Shutter Island and The Ghost Writer

SHUTTER ISLAND

I saw this last weekend. I am not a huge huge fan of Martin Scorcese, but I do like several of his movies, including Good Fellas and The Departed. This one seemed like a departure from his usual crime movie. The reviews had been mixed, so I wasn't sure if it would be any good.

First let me say that this is not a scary movie. The previews make it out to be a scary horror kind of movie. It is not. It is more a psychological thriller/mystery. Second, I will say that Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, and Max Von Sydow all do an excellent job. The story is interesting. The movie is beautiful to look at. I don't know if that island was all real or enhanced through visual effects, but it is the damn scariest-looking island I have ever seen!.

I enjoyed the movie very much, but it was not a perfect movie (I consider Good Fellas to be a pretty perfect movie). While the details of the movie's ending were not obvious to me, the basic solution to the mystery was easy to see coming. The only other criticism I have is that the movie is just a tad too long. The script could have been tightened up a little and chopping off about 15 or 20 minutes would have helped the overall flow.

THE GHOST WRITER

I went to see this film mainly to support my man, Ewan McGregor. I mean, come on! Just look at him. Adorable!

There is nothing splashy about this movie. No computer-generated effects, no explosions and only one very brief car chase, if you can call it that. This movie is quiet, tense, atmospheric and well-acted. Ewan plays a man who ghost writes novels and memoirs for others. He gets hired to ghost write for a recent British prime minister who becomes involved in scandalous accusations soon after starting the book. Pierce Brosnan plays the prime minister and he is fine in the role. His assistant is played by Kim Cattrell who does a quite respectable job to my surprise. I was frankly surprised to find her cast in the movie. I don't know the woman who plays the prime minister's wife but she is good also. The movie seems a bit slow at first. Be surprised to see Jim Belushi in a small role that is so not According to Jim or K9. It really starts to get going in the second half and the ending is weird and startling.