Flickr/WorthingTheatres

When Martin Scorsese makes a movie, it’s usually worth watching– especially if Leonardo DiCaprio is in it (think: “Gangs of New York,” “The Aviator” and “The Departed”). The latest Scorsese/DiCaprio flick, “Shutter Island,” is an interesting breed: It’s a book adaptation. But the story’s original author, Dennis Lehane, is no stranger to books-turned-movies; the novelist also penned “Mystic River” and “Gone, Baby, Gone,” both Hollywood darlings in their own right. But what does this all mean? It means, Lehane plus Scorsese/DiCaprio equals box office gold. Clearly.

DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. marshal paired up with a new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), and en route via ferry in the mid-1950′s to Shutter Island, Massachusetts in the film’s opening scene. The island is small and remote, surrounded by rough terrain, and it’s home to a hospital for the criminally insane; the marshals are being sent there to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando. They’re greeted by Deputy Warden McPherson (John Carroll Lynch) and a slew of his police team when they arrive on the island, forced to surrender their firearms and given the lay of the land. The hospital grounds are picturesque with meticulously manicured lawns and beautiful old buildings, but Daniels can see right away that the patients are disturbed. He and Aule are escorted to meet the hospital’s head psychiatrist, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), who describes Solando’s crime and the details of her improbable escape from a locked cell.

Daniels and Aule begin their investigation, lasting several days through treacherous, hurricane-like weather. As events begin to unravel, Daniels reveals his real motive for taking on the case– to avenge the death of his wife (Michelle Williams), whose murderer may be on Shutter Island. Aule is loyal and willing to help Daniels, who he refers to as “boss,” however he can. But the most interesting relationship in the movie is between Daniels and Cawley; the doctor claims he uses respect and understanding to best treat his patients, but Daniels suspects torture and lobotomies are being conducted in secret.

The tension between DiCaprio and Kingsley, coupled with the gorgeous cinematography and shots of the landscape, are what make “Shutter Island” so thrilling. Both actors have proven themselves with larger than life roles and multiple Academy Award nominations: DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in 2004′s “The Aviator,” and Kingsley even scoring an Oscar win for the title role in 1982′s “Ghandi.” Their relationship here as cop and doctor becomes even more complex as “Shutter Island” unfolds. Ruffalo unsurprisingly plays a worthy sidekick; his under-the-radar acting career pops up every now and then with a strong portrayal to remind you exactly who he is. And Williams, although playing a deceased character who only appears in flashbacks throughout the film, is convincing as DiCaprio’s lost love, with an authentic Boston accent to boot. Patricia Clarkson (“Six Feet Under,” “Good Night, and Good Luck”) and Jackie Earle Haley (“The Bad News Bears,” “Little Children”) both play vital, half-crazed patients in the movie; although they each only appear in one scene, their characters are central to solving the story’s mystery.

But what really makes “Shutter Island” work in the end is the marriage of a solid tale and expert directing. Lehane’s story is gripping, and plot twists will keep moviegoers guessing up until the very end. Scorsese is a film genius, and his ability to transform a book to the big screen is a credit he deserves alone– regardless of Lehane’s past Hollywood successes. Together, writer and director have created a riveting movie, not so much scary as it is tense and perplexing.

So yes, this may indeed be a box office smash (in its first weekend, it earned $41 million), but “Shutter Island” is a film worth seeing regardless. And you just may leave the theater thinking you’d like to read that book.

Wikipedia.org

Owen Wilson is the latest Hollywood star to sign on for the movie version of the comic strip Marmaduke– and Wilson will be voicing the big dog himself. Stars previously signed on to the project include Judy Greer and William H. Macy as humans Debbie Winslow and Don Twombly (although we’re not quite sure who they are), with Fergie, George Lopez and Damon and Marlon Wayans voicing animated characters. The Winslow family portrayed in the comic strip is made up of parents Phil and Dottie and kids Barbara and Billy.

The strip debuted in newspapers in 1954 and is still running today. At just 30 years old, Brad Anderson created the lovable doggie, and 55 years later and now in his mid-80′s, the cartoonist is still loyally creating Marmaduke cartoons week in and week out. In 1978, Anderson received the National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for Marmaduke, and in June 2010, he gets to see his famous great dane on the big screen. Summer blockbusters, here we come.

Flickr/MacDavid Pro

This week, The Take Three has been loving NPR’s movie reviews. Here’s what they had to say about kids-book-turned-happening-flick, “Where the Wild Things Are”:

Spike Jonze: Check. Dave Eggers: Check. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Check. Where the Wild Things Are has all the ingredients to become the hipster equivalent of Star Wars.

The movie may be hipster, but the book is old school, and for old and new fans alike, be sure to check out TerribleYellowEyes.com– a site started about five months ago that features artwork inspired by the classic book.

Whether you make it out to the theater this weekend or not, we still think you’re cool.

Will Arnett is George Oliver Bluth, aka G.O.B. (Flickr/LDRBRS)

If this isn’t 2009′s best news yet, we don’t know what is. According to the Hollywood Reporter, cancelled Fox series “Arrested Development” has finally overcome hurdles and a script is in the works:

“Arrested Development” creator Mitchell Hurwitz and his co-executive producer James Vallely are working on a screenplay for the long-debated feature version of their short-lived Fox series. Even as they prep a new Fox comedy series with “Arrested” star Will Arnett, the writers are spinning more bizarre encounters for the eccentric, spoiled Bluth clan for possible feature production in the spring.

See the THR.com for complete details. And mark your calenders immediately.

Source: JustJared.com

That’s right– the newest skit-turned-flick coming out of Saturday Night Live is MacGruber, scheduled for release in theaters April 16, 2010. According to JustJared.com this week:

Ryan Phillippe and his costars, SNL actors Will Forte and Kristen Wiig shoot scenes for the MacGruber movie in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Monday (August 31).

If you’re not familiar, MacGruber is the recurring Saturday Night Live sketch that parodies MacGyver (the 80’s series where MacGyver could make weapons out of paperclips). The most famous MacGruber skit is the Pepsi one.

Those of you still pining away for Ryan Phillippe can read the full post here, but at The Take Three, we’re not quite as sure about this whole MacGruber movie as the last time we blogged about it. Have your own thoughts? Let us know!

The Davis Theater is in Chicago's Lincoln Square, one of the neighborhoods where Clare and Henry live in the book.

It’s a movie about time travel– if you couldn’t already tell from the title. But in this case, it’s a genetic malfunction of hero Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana). There is no time machine– not a phone booth or a DeLorean– there is only Henry. He leaps in and out of his own life, backwards and forwards, with no forewarning and no control over where he will land (naked– because you can’t take clothes with you when you time travel). The first time Henry travels, he is only six years old, sitting in the backseat of his mother’s car on Christmas Eve, just moments before the car is demolished by an oncoming tractor-trailer. Henry escapes the gruesome death that his mother is unable to, but he also begins a crazy life of traveling that few he will encounter over the years will understand.

One day when Henry is in his late 20’s and working at the Newberry Library right here in Chicago, he is practically accosted by a 20-year-old woman who he’s sure he’s never met before, although she claims to have known him her whole life. Clare Abshire (Rachel McAdams) is Henry’s future wife, and when he is older, Henry will repeatedly travel back to Clare’s childhood, getting to know her from when she is just a little girl. Present day Henry does not yet know this, of course, but their love story begins for him– and continues for her– nonetheless.

It’s a twisted and complicated affair, often filled with heartache; time-traveling fetuses result in miscarriage after miscarriage for Clare, and of course, her endless waiting for her husband to come home is overwhelming. But it’s an epic story as well, one that includes two of everything beautiful that true love thrives on: two first meetings, two first kisses– the book, in fact, even includes two weddings. As the plot builds, Henry and Clare worry about the future and Henry’s ultimate fate. Clare is already left behind so often, and with Henry unable to avoid trouble when he travels (out of the blue appearances to strangers while naked often leads to running and dodging punches or worse), she fears being left behind permanently.

Certainly the book is better, because books are almost always better than their movie adaptations. But mainly, the movie is just a little bit less complicated, and this makes sense and makes life easier on the moviegoer. Several notable parts of the book are left out– Mrs. Kim’s character, Clare’s affair with Gomez and the horrific beating of one of her ex-boyfriends– but they would be too much to go into in the movie, so their exclusions are fair. The biggest difference between the novel and the film, however, is the ending, something that some fans of the book may be quite happy about. The story’s ending is bound to be tragic no matter how you slice it, but the ending in the book is nothing short of devastating. The movie does it better.

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana are true to their characters originally created by Niffenegger, and perhaps this is a credit to both the actors, as well as screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin. The chemistry between the two is real, and several heart-wrenching scenes of love and farewell show the audience why their story is so strong. Bana in particular soulfully portrays the woe of a man who is constantly saying goodbye, and a scene in which he travels as an adult to meet his long-deceased mother on an el train shows Henry’s sadness and depth. Viewers will also appreciate Bana’s flawless American accent, something that, if done poorly, could have otherwise alienated fans of the novel.

The other characters in the film are all supporting to the love story; but done right, they add up to a better primary storyline. Little Brooklyn Proulx as six-year-old Clare channels all the imagination and wonder of her character in the book. And all of the players in Henry’s life– his best friend Gomez (Ron Livingston), his parents (Arliss Howard and Michelle Nolden) and Dr. Kendrick (Stephen Tobolowsky), the geneticist who helps him understand his anomaly– all play small but impressive roles in the movie. Livingston perhaps surprises the most, playing Gomez well in the film, but better, even, if you know him from the book. His major plotline is left out of the film, yet Livingston seamlessly hints at intricacies from the novel perhaps lost on the average movie watcher.

So the question stands: Will Niffenegger’s fans like the movie? If they can accept that a movie will always be less complicated than a book, than yes. The parts that were included in the hour and 45 minute film were done true to form, and the actors portrayed their characters with passion and authenticity. Our recommendation is to see the movie– but always, always read the book as well.

Recent buzz about Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe potentially joining the cast of the upcoming “MacGruber” movie got The Take Three thinking about how often Lorne Michaels really hits the mark when adapting “Saturday Night Live” sketches into films. With over a dozen produced since 1980′s “The Blues Brothers,” even “SNL”-diehards are bound to admit there are more than a few bombs in the mix. Here, we come up with five– and only cheat a little– worth a watch.

• “The Blues Brothers” (1980). John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd are classic icons of “SNL” yesteryear, and that makes it at least a little poetic that “The Blues Brothers” was the first film “Saturday Night Live” put out there. And, John Landis as director, to boot. Who knew?
• “Wayne’s World” (1992). Before Austin Powers and Shrek, Mike Myers did his thing as Wayne Campbell, coming to you live from his parents’ basement in Aurora, Illinois. And seriously, who can argue with a sketch Madonna actually paid attention to?
• “Coneheads” (1993). So…maybe this doesn’t belong on a top five best list, of any sort. But we did get the Red Hot Chili Peppers’s “Soul to Squeeze” out of this film, and for that alone, the summer of 1993 was a worthwhile one. At least Jane Curtin got in on some of the action, too.
• “The Ladies Man” (2000). When Tim Meadows left “Saturday Night Live” after a hilarious 10-year run, viewers were not disappointed with the movie version of his famed Leon Phelps. A seriously funny movie based on a seriously funny sketch, “The Ladies Man” is worth a viewing if you’ve never seen it.
• “MacGruber” (2010). Okay, so it hasn’t technically been released yet. But with previous sketches starring Shia LaBeouf as his son (video above), and Richard Dean Anderson (yes, the real MacGyver) as his famous dad, there’s at least potential with this one. Give it a chance– especially if Val Kilmer and Ryan Phillippe really do take the plunge.