The Blog at The Cinema Trade
After much resistance and not a little second-guessing, here is the debut of The Cinema Trade's ongoing blog, featuring movie and movie poster news, ramblings, rantings and ravings from Baton Rouge and beyond. Your input is always welcome; use the Contact Us link anytime.
March 6, 2010
Shutter Island is here and a solid hit, but the backlash, starting with a very vocal and pleased with itself knock from A.O. Scott in the New York Times. has been significant. It's a stellar piece of work: technically beautiful and very well acted by a rich and diverse cast, many appearing only for a single scene. What has gone right and wrong with the film on critical and commercial levels must be looked at within two key elements:
The Marketing - When Paramount suddenly decided to pull the film from an October 2, 2009 release, they cited lack of financial resource to publicize it as the chief reason. This is a case in which they might have been truthful, as they certainly blitzed the previews for the film in theatres and on television, all increasingly making it seem like the ultimate horror thriller. What appeared on February 9, 2010 was far from that. I theorize that some of the executives, like me, left the screenings feeling more emotionally like they did leaving Leo's last 1950's set venture for the studio, Revolutionary Road, which despite excellent reviews failed to make a boxoffice impression. Figuring a blitz might recoup some of the cost for a couple of weeks, they alienated many of the ticket-buyers, who were disappointed that they hadn't witnessed a thrill-a-minute horror ride.
The Disclosure - Even Marty himself must bear a bit of blame for prattling on about a twist in the pre-release publicity rounds. It's one thing when the critics from an Akron radio station want to get their names on a DVD box by exclaiming "a twist you'll never see coming" but guess what: if you say there's a twist, the audience knows there's a twist and they're looking for it. The result: the less effective said twist becomes.
Neither of these issues take away from the excellence of the movie. It's big and grandiose and foreboding but the emotional payoff is unexpectedly deep and involving. I dreaded a bombastic, over-the-top "Cape Fear" vibe might be present, but there's none of that here. It's not Scorsese at his very best, but really: what much is? Throw your expectations and the opinions of the masses aside and try to experience it with an open mind. The rewards are plentiful.
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Cop Out was supposed to be titled "A Couple Of Dicks" but Warners got nervous that the newspapers might balk at running the ads (obviously forgetting the whole Fockers money mint.) This amiable throwback to vintage buddy cop pics has been reviewed roughly to the effect of amateur porn, but it's not that bad and will play better to fans of "Freebie and the Bean," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Midnight Run" and the rest. Harold Faltermeyer came out of retirement to compose the score, which will have you looking within the frame for Fletch or Axel Foley.
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Brooklyn's Finest has some top acting talent doing their best with the multiple story arcs that often choppily give way to one another. Of the three cop protagonists, Richard Gere is seven days from retirement; Ethan Hawke is desperate for quick cash from the beginning, leading to dastardly and increasingly stupid deeds and Don Cheadle is living the tortured life of an undercover in too deep, with allegiances migrating toward the charismatic drug kingpin he's supposed to topple (Wesley Snipes, obviously glad to be back in a meaty bigscreen role.) Effective scenes are followed immediately by weaker ones and the segues are often questionable. At its best, the fire is there, but the acting done by most of the cast deserved a more consistent foundation.