Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Making It Big on the Big Screen

Dennis Lehane fans who were apprehensive about the film adaptation of that writer’s 2003 book can once again draw breath: the movie opened Friday to critical applause and box-office records. By all accounts, Shutter Island will be an even bigger hit than the wonderful film based on Lehane’s Mystic River. From the Los Angeles Times:
Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and a set of gothic thrills proved to be a huge draw at the box office this weekend, as Shutter Island, Paramount’s psychological thriller based on Dennis Lehane’s bestselling novel, earned $40.2 million domestically, according to the studio.

The number is the best-ever opening for director Scorsese and star DiCaprio, the latter of whom had reached the $30-million mark only once (with Catch Me If You Can, more than seven years ago). Many box-office experts had predicted an opening in the low-mid $30s, with any gross over $35 million considered a notable success.
January Magazine’s 2003 review of the novel Shutter Island can be enjoyed here. The magazine has also run a pair of exclusive interviews with Lehane: in 1999 and 2001.

READ MORE:Film Review: Shutter Island,” by Pete Dragovich (Crimespree Cinema).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I found the film to be a terrible representation of the book. The note left lines out, the "jokes" cut the punchline(especially the "as big as my dick" line from the book) and don't get me started on the "brilliant" addition to the ending. The cuts to Chuck when they were not needed seemed little more than a nudge in the ribs to the viewer. I would rate this one way behind Mystic River and a little behind Gone, Baby, Gone.

Declan Burke said...

Haven't read the book, but I saw the movie this morning and it's terrific - 50's B-movie noir via Hammer House of Horror. Great fun.