchcock films and genre of film noir that instilled within him a passion for cinema during his formative years in the Garment District?

I liked it much more the second time through. I was compelled to go again because, even though I was initially dismissive, I was still thinking about it days later, which is a testament to a film that did something right and shouldn't be disregarded enitrely with such haste. There's a lot of sly details on display that help to create a palpalbe aura of dread and psychosis, and I didn't gloss over them this time by trying to stay ten steps ahead of a presumed third act revelation.

Not a great Scorsese film, but certainly not a shameful addition to his back catalog that will be swiftly relegated to footnote status. I actually think there's a good possibility that, of all the Leo-Marty collaborations, this is the one that will have the longest shelf life or the most replayability with hardcore movie buffs.

[danner1515]

I liked the style of the movie, but I had a hard time forgiving the predictability and familiarity of the plot. It felt dangerously close to M. Night Shyamalan territory to me.

Anyone else think Ron was a tad overly defensive of the movie when Fez said he didn't like it?

[K.C.]

I liked the style of the movie, but I had a hard time forgiving the predictability and familiarity of the plot. It felt dangerously close to M. Night Shyamalan territory to me.

Anyone else think Ron was a tad overly defensive of the movie when Fez said he didn't like it?

I thought it was more Hitchcock than Shyamalan...especially the final scene.

While I will say my opinion on the movie was similar to Ron's, whenever he somewhat concedes a point, he always does it in a very backhanded way, so the whole "I liked the movie, because I'm a film guy and I APPRECIATE film" attitude left the impression that you're a knuckledragging neanderthal if you didn't like the movie because of the plot.

So yeah, it was a bit much.

[K.C.]

Like you said, Scorsese has paid a lot of attention to detail. The most interesting for me is the choice to make the movie. What was Scorsese's motivation?

For similar reasons he made a movie like Kundun (even though they're very different).

From a visual standpoint, it's a very challenging movie in terms of painting scenery. Plus, I think he wanted to do a little bit of an homage to classic thrillers, and it's a chance to tell a more intricate psychological story.

I think he misses a little on the telling of the story. The end almost has a Vanilla Sky type explanation where a character basically says "you've watched this movie for two hours, you're too stupid to get it, so let me explain it."

But it's not quite as bad, and it's definitely a well constructed scene, even if it's kind of patronizing.

[WampusCrandle]

I saw the movie last night and i really liked it. a bit predictable in some parts, but still an interesting movie. I thought Leo was fantastic, especially in the end. i wont give any spoilers, but damn, i thought the ending was fucked up a bit.

[Contra]

Wow, from what I've seen in this thread I figured out the whole movie from the trailer.

[thepaulo]

Now that it's out on DVD I will spend a little more time with it. But the main problem I have is believing someone can completely erased their existence on a daily basis.

[Kevin]

Now that it's out on DVD I will spend a little more time with it. But the main problem I have is believing someone can completely erased their existence on a daily basis.

The main problem i'm having with it is why did it suck so much balls..

[torker]

The main problem i'm having with it is why did it suck so much balls..

money, money, money

[Recyclerz]

Ironically, just finished watching the Netflix DVD a 1/2 hour ago. I liked it better than most of you; I don't think it ranks with his best (Raging Bull; Goodfellas) but it fits nicely on the shelf underneath. If it seems a bit dervative I think that's the nature of a homage to Hitchcock as others have mentioned here. I think that the ending does bring up an interesting - Oh No It's a Moral Conundrum conundrum however.


Here's a bit I don't get
How did the patient that DiCaprio beats up in Bldg. C, or whatever it was called, know so much about hydrogen bombs in 1954?

[thepaulo]

Ironically, just finished watching the Netflix DVD a 1/2 hour ago. I liked it better than most of you; I don't think it ranks with his best (Raging Bull; Goodfellas) but it fits nicely on the shelf underneath. If it seems a bit dervative I think that's the nature of a homage to Hitchcock as others have mentioned here. I think that the ending does bring up an interesting - Oh No It's a Moral Conundrum conundrum however.


Here's a bit I don't get
How did the patient that DiCaprio beats up in Bldg. C, or whatever it was called, know so much about hydrogen bombs in 1954?

I can understand a crazy person being obsessed with atomic bomb minutuea but there are so many things that happen in the movie that just couldn't have happened. They had everyone in hospital conspiring for one patient.

[Recyclerz]

I can understand a crazy person being obsessed with atomic bomb minutuea but there are so many things that happen in the movie that just couldn't have happened. They had everyone in hospital conspiring for one patient.

I see your point. I'm willing to suspend disbelief to allow the narrative to advance and accept some craziness in the process. (I am, after all, a fan of the Ron & Fez show.)
However, the point that I highlighted seems like a red herring (black swan nowadays?) because it drops facts that would have been known to very, very few people in 1954 so I assumed it was another clue but it ended up being irrelevant.

Ah well, there are more important things to worry about I guess. Still enjoyed the movie.

[Willmore]

I enjoyed the movie. No, it's not Scorsese's best, but it beats 90% of the shit that's out there. And it is a movie that asks you to suspend disbelief, but I feel that Scorsese makes it feel effortless and at no point did I have a roll-your-eyes moment. The one thing that I did have a problem with, surprisingly, was the score. Marty over-did it with the suspenseful music at times.

[thepaulo]

I enjoyed the movie. No, it's not Scorsese's best, but it beats 90% of the shit that's out there. And it is a movie that asks you to suspend disbelief, but I feel that Scorsese makes it feel effortless and at no point did I have a roll-your-eyes moment. The one thing that I did have a problem with, surprisingly, was the score. Marty over-did it with the suspenseful music at times.

He used a lot of John Cage for the score which I think worked.
I will say that I find everything plausible after a few viewings but you have to assume that a lot of psychological freakout is what we are seeing mixed in with actual real time activity.

[StanUpshaw]

I see your point. I'm willing to suspend disbelief to allow the narrative to advance and accept some craziness in the process. (I am, after all, a fan of the Ron & Fez show.)
However, the point that I highlighted seems like a red herring (black swan nowadays?) because it drops facts that would have been known to very, very few people in 1954 so I assumed it was another clue but it ended up being irrelevant.

Ah well, there are more important things to worry about I guess. Still enjoyed the movie.

I figured the bomb was just the focus of his insanity. Perhaps an homage to Mifune in "I Live In Fear." Whatever the case, his knowledge was not anywhere close to rare or really even very specific. Take a look at these from April, 1950 in Popular Mechanics:

http://imgur.com/hOLJ0.jpghttp://imgur.com/UQi10.jpg

[Contra]

Finally watched this, I thought it was pretty good. Even though I pretty figured out most of the plot from the trailer I still found it suspenseful. I liked the score felt it help drive the movie.