Jason KingShutter Island (10/10)
February 18th 2010 20:39
:
Leo Rocks!!
WARNING: A Few Swear words contained in article.
Shutter Island is the story of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.
Well that's the official synopsis but the story is so much much more. It is based on a 2003 novel written by Dennis Lehane, who is currently most famous for his novel that became a movie adaptation, Mystic River.
I have only one gripe about this film and then I will vomit forth unending praise. I think this film is too long by about 20mins and the film is a strong thinking movie - every hand gesture, every look from someone holds meaning. You can't waltz in for a grand old cinema experience as this film will leave you drained. It is about 2 and half hours long without ads and trailers and I think the general public will lose their attention span at about an hour and a half due to its complexity. The film explains NOTHING until the last half an hour so teenagers will probably get bored. The film is made for movie connoisseurs and critics - it is fucking superb.
There is only one other film that I have seen that had the impact, has the atmosphere and similarity of this film. Silence of the Lambs - both films are perfect in every way. The cast, phenomenal, and not just the leads, every bit part actor is perfect. The cinematography is mind blowing, and it did help that Paramount RULE and screened us the film in DIGITAL - it was the most perfect presentation I have ever seen in a media screening, it was also the only media screening I have seen completely full - you should media people trying to get others to move along so they can sit with someone - like a catwalk model bitch fight, but I digress.
Shutter Island has the continual tone of malice and impending doom and is very dark, I mean some people won't be able to watch it dark. It is also gives off a sense of claustrophobia, I haven't had an anxiety attack for about three years now but I felt the dizzying first stages of it a few times in this film. People will be expecting something supernatural to occur or some massive Hollywood bloodfest but it won't as the horror of this film is in the journey.
When I first saw that Leo was playing Teddy Daniels I nearly wet myself - I have read the book and loved it, most of you know that Leo is my all time favourite actor and no one even comes close to his range in any way in my opinion. In my entire life of watching film no male can cry so perfectly, one drop from his eyes and I am off - he does cry a lot in film but his range of acting allows him to dig deep and for this film he not only dug deep, he swam in the bottom of the well. I predicted when I first heard Leo playing this role that "this is the one" - the one film he would win his sought after best male Oscar for and it couldn't be a better film for it. Then somewhere along the lines Paramount held the film back for contention this year. Had someone from Paramount seen a cut of Avatar or more than likely Paramount wanted this to be Clooney's year with Up in the Air and thought putting Leo against George would not be a good idea. I just hope it isn't too early for Leo to get nominated next year because he deserves it more than most.
I also think this is the best collaboration that Leo has done so far with his film partner of the last few years, Martin Scorcese, it gets Leo away from trying to be a tough action guy of his more recent cop films and puts him back as a character with an emotional depth. The guy can play anything and does not need to do cop films or gangster films, he needs to highlight his range. This is the one for it. Praise to you Marty He not only made a true suspense thriller but he made a Hitchcock suspense thriller, everything about it screams Hitchcock, everything leads you in the wrong direction or the right direction, unknowingly, depending on how you view the film. For me, I had read the book and knew where things would lead, for my viewing partner, Sean, he had not and was knocked for a six - he thought the film was brilliant, he also got to experience the shock for the first time in the story and not know what was coming next. I give Scorsese massive kudos for this film as it is nearly page for page of the book, and probably why it is so long, another thing I have not seen since Silence of the Lambs. I like Scorsese's work and will probably get shot for this but am not the hugest fans of his gangster films, to me this film opened my eyes to his work in a way I never thought possible. His attention to detail and building of atmosphere is out of this world.
The film is not only an emotional mind fuck but it is a visual extravaganza of occasional special effects and dark gritty sets that make you feel doom. I can't describe it but while it is so dark and horrific it is also beautiful and poetic. The visuals from flashbacks or hallucinations are just breath taking, as is every frame of the film. Another character that deserves awards in this film is the score, the music is just chilling and every beat is gothic-scary and powerful and it is there with you throughout the whole journey. You may want to sleep with the lights on after this one. The first five minutes will set you up for what you are in for. One thing I loved with the score is that it's so evident and powerful for the entire film and then at the absolute climax of the film it just stops and the power of the story and the heaviness of silence set the scene themselves, it was a great move to make in the film and one Sean and I both mentioned afterwards.
Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley, Ted Levine, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley and everyone else in the film is just superb, no one does anything wrong in the film and they all support Leo brilliantly. But this is Leo's baby and with the cast, cinematographer, Director and entire cast and crew have made a film that is truly brilliant. It is very rare for a film to reach a synchronised perfection of all its parts and one I am glad I got to see in Shutter Island. If you liked Silence of the Lambs, while completely different, I think you will like this. As long as you can deal with unrelenting Hitchcockian intensity and dark mind scarring visuals then this is one for you. Definately leave the kids at home, unless you can afford years of therapy. Out Thursday 18th February and worth a perfect score of 10/10.
Shutter Island is the story of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island's fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.
Well that's the official synopsis but the story is so much much more. It is based on a 2003 novel written by Dennis Lehane, who is currently most famous for his novel that became a movie adaptation, Mystic River.
I have only one gripe about this film and then I will vomit forth unending praise. I think this film is too long by about 20mins and the film is a strong thinking movie - every hand gesture, every look from someone holds meaning. You can't waltz in for a grand old cinema experience as this film will leave you drained. It is about 2 and half hours long without ads and trailers and I think the general public will lose their attention span at about an hour and a half due to its complexity. The film explains NOTHING until the last half an hour so teenagers will probably get bored. The film is made for movie connoisseurs and critics - it is fucking superb.
There is only one other film that I have seen that had the impact, has the atmosphere and similarity of this film. Silence of the Lambs - both films are perfect in every way. The cast, phenomenal, and not just the leads, every bit part actor is perfect. The cinematography is mind blowing, and it did help that Paramount RULE and screened us the film in DIGITAL - it was the most perfect presentation I have ever seen in a media screening, it was also the only media screening I have seen completely full - you should media people trying to get others to move along so they can sit with someone - like a catwalk model bitch fight, but I digress.
Shutter Island has the continual tone of malice and impending doom and is very dark, I mean some people won't be able to watch it dark. It is also gives off a sense of claustrophobia, I haven't had an anxiety attack for about three years now but I felt the dizzying first stages of it a few times in this film. People will be expecting something supernatural to occur or some massive Hollywood bloodfest but it won't as the horror of this film is in the journey.
When I first saw that Leo was playing Teddy Daniels I nearly wet myself - I have read the book and loved it, most of you know that Leo is my all time favourite actor and no one even comes close to his range in any way in my opinion. In my entire life of watching film no male can cry so perfectly, one drop from his eyes and I am off - he does cry a lot in film but his range of acting allows him to dig deep and for this film he not only dug deep, he swam in the bottom of the well. I predicted when I first heard Leo playing this role that "this is the one" - the one film he would win his sought after best male Oscar for and it couldn't be a better film for it. Then somewhere along the lines Paramount held the film back for contention this year. Had someone from Paramount seen a cut of Avatar or more than likely Paramount wanted this to be Clooney's year with Up in the Air and thought putting Leo against George would not be a good idea. I just hope it isn't too early for Leo to get nominated next year because he deserves it more than most.
I also think this is the best collaboration that Leo has done so far with his film partner of the last few years, Martin Scorcese, it gets Leo away from trying to be a tough action guy of his more recent cop films and puts him back as a character with an emotional depth. The guy can play anything and does not need to do cop films or gangster films, he needs to highlight his range. This is the one for it. Praise to you Marty
He not only made a true suspense thriller but he made a Hitchcock suspense thriller, everything about it screams Hitchcock, everything leads you in the wrong direction or the right direction, unknowingly, depending on how you view the film. For me, I had read the book and knew where things would lead, for my viewing partner, Sean, he had not and was knocked for a six - he thought the film was brilliant, he also got to experience the shock for the first time in the story and not know what was coming next. I give Scorsese massive kudos for this film as it is nearly page for page of the book, and probably why it is so long, another thing I have not seen since Silence of the Lambs. I like Scorsese's work and will probably get shot for this but am not the hugest fans of his gangster films, to me this film opened my eyes to his work in a way I never thought possible. His attention to detail and building of atmosphere is out of this world.
The film is not only an emotional mind fuck but it is a visual extravaganza of occasional special effects and dark gritty sets that make you feel doom. I can't describe it but while it is so dark and horrific it is also beautiful and poetic. The visuals from flashbacks or hallucinations are just breath taking, as is every frame of the film. Another character that deserves awards in this film is the score, the music is just chilling and every beat is gothic-scary and powerful and it is there with you throughout the whole journey. You may want to sleep with the lights on after this one. The first five minutes will set you up for what you are in for. One thing I loved with the score is that it's so evident and powerful for the entire film and then at the absolute climax of the film it just stops and the power of the story and the heaviness of silence set the scene themselves, it was a great move to make in the film and one Sean and I both mentioned afterwards.
Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley, Ted Levine, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley and everyone else in the film is just superb, no one does anything wrong in the film and they all support Leo brilliantly. But this is Leo's baby and with the cast, cinematographer, Director and entire cast and crew have made a film that is truly brilliant. It is very rare for a film to reach a synchronised perfection of all its parts and one I am glad I got to see in Shutter Island. If you liked Silence of the Lambs, while completely different, I think you will like this. As long as you can deal with unrelenting Hitchcockian intensity and dark mind scarring visuals then this is one for you. Definately leave the kids at home, unless you can afford years of therapy. Out Thursday 18th February and worth a perfect score of 10/10.
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Comment by rix
Comment by Jason King
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I think you will love it - u do love Leo and you love his Scorsese work so mathematics predicts it so
Comment by K @ the Lair
Comment by Tommy Pacialeo
Comment by Jason King
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It is very visual and heavy, but it is made to perfection.
I know you have read some pretty heavy books - I think you will be alright - watch it with Mike then you can grab him for further support if you need it
Let me know what you think
Comment by Jason King
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I am glad you wanted it to go on!! That is re-assuring - you can see that it did not bother me as I still scored it perfect. Just an observation of what the general public will think. You know I can sit through watching Titanic back to back numerous times. It has Leo in it for crying out loud - LEO ='s GOD
I am not a huge Michelle William's fan but I think this was her best role, I enjoyed her and all her scenes being flashbacks were great, the turning to dust etc
Can't wait to have this in the Blu Ray collection - it might be time for a Leo marathon and hurry up Fox - I want Titanic and R&J on Blu Ray!!!!!!
Comment by Tommy Pacialeo
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Comment by JESUS
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