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FROM MTV.COM: Like the book on which it's based, Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" leaves you sandbagged and gasping, although not in exactly the same way. The movie oozes gore and dementia — it has the dripping atmosphere of a gothic horror film. And the wild plot twist in Dennis Lehane's lurid 2003 novel, from which the picture has been adapted with iron fidelity, may be even more shocking in its transposition to the visual realm. Like the book, though, the movie is unleavened by humor or any other narrative respite. This isn't a problem in print, where we can pull back from the material; but it makes the picture a grueling experience, and the fact that it's too long makes it even more arduous.

The story is set in 1954. As it opens, we see U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio, in his fourth Scorsese outing) and his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), arriving by ferry at the remote and craggy Shutter Island, site of the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. The marshals have come to help find an escaped murderer, Rachel Solando, who has mysteriously disappeared from her locked cell.

Continue reading 'Shutter Island': Smoke On The Water, By Kurt Loder

Tags leonardo dicaprio, mark ruffalo, martin scorsese, shutter island

Many labels have been applied to James Cameron's 2009 smash "Avatar" since even before it hit theaters, but few have been more ubiquitous than "game-changer." The sci-fi epic is notable for being conceived and written from the ground up to play as a 3-D release. Many in the industry believed that the release of "Avatar" would herald a newfound focus on the tech, something that had already been picking up steam in the months leading to the December 18 release.

When Cameron stopped by earlier this week to chat with MTV's Josh Horowitz on a variety of topics, it was inevitable that 3-D would come up, and it's perceived game-changing influence on the business of Hollywood.

"Yeah... yeah, blame me for that," he said with a grin. Josh went on to list a number of examples, including the coming "Clash of the Titans" conversion, the Grammys-- and Cameron stopped him there. Read more...

Tags avatar, clash of the titans, james cameron, Video

If you want get some bang for your DVD buying buck you could do a lot worse than purchasing the brand spanking new “Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years At Warner Brothers.” Frankly I’ve been a little overwhelmed since getting one in the mail from our friends at WB. As the name promises this is a nearly definitive collection of one of the all time greats.

Sure you’re missing some classics (look elsewhere for the Leone collaborations) but these 18 discs cover just about everything else. The "Dirty Harry" flicks. The absurdly productive recent years (the collection culminates with “Gran Torino”). The one that made it all right to cry at a Clint film (“The Bridges of Madison County”) and the film that still stands as one of the best ever in my humble opinion, “Unforgiven.” Read more...

Tags Clint-Eastwood

There's been chatter for a few days now that Ben Stiller has been looking at "Tower Heist," a long-in-development caper flick that has drawn comparisons to Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's" series. In fact, it was described at one point as "a black 'Ocean's Eleven,'" with Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock both considered for starring roles.

The news today is that the "Heist" is still in motion, but the players and plans have all changed. Stiller will star. The script, originally penned by "Ocean's Eleven" writer Ted Griffin, is getting re-drafted by "Fantastic Mr. Fox" scribe Noah Baumbach. And, in an added twist, "Heist" now has a director: "Rush Hour" mastermind Brett Ratner! Read more...

Tags ben stiller, brett ratner, Noah Baumbach, Tower Heist

Woody Allen hasn't gone a year without writing/directing a movie since 1976, when he starred in Martin Ritt's comedy "The Front." And since this year's release is basically set, with a planned September release, it's time to start talking about what's coming from the prolific filmmaker in 2011.

Technically, it's something that's already been talked about. In November of last year, former model and current French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy revealed that Allen had offered her a role in the next film, a Paris-based romantic drama. While the casting hasn't ever been confirmed by the director, Bruni-Sarkozy did reveal that she'd accepted the offer. Now there's some rumbling around town about the possible star for this next movie: Owen Wilson. Read more...

Tags owen wilson, woody allen

"Twilight" watchers now have their pitch for which contestant to support in the "American Idol" finals. Apparently Didi Benami and actress Rachelle LeFevre go way back. LeFevre had a lot of vocal support when Bryce Dallas Howard replaced her as Victoria for "Eclipse," so it may be interesting to see if her followers are also impressionable "Idol" voters.

Heated though it may be, "American Idol" competition has had to go head-to-head with Winter Olympics competition this week, and Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn were on everyone's tweets last night. After the jump, you can check out who was watching, as well as who remains suspicious of Kevin Smith, who touched Rebecca Gayheart's baby and who's been hanging out on the set of "Thor." It's all in Twitter-Wood for February 18, 2010. Read more...

Tags brett ratner, craig ferguson, David Spade, doug benson, Eli Roth, jason reitman, michael papajohn, rachelle lefevre, richard kelly, tim heidecker, Twilight

MTV's Josh Horowitz got a treat yesterday. "Avatar" director James Cameron stopped into the MTV Newsroom for a chat. And, as Josh expected, he was all set to run through exactly what his plans are for the "Avatar" sequel.

"Dream on. And then you woke up," Cameron said, laughing.

Okay, so maybe he's not ready to reveal what's happening with the future of "Avatar." But he did speak generally to where his head is right now, and what steps must unfold before a return trip to Pandora can be booked. Read more...

Tags avatar, james cameron, Video

FROM MTV.COM: Throw away your guidebook, forget making a reservation, don't pack a bag: It's best to prepare as little as possible before making the trip to Leonardo DiCaprio's "Shutter Island." The twists, turns and backflips of this Martin Scorsese-directed film — in which Leo arrives on the island to investigate a disappearance from an insane asylum — will have you questioning what is real and what is not and the nightmarish scenarios that crop up when you can no longer tell the difference between the two.

But at the film's red-carpet premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York on Wednesday, DiCaprio and his co-stars were more than happy to lend us some insight into their own deep, dark fears about the nightmares that plague them in real life.

Continue reading Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley Confess Their Nightmares At 'Shutter Island' Premiere

Tags leonardo dicaprio, martin scorsese, shutter island, Video

This is what you've been waiting for, Twilighters. You no longer have to wait until the "New Moon" DVD arrives on March 20 -- the Vernal Equinox! -- to catch your first, seven-minute glimpse of "Eclipse." The first trailer for the June 30 release will arrive a week earlier, on Friday, March 12, in front of the Robert Pattinson/Pierce Brosnan-starring family drama "Remember Me."

The word comes straight from Summit Entertainment, via their official "Twilight" Twitter feed. Exciting stuff, no? Hit the jump for the tweet text. Read more...

Tags eclipse, New Moon, robert pattinson, Twilight

We tried really hard to find you a clip from "Black Dynamite" to share here on the blog, but there's really nothing that could get through standards. In other words: this is not a movie for kids.

What it is is one of the funniest films of 2009, a personal Sundance favorite of mine and one of the sharpest genre parodies the industry has seen in quite some time. In this extra, we see co-writer/star Michael Jai White and writer/director Scott Sanders discussing the film's blaxploitation roots. White specifically references era superstar Jim Brown as one of his personal inspirations for the Black Dynamite character.

Seriously... see this movie now. You can thank me later.

Tags Black Dynamite, Michael Jai White, Scott Sanders, Video