Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Nog Visits Shutter Island

I suppose if you've given the world Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, you've pretty much earned the right to do whatever you want, even if that means making a so-so psychological thriller with an obnoxious twist ending. Scorsese, of course, is an absolute scholar of just about every film genre, and here he seems to be drawing especially on Hitchcockian paranoia and suspense in terms of atmosphere, as well as a long line of other conspiracy/mindfuck flicks (many of them better than this). For awhile it's great fun, and the dream sequences with Michelle Williams, especially, have a memorable, vivid look and feel to them, but the film ultimately doesn't feel as carefully crafted as we expect from even lesser Scorsese, particularly in the protracted exposition that follows the big reveal near the end. Will the film hold up to repeat viewings, revealing early details that enrich the pay-off? (in the way that, say, The Sixth Sense does). Somehow I don't think so. But of course I'll eventually watch it again. It is a Scorsese film, after all!

5 comments:

  1. One of my students insists that I run out and see this movie immediately. I'm gonna try to see it this weekend, but we'll see how it goes.

    I'd bet it's way better than Valentine's Day.

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  2. I was surprised by how popular this thing is proving to be (with probably half the young audience not even particularly aware of who Scorsese is and just thinking of this as a Shymalan-y-style twist-ending flick).

    But it's almost certainly better than Valentine's Day!

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  3. Nog, I'm just gonna repost your post and AGREE/DISAGREE with your arguments until I myself can come to terms with my own trip to SHUTTER ISLAND.

    ***

    I suppose if you've given the world Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, you've pretty much earned the right to do whatever you want [_AGREE_], even if that means making a so-so psychological thriller with an obnoxious twist ending [_RELUCTANTLY AGREE_]. Scorsese, of course, is an absolute scholar of just about every film genre [_YEP_], and here he seems to be drawing especially on Hitchcockian paranoia and suspense in terms of atmosphere [_YEP_], as well as a long line of other conspiracy/mindfuck flicks (many of them better than this). For awhile it's great fun [_AGREE!_], and the dream sequences with Michelle Williams, especially, have a memorable, vivid look and feel to them [_DISAGREE_], but the film ultimately doesn't feel as carefully crafted as we expect from even lesser Scorsese [_TOTALLY AGREE_], particularly in the protracted exposition that follows the big reveal near the end [_YEP_]. Will the film hold up to repeat viewings, revealing early details that enrich the pay-off? (in the way that, say, The Sixth Sense does). Somehow I don't think so. But of course I'll eventually watch it again. It is a Scorsese film, after all! [_AMEN_]

    ***

    I actually can't stop thinking about this film, which is a good sign. . .perhaps. It's difficult to swallow a mind-and-reality-fuck film from a guy like Scorsese. . .I mean, there is the surrealist ending to TAXI DRIVER, and THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST is all kinds of supernatural, but. . .this is such a different animal. I mean, Scorsese is DELIBERATE -- his camera goes HERE, he shows us THIS, a conversation yields THIS OUTCOME, and explosion HERE, Sharon Stone in GO-GO BOOTS, FLUSH and the drugs go down the toilet. BAM BAM BAM. So all this mystery and teasing and and and. . .fucking -- it's sort of. . .yeah. I don't know. I'll just have to keep wrestling with it until I break down and see it again (probably in its theatrical run).

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  4. Matthew, great response! Welcome back to the blog!

    (you didn't dig the Williams stuff, eh?).

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  5. I actually did not. I didn't like so much CGI -- I especially hated the effect of her burning torso. . .and then I think she fades away from his embrace. I don't know.

    I need to put some official words down on my own blog, but twenty-four hours later I'm STILL thinking about it. Last night especially -- it's haunting, as it should be. The weird thing is that I think I appreciate it more NOW than I did when I saw the thing. And I'm terribly anxious to see it again. Great first ten minutes, though. Fucking terrific first ten minutes.

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