Thursday, June 11, 2009

"You Haven't Taken Any Pills Have You?"

JA from MNPP here. Thank goodness Martin Scorsese finally got that damn Oscar out of the way! This is the Marty I've missed. The Marty who's having some fun. The Marty who had Robert DeNiro hold a bubbling flare in his hand.


If you have no idea what I speak of, the trailer for Shutter Island has finally arrived. If you don't know the plot from Dennis Lahane's book here tis:

"From Oscar®-winning director Martin Scorsese, “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."

I knew as soon as Leo Dicaprio was given a couple of seconds of weighty dramatic pause before he could finish his setnence saying the hospital which he speaks of is "......... for the criminally insane!" that we were in deliciously lurid Cape Fear territory. You get glimpses of most of the film's sterling cast - Leo, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo (yum), Emily Mortimer (yay!), Michelle Williams (yay!), Elias Koteas and Jackie Earle Haley (both being creeps, yay!), Patty Clarkson (double yay!), Max Von Sydow (woop!)... I always look forward to a new Scorsese but this one is one tailor-made for me, I swear.

You can watch the trailer in at Apple or right here:

.

.

I took some more screen-grabs if you're interested in that; they're over at MNPP. The cinematography by Robert Richardson looks typically gorgeous. What do we think? Shutter Island is out on October 2nd.

.

35 comments:

Daniel Armour said...

It looks nicely shot and the overall story looks interesting but I don't think I was wowed by the trailer. Of course, the only Scorsese films I've seen are Gangs of New York and The Departed, so there's not a lot of excitement about seeing a new film by him just because of him. I'll definitely be seeing it, though.

Anonymous said...

This does not look like a Scorsese picture. The end.

Patrick said...

I can't wait to see this; the cinematography looks so good. Robert Richardson is back again, finally. This doesn't even look like Scorsese at all; a psyhcological thriller/horror. This will probably be better than Cape Fear. Not to mention that I can't believe Dennis Lehane wrote this; I didn't know he had a horror/thriller in him.

NATHANIEL R said...

I'm disappointed to see that Clarkson looks to be saddled with the exposition role (wherein the hero is told whatever the audience needs to know) but otherwise it looks intriguing.

weird that in a cast this heavy with Names the only name mentioned is DiCaprio though. Why spend all that money on other famous people then?

DJ said...

I. Can't. Wait. It looks amazing! If I can judge by the trailer, this will be one of the best psychological thrillers we've had in a while. Oh, and Nathaniel, you better bump up my boy DiCaprio! ;)

CrazyCris said...

ooooh! I can't wait! Seems ages we've had a decent thriller! :o)

Bisexual Teletubbie said...

Probably the ending with that hand isn't that way in the movie, but they did it this way to make the trailer look pretty.

This doesn't seem to be an Scorsese movie. Well, 'The Aviator' also didn't.

Lina said...

Michelle Williams. I can't wait.
Sad Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Jackie Earle Haley, Patty Clarkson and Michelle don't have more quotes in the movie.

Derek said...

lol, I don't think this looks very good? Hopefully it'll be campy fun.

Erich Kuersten said...

Aw gawd, Leo can't let go of that Irish accent he worked so hard on. I know I've said it before but I wish just once he would play the bad guy or someone at least slightly morally ambiguous. And no, a moment or two of "drug seeking behavior" (The Departed) doesn't count.

And another thing, havent DPs grown weary of using the same goddamned lighting in the same goddamned "rat infested asylum basements" and "file rooms"?

All that out of the way, it looks freaking GREAT!

Film Friend said...

Are we obligated to like DiCaprio in everything? I think the film looks interesting and love Scorsese but DiCaprio with the Aviator face (poorly cast) and the overdone accent (overacting in The Departed). He's good when he's good but just cause Scorsese makes a movie doesn't mean he's right for it. Enough already.

Emma said...

Good post. I can't wait for this film.

NoNo said...

I'm scared to watch this trailer because people asre saying it gives too much away. Maybe the plot point is not that important that it needs to be hidden?

Murtada said...

love this trailer, really looking forward to this movie now.

Totally unrelated question - who's photo is that at the top of the page between Anna Faris & Michael Cera?

Why am I lesbian? said...

And then Leonardo Di Caprio wins BEST ACTOR over Morgan Freeman.

Sad Kate won't present the category.

NATHANIEL R said...

why... well we don't know that she won't. perhaps they'll go back to the old presentation style of acting awards next year.

murtada that's Sibel Kikelli from HEAD ON (really good intense movie)

FrenchGirl said...

i dislike Cape fear ! i hope the movie will be better than Cape Fear!

Anonymous said...

To Erich Kuersten

That's not an Irish accent. That's a Boston accent. And it's spot on. Believe me. I hear that accent everyday.

Anonymous said...

ooooooOOOOOoooooo. Me likey.

Sean said...

Having read the book and now watched this trailer, I can say that it most definitely does not give too much away (unless they have changed the plot completely). It also looks to be a very faithful adaptation of the book. There are scenes in the trailer that I could instantly identify from the book. Also, as I have been saying for a while, I don't think Michelle Williams will have a very large role in the movie, and Emily Mortimer, Jackie Earle Haley, and (possibly) Mark Ruffalo are the ones to look out for in the supporting categories.

Finally, in response to only having Leo's name mentioned ("above the title"). The story is definitely a star vehicle, and most of the other characters have small, but essential supporting roles (if they follow the book).

I can honestly say that this is the most excited I have ever been for a Scorsese movie in my life!

Jordan Wellin said...

Wow... Patty Clarkson looking ugly... that just screams Oscar! And Emily Mortimer isn't even mentioned in the trailer! So sad! I thought she was going to get a lot of screen time, not just a picture shown of her.

Chris Na Taraja said...

Erich...Did you not see Leo in THE BASKETBALL DIARIES? it's more than a moment or two of drug seeking, so it might help you appreciate his "bad" side.

He also played Rimbaud doing many morrally questionable things in ECLIPSE.

And even though CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is light and cheery, his character is not the regular hero.

And he was just a little shit in MARVIN'S ROOM.

I didn't see REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, but I don't think he was squeaky clean in that either

Rick said...

I, too, have read the book .. it is not like Cape Fear at all ... I also would recommend not reading the book before you see the movie... I t is like the movie Psycho.. I had read the book before and ,therefore , the ending was not a big surprise.

I think it will be a great movie with all the participants.. Leo is the center .. period.

Chris Na Taraja said...

The trailer looks like the love child between THE RING and THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, or maybe they've taken leo's THE ISLAND and mixed it with THE DEPARTED. It doesn't look like Scorsese, but I wanna see it.

I love Patty, but do you think she'll get an oscar for a horror flick?

NATHANIEL R said...

pommme dislike Cape Fear? WHY? it's soooo good. Like JA i like potboiler Scorsese. His films are best when they have scary violent energy.

aside from GANGS OF NEW YORK which... blah.

i have no idea why y'all think this doesn't look like Scorsese. He likes the gritty violent pictures.

María del Pilar Cobos said...

I hope this isn't another The-leading-character-is-the-mad-one movie.

NicksFlickPicks said...

I'm scared. In the this-looks-bad way, not the got-under-my-skin way. But whatever, I'll obviously go see it.

Bryan said...

You know, it's hard to do a good trailer for a thriller, no matter how good the people behind it, without laying bare the sorts of contrivances and obvious imagery and overdone language that such movies are restricted too (even as they seem less weighty as you watch the movies for real), and this trailer, um, sort of proves that.

adam k. said...

This might be really good. Might not. I think oscar-wise, it sees scattered nominations for supporting acting and techs, maybe screenplay.

They may be downplaying Emily Mortimer in order to set her up for the sneak attack/"SURPRISE! she steals the movie" awards campaign. And she's still not all that famous so it's not like her name would help sell the movie to the audiences they're catering.

As I recall, they tried the same thing with Jennifer Hudson in the Dreamgirls advertising - instead choosing to distract us with shiny objects Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx - even though the buzz was deafening from the start. So then it was like this huge upset that she stole the movie from Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx (even though those in the know all saw it coming).

It could work to downplay expectations and make her seem to come out of nowhere. Hmmm...

Unknown said...

adam k. @ well.. I don't think so. Her role is smaller than it looks. and not an oscar-type role.

Tory said...

This looks like a typical "pop horror" film to me. I know the movie will be better than the trailer, but this does not interest me in the least. The funny thing is Dicaprio, Williams, Clarkson, and of course Kingsley are some of my favorite actors to watch, and it's funny to see them in a "saw 6" type of trailer. These are one of the movies I'll rent instead of seeing in the theatres.

NATHANIEL R said...

Tory... you gotta be kidding me "SAW?"!!!

this is a Scorsese picture with huge production values Oscared costume designer, Oscared production designer, Oscar nominated actors, Oscared cinematographer... how can it possibly remind one of low budget torture porn?

Anonymous said...

According to a coupla little birdies who had something to do with the movie -- one who saw a recent test screening, another who had a bit role -- it and DiCaprio are the shit. Also DiCaprio is the glue that holds the thing together, who makes you care to watch. This from the test screener. Other than that, I have nothing more to say. From Anonymouse

Tori said...

finally, this could be DiCaprio first Oscar. He's the best out there.

Anonymous said...

The cinematography looks like a commercial gone awfully wrong - MS, please get your hands off FX, especially extreme color correction, PA_LLLLEASE!