Shutter Island, Snow (still), and Udolpho

Unless it involves Fox Mulder, Harry Potter, or fantastic animation that will enchant The Grands (Cars, Up, Monster House), we rarely make the 100 mile round trip to see first run movies (there is a theater, and a functioning drive-in screen in my town, but the movies are usually second, third, or even fourth run). I make an exception for movies based on books written by people I know.

I know Dennis Lehane.

In fact, I've known Dennis since the mid-90's, when we shared an editor at Avon. I made the trek to see Mystic River when it came out (and was blown away). And yesterday, we went to see Shutter Island.

The story is complex and dark and heart breaking and intense, and still has flashes of wonderful humor (like all of his books). Martin Scorsese directed the film version of Shutter Island, and he did an excellent job translating the convoluted story to the screen.

I'm not going to review the movie (a quick Google will give you plenty of reviews, I'm sure), but I will say that it's not a horror story (despite the trailers), though there is plenty non-paranormal horror involved in US Federal Marshall Teddy Daniel's quest to find an inmate who has escaped from an island asylum for the criminally insane (it's set in the 50's- so we can say asylum, inmate, and criminally insane and not worry about the PC Police).

Leonardo DiCaprio, as Teddy, is wonderful, the setting is perfect, and the film is beautiful to watch.

Before we went a-movieing, I sledded down some man-made snow mountains with The Grands. I also wrenched my shoulder which reminded me that I may be too old for sledding (the ticket booth kid at the theater thinks so too- she gave me the senior ticket discount without asking. I checked this morning, and the discount kicks in at age 65... sigh...).

We didn't have to go anywhere to find snow mountains- we have plenty right in our own yard.

And finally, there are still no mysteries in The Mysteries of Udolpho, though I'm noticing vague hints of one, and Emily (our intrepid heroine), keeps fainting, so I think we may get to something interesting soon.