Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and now Hugo are some of the best movies that writer and director Martin Scorsese brought to us in the past 48 years of his long lasting career. Very few men last this long in Hollywood so that alone is a testament of his greatness.

With the release of Hugo I’m thinking it’s a good time to celebrate Martin Scorsese, a man that managed to stay fresh after almost half a decade in an industry that tends to turn people rotten. This is a top 10 of the biggest box office hits directed by him. Grosses are North American only because some of his older movies, for obvious reasons, don’t have accurate data. To give a fair chance to all pictures I’ll use numbers adjusted for inflation and post unadjusted in a parentheses right after.

10. Casino (1995) $77.6 million ($42.5 million) – Based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi and starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone (nominated for an Oscar here), Joe Pesci and Frank Woods, Casino is a violent crime drama that follows the story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Roberd De Niro) as he tries to run a mob-owned casino in Las Vegas. If you haven’t seen it already you definitely should.

9. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) $79.1 million ($18.6 million) – Nominated for 3 Oscars, it won a single one for Ellen Burstyn, lead actress. This is the story of Alice (Ellen Burstyn), a widow trying to find her way along with her 11-year-old son. A young Kris Kristofferson plays David, a farmer that finds his way into the heart of Alice.

8. Goodfellas (1990) $88.2 million ($46.8 million) – Another collaboration between Nicholas Pileggi (book and screenplay) and Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas was nominated for 6 Oscars, winning one for Joe Pesci. Also starring Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, Goodfellas is considered by some to be the best movie Martin Scorsese directed to date.

7. Gangs of New York (2002) $103.6 million ($77.8 million) – Nominated for 10 Oscars and winning none, Gangs of New York was the first in what would become a long and prosperous collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. A vengeance story of one Amsterdam Vallon (DiCaprio) set in 1863, this is one movie you can’t miss.

6. Taxi Driver (1976) $103.7 million ($28.2 million) – When someone says Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver is the first movie that comes to my mind. Starring Robert De Niro and a very young Jodie Foster, Taxi Driver needs no introduction. What movie buff doesn’t remember the story of war veteran turned taxi driver and his quest to save the teenage prostitute played by Jodie Foster?

5. The Color of Money (1986) $112.2 million ($52.3 million) – Sequel of The Hustler (1961), The Color of Money won Paul Newman an Oscar. Tom Cruise played the hustler’s (Newman) protégé. This was quite a different movie for Martin Scorsese and deserves your attention if you’re a fan of either Newman or Cruise.

4. Shutter Island (2010) $128.1 million ($128 million) – Based on the 2003 Dennis Lehane novel, Shutter Island is another Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The psychological thriller tells the story of a detective investigating a psychiatric facility located on an island, specifically the disappearance of a murderess. A movie where nothing is at is seems, definitely worthy of your attention.

3. The Aviator (2004) $128.2 million ($102.6 million) – And another movie where Scorsese casts Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading role. The Aviator is a biopic depicting the life of eccentric millionaire Howard Hughes. Nominated for 11 Oscars, The Aviator won 5, Best Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing and Actress in a supporting role (Cate Blanchett playing Katharine Hepburn). This is one of my favorite Scorsese films and part of that is because of the subject matter (aviation).

2. Cape Fear (1991) $150.1 million ($79 million) – One man that’s been in more Scorsese movies then DiCaprio is Robert De Niro, the star of Cape Fear. A remake of the 1962 film of the same name, this thriller follows a convicted rapist stocking the family of the lawyer that defended him. Cape Fear was nominated for two Oscars, Best Actor (Roberd De Niro) and Best supporting actress (Juliet Lewis).

1. The Departed (2006) $160.1 million ($132.3 million) – It took seven nominations before Martin Scorsese finally won his first Oscar for this movie. Here Scorsese returns to a more familiar ground with a crime drama about corruption. A remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, The Departed stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg (nominated for an Oscar), Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin. It won 4 Oscars in 2007 including Best Picture and Director.

Before ending this I have to mention Raging Bull, a film that almost made it in the top 10 ($69.1 million adjusted for inflation). Again starring Robert De Niro (won him an Oscar), Raging Bull tells the story of boxer Jake La Motta and the ups of his career and downs of his life. While not as popular as Rocky (1976) it’s just as good if not better.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today released their short list of 15 films currently in contention for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for the 83rd Academy Awards. As usual, the list is a mix of critical darlings, box office failures, comic book movies, sequels and originals.

Here are the 15 films in alphabetical order:

• Alice in Wonderland
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
• Clash of the Titans
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
• Hereafter
• Inception
• Iron Man 2
• The Last Airbender
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
• Scott Pilgrim vs the World
• Shutter Island
• The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
• TRON: Legacy
• Unstoppable

Members of the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee will narrow the list down to seven in early January, prior to the announcement of the Oscar nominations on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

Which select few do you think will make it through to the final 3? Last year it was a battle between Avatar, Star Trek and District 9, with Avatar obviously taking the gold.

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Alice in Wonderland is in first place in North America for a second consecutive weekend with one of the best holds ever for a movie opening above $100 million.

It might not be Avatar just yet but it ain’t to far from it, Alice has proved to be an enormous hit in North America with a second weekend of $62.7 million. That is more then all the other new wide releases put together. It was a 46% drop from last time and among the top 6 opening weekends ever (Alice being the 6th) this was the absolute best. Alice in Wonderland managed also the 5th biggest second weekend ever and has grossed so far $209.3 million in just 10 days, only 9 other movies managed to make more in that time. For the record, Avatar had only $3.4 million more at the same time in its run.

Add to this another $221 million from around the world so far and we get $430.3 million for Alice worldwide. If the budget was indeed $200 million then this movie is already in the green.

It might be to soon to call but I think Alice is well on its way to finish with more then $350 million in North America and another 450-500 million Internationally for a worldwide total of over $800-850 million before the end of its box office run. It could make even more but unfortunately next weekend is the last time it will have all 3D screens to itself. How to Train Your Dragon opens in 3D on March 26 in the US but we will talk more about that at a later time.

In second place with an underwhelming $14.3 million we have Green Zone, a movie I personally expected to gross a little more. It seems this third collaboration between director Paul Greengrass and actor Matt Damon was not as successful as their previous two (Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum).

She is Out of My League was in third place, as expect but with a lot less money, $9.7 million to be more exact. This wasn’t an expensive movie ($20 million budget compared to $100 million for Green Zone) so while Paramount won’t be to happy about it, no heads will drop for this one.

Shutter Island maintains strong holds even in its 4th weekend, -38.4% drop (third best in the top 10) with $8.1 million and a total of $108 million. I’m still not sure if this can pass The Departed ($132 million) as Martin Scorsese’s biggest hit ever but it has a bigger chance now then before.

Remember Me opens with only $8 million but on a $16 million budget I’d say that is enough. Unfortunately this shows that outside of Twilight, Robert Pattinson can’t carry a movie to success on his own.

In sixth place we have the last wide opening movie of the weekend, Our Family Wedding with $7.6 million. This, like all the new releases this weekend, should fade fast out of the top 10 in the following weeks.

In seventh place we have Avatar, a movie that just doesn’t want to die down even in its 13th weekend and now standing at $730.2 million in NA and $2.63 billion worldwide. With the news of a re-release later this year could this movie make it to $3 billion?

Brooklyn’s Finest goes from 2nd place to 8th place with $4.4 million and a total of $21.5 million.

Finally Cop Out and The Crazies finish the top 10 with $4.2 million and $3.6 million for $39.4 million and $33.3 million, both movies probably in their last weekend in the top 10, or at least the last weekend for one of them.

More info about this can be found on here:

1. Alice in Wonderland (BV) $62,714,074 -46% ($209,339,432)
2. Green Zone (Uni.) $14,309,295 NEW (NEW)
3. She’s Out of My League (Par.) $9,775,278 NEW (NEW)
4. Shutter Island (Par.) $8,144,133 -38.4% ($108,011,645)
5. Remember Me (Sum.) $8,089,139 NEW (NEW)
6. Our Family Wedding (FoxS) $7,629,862 NEW (NEW)
7. Avatar (Fox) $6,526,421 -19.6% ($730,270,443)
8. Brooklyn’s Finest (Over.) $4,471,932 -66.5% ($21,533,404)
9. Cop Out (WB) $4,268,068 -54.1% ($39,480,734)
10. The Crazies (Over.) $3,680,940 -48% ($33,389,308)

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As expected Shutter Island had no trouble in staying first for a second consecutive weekend according to BoxOfficeMojo.

The Martin Scorsese directed and Leonardo DiCaprio starring flick dropped only 44.8% for $22.6 million and a grand total of $75.5 million so far in NA. With a reported budget of $80 million this is a hit for Paramount Pictures and now I see that changing the release date from October last year to February this year actually helped this movie at the box office. This will probably not finish above The Departed on Scorsese’s biggest hits list but it should still be good for about $120 million by the end of its run in theaters.

Cop Out managed $18.2 million and has become the biggest opener in the career of director Kevin Smith. With a budget of $30 million this should also become a modest hit for Warner Bros.

The Crazies took in a very solid $16 million and I think that in the long run this will pass Cop Out and should finish close to $40-$45 million. It seems this could become Overture’s second biggest hit (Law Abiding Citizen with $73.3 million last year is their biggest hit to date).

Avatar comes down to 4th place once again and is now in its 11th weekend with $13.6 million and yet again the smallest drop in the top 10. The 3D gigantic hit has made $706.5 million in NA (passed $700 million on Saturday) and $2.54 billion worldwide. It also scored another first place internationally for the 11th time.

Percy Jackson is in 5th with $9.5 million while Valentine’s Day in 6th with $9 million.

Dear John and The Wolfman come in at $4.8 million and $4.2 million while Tooth Fairy just doesn’t want to fall out of the top 10 yet, this weekend with $3.4 million.

Finally and probably for the last time in the top 10, we have Crazy Heart. This R-rated drama that is bound to get Jeff Bridges an Oscar at the end of the week made $2.4 million and has now pasted $25 million in ticket sales, all of this on a budget of just $7 million.

March is upon us and next weekend Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland will strike the box office like a thunder and we’ll finally get the first genuine blockbuster of 2010, or so I think. More of that later this week (along with other big hitters of March-April).

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A Bruce Willis buddy comedy directed by Kevin Smith versus a George Romero horror remake? Yes, this are the new contenders at the box office this weekend. Unfortunately for both of them I expect Shutter Island to take the first place once again, here’s why.

Cop Out is an R-rated buddy comedy opening in a hefty 3150 theaters in North America starring Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan and Stiffler (his mom is not in this). Kevin Smith (Jersey Girl, Zack and Miri make a Porno) is given here a pretty high profile studio movie but unfortunately (at least based on the RT 20% fresh reviews) this doesn’t seem to be his best work (probably also because he did not write the screenplay, unlike previous projects). This being a comedy might help its cause at the box office but with the bad ratings, bad box office reputation of Kevin Smith and average at best previews, I don’t see a bright future for this one, not even a dim one. $15-$20 million opening weekend and $30-$40 million total.

The Crazies on the other hand looks much better and has a RT of 70% fresh with the consensus being: “Tence, nicely shot, and uncommonly intelligent, The Crazies is the rare horror remake that works”, big words for a horror remake. Unfortunately history has thought us that well reviewed horror movies don’t become box office success stories simply because they were well received (Drag me to Hell). This was directed by Breck Eisner (Sahara) and opens in 2476 theaters  staring Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell. An R-rating is usually a plus for this kind of flicks. While I’d like to see this movie do better, I don’t expect more then $10-$15 million opening weekend and around $30-$35 million at the end of its run.

The top 5 should look something like this:

1. Shutter Island (Paramont) $21M ($73.8M)
2. Cop Out (Warner Bros) $18M (NEW)
3. The Crazies (Overture) $14M (NEW)
4. Avatar (Fox) $11M ($703.9M)
5. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Fox) $9M ($70.4M)

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As expected, Shutter Island had no trouble debuting in first place this weekend at the NA box office according to BoxOfficeMojo.

The DiCaprio-Scorsese flick opened with $41 million in 2991 theaters for an above average debut for the psychological R-rated thriller genre. This is the best opening weekend ever for both DiCaprio and Scorsese.

In second place falling like a rock from last weekend with 70.4% was Valentine’s Day with $16.6 million for a total of $86.9 million.

Avatar was a very close third with $16.2 million and a now total of $687.9 million to add to the staggering $2.46 billion it has made worldwide in just 10 weeks.

Percy Jackson was down 51.2% with $15.2 million for fifth place and a total of $58.7 million. With a $95 million budget and $126 million worldwide so far I’d say Percy Jackson is on the right track and we might even see a sequel if it doubles that number.

The Wolfman fell 68.6% to $9.8 million and a total of $50.3 million on a $150 million budget. Could have been worse but I think a few people down at Universal aren’t to happy about this one.

Dear John continues to drop fast and is now at $7.1 million for a $65.8 million total. At this point I don’t see Dear John beating The Notebook ($81 million) anymore as the highest grossing Nicholas Sparks adaptation.

On the other hand Tooth Fairy continues to drop slowly with $4.3 million and a total of $49.7 million.

Crazy Heart goes up one spot from 9th to 8th place in its third week in the top 10. $2.9 million and a total of $21.5 million means this movie is a platform success.

Finally From Paris with Love and The Edge of Darkness round up the top 10 with $2.6 million and $2.2 million. John Travolta and Mel Gibson won’t be too happy with these movies since they kind of bombed, $21.3 million on a $52 million budget for John and $40.3 million on a $80 million budget for Mel. I bet they miss the good old days.

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Unlike a week ago, this weekend we only have one movie opening wide, Shutter Island. A Martin Scorsese film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and based on a best selling novel by author Dennis Lehane is probably enough for most people to want to check it out and more than enough to make it number one at the box office in NA at least for one weekend and maybe even two.

This is the 4th movie that Scorsese has made with DiCaprio and based on their track record ($77.8 million for Gangs of New York in 2002, $102.6 million for The Aviator in 2004 and $132.3 million for The Departed in 2006) it’s safe to say that Shutter Island will at least be a decent hit in the $100-$130 million region. With a reported production budget in the range of $65-$85 million it shouldn’t be to hard to make that back, so I say this will be a good investment for Paramount Pictures, 2991 theaters shows they know that.

On RottenTomatoes Shutter Island stands at a 67% with 91 fresh reviews and 44 rotten ones, good enough for the people that care for that sort of things, so another plus for this picture. The running time is a little long at 138 minutes but then again, The Departed was 150 minutes and it still did really well at the box office, so no harm there.

I think this movie will probably open in the $40-$50 million range, my best guess would be $44 million since it’s an R rated movie after all.

The rest of the pack should all have higher then usual drops because of the inflated Sunday that we had last weekend (Monday was Presidents’ Day in the US so a lot of people were free that day, basically Sunday acted like a second Saturday).

The top 5 should look something like this (and I really hope I’m closer this time then I was last weekend):

1. Shutter Island Paramont $44M (NEW)
2. Valentine’s Day WB $20.5M ($90.7M)
3. Avatar Fox $15.9M ($687.6M)
4. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lighting Thief Fox $15.4M ($58.8M)
5. The Wolfman Universal $12.6$ ($53M)

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It’s not difficult for the adept moviegoer to predict the direction Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island travels; the fun is in the ride. The Oscar-winning director has crafted a psychologically charged thriller that is as much about recapturing a classical style of filmmaking as it is a showcase for the acting talents of star Leonardo DiCaprio.

The plot is familiar enough: In 1954, a pair of “duly appointed federal marshals” (an irresistibly fun phrase to imitate with a Boston accent) arrive on Shutter Island to visit Ashcliffe, the federal mental hospital for the criminally insane. A woman named Rachel has vanished, and it’s up to Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) to find her. As a threatening storm places the island on lock down and Dr. Cowley (Sir Ben Kingsley) begins playing mind games with the marshals, Teddy must battle through delusions, drugs, and hysteria to discover the truth behind Rachel’s disappearance and relive his own horrific wartime experiences in the process.

Like I said: if you’ve seen the trailer, you know this movie is going to tackle the tried and true question, “what is real?” Thematically, the film this instantly reminded me of is Total Recall, the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick directed by Paul Verhoeven. Like that film, Shutter Island presents a world in which reality is called into question, and it’s our job as the audience to sift through the details and discover the truth for ourselves. Tonally, the movie reminds me more of an old Vincent Price film; the “trapped on an island” setup and mind games lend well to recapturing the claustrophobia of 1940′s film noir (Key Largo comes to mind). Scorsese’s style also fits this mold well – his use of close ups help to force the viewer in for a closer look (mirroring Teddy’s journey) and he employs quick cuts to keep the audience slightly uneasy and uncertain of anything they are seeing.

The score, an eerie mix of previously recorded songs, was put together by Scorsese’s frequent collaborator Robbie Robertson. Surprisingly, it works extremely well, providing an old school vibe that is overpowering at points. (The introduction to the island in the opening scene is fantastic.) But the uncomfortably loud volume (again, only at certain points) definitely served its purpose, driving the audience into their seats and cringing to escape the pulsating strings and deep orchestral tones. In Shutter Island, the score is used as yet another manipulation, keeping the viewer off balance and intensely aware of every detail.

For the sake of full disclosure, let it be known that I’m a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio – so take this next paragraph with a grain of salt. DiCaprio is my favorite actor working today, and his performance here was outstanding. The movie itself has a sort of B-movie vibe to it, not taking itself too seriously and allowing certain aspects (like Ben Kingsley’s performance) to be wonderfully over the top. DiCaprio’s performance, on the other hand, was as straight as an arrow. We needed him to be believable since everything on the island is questionable. He takes us on a personal journey and we can feel every emotion seething through him on the screen. We completely buy into his viewpoint, and Scorsese and Co. knew that the entire film rides on this performance. The actor is fairly selective about his film projects and always strives to push himself into a challenging role, and Teddy Daniels was different enough from other characters he’s played to meet his needs. If this movie was released back in October of 2009 as initially planned, we would most likely be discussing the battle between Jeff Bridges and Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor at the upcoming Academy Awards.

The cinematography is striking, avoiding cheap camera tricks in favor of a classical shooting style that retains suspense and simultaneously borders on beautiful. The disorienting aura surrounding Teddy’s flashbacks and slowly infiltrating his existence is translated skillfully through the camera, allowing us the luxury of an enjoyable ride even if we know (or at least suspect) where the path will end.

The script, written by Laeta Kalogridis and based on Dennis Lehane’s novel, is complex and layered, giving Teddy a solid arc and providing a captivating commentary about living with guilt. Teddy’s flashback sequences, both of his days as a soldier at the liberation of Dachau and memories of his deceased wife, are well placed throughout the movie’s run time. Small-but-solid parts for Jackie Earle Haley and Max von Sydow also add to the creepy and moody atmosphere.

Overall, Shutter Island is my favorite movie of the year so far. It’s tight, suspenseful, well-acted, well-directed, and well-shot. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Even if you think you’ve figured out the “twist” from the trailers, it’s still a joy to watch Scorsese give us a film that so wholly embraces its film noir roots and, as an added bonus, features DiCaprio’s most complex role in years. Until next time…

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DreamWorks has lauched a pretty cool campiagn on Twitter, where fans have a chance to ask both director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio questions about Shutter Island. In the film Leonardo DiCaprio plays one of two U.S marshals who are investigating the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane on an island in Massachusetts. Trouble arises when they are deceived by the hospital’s chief administrator. Then there is a hurricane which traps them on the island and then to top if off the inmates start rioting.

If you are interested in asking a question use the hashtags #AskLeo and #AskScorsese. For example, you could ask them both why they work with each other so much, and whether they are trying to beat Johnny Depp and Tim Burton in the collaboration department.

Their questions and answers will be weeked on Friday.

Below is a montage of Shutter Island that was shown at the Golden Globes after Scorsese won the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Shutter Island will be on February 19th.

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Shutter Island would have been released yesterday if Paramount didn’t push it back till next February, however in honour of the former release date they have provided the internet with a new trailer.

In the film Leonardo DiCaprio plays one of two U.S marshals who are investigating the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane on an island in Massachusetts. Trouble arises when they are deceived by the hospital’s chief administrator. Then there is a hurricane which traps them on the island and then to top if off the inmates start rioting. You know there won’t be much smiling from Leo in this film!

Shutter Island is Leonardo DiCaprio’s fourth outing with director Martin Scorsese after Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed, so we know this is going to be better than anything else released next February.

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