Continuum



Which would be worse, to live as a monster or to die as a good man?

Throughout Martin Scorsese’s career he has been creating art that seeks to understand the ramifications that guilt, paranoia, and violence have on humanity. In “Raging Bull” Scorsese gave us a man enthralled in violence and self destruction, whose hostilities beget guilt and ultimately humility. “Goodfellas” has Scorsese dealing with men who chose to live in a world of continual violence, and how paranoia and guilt slowly began to destroy that world. With “Cape Fear” Scorsese madly twists the conventional postulations of guilt and justice as the audience is invited to view them through the distorted eyes of Max Cady. Scorsese’s great crime drama “The Departed” displays how devilish violence affects two men who are engaged in the bloodshed for completely different reasons, and how each of them cope with the guilt that stems from their actions. In his twenty-third feature film release (not counting his numerous documentary films, which would take him up to nearly 50) Scorsese takes the audience back to 1954 to explore his preferred themes of guilt, violence, paranoia, and the toll they take on the human psyche.

The film opens on a ship that is shifting along a discomfited sea. Two detectives are bearing towards an island that, we are told, is the site of a high security asylum for the criminally insane. Scorsese’s long time editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, sets the anxious tone from the outset with some remarkably sharp editing. Scorsese also wastes no time transporting his audience back in time to the 1950’s, the era of Film Noir and Hitchcock, not only with costumes and props but more importantly with dialogue, tone, and music. As the detectives, and through voyeuristic association the audience, approach the gates to the asylum the tone and music revel in this bombastic ’50’s style. Like the best movies of that period, Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” generates style and tone with the assistance of the score as well as several intense low and high angled shots that evoke the essence of 1920’s German Expressionism. These cues, from their origins in the ’20’s, to the Noir of the ’50’s, as well as here, intend to set up a world of outlandish events and settings where anything is possible. This creates a world surrounded in mystery and danger that is always dangling somewhere on the edge of feeling like a dream, or in many cases a nightmare. Scorsese even utilizes artificial, rear projection style backgrounds in certain shots to give that 50’s stylized look to the film. There is no question, once the detectives arrive at the asylum, Scorsese’s propensity is clearly driven to create a world as close to Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”, or Tourneur’s “Out of the Past”, as possible. If the audience has not jumped on board with that conception within the first five minutes then they may likely miss much of the intention of this scintillating film.

The two detectives are sent to Shutter Island (where names and titles evolve in their motivation and meaning as we draw closer to the truth) for the purpose of investigating the inexplicable disappearance of one of the asylum’s inmates. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers another excellent performance in this film (his fourth outing with Mr. Scorsese) as Detective Teddy Daniels . The audience is told that he is a very respectable detective, who has a history of getting the job done at any cost. Through a series of striking visions into the mind of this man, motivations of guilt and regret that are surrounded by violence begin to unfold as Daniels’ inducement to discover the truth comes into focus. His partner Detective Chuck Aule, the always cool and reserved Mark Ruffalo, is working with Detective Daniels for the first time. The bond they construct in this hostile environment appears reliable, yet the uncertainty of having a new partner slowly builds into paranoia as the world around them begins to fall apart. Of course the world of Shutter Island never evokes stability for the Detectives or the audience from the moment we step foot on the island. This is due, in no small part, to the colorful cast of  characters within the asylum, all played brilliantly by an all-star supporting cast. We first meet Deputy Warden McPherson, played by John Carroll Lynch, who can never quite convince us that he is the stalwart of truth that he intends to imbue. The detectives are promptly introduced to Ben Kingsley’s Dr. Cawley, whose name itself supplicates an association with the harsh nagging of a crow’s call, and yet Kingsley’s tempered delivery appears to belie the moniker. Max von Sydow delivers a haunting performance as Dr. Naehring who appears to seethe with mendacious intent in every scene. Jackie Earl Haley and Elias Koteas offer unnerving performances that intensify the uncertainty and paranoia that the audience already feels from running through the labyrinthine implications presented by the clues DiCaprio’s Detective Daniels has picked up along the way.  As Detective Daniels receives information from the striking women in the cast, whether it be the elegant Michelle Williams as his lamented wife or from the ever splendiferous Patricia Clarkson as the missing patient, it becomes clear that the truth of the island may be far more sinister than our detective could have dreamed.

Scorsese takes delight in driving the audience into this world of fear and paranoia through the nightmarish settings of the maximum security wing of the asylum or the unforgiving and overbearing natural settings in the woods, the edges of cliffs, and the sea. Scorsese uses these settings as well as the visions into the mind of Daniels to offset the audiences ability to clearly delineate reality from the dream. These excursions allow DiCaprio to disinter the emotional depths within the character of Daniels, which affords him one of his greatest performances to date. These scenes also carry the audience along an emotional thrill ride that captivates and decimates our expectations, leaving us as much of an emotional wreck as many of the characters in the film.  It is in this construct that Scorsese uses the film to ask deeper questions about film theory, and the audiences’ voyeuristic response to what is being presented, that opens another level of complexity to the film that the story alone does not demand. As this film draws towards it’s end it becomes clear that Scorsese is just as concerned with provoking the boundaries of where film can take us as he is with telling a great story. In “Shutter Island” he exceptionally succeeds in doing both.

Several years ago Quentin Tarantino said that Martin Scorsese was not directing films that were provocative and edgy like his early work, and that Scorsese’s work had become lazy. Scorsese is a legend in film making, with no need to prove anything. Here he proves that he is still enraptured with the medium of film and that he will continue to challenge himself and his audiences to continue to be moved by the aggregation of images, music, performances, and themes that form the art of film.

cast & credits

Teddy Daniels: Leonardo DiCaprio

Chuck Aule: Mark Ruffalo

Dr. Cawley: Ben Kingsley

Dr. Naehring: Max von Sydow

Dolores: Michelle Williams

Rachel 1: Emily Mortimer

Rachel 2: Patricia Clarkson

George: Jackie Earle Haley

Warden: Ted Levine

Paramount Pictures presents a film directed by Martin Scorsese

. Written by Laeta Kalogridis, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. Running time: 138 minutes. Rated R (for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity).

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When I think back on how I entered into this decade, I find myself unable to escape a particular word most apposite to my condition, “sophomoric”. Not only does this aptly correspond to my grade level in college at the time, it also epitomized the level at which I understood the art of film. However, with the guidance of a particularly perceptive professor at the college I was attending, I rapidly discovered the great depths and invigorating bliss available within the art form that is Film. Quite often the common cliché would lope through my mind, “You mean you can watch movie’s for more than just entertainment?” Not that I was completely unaware of this insight before my college years, however, it was a practice that I scoffed at and disparagingly considered designated only for the pretentious “intellectuals” and critics who harbored an odium for all movies that were fun- you know, like “Armageddon”.

As my mind was beginning to expand in the world of academics and in the nuances of film, I was gaining a fervent desire to explore the annals of film history, to experience the films that I had always been told where “Classics”. Upon discovering the matchless brilliance (and indeed fun) of films such as “Casablanca”, “The Godfather”, and “North By Northwest” the journey into the vast domains of film history had reached the point of no return. I read every book I could find on film history and criticism, while also watching the catalog of every major director and genre of film I could think of. I also found the touchstone for movie facts and information in the modern world, the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), which in turn led me to begin reading articles and reviews from the nation’s top critics. As my knowledge and understanding of film history grew (with no small help from the ingenious introduction of Netflix), I quickly began to understand the importance of language, tone, and symbolism within film, and how these elements created objective criteria for separating the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in film.

Before long I found a growing desire within me to share my own ideas and insights about film with anyone who would listen. This process began with a list similar to the one I am presenting here. I felt that if I were going to share my views about films that I loved or hated, it would be fitting for me to compile a list of the movies that I liked most. My first list was of my top ten favorite movies of all time, and while the order and roster has varied over the years, it still remains fairly similar to the initial rendering. Lists have always been a great way of clearly extrapolating the core values of a critics’ approach to the art of film. Lists also generate inspired conversation and debate over the aesthetics and value of film. Hopefully, if done well, lists can also introduce people to great films that they may have never viewed otherwise.

In this spirit, I offer my Top Ten Films of the Decade. This is a representation of the truth and beauty that has been found in the art of film in the decade of 2000. It also displays a compilation of films that speak, in a very personal way, to my own views of art, excellence, and worth as I have experienced them through film over the past decade. Though, since this decade has produced so many great films, I could not completely limit myself to just ten. Which is why I must first introduce the films of Honorary Mention, or number Eleven- if you will.

King Kong (2005), Once (2006), Inglourious Basterds (2009), Mulholland Drive (2001), Adaptation (2002), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), Donnie Darko (2001), The Polar Express (2004), The Passion Of The Christ (2004), Kill Bill (2003-04), The Ring (2003), Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004), Spirited Away (2001), Waking Life (2001), Crash (2006)

10. Oldboy (2003)

“Old Boy” is one of those rare movies, that as you are watching it you think to yourself, “this feels like a classic”. Korean director Chan-wook Park has crafted an amazing trilogy of films around the theme of revenge, and “Oldboy”, the second entry in the series, is his masterpiece (or in terms of great trilogies, his “Empire Strikes Back”). The hook that Park uses to catch the audience is the classic revenge movie setup, with a complicated and captivating mystery to be solved. However, as the multifarious plot unfolds the audience is transported into the world of Tragedy, on the classical Greek scale. In this way the movie transforms into something you never expected and displays an uncommon depth into the themes of forgiveness, salvation, and the hope of redemption. This film is brutal, though never in an exploitative manner. Its brutality is used in the same way the classic Greek Tragedies used violence, bloody and harsh, but never without reason. Park also turns the common concepts of revenge on it head in such a way that challenges anyone to question the wisdom of the phrase, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.”

9. Synecdoche, New York (2008)

The greatest screenwriter of the decade was met with a little apprehension when it was announced that he would direct his next screenplay. However, this film proves that Charlie Kaufman may nearly be as great a director as he is a writer. “Synecdoche, New York” is easily Kaufman’s most personal film, and also his greatest. He uses the frustrated life of a theatre director to channel the hopes, fears, dreams, and disappointments common to all of humanity. This film is about the human struggle to find purpose in life, through art, relationships, religion, and work; to accomplish something worthwhile within the time we are given. It also deals with the pain, heartache, stress, and since of failure when you cannot seem to find the answers you are looking for. I do not share Charlie Kaufman’s worldview, though I sense that many people living in this cruel world do. There is truth, honesty, and the beauty of humanity here that cannot, and should not be ignored. This movie demands a minimum of three viewings before it can begin to really sink in, and that is the kind of depth that is missing in most of modern art today.

8. The Incredibles (2004)

Pixar has revolutionized the animation industry over the past fifteen years. They have brought back the sense of awe and wonder to animation that Walt Disney started in 1937. The key to this amazing renaissance has been through the art of great story telling. The finest example of this is “The Incredibles”. Brad Bird uses the style and action of the Super Hero movie fused with James Bond films to deliver a poignant story about love and family, performing with excellence, doing what you are made to do, and the list goes on. This film deals truthfully (and in surprising depth) with family issues that many live action dramas won’t even touch. Brad Bird and the rest of the geniuses at Pixar never take the easy road out. With enough action and comedy to entertain children of all ages, and a richness in story and themes that only get better the more you see it, this truly is an incredible movie.

7. The Dark Knight (2008)

This is one of those rare films that actually went far above the already high expectations I had placed on it. It’s complex three-part structure and the methodical way in which Christopher Nolan winds the plot to it’s only logical conclusion brought to my mind comparisons with other great films like “The Godfather”. I am still enthralled by the way this film truthfully deals with the depravity of human nature as well as mankind’s capacity to choose what is right. This film also presents one of the greatest visions of a truly Satanic villain, and is able to balance that out with a man who is struggling to find the Righteous way to respond in a world that has been broken by such a creature.

6. There Will Be Blood (2007)

See this movie for the touchstone performance delivered by Daniel Day-Lewis. However, be prepared for a powerful film that you will not be able to shake off for days. The film’s power lies in its ability to frankly deal with what a human being can become when he allows himself to be obsessed with greed, selfishness, and hatred for his fellow man. Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece draws comparison to the themes dealt with in “Citizen Kane”, though Orson Welles was never this scary. This film exposes the lies and hate that can generate from the hearts of men who use people, money, and all other means at their disposal to gain control and power, and the devastating results of pursuing these ends.

5. No Country For Old Men (2007)

What happens to men when they are faced with true evil that they can’t comprehend or reason with? Here is a film that Roger Ebert claims is a “perfect film”, which is to say that there is not a single wasted shot or scene in this entire film. The Coen Brothers have crafted another American classic that deals with evil and violence in an honest and truthful way, not unlike the great author Flannery O’Conner did in her time. This film will not be for everyone, but for those who can handle the brutality, it presents characters that are confronted with the reality of the doctrine of total depravity, and shows honest people in desperate need of a worldview big enough to provide answers on how to fix all of this brokenness.

4. Unbreakable (2000)

After the extraordinary success of “The Sixth Sense” audiences were clambering to experience the next twist ending writer/director M. Night Shyamalan would throw at them. Most moviegoers were more than a little dumbfounded by what they received next. “Unbreakable” opened to mixed critical reviews, most of which complained about pacing and their dissatisfaction with the new twist ending. Though, anyone who was looking for a cool new twist was missing the whole point. This is Shyamalan’s masterpiece, which is only one of many misunderstood films crafted by this brilliant auteur. I remember sitting through this film in the theatre for the first time, thinking to myself, “now this is what I’ve been waiting for.” It’s a film that seriously deals with the concept of what it would be like to see a super hero in the real world. Shyamalan uses this concept to dig deeper into themes of a man’s discovery of who he really is, and what he was made to do in this world of sin and death.

3. The Fountain (2006)

Darren Aronofsky has yet to make a film that I would not consider a “classic” in it’s own right, yet, “The Fountain” is his greatest accomplishment to date. Another film that requires no less than three viewings before you can begin to grasp the richness of where it is taking the audience, and even then you will find that you still have more questions than answers. I knew that I loved this film the first time I saw it. Every time since then, I have only discovered that I love it all the more. Aronofsky, who never takes on a light subject, shoots for the stars here (literally). With themes like love that truly is eternal, learning to accept death and loss, to the transcendence of time and space, how could this movie not take you places that you rarely go in movies? Aronofsky also matches the profundity of his themes with a visual style that is strikingly beautiful and hauntingly emotional. This film is visual poetry.

2. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Fairy Tales are a lost art in story telling in the west. The greatest fairy tales of old deftly dealt with the realities of good and evil, life and death, truth and lies- using memorable characters and circumstances that have survived even into modern stories. In “Pan’s Labyrinth” Guillermo del Toro crafts a modern day fairy tale that has all of the danger, beauty, and truth of the greatest fairy tales of old. Guillermo skillfully shifts in and out of fantasy and reality while ingeniously demonstrating that some things that we think are fantasy can be more real than what we see everyday. Guillermo also shifts the rules of the fairy tale into the “real world” at times, while also making the fairy tale world exhibit the truths that we long for in this world. As with all great fairy tales there are lessons to be learned here, and dire consequences for not being discerning and righteous. There are marvels to behold around every corner of this film, and truths that are staggering when applied to the lives we live. Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece reminds us all that magic is out there, if you know where to look for it.

1. The Lord of the Rings (2001-03)

The Lord of the Rings is J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnum opus that has literary critics the world over furious that it continually tops the popular opinion polls as the greatest book of the twentieth century. It is also the book that most everyone agreed was impossible to convert into a film. It’s true- Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” are definitive proof that Tolkien’s books are impossible to make into a film. His accomplishment then, must be viewed as a completely separate work of art within a completely different medium. Tolkien’s books have a depth and subtlety that no film could ever hope to encompass. However, Jackson was able to take characters, settings, events, and themes from Tolkien’s book and craft one of the greatest movies of all time from it. Jackson has profited film one of the greatest action/adventure epics of all time, and the greatest film trilogy ever. Now some may cry foul that I have combined all three movies into one slot, however, I feel my justification lies in the fact that these three movies represent one story, and they were also all filmed at the same time. Similarly, Tolkien had to bear his book being broken up into three sections as well, though it never changes the fact that it was one book. Jackson manages to use every film making trick in the book, new and old, to convey his vision of Tolkien’s world. In the end, Jackson exhibits an amazing awareness of storytelling and an unrivaled prowess at composing action sequences. Each entry demonstrates amazing advancements in special effects, yet they never once got in the way of the story- they always found ways to enhance it. Jackson did manage the seemingly impossible by creating a Middle Earth that felt grounded in reality. It was this type of skill that allowed the vigor of the greatest themes from Tolkien’s books to resonate with the viewers of this film. Like all great myths, there are truths buried away in these films that will thrill the imaginations and challenge the convictions of every attentive viewer. This type of movie experience is why I love movies, and I’m sure that is something no true film lover can argue with.

Memphis writers/directors Dan Baker & Chris Pollock found their way into the finals of the 2009 Doorpost Film Project contest with this submission. VERY well done piece.