Bar Stool Review Of SHUTTER ISLAND

From the juiced-box and the soundtrack: Dinah Washington & Max Richter - This Bitter Earth

[Press 'Play' for something that's nowhere near rock, but will be the most beautiful thing you hear today]

Ramblings: Shudder Island

Final Proof: 4 Shots

You know how you get drunk on Jägermeister in some back alley bar in the bad part of town? The bar is sinister, the people are ominous, the Jäger is dark and a somber buzz descends down on you beautifully, settles into you with macabre intensity that feeds the nightmares running rampant across the vista of your dreamscape. The visions are intense hallucinations as stunning as they are scary, as graceful as grisly, as magnificent as menacing. You're frightened but not afraid because the boatman leading you down your stream of subconsciousness steers with a deft hand and shows you all the stupefying sights before gently guiding you home. Shutter Island is like that.


Just like those magic bar nights that seem to come together serendipitously, all the key elements needed for perfection came together to make an incredible film. Based on a book by Dennis Lehane, a writer who takes thrillers to a whole new level by placing rich and developed characters in extreme situations, the movie was directed by a Martin Scorsese who has been able to hone the edge of his early work into something sharper and more brilliant. Add to the mix Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, two solid actors who sweeten the pot, and you end up with a Jäger bomb that is.

With incredibly shot landscapes and striking images that spark the slowburn intensity into open flames, it's hard to find things not to like about this movie. If you're looking for a foreboding Jäger buzz without the hangover but with all the hallucinations, Shutter Island deserves a shot.

Buzz Kills (Watch Out for Spoilers)

Sex: 2 Shots

The good nudes is, there was nudity. The bad nudes is, it wasn't Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, or Nellie Sciutto---it was crazy ass people in an insane asylum and let's just say there aren't any hotties in the nut house 'cause hot people drive us crazy.

The first hottie on my list is Michelle Williams (29). She plays Dolores, Teddy Daniel's (Leonardo DiCaprio) flashback wife. The nice thing about her portrayal is she doesn't push it over the top, a mistake it woulda been all to easy to do with this role.

After that, we got Emily Mortimer (38) as Rachel 1. She's Rachel 1, because she is #1.

There was also a Silken Butterfly (a beautiful vision that flies too briefly across the silver screen) in the form of one Nellie Sciutto who plays Nurse Marino. Here's to hoping we see lots more of her.

For those of you who prefer bars to padded cells [get it? padded "cells"---ah give me a break, like you pay for this crap] i got some Leonardo DiCaprio (35) who played Teddy Daniels.

Leo Drinking With Tom Collins

Here's Mark Ruffalo, who looked sharp as Chuck Aule, Teddy's 'partner' (not in the gay way).

Drink: 2 Shots

• [Ben] Kingsley [as Dr Cawley] drinks cognac at home
• Ruffalo drinks Rye
• Leo doesn't drink
• [Max] Von Sydow [as Dr Naehring] drinks whiskey
• Leo was an alcoholic in a dream sequence
• Dicaprio is a cool smoker
• Great cigarette movie
• Smokin' Luckies

Rock & Roll: 1 Shot

Yeah, OK, this movie wasn't a "rock and roll" movie. No rock in the soundtrack and not really in the attitude, but maybe one of the things that impressed me the most about this movie was that it didn't need rock and roll to be cool.



Boring Technical Crap

Written by:

Dennis Lehane (Book)

Laeta Kalogridis (Screenplay)

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Starring

Michelle Williams - Dolores

Emily Mortimer - Rachel Solando 1

Nellie Sciutto - Nurse Marino

Leonardo DiCaprio - Teddy Daniels

Mark Ruffalo - Chuck Aule

Bottom Line

This will become known as a major film in Scorsese's works, don't miss it.