300 Words About: Shutter Island

"Listen, I'm tired of everyone staring at the bandage on my forehead - I don't know why it's there, either!"

Anal retentive that I am, it's the Little Things that always bother me in movies. An annoying minor character here, a slightly-off foreign accent there, maybe a meaningless misrepresentation of local geography (e.g., the inaccurate depiction of Red Rock Casino on or near Las Vegas Boulevard in the otherwise forgettable 21).

There were a lot of Little Things in Shutter Island that annoyed me (not the least of which was Leonardo DiCaprio's matchlit exploration of Ward C - what brand of long-burning matches illuminate a room like a Maglite?), but the prevailing problem I had with it was that Martin Scorsese didn't rectify them with substantial, even memorable scenes. In fact, it seemed he was content to surrender to formula and let all of the Little Things slide so long as he could get to that Big Bad Ending, which, I have to admit, nearly salvaged the movie.

Scorsese isn't necessarily known to be a sloppy director, but most people would probably call him a distinctive, even daring one, at least during the peak of his career. Isn't it bizarre, then, to see him submit to genre clichés in Shutter Island - and even then mix them awkwardly. One minute we're in the middle of a psychological suspense thriller (Cape Fear held its tone much better), the next we're in a jump-fright horror flick. Oh, and there's a couple of jokes and some romantic melodrama and political histrionics thrown in the pot as well. The result is a squirm-inducing stew of genres that leaves you feeling like you just had a bowl of bad New England Clam Chowder.

Short Cuts: "You Have to Take It"

As if business (the state of being busy, not corporate affairs) hasn't already been keeping me away from here lately, now I'm going to be gone to New England for the rest of the week. First back to Boston for a quick stop and then a weekend wedding in NH.

There are fair number of Boston movie scenes that I could have used here, but the opening scene of The Departed was one that was fresh in my mind (plus I've already used Good Will Hunting here), even though it has no relation to any of the years that I lived in Boston.

To be honest, I didn't actually like this Best Picture winner, and I would rather have used one of the scenes that features "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys, but I couldn't find it.

While I'm gone I may or may not get my review of Happy-Go-Lucky finished before it opens here on Friday. If not, thanks for being patient until I get back...

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The Departed (2006). Directed by Martin Scorsese (whoops, for the second time!); written by William Monahan (based on the original screenplay by Alan Mak and Felix Chong); starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Vera Farmiga, Alex Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Sheen.

Short Cuts: "Already Read 'Em"

Cape Fear (1991). Directed by Martin Scorsese; screenplay adapted by Wesley Strick; starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Juliette Lewis, Jessica Lange, Robert Mitchum, and Gregory Peck.

300 Words About: Shine A Light

"For me the music was certainly part of my life throughout the 60s," Scorsese said. "It became the basis for most of the work I've done in my movies, going from Mean Streets on to Raging Bull all the way over to Casino and The Departed."

Apparently out of ways to include the music of The Rolling Stones in his movies, Martin Scorsese decided to just create a movie entirely about them. Shine A Light is simply concert footage with some archival clips spliced in between songs - and that's not a bad thing. The camera work directed by Scorsese is phenomenal, bringing us extremely up close and personal with Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie. This is no regular concert, though. Bill Clinton opens the show in the tiny Beacon Theater, and performing guests including Jack White, Buddy Guy, and Christina Aguilera, all of whom are better than you would imagine. The archival footage of the Stones as smirking twenty-somethings is well timed and really interesting. You can almost put your finger on the interview where Mick Jagger fully assumed his iconic stature as Mick Jagger. The 2006 Mick is a frenetic, gyrating showstopper with a style that no one else dares emulate (though his voice and face kept reminding me of Jemaine Clement). He doesn't walk, he hop-struts; frequently he looks like he's doing the "running man." It's absolutely incredible how much energy this man keeps up through these tours. Not that his body and Keith Richard's don't show signs of wear. I was actually a little disturbed by the sight of so much dead and wrinkling skin - especially when the camera kept bringing us out to the crowd comprised entirely of distractingly attractive college students. I've never been to a Stones concert, but I wouldn't expect the cast of "The Hills" to be front row. Anyway, Shine A Light probably won't make any new fans of The Rolling Stones, but die-hards and middle-of-the-roaders (like me) will enjoy the show.