Shutter Island, the fourth film to team Leonardo DiCaprio with legendary director Martin Scorsese, hit theaters today. This is the first of my "10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2010" to be released so, obviously, I headed out to the theater to see it. And, I must say, it earned its spot on that list. I will warn you, though, that this film may not be for everybody. It's a psychological thriller, so it will definitely twist your mind while watching.

Shutter Island follows two federal marshals as they head to a mental institution for the criminally insane on a secluded island to investigate the escape of a potentially dangerous patient. Upon arriving on the island, they're met with little cooperation by doctors, guards and other personnel, leading them to speculate that the goings-on behind the walls of the institution may be more sinister than they appear.

This movie had so many twists that it makes it difficult to write a review without giving much away. If you don't pay attention, you will most likely miss something. And, trust me, there were definitely some twists. Sure, lots of movies involve plot twists, but this one kept me trying to figure what was real and what wasn't all the way through. Scorsese did an excellent job keeping the viewer guessing and, I'll be honest, I did not see the ending coming at all.

As for the acting, the entire cast was brilliant. DiCaprio completely delivered in role of Teddy Daniels, a federal marshal who is still trying to come to terms with the death of his wife. Sir Ben Kingsley was convincing as the mysterious head psychiatrist of the hospital. Mark Ruffalo gave the best performance of his career as Teddy's partner, Chuck. And my favorite performance in the film was from Michelle Williams, who played Teddy's deceased wife during flashback/dream sequences. The rest of the supporting cast, including Jackie Earle Haley, Max von Sydow and Emily Mortimer, were equally as impressive in their limited roles as well.

The only real gripe I have with the movie is what appeared to be continuity errors. Throughout the film, there were numerous scenes that seemed to have been sloppily edited in post-production. In actuality, these "cuts" were deliberate and were intended to add to the uneasy feeling of the film. While I do agree that this technique can be effective in that manner, it was way overused in this film and oftentimes seemed unnecessary. In fact, I didn't figure out that it was intentional until about the third or forth time. It should've been more subtle but, instead, it just became a distraction. Of course, who am I to question Martin Scorsese's directing techniques?

Other than that, Shutter Island was a very good film. It kept me interested from beginning to end and provided a very unexpected ending. As far as psychological thrillers go, it was one of the best I've seen in a while. If you're a fan of such films, definitely go see this one. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

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I was as excited about watching Super Bowl XLIV as any other non-Colts or non-Saints fan. After all, we had quite possibly the two greatest quarterbacks in the NFL going head-to-head while leading two of the most explosive offenses. If nothing else, the game was going to be fun to watch, and it was. But, let's face it, if your favorite team isn't playing, the Super Bowl does seem to lose a bit of its magic. Sure, I still love watching football but, with no emotional attachment to either the Colts or the Saints, the outcome of the game becomes a moot point for me. Now, next year when my Philadelphia Eagles are winning Super Bow XLV, that'll be a different story.

As for this year, though, I was looking forward to the commercials as much as the actual game. More specifically, being the movie geek that I am, I was anxious to see which films would be debuting new trailers. In all, there ended up being 9 different movie trailers during the Super Bowl, many of which had already been released online days earlier. There were also a few films that were expected to debut new trailers but ended up being conspicuously excluded.

So, what did we get? Well, we were treated to new trailers for Alice in Wonderland and Shutter Island, both of which were listed on "My Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2010". The Shutter Island preview seemed to just be a recut of the trailer that's been floating around for months. The Alice in Wonderland trailer, however, included some new shots and seemed even darker, if that's possible.

The new Robin Hood trailer might've been my biggest surprise simply because I haven't been looking forward to this movie at all. Admittedly, though, this trailer possibly convinced me that I've been underestimating this film all along.

The new trailer for The Wolfman remake was obviously there to give the movie one last push before it hits theaters this weekend. I already thought this film had potential to be a good one and, after seeing this new trailer, I'm now convinced of it.

Others receiving coveted Super Bowl spots were Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender, Brooklyn's Finest, The Back-Up Plan and the remake of George A. Romero's The Crazies. Strangely enough, the Brooklyn's Finest trailer was already being shown on television prior to the Super Bowl.

Noticeably absent from this list are both Toy Story 3 and Iron Man 2. I would've bet money that these two were a lock for Super Bowl spots this year. Unfortunately, I would've lost that bet.

Since we're all about helping here at HobNobWilson.com, I've conveniently included every trailer that was featured during Super Bowl XLIV. Enjoy and leave us your thoughts.

 

The Last Airbender

 

Shutter Island

 

Alice in Wonderland

 

Robin Hood

 

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

 

The Back-Up Plan

 

The Wolfman

 

The Crazies

 

Brooklyn's Finest