I've Heard Good Things

Why Are We Friends: Shutter Island Review - 2.5/5

whyarewefriends:

The first thing that went through my head after watching Scorsese’s Shutter Island on Sunday was how much better the Coen Brothers are at making films than everyone else. It’s an odd thought, but even a director whom I respect for making greats like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas doesn’t seem to hold a candle to the storytelling prowess that the Coens command. Shutter Island is the prime example of those shortcomings.

It was the type of film that continually pulls the rug out from underneath you as it throws clues and tricks your way. It continually clarifies and deceives with each scene. The problem I have with these types of films is that by the time everything comes together and you’re finished ‘oooooohing’ and ‘ahhhhhing’ at how deceptive and crafty the filmmaker was, you realize that you don’t really care about what you just watched for two hours because it wasn’t what it seemed to be anyway. These types of movies nullify themselves. Characters that could be considered memorable are instantly forgotten because the story itself forces you to forget them.

Despite that, there are some redeeming factors. One of my favorite films is the documentary Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, due in large part to the cinematography of Robert Richardson. I can firmly say Richardson is probably the most consistent, and possibly the most brilliant DP of our time. He doesn’t let down in the slightest for Shutter. And if you’re looking for a couple hours of silver screen eye candy, there’s one reason to check out the movie. Also, as an interesting take on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Shutter shines.

My mom went to see this film with me, and she honestly will go to one or two films a year, so I was really hoping it would be decent for her sake. She said to me when we walked out, in typical ‘mom’ fashion, “movies used to have a story to them, like Doctor Zhivago, - what happened to all the great stories?” While I think there was some great storytelling this past year (e.g. A Serious Man, The White Ribbon), I couldn’t argue with her on this one. You pull the rug out on your audience enough and eventually they’re going to stop caring about what’s on the screen.

-Skippy

Reblogging myself some more.