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[VALIS]

Shut out of the Oscars and Globes and generally forgotten in the best of 2010 discussion this year, even though I think it's on par with, if not a little better than Black Swan and Inception. I'm comparing the three because they're somewhat similar psychological thrillers with twist/ambiguous endings from 2010 (for the record, The Fighter is my best of 2010 pick).

Is Shutter Island predictable? Yeah. But few movies are more predictable than Black Swan. 5 minutes in you know exactly what's going to happen by the end.

Is it a little hammy and over the top? Yes. But Black Swan and Inception sure as hell are as well. That's not such a bad thing, either. I think all three movies benefited from a little over the top hysterics.

What else? Leo is Leo in two of these films (which is to say, neither great nor awful), and Portman's performance is probably the best out of all three movies. Does that separate Black Swan from the other two?

Scorsese expectations? A lot of complaints I read was "this doesn't feel like a Scorsese," and I'm not even sure what that means. Even though he's best known for his crime pics, Scorsese has a pretty wide range and has dabbled in a lot of different genres.

Maybe it fell to the "early in the season" curse since it came out in January 2010 and has been out of people's minds for a while.

I just don't get why Black Swan and Inception still have lots of buzz while Shutter Island is forgotten.

 

[Speevy]

Because it's a stupid movie.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

Because it's not quite as good?

 

[Solo]

Its vastly superior to Inception in every respect. Its mostly a victim of a shitty February release.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Because you hold it in higher regard then most other people.

 

[Prototype-03]

Shut out of the Oscars and Globes and generally forgotten in the best of 2010 discussion this year, even though I think it's on par with, if not a little better than Black Swan and Inception. I'm comparing the three because they're somewhat similar psychological thrillers with twist/ambiguous endings from 2010 (for the record, The Fighter is my best of 2010 pick).

Is Shutter Island predictable? Yeah. But few movies are more predictable than Black Swan. 5 minutes in you know exactly what's going to happen by the end.

Is it a little hammy and over the top? Yes. But Black Swan and Inception sure as hell are as well. That's not such a bad thing, either. I think all three movies benefited from a little over the top hysterics.

What else? Leo is Leo in two of these films (which is to say, neither great nor awful), and Portman's performance is probably the best out of all three movies. Does that separate Black Swan from the other two?

Scorsese expectations? A lot of complaints I read was "this doesn't feel like a Scorsese," and I'm not even sure what that means. Even though he's best known for his crime pics, Scorsese has a pretty wide range and has dabbled in a lot of different genres.

Maybe it fell to the "early in the season" curse since it came out in January 2010 and has been out of people's minds for a while.

I just don't get why Black Swan and Inception still have lots of buzz while Shutter Island is forgotten.

It was too easy to figure it out. I figured it out 1/4 way in what was happening. It definitely has a better storyline than Inception, but Inception executed a lot better. I haven't watched Black Swan, so I have no idea with that one.

 

[notworksafe]

Bad score, predicable plot, lame characters, and just an overall feeling of just not being impressive.

All of these combined have led it to be forgotten.

 

[TacticalFox88]

Inception really isn't that great.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Because it's better?

 

[Flo_Evans]

Is Inception even in the same conversation as Black Swan?

Not in any of mine.

 

[Discotheque]

Maybe it's just because I was expecting some Polanski-level psychological horror here with Black Swan, but at the end of the film I just left disappointed. Didn't come near the levels of Repulsion or Rosemary's Baby.

I've been pretty critical of Scorcese's movies post-bringing out the dead but I agree with you on this. Shutter Island is more impressive in it's attempt than the Arnofosky movie. While the ending was pretty offensive with Shutter Island (yo I'm Ben Kingsley wassup audience here's a blackboard I'm gonna explain the entire plot to you morons) it was a movie where Scorcese was just fucking about with a genre having fun.

And thinking about it...yeah it wasn't bad. Still I'll take Ghost Writer over all of these.

 

[Borgnine]

Because if your movie is going to end with a predictable twist you need to make the journey to the twist worth watching. Shutter Island failed to do this.

 

[Pinzer]

Its vastly superior to Inception in every respect. Its mostly a victim of a shitty February release.

Ummm, the only respect in which it is superior is its cinematography during its flashback sequences. Everything else about Shutter Island is just garbage.

 

[Solo]

Is Inception even in the same conversation as Black Swan?

No. Black Swan is on another level than Shutter Island, which is on another level from Inception.

 

[LosDaddie]

So....should I watch Shutter Island? I saw it pop up on Netflix streaming.

 

[GregLombardi]

Because if your movie is going to end with a predictable twist you need to make the journey to the twist worth watching. Shutter Island failed to do this.

.

 

[Speevy]

I'm becoming cold on all three movies as the weeks pass by, tbh.

 

[polyh3dron]

Being able to see the twist from a mile away ruined Shutter Island for me.

 

[Count Dookkake]

Black Swan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Shutter Island >>>>>> Inception

 

[Discotheque]

Maybe it's just because I was high when I saw it in theaters but I think the opening scene with the bad acting from Ruffalo as he's talking to DiCaprio...is intentionally campy.

 

[Pinzer]

No. Black Swan is on another level than Shutter Island, which is on another level from Inception.

Well then I'm "going deeper" to get to Inception. Hopefully time will be slow enough to keep me there as long as possible.

 

[Solo]

Black Swan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Shutter Island >>>>>> Inception

Count knows whats up, as usual.

 

[Chinner]

Its vastly superior to Inception in every respect. Its mostly a victim of a shitty February release.

Pretty much this. It's funny that they share a few similar story elements, but SI pulls them off to a better degree.

 

[RSTEIN]

Shutter Island
- Predictable
- Boring
- Uninteresting

Black Swan
- The opposite of the above

 

[Discotheque]

Early release date didn't shaft Winter's Bone (surprisingly). But really Ghost Writer shoulda been nominated

 

[Speevy]

Maybe it's just because I was high when I saw it in theaters but I think the opening scene with the bad acting from Ruffalo as he's talking to DiCaprio...is intentionally campy.

Mark Ruffalo is a bad actor, he comes pre-packaged that way.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

I dunno, I haven't seen Black Swan yet but I definitely thought Shutter Island was better than Inception.

 

[Host Samurai]

Didn't see Black Swan yet but Inception was awful. And YES I understood it. Shutter Island was a lot better.

 

[Flek]

because black swan is better than inception and shutter island combined

 

[MorisUkunRasik]

Just watch True Grit, its much better than all 3 of those films.

 

[MisterHero]

I can't believe The Black Swan was supposed to be a companion piece to The Wrestler.

not that either is bad, but now it's just hard to see together

 

[Pinzer]

This board is full of contrarians.

 

[mr stroke]

No. Inception is on another level than Black Swan, which is on another level from Shutter Island.

FIXED

 

[Speevy]

Shutter Island
- Predictable
- Boring
- Uninteresting

Black Swan
- The opposite of the above

I predicted the end of The Black Swan 5 minutes into it, and among "movies that take place in a character's mind", I enjoyed The Machinist and American Psycho more.

 

[Borgnine]

Early release date didn't shaft Winter's Bone (surprisingly). But really Ghost Writer shoulda been nominated

I'm sorry but any movie where the twist is

Spoiler

Googled

deserves nothing. I liked it though.

 

[Discotheque]

This board is full of contrarians.

lol

 

[Count Dookkake]

I preferred Inception when it was called The Cell, which I preferred when it was called Dreamscape.

I can't believe The Black Swan was supposed to be a companion piece to The Wrestler.

not that either is bad, but now it's just hard to see together

Both are about entertainment jobs that cause much personal damage. One is for boys, one is for girls.

 

[TacticalFox88]

Inception really isn't that great.

 

[Speevy]

Just watch True Grit, its much better than all 3 of those films.

It really is. Sometimes the simplest things are the most effective.

 

[Boonoo]

Shutter Island is basically the same movie as Inception (even down to Leo's character having wife issues). It's odd that they're not talked about together more.

 

[ant_]

I never understood the complaint that Shutter Island is predictable.

Spoiler

Saying, " yeah he's crazy " at the beginning of the movie is not predicting the end. Predicting the end would be " yeah he's crazy and this whole thing is the doctor's attempt to try and make him not crazy by living out his own fantasies, etc." the movie is far from predictable, and the thing that makes a movie, regardless is not the end - but the content in between.

 

[WillyFive]

Shutter Island was really cool at the beginning when they were arriving to the island, but it got boring from there on, and I didn't finish it.

 

[Discotheque]

Shutter Island got a better performance out of him, he didn't have anything to really work with in Inception. That was Cillian Murphy's movie (with what little he was given)

 

[mre]

So....should I watch Shutter Island? I saw it pop up on Netflix streaming.

I watched it via Netflix streaming this weekend. It was worth a watch.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

How to make it to Oscars: release the movie in fall and/or reveal it in summer/fall festival e.g. Toronto International Film Festival.

 

[Drealmcc0y]

Its vastly superior to Inception in every respect. Its mostly a victim of a shitty February release.

Didnt you used to love Inception?

You're a wierd fellow solo

 

[BikoBiko]

It doesn't even have an original story.

 

[crazy monkey]

shutter island is better than inception and black swan. It was not promoted or hyped properly. Acting of Leo was amazing too.

 

[J Tourettes]

I'll have to echo the because it's a boring shit movie sentiments.

 

[Man]

Black Swan == Shutter Island > Inception