Shutter Island (2010)

4 / 5 Oct '10
Tagline: Someone is missing.
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Written by: Laeta Kalogridis, Dennis Lehane
Actors include: Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Leonardo DiCaprio
Genre: Thriller
Length: 138 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Many people seem to have been recommending this to me at work lately, that or complaining about how confusing it. I figured I need to find out which side I'm on, I liked it. I thought it was rather easy to follow and rather well made (despite the fact that the digital clearness of the picture sort of detracted from it somehow...it should have been foggier or something). The story is hard to describe without giving things away, but it takes place with Leonardo and his partner going into an island asylum called Shutter Island. The inmates are divided up into separate wards, A+B for the regular nutters and then C is for the extreme cases. Leonardo (with a bad Bostonian accent) and pal are investigating a missing persons case, a woman named Rachel vanished from her cell. It takes a bunch of twists and turns along the way and yes it is somewhat predictable but they at least tried and threw a few surprises in I thought. It did to a good job of creating atmosphere, particularly in C ward, the mental patients are rather creepy too but that is to be expected of course. My only real complaint is that they could have made it a bit more satisfying, but I'm not necessarily disappointed either. Still a rather gripping mystery that I think most should enjoy providing you go in with an open mind.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Boxcar Bertha (1972)

4 / 5
Tagline:  Bertha Loved Lovin'...But There Was More Money in ROBBIN' TRAINS!
Directed by:  Martin Scorsese
Written by:  Ben L. Reitman, Joyce Hooper Corrington
Actors include:  Barbara Hershey, David Carradine, Bernie Casey
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Action
Length:  92 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
Pretty neat little tale that was apparently taken from the diaries of a woman named "Boxcar" Bertha Thompson. Barbara Hershey plays our freespirited title character who after losing a family member during the Depression rides the rails to adventure. She meets a fellow named Bill Shelly who is a union leader who is railing against the railroad. Together they rob people and trains in order to collect money to distribute to the poor. It's very reminiscent of the Bonnie & Clyde story in several ways though I wouldn't call it a copy cat. I was really surprised at the exploitative nature of the film considering it is a Scorsese, but since he's working with Corman maybe that is where the excess comes in. No matter why it's there, it's a very fun movie and it has violence, nudity and it's pretty exciting throughout. The cinematography was quite lovely and the movie is well made, I'm a little surprised that I hadn't heard more about this one until relatively recently.

Availability:  On DVD

Taxi Driver (1976)

4.5 / 5
Tagline:  On every street in every city, there's a nobody who dreams of being a somebody.
Directed by:  Martin Scorsese
Written by:  Paul Schrader
Actors include:  Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Peter Boyle
Genre:  Crime, Drama, Thriller
Length:  113 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:

A most powerful film about being fed up with society.  Robert De Niro plays Travis Bickle, a 'Nam vet who suffers from insomnia so he takes on a night shift working as a cab driver in New York.  The more he sees, the more he hates as he watches degenerates and low-lifes everywhere.  Along the way he meets the very young Jodie Foster who is working as a call girl.  He tries to convince her to leave the life and go back to her family, only of course it doesn't seem to work.  The more frustration he feels he begins to snap and buys a bunch of guns and sets out to try to fix things in his own way.  The thing is, can't we all relate to what he's feeling, I mean sure most of us don't do anything about it but it really seems to hit home which is why I think it's so loved.  It will or should make an impression anyhow, and I really do recommend this for most, a classic that is really effective and yet easy to understand.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray