Shutter Island - Scorsese Horror Film

[Krispy]

Looks like Scorsese is making my dreams come true by creating what could be the only good mental hospital film ever. I've always thought these settings had ample opportunity to ramp up the paranoia and insanity but they are always either cheesy or way too far up their own ass.

KYO5kErUAMM

With a director-actor duo like Scorsese and Leo how can you lose?

[quidmonkey]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest?

[Krispy]

I don't know if I'd really label that a horror film, but you are totally right in it being great :).

[Urizen]

Damn.

A minute into that trailer I felt like I'd already seen too much, but I couldn't stop watching. I'd heard nothing about this until now and my psyched. The wife has yet hold her nerves and watch a horror with me. Drag Me To Hell was the last chance we missed.

I won't let her weak fortitude deny me again.

[Grifter]

...Awesome!

[MalReynolds]

havnt seen the trailer but ill watch it when i get home

[H.Bogard]

Looks quite a bit like The Suffering.

And that's a good thing.

[torrefaction]

Oh. My. God.

[roboninja]

Just the premise sounds awesome, but I am going to refrain from the trailer. They usually give away too much, and from Urizen's comments, this may be the case here.

[Krispy]

Just the premise sounds awesome, but I am going to refrain from the trailer. They usually give away too much, and from Urizen's comments, this may be the case here.

Yes, spoilers in it.

[Psykoboy2]

Scorsese can do scares.

Cape Fear, anyone?

[National Kato]

Forget Leo, this one's got Kingsley and von Sydow!

[Wraith]

Jackie Earle Haley is in this. Didn't watch the trailer in the first post, but noticed him in an ad tonight.

[Mike Kelehan]

I really hope the ending isn't as obvious as it appears, but I think it's pretty much a lock. When someone sees it, please let me know if they went with the super-obvious ending.

[Karak]

I really hope the ending isn't as obvious as it appears, but I think it's pretty much a lock. When someone sees it, please let me know if they went with the super-obvious ending.

It is.
2 short.

[torrefaction]

The book was fucking great. I don't think it's quite as obvious as it appears, though it's slightly related. That is, if they haven't fucked up the book.

[Mike Kelehan]

It is.

God damn it.
The book was fucking great. I don't think it's quite as obvious as it appears, though it's slightly related. That is, if they haven't fucked up the book.

So you're saying the ending isn't that...

HE is actually one of the patients! OMG OMG OMG!

...because, that seemed like the most obvious and trite thing to do after watching about 30 seconds of the trailer.

Look, maybe it's really well done. I'm hearing that it is. Like Krispy said, "With a director-actor duo like Scorsese and Leo how can you lose?" But, to paraphrase a famous Internet comedian, even after a beautiful, well-executed kick in the balls, you still walk funny. My enjoyment of a movie is very, very predicated on how much I like the ending, which is why I hated The Ninth Gate and loved Big Fan.

[DangerousDaze]

"This video has been removed due to terms of use violation." :( If it's anything like The Suffering I'll be happy - I loved that game.

[roboninja]

Yes, spoilers in it.

See, I said that way back then, but I was watching The Ultimate Trailer Show on HDNET the other day, and sure enough...

It does indeed look awesome.

[torrefaction]

God damn it.


So you're saying the ending isn't that...

HE is actually one of the patients! OMG OMG OMG!

...because, that seemed like the most obvious and trite thing to do after watching about 30 seconds of the trailer.

Look, maybe it's really well done. I'm hearing that it is. Like Krispy said, "With a director-actor duo like Scorsese and Leo how can you lose?" But, to paraphrase a famous Internet comedian, even after a beautiful, well-executed kick in the balls, you still walk funny. My enjoyment of a movie is very, very predicated on how much I like the ending, which is why I hated The Ninth Gate and loved Big Fan.

You may think you know the ending...

and you're not entirely wrong. But it's such a huge twist on the old played out predictability, that it's still shocking

And I thought I did too, but I was completely shocked by the way it played out.

[Karak]

God damn it.


So you're saying the ending isn't that...

HE is actually one of the patients! OMG OMG OMG!

...because, that seemed like the most obvious and trite thing to do after watching about 30 seconds of the trailer.

Look, maybe it's really well done. I'm hearing that it is. Like Krispy said, "With a director-actor duo like Scorsese and Leo how can you lose?" But, to paraphrase a famous Internet comedian, even after a beautiful, well-executed kick in the balls, you still walk funny. My enjoyment of a movie is very, very predicated on how much I like the ending, which is why I hated The Ninth Gate and loved Big Fan.

Its done ok. Mostly follows the book but not perfectly.

[Cury]

Had I known this movie was gonna be a discover the truth type of movie I would've completely avoided simply because I'm terrible at following what's going on in those type of movies. After watching this movie I just feel dumb because I have no idea what I was watching the entire time. I thought I knew but nope. Only thing I know is the obvious and that's because they just said it.

[Krispy]

It was a well done movie and I enjoyed it, but parts of it seemed to be missing that extra step into horror elements... or something. I'm admittedly a little drunk so my abilities of description are impaired but it was missing something that would have otherwise propelled into the ranks of excellent psychological thriller. I can't pick anything done wrong technically, as it was excellently directed and acted but it didn't feel full realized.

[menage]

This looks pretty good, I think I'm going to see it with the GF.

[Mr. Murphy]

Nice, gonna check this out.

I've always thought these settings had ample opportunity to ramp up the paranoia and insanity but they are always either cheesy or way too far up their own ass.

I'm A Cyborg But That's Okay. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497137/)

[Ultima Thulian]

Gonna watch this on DVD cause by that time I should have the book finished (Lehane is the fucking man).

[Slack3r78]

Saw this last night, knew pretty much nothing about it going in besides Scorsese and DiCaprio's involvement, walked out largely disappointed.

The "hints" were a little heavy-handed, to the point that the endgame, minus one detail, was clear to me within the first half hour or less. That's not a good thing with a 2:18 minute running time. Ben Kingsley's performance was solid and Michelle Williams did well with her limited part, but Leo hammed it up at points too much for me. Also thought the score was just plain overbearing in places -- trying to create suspense when nothing was happening.

It's not a bad flick, but I won't be rushing to see it again. It's just too much of a mixed bag.

EDIT:

Also, this film is completely misbilled as horror. It's a light psychological thriller, at best.

[Khrymsyn]

Saw this this past weekend, and unlike Slacker, I was entertained. Though I do agree that certain parts were a bit "ham fisted" (and the music at the beginning made me want to stab someone's eyes out with a soldering iron), and yes, the primary 'twist" I called based solely on the trailer (and my girlfriend was annoyed by that. lol).

That being said, the ending itself is something my girlfriend and I disagreed on... what do you guys think?
I think basically DiCaprio was cured, but decided that after living through the shit he did, he'd rather just die anyway, basically because he said something like "just trying to decide if it's worse dying as a hero or living as a monster", or something to that effect.. My girlfriend seems to think he relapsed.

[Krispy]

I thought it was pretty obvious that he hadn't relapsed. Not only does he make a very clear reference to not wanting to live as a monster, but the movie even indicates that he sees the instruments the orderlies are carrying and then he willingly goes with them with no pretense. A dillusional paranoid would not do that.

Honestly, the amount of people I've come accross who had trouble following the plot really disturbs me. Shutter Island isn't a hard movie to follow. Read some damn books!

[Khrymsyn]

Honestly, the amount of people I've come accross who had trouble following the plot really disturbs me. Shutter Island isn't a hard movie to follow. Read some damn books!

ahh, you know, I picked up on that, but didn't conciously tie it in. Makes even more sense now. Thanks.


Sometimes I wonder about that too Krispy. I consider myself pretty good at following plots, as I'm used to filling in pieces I either missed or don't 100% understand, with the pieces I do. But yeah, I wonder if it is related to book reading. i.e. ability to "fill in the gaps" as opposed to having it spelled out. My girlfriend has a MUCH harder time following movies, which suprises me as she thinks on her feet pretty well with most things, but movies seem to lose her pretty easily. I don't understand it.


Speaking of "read some damn books", I didn't even know this was based on a book until the beginning credits (I've stayed away from info on this movie). Was the book appreciably different? Darker? Or was the movie pretty close? (i.e. would I gain anything by reading the book, or was it a crappy book with a good underlying story?)

[LongStepMantis]

So DiCaprio is to Scorcese as Depp is to Burton now eh?
You could go with worse actors in both cases, but it just seems weird.

I haven't seen the movie yet so i don't have much else to add, that is all.

[Destro]

So DiCaprio is to Scorcese as Depp is to Burton now eh?
You could go with worse actors in both cases, but it just seems weird.

I haven't seen the movie yet so i don't have much else to add, that is all.

Scorcese has always had fetish actors. Before he used Dinero until he could use him no more! lol

[Ultima Thulian]

But can you blame him? DeNiro was badass back in the day.

[Superman's Dead]

But can you blame him? DeNiro was badass back in the day.

Plus, no joke, DeNiro got Scorsese to stop doing serious amounts of cocaine and get his head back in making movies.

[Krispy]

Plus, no joke, DeNiro got Scorsese to stop doing serious amounts of cocaine and get his head back in making movies.

I wonder what Depp has done for Tim Burton.

[Ultima Thulian]

Well, if he ever gets on death row, he'll try to bail his ass out.

[LongStepMantis]

Well, if he ever gets on death row, he'll try to bail his ass out.

Touche. In all fairness, and fully admitting I hate when stars use their celebrity to endorse just about anything...I can't blame him for thinking they're innocent.
I still think the stepfather of one of the victims is the real killer. Shit, he gave a documentary crew a knife with either his or his son's blood on it. There's definitely something very wrong with whatever is going on in that case.

[Ultima Thulian]

I don't blame him either, and I think it's cool he's doing it.

I could wrong, as I don't pay attention to tabloid shit that much, but Depp seems to be a lot more humble and softspoken than say...Sean Penn, who never shuts the fuck up. Both are fantastic actors though.

edit: What I'm trying to say is that it seems to me Depp is doing this cause he thinks its right. He ain't trying to look good or send some dipshit Hollywood leftard message. Again, I could be wrong. I don't pay attention to celebrity stuff that much...

[LongStepMantis]

I don't blame him either, and I think it's cool he's doing it.

I could wrong, as I don't pay attention to tabloid shit that much, but Depp seems to be a lot more humble and softspoken than say...Sean Penn, who never shuts the fuck up. Both are fantastic actors though.

edit: What I'm trying to say is that it seems to me Depp is doing this cause he thinks its right. He ain't trying to look good or send some dipshit Hollywood leftard message. Again, I could be wrong. I don't pay attention to celebrity stuff that much...

You took the words out of my mouth. Including the fact that Sean Penn is a phenomenal actor, but maybe shouldn't stop trying to champion every cause that comes along with such veracity. I do applaud anyone who decides to help another person or group with their influence and resources. Still, most of the time when Hollywood stars do it, it really feels like they're doing it for publicity, their own self-importance/ego, or plain old boredom rather than a genuine desire to help others.

I respect Depp a great deal because as big a star as he is, he doesn't act like it. He shuns the public eye, and moved to France so he wouldn't have to put up with the Hollywood scene bullshit. For an actor who has to have his own moneybin in the backyard by now, he's seems amazingly down to earth.

[Primus]

Went in blind and thought it was a great movie. Though the reveal was a bit obvious, the particulars were not, and made the movie very enjoyable.

[Krispy]

The reveal wasn't just obvious, it was bland. It was a very sterile scene, like they just wanted it finished by that point. It wasn't a bad film and it had great aspects, but this is to me is an example of a film where the sum is lesser than the parts.

[civil]

Just got back from seeing this, and I agree that the "reveal" was obvious in that it was expected, but there was some nice nuance involved in it.

I believe at the end he was fully cognizant of his actions/history and chose "death" as his path. The last sentence of the film cements this, IMO.

[Urizen]

Just got back from seeing this, and I agree that the "reveal" was obvious in that it was expected, but there was some nice nuance involved in it.

I believe at the end he was fully cognizant of his actions/history and chose "death" as his path. The last sentence of the film cements this, IMO.

Totally, agree. I'd say the real reveal was the last line. That made the movie what it is for me, and I loved it. I know people who said they hated it, but that only makes sense if you someone missed the last line.

Likewise, the fact that the final shot shows the Lighthouse means a hell of a to DiCaprio's and Kingsley's characters. It gives a lot of insight into how much each character actually knew, and how much they misled each other.

Also...

"The Law of 4" was pretty lame shit. Not the names in anagram, but calling it 'The Law of 4'.

At one point, the woman pretending to be the escaped madwoman makes her return as a nurse. What about the doctor woman in the caves? Her role is not verified in the 'after-the-reveal' scenario. Why?

At the very end, as DiCaprio's character trudged to the lighthouse, I thought there was going to be some suggestion that not all of DiCaprio's ravings were mad. Like he alone would catch a glimpse of the cave doctor in the bushes and say nothing. They instead used the Lighthouse to convey the same message, which I thought was much more powerful.

[muddi900]

*ITS ALLLIVE ITS ALLIVE ITS ALLIIIIVE*
*AlSO HERE BE SPOILERS*

So, I just saw this and I can't believe anybody noticed how much of a Hitchcock pastiche it was. Hell, pastiche is inaccurate. If Hitch was alive, this is the exact movie he'd make. Shot-by-shot. Right down to the Herriman-esque soundtrack. In fact, I think there might have been some shots lifted directly from Hitch movies. Your nerd-cred is severely suspect.

Hence I don't think the ending is "real". I think he was coerced into believing the story under the influence. Falls right in line with the "Wrongfully accused" conceit of Hitchcockian thrillers. Urizen mentioned the other Rachel, but what about the other Laedess. Also, I don't know if anybody else noticed that the final scene has an implied long time jump. He is in bed where Kingsley is talking about relapse, and then he is sitting on the steps. The final line wasn't acceptance, it was defeat. He just gave up!

My only problem with the movie was Leo. He isn't a bad actor, but its hard to take him seriously as an adult when he still looks like he's 17. Nice to see Rorschach in there!


EDIT: I meant lead in a real movie!
And when would hollywood finally give Mark Ruffalo a real movie?

[Urizen]

I say it's impossible to do thriller-suspense today without (http://www.7x7.com/blogs/screen-shots/scorsese-channels-hitchcock-shutter-island) doing (http://www.kentucky.com/2010/02/21/1145340/shutter-island-scorseses-hitchcock.html) Hitchcock (http://www.thisisbrandx.com/2010/02/shutter-island-seems-like-a-cheat-scorsesedirected-thriller-pulls-the-rug-out-from-under-you-in-a-ba.html).

The homage was impossible to ignore, but people seem to agree Hitchcock would have made a better movie. While that may be true, I'm not going to hate on Scorsese for failing to beat a master at his game.

[muddi900]

So I am not the only one. But people are idiots. Hitch would have made this exact same movie given this exact same script.

[Narradisall]

A friend of mine saw this tonight and asked me to guess what the reveal was. I went for the most obvious thing I could think of.... and I was spot on.

[muddi900]

The reveal isn't the point though. The ending is. It probably has the best ending of any thriller I've seen from recent time.

[Narradisall]

Oh I gathered from reading the thread. I just had to chuckle at guessing it perfectly by saying the most silly thing I could think of.