We have but one new wide release this weekend, but it’s a good one. ‘Tis Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” in which a Boston version of Leonardo DiCaprio thinks something sinister is afoot at an isolated hospital/prison for the criminally insane.
This was originally supposed to open last November but was pushed back till now for reasons that vary depending on whom you ask. The prevailing reasonable theory is that if it had come out in the fall, the studio would have been obligated to pimp it for Oscar consideration — what with it being Scorsese and DiCaprio and all — and they just didn’t feel like it was an Oscar kind of movie. It’s good, sure, but not Oscar material. By moving it to February, they effectively take it out of the running and don’t have to spend the extra money on an awards campaign (ads in Variety, screeners to Academy voters, etc.).
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