Shutter Island is the newest near masterpiece film brought to us by Martin Scorsese, following up the 2006 release of The Departed. This psychological/thriller film is based off the 2003 novel of the same title. Originally due out in the fall of 2009, it was delayed into the new year for "economic" reasons. How do you follow up with such a great movie as the Departed? By crafting something equally good, I suppose. Scorsese proves himself again with this movie showing why he really is one of the best directors of all time.
I needed a full day to fully digest this movie. The plot of Shutter Island is pretty big, and it is pretty hard to openly discuss without ruining anything in the movie. Taking place in the mid 1950's, U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels (played by Leonardo DiCaprio, his best role since The Departed, more on that later) is joined by his newly assigned partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) to discover the whereabouts of a recently escaped mental patient. When they arrive at Shutter Island however, they find out that in this prison/hospital for the mentally unstable, there are quite a few secrets to be uncovered. The staff does not cooperate with the investigation at all perpetuated by Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kinglsey) and they must rely upon the patients to get information they can use. Teddy thinks if he can uncover all the secrets of this island, this will be his big break and a big chance for him. The plot that is uncovered is psychologically distressing to both Marshal Daniels and yourself as the viewer, as it is an excellently well crafted piece.
Other than the above, I really can't go into the plot as it would go into spoiler territory. There are far too many interesting plot points to ruin for anyone. Unfortunately for myself, I knew the big "game-changing" moment of the movie before going in to see it. The Internet nowadays is not a safe place folks. Rumors and spoilers are all over the place just waiting for the next unsuspecting person. That being said, I tried to look at the movie from a different angle going in, which can be fun as well. This film is so well done however, I could not put my finger on anything until the very end, when everything is laid out on the table for us. At the end, I was very satisfied with the overall story, only having very minor complaints that are not even worth mentioning.
The acting in this movie is stellar. At any given time, you really feel like you're right there with them. This film really does a good job at sucking you in, and I believe part of the reason is because of the superb abilities of DiCaprio and company. Over the years, DiCaprio has slowly become one of my favorite actors. Back when I saw Titanic, I really though he was going to be one of those fad actors, only popular for a few years because of his handsome boyish look. Was I ever wrong. He proves himself movie after movie. The film that really showcased his talent for me was The Departed. After seeing that movie, I've made it a point to see some of his other films that I missed because I didn't think much of him. This movie is no exception. At many of Marshal Daniels points in this movie, you can feel like you can relate to him if such a thing were to ever happen to you. It really goes to show you when you put in so much effort it pays off, as you are really engrossed in the movie and care for it's characters.
The rest of the acting is right up there along with DiCaprio's. Mark Ruffalo plays the sidekick kind of role, and he pretty much nails it. Not knowing too much while you suspectingly have your own questions about his motive. Michelle Williams also stars in this movie as Officer Marshal's wife. I have to honestly say, I have not seen Michelle Williams in all too many films, and know her pretty much because of Dawson's Creek, but she did a very fine job. We don't know the reason for her appearances on the island, but when we find everything out, just wow is all I can say. I give her an A+ to be able to play such a convincing "housewife". Ben Kingsley does a great job as always, I can't really say too much about his role other than questioning him the whole time, which is the point I suppose. Lastly, Jackie Earl Haley (known for playing Rorschach in Watchmen most recently) is also in the film. He plays his usual psychotic role that he is used to playing now. I really hope he doesn't get typecast in future movies, as he is a very good actor, but he plays such a great sociopath/nutjob that I really don't mind. Overall the acting in this movie is one of the many high points of the film.
The filming and locations in Shutter Island are done in such a way to further make you feel like you're locked in a prison. There are many closeups, and behind the back views. Walks down long corridors, and climbing down cliffs are shot at just the right angles, to give you a sense of dread at times. There are a couple of scenes that do drag on a bit, such as aforementioned walks down long corridors, but overall a fine job for a Scorsese movie. The soundtrack to me was not too memorable, but the score had a very creepy feeling emanating from it. There is one main "theme" that is repeated in the movie at particularly intense scenes, and you are always expecting something big to happen at that moment. Other pieces of the film remind me of the earlier Silent Hill game series. Not exactly music, but sometimes just noise. It does it's job. For a good portion of this movie I was very tense, partly because of the music.
There are not too many things I can complain about in Shutter Island. The movie has a near perfect pace, not giving you too much information at one time. One small thing is some scenes could have been a bit shorter, and even though I knew the big plot points of the movie, most people can probably figure things out if they've got half a brain. Like I said earlier though, don't fully expect to know what's going on until the very end. You're hit like a train then. In a good way. The last 15-20 minutes of the film were some of the best scenes I've seen in film for many years. Leonardo DiCaprio's performance especially.
I recommend seeing this 100% if you're looking for a good psychological movie that will keep you guessing throughout it's entirety, or if you are tired of the same boring plots. Compared from the The Wolfman last week, Shutter Island is a breath of fresh air after escaping from a mental institution.
Out of 5 stars, I give it a 4. Definitely give it a shot!
Showing posts with label Movie Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie Review. Show all posts
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
The Wolfman (2010) Review
Before this review gets started, I must start with this. This movie does not deserve all the negative attention it is getting. It is a pretty good horror/thriller that delivers on most points, and only failing in a couple.
That being said, The Wolfman is the latest classic Universal monster to have a remake of the original film. With The Mummy already done, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon in the works, Universal Pictures has sure been busy with trying to recreate some of the the magic given to us by the original movies.
The Wolfman stars Benicio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, who is a famous Shakespearean actor living in New York after excommunicating himself with his family in Great Britain. After finding out about his brother's disappearance through a letter sent from Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), Lawrence returns to his home in Blackmoor to get to the bottom of what is really going on. Upon arriving, he is greeted by his long estranged father John Talbot. (Anthony Hopkins) He learns however, he is already too late, and his brother has already died a very grizzly death by something extremely ferocious. Now on the hunt for vengeance, Larry is determined to find the truth. He goes to find the Gypsy camp that he believes is somehow tied with his brother. The camp is suddenly attacked, and Larry bitten by a mysterious creature that almost kills him, he is now cursed on the full moons to hunt as a werewolf. A Scottish inspector named Aberdine (Hugo Weaving) shows up to finally get to the bottom of all the attacks.
Going into this movie, I really didn't know what to expect. There have been many complaints that these Universal Monster movies should be left alone. I am partial to them. They are so legendary, they don't need remakes. However as ideas run out, sequels and remakes are made. For the most part it is getting trashed, so I didn't really think it would be too good of a movie. Possibly all the director/writer/staff changes were true. What I discovered though, was a highly enjoyable, very dark and moody film that as a whole pleased me.
From the beginning, the most enjoyable thing for me in this movie was the atmosphere. I think they really nailed the dark and industrial look of Britain in the late 1800's. This movie just oozes a brooding art direction. The visuals of the Wolfman transformation were also very impressive and convincing. It looked as it should have, very painful. In particular, the scene at the sanitarium was extremely cool to watch, one of the coolest in the movie. From looks of it, they combined CG as well as makeup to make the transformations as realistic as possible. They also seem to pay homage to the original Wolfman movie by keeping a similar style as far as the look of the beast goes. The makeup also shows just enough of the actor's characteristics to make them recognizable. I give Rick Baker (famous makeup artist in Hollywood) a lot of credit for the job he did here.
Another thing of note in this movie was the gore factor. I'm not sure whether to mark this off as good or bad. The original Wolfman didn't have too many deaths from what I remember. I guess they wanted to change that this time around, being a different generation and all. The gore was very well done, if not overdone. I think it was a bit too much at some points, mostly during the action scenes where The Wolfman is on a rampage. I guess they just wanted to get the point across of how visceral and feral of a creature it was supposed to be.
As far as the actors themselves, most do a fairly good job. I doubt any of them will win any awards for the acting, but they do a convincing enough job for the roles they play. At certain points, you can really feel for Del Toro, as he is a very emotionally scarred man. Again, scenes in the sanitarium with him were very convincing. Anthony Hopkins played his usual eccentric type of role that he handles so very well now. You're really unsure what to think of him, other than you know he's hiding something big. Emily Blunt was fairly uncharismatic and didn't add too much to the movie, other than a love interest. At some points during the movie however, some of the actors seem to be bored during their scenes, as if they were just reciting them with no real feeling. Hugo Weaving as Inspector Aberline was probably the worst of all. As much as I like him as V in V for Vendetta, Elrond in Lord of the Rings, and Agent Smith in the Matrix series, he seems to play almost the same role in every movie. He really shows no emotion or sense of regard for anything. It seems some actors more than others gelled with each other.
There were another couple of gripes I had that I do not wish to spoil, but were completely unnecessary, one moment almost should not have been included in the movie, it was fine without it. The moment is near the end in the Talbot mansion if you're looking out for it.
Aside from those gripes though, it was a very solid movie going experience. With great special effects, and such good atmosphere I really cannot complain too much. I would definitely recommend seeing the movie for yourself before making a decision. People can be overly critical, and this is no exception. It is a fun time, just don't bring any young ones along. It might be too much for them to handle. Out of 5 stars, I would give it a 3.5.
That being said, The Wolfman is the latest classic Universal monster to have a remake of the original film. With The Mummy already done, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon in the works, Universal Pictures has sure been busy with trying to recreate some of the the magic given to us by the original movies.
The Wolfman stars Benicio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, who is a famous Shakespearean actor living in New York after excommunicating himself with his family in Great Britain. After finding out about his brother's disappearance through a letter sent from Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), Lawrence returns to his home in Blackmoor to get to the bottom of what is really going on. Upon arriving, he is greeted by his long estranged father John Talbot. (Anthony Hopkins) He learns however, he is already too late, and his brother has already died a very grizzly death by something extremely ferocious. Now on the hunt for vengeance, Larry is determined to find the truth. He goes to find the Gypsy camp that he believes is somehow tied with his brother. The camp is suddenly attacked, and Larry bitten by a mysterious creature that almost kills him, he is now cursed on the full moons to hunt as a werewolf. A Scottish inspector named Aberdine (Hugo Weaving) shows up to finally get to the bottom of all the attacks.
Going into this movie, I really didn't know what to expect. There have been many complaints that these Universal Monster movies should be left alone. I am partial to them. They are so legendary, they don't need remakes. However as ideas run out, sequels and remakes are made. For the most part it is getting trashed, so I didn't really think it would be too good of a movie. Possibly all the director/writer/staff changes were true. What I discovered though, was a highly enjoyable, very dark and moody film that as a whole pleased me.
From the beginning, the most enjoyable thing for me in this movie was the atmosphere. I think they really nailed the dark and industrial look of Britain in the late 1800's. This movie just oozes a brooding art direction. The visuals of the Wolfman transformation were also very impressive and convincing. It looked as it should have, very painful. In particular, the scene at the sanitarium was extremely cool to watch, one of the coolest in the movie. From looks of it, they combined CG as well as makeup to make the transformations as realistic as possible. They also seem to pay homage to the original Wolfman movie by keeping a similar style as far as the look of the beast goes. The makeup also shows just enough of the actor's characteristics to make them recognizable. I give Rick Baker (famous makeup artist in Hollywood) a lot of credit for the job he did here.
Another thing of note in this movie was the gore factor. I'm not sure whether to mark this off as good or bad. The original Wolfman didn't have too many deaths from what I remember. I guess they wanted to change that this time around, being a different generation and all. The gore was very well done, if not overdone. I think it was a bit too much at some points, mostly during the action scenes where The Wolfman is on a rampage. I guess they just wanted to get the point across of how visceral and feral of a creature it was supposed to be.
As far as the actors themselves, most do a fairly good job. I doubt any of them will win any awards for the acting, but they do a convincing enough job for the roles they play. At certain points, you can really feel for Del Toro, as he is a very emotionally scarred man. Again, scenes in the sanitarium with him were very convincing. Anthony Hopkins played his usual eccentric type of role that he handles so very well now. You're really unsure what to think of him, other than you know he's hiding something big. Emily Blunt was fairly uncharismatic and didn't add too much to the movie, other than a love interest. At some points during the movie however, some of the actors seem to be bored during their scenes, as if they were just reciting them with no real feeling. Hugo Weaving as Inspector Aberline was probably the worst of all. As much as I like him as V in V for Vendetta, Elrond in Lord of the Rings, and Agent Smith in the Matrix series, he seems to play almost the same role in every movie. He really shows no emotion or sense of regard for anything. It seems some actors more than others gelled with each other.
There were another couple of gripes I had that I do not wish to spoil, but were completely unnecessary, one moment almost should not have been included in the movie, it was fine without it. The moment is near the end in the Talbot mansion if you're looking out for it.
Aside from those gripes though, it was a very solid movie going experience. With great special effects, and such good atmosphere I really cannot complain too much. I would definitely recommend seeing the movie for yourself before making a decision. People can be overly critical, and this is no exception. It is a fun time, just don't bring any young ones along. It might be too much for them to handle. Out of 5 stars, I would give it a 3.5.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Edge of Darkness
Got to check out Edge of Darkness today with my co-host from the Games, Movies & More podcast.
Mel Gibson finally makes his return to the silver screen in this movie after an almost 6 years of absence. Most people remember his last movie being the awful Signs, but afterward he produced and starred in the somewhat lackluster Paparazzi. Mel Gibson plays Detective Thomas Craven, a member of the Boston Police Force. A fairly straightforward man, everything is normal until he picks up his 24 year old daugher Emma, from the train station.
Later in the evening, she is shot and killed, dying in his arms. The police first believe he is the target as he has been on the police force many years. He begins to think otherwise when trying to find out the truth of who killed his daughter. Opposite Gibson is Ray Winstone playing a clean up agent named Darius Jedburgh. He is supposed to stop Craven from finding out the truth. The two have a mutual respect for each other, and Jedburgh decides to leave Craven to his business. What follows is deception, government cover ups, and some decent story telling.
For Mel Gibson's first movie back, this was a good choice. Not an over the top action movie, a slower movie with sometimes (almost times too much so) sluggish pacing with Gibson playing his typical revenge role. Overall, the story was very good, once it all played out. There were however, certain parts of the movie where I felt like falling asleep. You really do feel for Craven while he is trying to find out the truth behind his daughters death. You feel the all of the hurt and anger built up in him. Even with taking off all these years, Gibson has not lost his ability to act. I was a bit worried at first, but that quickly diminished after seeing him in this role.
I only have one other gripe with this movie aside from the pacing, and that is some of the dialogue. I don't know why Hollywood decides to make a story take place in Boston they insist on making all of the actors speak in a terribly overdone Boston accent. I've been to Massachusetts before, and never was the accent as bad as it is in these movies. They severly need to tone this down. At times, the dialogue was almost incomprehensible. It was like playing fill in the blanks, and make up your own story. Please Hollywood, calm down a little bit with this in the future.
Overall it was a pretty decent movie. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5. I hope Mel Gibson continues to work after this film, as it was a good return for him.
Mel Gibson finally makes his return to the silver screen in this movie after an almost 6 years of absence. Most people remember his last movie being the awful Signs, but afterward he produced and starred in the somewhat lackluster Paparazzi. Mel Gibson plays Detective Thomas Craven, a member of the Boston Police Force. A fairly straightforward man, everything is normal until he picks up his 24 year old daugher Emma, from the train station.
Later in the evening, she is shot and killed, dying in his arms. The police first believe he is the target as he has been on the police force many years. He begins to think otherwise when trying to find out the truth of who killed his daughter. Opposite Gibson is Ray Winstone playing a clean up agent named Darius Jedburgh. He is supposed to stop Craven from finding out the truth. The two have a mutual respect for each other, and Jedburgh decides to leave Craven to his business. What follows is deception, government cover ups, and some decent story telling.
For Mel Gibson's first movie back, this was a good choice. Not an over the top action movie, a slower movie with sometimes (almost times too much so) sluggish pacing with Gibson playing his typical revenge role. Overall, the story was very good, once it all played out. There were however, certain parts of the movie where I felt like falling asleep. You really do feel for Craven while he is trying to find out the truth behind his daughters death. You feel the all of the hurt and anger built up in him. Even with taking off all these years, Gibson has not lost his ability to act. I was a bit worried at first, but that quickly diminished after seeing him in this role.
I only have one other gripe with this movie aside from the pacing, and that is some of the dialogue. I don't know why Hollywood decides to make a story take place in Boston they insist on making all of the actors speak in a terribly overdone Boston accent. I've been to Massachusetts before, and never was the accent as bad as it is in these movies. They severly need to tone this down. At times, the dialogue was almost incomprehensible. It was like playing fill in the blanks, and make up your own story. Please Hollywood, calm down a little bit with this in the future.
Overall it was a pretty decent movie. I'd give it 3 stars out of 5. I hope Mel Gibson continues to work after this film, as it was a good return for him.
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