Pardon the title - I've been feeling rather punny lately.
I'm surprised your still here after reading the first sentence of this post.Martin Scorsese. Leo DiCaprio. A book to big screen remake of a Dennis Lehane novel. What more could you want? Don't be selfish now. I really really enjoyed this movie - I was hesitant after the release date was pushed back about a million times and then I watched the trailer too many times and thought I knew what was going to happen. Ha, WRONG! DiCaprio was kick ass in this flick, and if he is just as awesome as I think he'll be in Christopher Nolan's latest mind fuck Inception, I'll have an official man crush.
Now, again, just like the last moofie I took a look at, [District 9,] I will call Shutter Island a hybrid. Psychological Thriller/Drama/Crime-Noir-ish/Suspense/Hitchcockian/War-time/Dark and unrelenting, and other such descriptive words. It mixed and matched very well. It went above and beyond what I was thinking the film would do. The first hint at it's visual astonishment was during the trailer when he is holding his wife and she turns to ash. That was the first spark where I went 'Oooooh!' But again, just to beat into your heads, the visuals were breathtaking - not just the island, but the flashbacks and the contrast and how angry and harsh the reds were.
They kick your ass with the whole gloom and doom thing with the first ten minutes with the score. It just screams "Turn this boat around NOWW!!" And then there is the cliche line "A storms-a-coming." It all adds up. If the score doesn't crush your soul, then the grays and gothic look to everything will slit your throat. Please - Cinematographer, Art Director, DP, show yourselves!! I want to shake your hand[s.]
Now the last thing I want to ruin is the story, the plot - because it builds, it goes somewhere, and it doesn't stop. It just keeps pounding on you like the waves on the cliff-ridden island. You have to see it for yourself - collect the facts that are given to you, deduce some things, think and think and think. Now, I can see people being very 50/50 on this film - a very either 'Loved it' or 'Hated it' type-of-thing. Now it depends - how well do you like being fooled, like with twists and such? Some films are just hated for their twist - audiences hate being tricked, lied to and such. They see the build us as just a waste of time and then shit all over it. It can be very negative. I, however, enjoy the ride. And in most cases, the twists and turns as well.
This is not a perfect film - close maybe, but not perfect. It's few downfalls and mistakes are forgivable. Like you go 'Awww,' for a few seconds and then move on. That's what I did. The cast, in my opinion, only added to the awesomeness of the movie. I don't want to let you know which actor played this and what actress played that, because it was nice to see the talent make surprise appearances. Like when a character is introduced and you go 'Baah, that's whats' his face from you know what! Ooooo!' I love that. I did that several times during the film. The performances stand out on their own. They are all incredible.
Lastly, as a movie-goer, or film fanatic, or boyfriend/girlfriend dragged to a movie, or anything, don't get angry when a story or a character or a movie leaves you with questions. Some see a movie's job as "Hey, ask some fricken questions and then answer them, thank you very much." When it just so happens to not answer a question, or makes you scratch your head and go 'huh' or if it leaves you thinking, it did it's job. It got you to think! THINK! Shutter Island successfully does this. It's more than a movie: it's a thought, a question. YES!
Now, again, just like the last moofie I took a look at, [District 9,] I will call Shutter Island a hybrid. Psychological Thriller/Drama/Crime-Noir-ish/Suspense/Hitchcockian/War-time/Dark and unrelenting, and other such descriptive words. It mixed and matched very well. It went above and beyond what I was thinking the film would do. The first hint at it's visual astonishment was during the trailer when he is holding his wife and she turns to ash. That was the first spark where I went 'Oooooh!' But again, just to beat into your heads, the visuals were breathtaking - not just the island, but the flashbacks and the contrast and how angry and harsh the reds were.
They kick your ass with the whole gloom and doom thing with the first ten minutes with the score. It just screams "Turn this boat around NOWW!!" And then there is the cliche line "A storms-a-coming." It all adds up. If the score doesn't crush your soul, then the grays and gothic look to everything will slit your throat. Please - Cinematographer, Art Director, DP, show yourselves!! I want to shake your hand[s.]
Now the last thing I want to ruin is the story, the plot - because it builds, it goes somewhere, and it doesn't stop. It just keeps pounding on you like the waves on the cliff-ridden island. You have to see it for yourself - collect the facts that are given to you, deduce some things, think and think and think. Now, I can see people being very 50/50 on this film - a very either 'Loved it' or 'Hated it' type-of-thing. Now it depends - how well do you like being fooled, like with twists and such? Some films are just hated for their twist - audiences hate being tricked, lied to and such. They see the build us as just a waste of time and then shit all over it. It can be very negative. I, however, enjoy the ride. And in most cases, the twists and turns as well.
This is not a perfect film - close maybe, but not perfect. It's few downfalls and mistakes are forgivable. Like you go 'Awww,' for a few seconds and then move on. That's what I did. The cast, in my opinion, only added to the awesomeness of the movie. I don't want to let you know which actor played this and what actress played that, because it was nice to see the talent make surprise appearances. Like when a character is introduced and you go 'Baah, that's whats' his face from you know what! Ooooo!' I love that. I did that several times during the film. The performances stand out on their own. They are all incredible.
Lastly, as a movie-goer, or film fanatic, or boyfriend/girlfriend dragged to a movie, or anything, don't get angry when a story or a character or a movie leaves you with questions. Some see a movie's job as "Hey, ask some fricken questions and then answer them, thank you very much." When it just so happens to not answer a question, or makes you scratch your head and go 'huh' or if it leaves you thinking, it did it's job. It got you to think! THINK! Shutter Island successfully does this. It's more than a movie: it's a thought, a question. YES!
Posts
