Shutter Island

Saw it last week and it's been haunting me since.  I'm surprised people aren't raving more about this film and shocked at some of the backlash.

(SPOILERS)

I haven't read the book, but this is a brave movie.  It dives into dark places few films dare to explore.

While stylistically Shutter Island is "classic horror/suspense" that proudly borrows from Hitchcock, the story is more of a slow excavation of human tragedy.  The kind of minor catastrophe that regularly graces news.  Those "Breaking News Stories" that make you wince and label someone a monster in the next breath.  Stories that have become cliches and conceal the true complexity and pain of what happened.

Martin Scorsese has never really directed a true genre film.  His work has almost become a genre in itself, blending (and blurring) conventions at will.  Even his Cape Fear remake tackled drama, (comedy?), suspense and horror in equal doses and steered clear of simple classification.

Shutter Island is perhaps easy to dismiss because of it's refusal to do what audiences and critics might crave or expect.  It's a film that's unflinching and hard to watch at times -- but this aspect is critical to the narrative.  Just as Teddy Daniels can't side-step the truth, neither can Scorsese.  And the audience isn't off the hook either -- we also have to look and discover what happened that day.

Somehow, the narrative remains satisfying and hopeful in end.  I'm not sure exactly why, but I guess there's something brave about facing the truth and consequences of a terrible destiny.  And Teddy becomes a poor man's Sydney Carton in the end, fully able to make the ultimate sacrifice after resurfacing from madness.

And the wonderful final credits mashup of Max Richter and Dinah Washington may also have something to do with striking the right tone at the end.

Must See Movies

I never went to the movies as a kid but was raised on television; everything from sports to the A-Team, to Bugs Bunny, Monty Python to the Dick Cavett show. I was eight in 1977 and didn't see STAR WARS until it was re-released in 1997. Perhaps my taste would be a little different if I had seen it as a kid, but the first movie I flipped over (aside from Tobe Hooper's TV version of SALEM'S LOT) was RACE WITH THE DEVIL starring Warren Oates and Peter Fonda. The second? HANNAH AND HER SISTERS.

I won't use the word eclectic, but if you called my taste random you would be right.

There are a handful of upcoming movies that I'm excited to see in the theater and two in particular have really got me in a fog of anticipation. The first is the throwback horror film THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL.

This movie seems anachronistic in every way - in all the best ways. It's hard not to think ROSEMARY'S BABY or great 70's horror in general when you watch the trailer. The movie just gets it right - the look, the feel, just enough creepiness in tone, the score, excellent casting, deliberate pacing.

Full disclosure, I've only seen the trailer and a few clips. I've also read some things - but I'm pretty certain this is a slam dunk. THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is playing Cucalrous along with CALVIN MARSHALL this November so I'm excited I'll be able to skip Amazon VOD and see it in a packed theater.

The second film is WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. I know I'm hardly alone on this one but the thought of seeing it is making me giddy. Spike Jonze walks the tonal tightrope perhaps better than anyone, moving effortlessly from the bizarre to the profound to the hilarious and always manages to keep things human and emotionally satisfying. I'm expecting this movie to be wildly successful (no pun intended - both critically and financially) and be loved for years to come. We'll have a better idea after it opens this weekend.

Coming Soon

Double Feature

Synecdoche, New York and Happy-Go-Lucky are currently in theaters and make an interesting pairing. As you would expect, Charlie Kaufman's movie is a mind-bender and Mike Leigh's is a slice of life character study.

On the surface they seem like very different films and in many ways they are -- but I was surprised how they needled me in similar ways. Both grapple with fleeting happiness and the futility of our lives. Both put the main character's life under an uncomfortable microscope.

And though Caden and Poppy are polar opposites, our protagonists seem to press on through the squeeze of everyday life with their own brand of reckless abandon.

In the end, Happy-Go-Lucky has more silver lining.

We would do well to duplicate Poppy's ability to smile in the face of hardship and shake off Caden's grim, existential plight -- however unrealistic that might be.

Three Colors: Red

Dialogue heavy, yet cinematic in the best way, RED is Kieslowski's greatest achievement. Never in danger of being anachronistic, RED tells a simple story of love, fraternity and fate with philosophical underpinings rarely seen in movies.

I revisit the film often and am always stunned by it's power. Irene Jacob gives a gorgeous, complex performance as Valentine -- a young woman too good for this world. Valentine might be the most beautiful character ever filmed. She's so easy on the eyes and her beauty is soulful and authentic. There's a depth to her beauty that drives her choices and holds the narrative together.

Jean-Louis Trintignant gives a stirring performance as the bitter, retired Judge who is transformed by Valentine's goodness. All the characters in RED seem to have an authenticity that stems from Kieslowski's early years shooting documentaries in Poland. It's a staple of all his fiction work -- rich characterizations and performances that are subtle and human.

I can't say enough about Kieslowski's direction in RED. His camera movement and compositions are unforgettable, yet they never draw too much attention to themselves. You could never accuse him of style over substance for they always seem to be in perfect balance. The film is so well made that even Kieslowski said there was nothing left for him to say in cinema after RED.

David Mamet might be right when he says drama can't change people's lives but RED might be the one exception. When you give yourself over to it's powers, you might be inspired and transformed in unexpected ways.

Eternal Sunshine

I know I'm not alone in saying this is a masterpiece and a gift. It's not just one of the best films in the last twenty years, it's one of the best ever made.

Gondry, Kaufman, Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet -- all at their very best. Supporting cast is spot on with great roles for Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst and Tom Wilkenson. The tone is razor sharp, perfectly walking that tightrope between drama and comedy, never veering too far in either direction. Jon Brion's score is pure bliss.

The in-camera visual effect work probably seemed risky at the time. I'm guessing the dailies made more than one producer nervous. But the raw feeling to the effects is pure genius and meshes seamlessly with the narrative. This -- along with the natural light and handheld camera work ground us in reality so we buy into the outrageousness of what Lacuna Corporation is offering.

Lacuna actually offers people a pretty nice deal. There's more than one person I'd like to erase from my mind. But seeing Joel Barish's sweet and volatile history with Clementine literally crumble around him is almost unbearable to watch.

When Joel and Clementine shamefully listen to the recording of him berating her, it's hard to recall anything more profound in movies.

How could he have said those things and meant them? And will history now repeat itself?