09.05.2010 - 'Shutter Island' by Martin Scorsese

Trailer
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Meeting Log
Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Alfred and Tim :)

Alfred Kelberry: bunny! :)

Timbo Quan: hello

Alfred Kelberry: i was starting to worry that it's the wrong date :)

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Alfred Kelberry touches soft bunny's fur

Gaya Ethaniel: I did send a notice ... did you receive it ok?

Alfred Kelberry: how are you today? :)

Alfred Kelberry: yep

Gaya Ethaniel: Good thanks, yourself?

Alfred Kelberry: it's just past 11 already

Gaya Ethaniel: ah yes I was looking for my lm ^^;;;

Gaya Ethaniel: Let's give a couple more minutes then we can start.

Alfred Kelberry: and a host is usually a few minutes early :)

Alfred Kelberry: sure :)

Alfred Kelberry: wow, artillery is firing here - so cool :)

Alfred Kelberry: the victory day's fireworks :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Fireworks now in Moscow?

Alfred Kelberry: yep

Gaya Ethaniel: Nice :)

Alfred Kelberry: there was a huge parade this morning

Alfred Kelberry: tanks, helis, aircrafts and stuff :)

Alfred Kelberry: and on top of it a lovely warm sunny day :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Nice :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Please take a seat Alfred.

Alfred Kelberry: ah, it's ok. i'm alright :)

Gaya Ethaniel: ok :)

Alfred Kelberry: i've watched the movie, btw

Gaya Ethaniel: Great then shall we start?

Alfred Kelberry: and i really have 2 notes

Gaya Ethaniel: Hello Dao :)

Dao Yheng: Hi there!

Gaya Ethaniel: Martin Scorsese is a director whom one can easily describe ‘prolific’, ‘illustrious’ etc.

Alfred Kelberry: one technical: a lot of scenes are not sync'ed properly :)

Timbo Quan: hello Dao

Alfred Kelberry: oh, sorry, bunny :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Some well-known feature films of his include Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980) and Cape Fear (1991).

Gaya Ethaniel: Was it? I'd be interested to hear more about that Alfred!

Gaya Ethaniel: My personal favourite is Kundun (1997) with music by Philip Glass.

Alfred Kelberry: i jumped ahead a bit :)

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Shutter island is his 21st feature film with DiCaprio starring as with his three previous films.

Gaya Ethaniel: It opens with two policemen arriving on an island where a high security mental institution stands.

Gaya Ethaniel: There is this dense gloomy feelings sustained throughout the film.

Gaya Ethaniel: Apparently that reflects how Scorsese himself has [had] been feeling.

Dao Yheng: interesting!

Gaya Ethaniel: He says he tries to express his feelings in his films.

Alfred Kelberry: well, the second note is on the plot. i did have a feeling of where it was going when teddy got to the lighthouse, and i really hoped that he's ok and it's the island to blame :)

Dao Yheng: feeling while making the movie, or as the inspiration for making it?

Gaya Ethaniel: Things quickly descends into a mad chaos from there ...

Gaya Ethaniel: Apparently he believes in reflecting his feelings in films, I think more while making it.

Alfred Kelberry: oh, 21st. that's a lot :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Yes Alfred, some people clued in as the film unfolds. He suggests people to watch again for clues that he spread out throughout the film.

Timbo Quan: yes - when you think back quiet a number

Timbo Quan: for example the way the guards where behaving when they first arrived on the island

Alfred Kelberry: yes, i was mentally playing back after the end :)

Alfred Kelberry: yes, timbo

Dao Yheng: Yes, a lot of goofy grins

Gaya Ethaniel: I will have to watch again :)

Gaya Ethaniel: I'm easily tricked ^^;;;

Dao Yheng: so how did you like the ending?

Alfred Kelberry: they made him leave his gun as well

Timbo Quan: yes

Dao Yheng: right!

Timbo Quan: in end I guess he just gave up

Alfred Kelberry: well, teddy's last cue is kind of vague

Gaya Ethaniel: hm ... it was entertaining but the plot is very weak with the ending. But then Scorsese doesn't believe in 'realism' :P

Dao Yheng: I felt a bit gipped by the whole explanation

Gaya Ethaniel: oh?

Dao Yheng: the whole backstory / crazy wife angle did seem like a bit of a cop out

Dao Yheng: the sense of mystery was so well woven, and then this kind of hammy psycho-bride explanation at the end... hmm

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Dao Yheng: very 50's style, though, so I tried to excuse it to myself as a nod to Hitchcock or something

Alfred Kelberry: i think timbo is right, though. reality was too tough for him and he knew he'd go back in the loop with his imagination, so he had to make a choice.

Gaya Ethaniel: Yes apparently many Hitchcock films were alluded including The 39 Steps.

Gaya Ethaniel: I haven't seen it so can't say.

Alfred Kelberry: the technical bit is rather annoying, though

Timbo Quan: in what way?

Alfred Kelberry: it looked almost cheap to me

Gaya Ethaniel: Yes Alfred, that's the message I felt compelled by.

Alfred Kelberry: well, 2 ways now that i recall

Timbo Quan: I felt it was just a relatively low budget so was willing to forgive it

Gaya Ethaniel: I think kitschness was intentional including overkill music. Very jarring with the somber mood though I have to say.

Alfred Kelberry: 1. if you watch closely, many scenes are not sync'ed up, meaning one camera act ends with teddy looking towards whome he's speaking, the next he's looking the other way. it just feels disjointed.

Timbo Quan: to me it almost felt like being 'within' an adventure game in that angle

Gaya Ethaniel: I wonder ... if that was on purpose Alfred ... must ask if we ever bump into Scorsese.

Alfred Kelberry: 2. sgi effects looked too artificial. like when they're on the boat or looking down the cliff.

Gaya Ethaniel: I felt like lost or confused most of the time perhaps that was why.

Dao Yheng: (re: ending -- yes, the idea of not trusting your own perceptions or notions of reality resonates -- guess I just didn't like the idea that there really is a backstory that is factual and "makes sense" )

Alfred Kelberry: at least for me, i could really tell it's just not real

Timbo Quan: Alfred - your point 2 was very much what I meant by the game angle - just didn't feel real

Timbo Quan: perhaps that was done on purpose to hint and the none-reality of the situation

Alfred Kelberry: em, yes... probably

Gaya Ethaniel: Again, Scorsese isn't big on 'realism' ...

Dao Yheng: Hmm, the old question -- is it bad on purpose? :)

Gaya Ethaniel: I'm tempted to say he didn't go far enough with 'bad' ... still too stylish.

Dao Yheng: :)

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Alfred Kelberry: gaya, what about aviator?

Alfred Kelberry: it was pretty real and authentic

Gaya Ethaniel: When DiCaprio came out [long time ago], I was a fan ...

Alfred Kelberry: same with catch me if you can (did scorsese film it?)

Gaya Ethaniel: I do question Scorsese' choice of working with DiCaprio so closely.

Alfred Kelberry: yes, rather unusual

Gaya Ethaniel: So last 4 Scorses' films, I am not that fond of.

Alfred Kelberry: but so damn lucky for dicaprio :)

Timbo Quan: DiCaprio can be a bit of the same at time but thought he is getting better a bit with age

Alfred Kelberry: timbo, yes, like we all :)

Alfred Kelberry: hopefully :)

Gaya Ethaniel: I'd argue he was fresh and exciting in mid 90s.

Dao Yheng: and now?

Alfred Kelberry: gaya, exciting for his audience back then :)

Gaya Ethaniel: A bit like ... hm ... overkill ...

Timbo Quan: yes mid 90's with baskeball diaries & Romo & Julliet

Gaya Ethaniel: He reminds me of Pacino whenever he gets worked up.

Gaya Ethaniel: Shouting overacting etc.

Alfred Kelberry: ah, romeo & juliet. i was really hooked on this one :)

Timbo Quan: Was a good film

Gaya Ethaniel: But who knows, he may become subtle and great working with Scorsese more.

Alfred Kelberry: oh, sorry. phone...

Gaya Ethaniel: ok

Gaya Ethaniel: I had a feeling that Terry was choosing to remain insane out of own choice though.

Alfred Kelberry: one quick thought. i think he's really trying to look mature. he's always looked young.

Alfred Kelberry: and scorsese gives him that

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Has any of you watched Cape Fear?

Gaya Ethaniel: Shutter Island was compared to that one.

Dao Yheng: I saw it a very long time ago...

Gaya Ethaniel: What's your verdict? :)

Dao Yheng: don't remember much about it except thinking that one reminded me of taxi driver :)

Gaya Ethaniel: lol Actually in an interview re: Shutter Island, he said 'Oh God no', when his interviewer tried to quote something from Taxi Driver.

Dao Yheng: hee hee!

Timbo Quan: might have seen cape fear?

Gaya Ethaniel: It perhaps isn't as bad as Barber re: Adagio but quite bad I guess.

Gaya Ethaniel: I haven't seen it, looks scary.

Dao Yheng: Cape Fear or Taxi Driver?

Dao Yheng: (Actually, both are scary)

Gaya Ethaniel: I've seen Taxi Driver but not Cape Fear.

Gaya Ethaniel: ok let's say scarier then :)

Gaya Ethaniel: I'm glad he keeps making films though some people just cop out after making a couple of brilliant ones.

Dao Yheng: He seems to be a natural born cinematographer -- sort of his version of doodling

Dao Yheng: luckily, we get to see the results :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Say more?

Dao Yheng: you know how some people just really like to draw -- can't seem to help themselves?

Gaya Ethaniel: ah yes :)

Gaya Ethaniel: Such a contrast to someone like Leos Carax. I don't know what he is upto now.

Dao Yheng: Mits and I saw Boxcar Bertha for the first time recently -- even in his very first movies, he couldn't help making a very interesting movie!

Dao Yheng: Who is Leos Carax?

Gaya Ethaniel: He is a French director who made Les Amants du Pont-Neuf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Amants_du_Pont-Neuf

Timbo Quan: can't say I have ever heard of it

Timbo Quan: or him

Gaya Ethaniel: He said he doesn't want to repeat himself and stopped making films.

Gaya Ethaniel: Well, everything is essentially repeating ... but with ever so slightly different angles.

Gaya Ethaniel: Especially with creative works ...

Gaya Ethaniel: Anyway I enjoyed Shutter Island overall.

Dao Yheng: and yet people can still come up with something that is very identifiably their own, and sometimes with a new angle that reconceptualizes that whole activity it seems!

Gaya Ethaniel: Hope you did too!

Gaya Ethaniel: Indeed Dao :)

Gaya Ethaniel: That's the beauty of it, don't you think?

Timbo Quan: I thought that shutter island was a good movie in the end

Timbo Quan: certainly worth a watch

Dao Yheng: I did like shutter island, even though I had so many quibbles with it

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Dao Yheng: yes, timbo

Timbo Quan: better than the wolkf movie

Gaya Ethaniel: ok ok

Dao Yheng: :)))

Gaya Ethaniel: Think how disappointed Del Toro must be Tim.

Timbo Quan: he should make a decent movie then I would not be!

Dao Yheng: aw, poor crying Benicio!

Gaya Ethaniel: :)

Timbo Quan: ok got to go - bye all.

Gaya Ethaniel: Bye everyone, have fun!

Dao Yheng: K, bye everyone!

Alfred Kelberry: ok, bye :)