Shutter Island Press Conference from HeyUGuys.co.uk on Vimeo.

A few weeks ago, I went off to a rather swanky hotel where the director and the stars of Shutter Island were ready for a press conference that would tell us everything we needed to know about the new movie. The rather exciting thing was that the director was Martin Scorsese and the stars were Leonardo DiCaprio and Sir Ben Kingsley!

During the interview, we get to find out a bit more about how the psychological thriller affected DiCaprio outside of the movie and also get to see how well Martin Scorsese actually knows his movies!

Shutter Island is released in UK cinemas this Friday 12th March and also stars  Mark Ruffalo, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams and Jackie Earle Haley. You can check out Gary’s review here or the trailer here.

Thursday 11th March, 03:15 PM JST

The onetime Oscar winner had everyone in the restaurant staring at her…but it wasn’t for what you think.

“First of all, her face looked great,” says a surprised witness nearby. “She wasn’t wearing much makeup, and it looked really natural and glowing.”

Get. Out.

Adds our lunch lurker:

“The reason why I couldn’t stop looking at her was because I thought she rode her horse to the hotel.”

Uh…come again?

“She was wearing riding boots, leggings and a navy blue sweater vest with a polo shirt underneath,” describes our fashion-conscious source. “She also wore a newsboy cap with her hair tucked up underneath. I thought she was a male server at first.”

So is the equestrian look in fashion now or something?

“The boots sound fine, but the rest of the outfit sounds like an over-the-top no-no,” says fashion expert Sydne Summer over at mystyle, fresh from New York Fashion Week. “A bunch of designers showed equestrian looks for this spring, but nothing too crazy. The shows were quite literal, but again it was haute couture.”

More Nic dirt:

“She looked really thin, too,” adds our insider at the Beverly Hills Hotel. “She was just drinking what looked like tea.”

No surprise there. This is Beverly Hills, darlings. But is life with randy Keith Urban getting a little, how shall we say, trying for Ms. K? So much so that the gal’s acting out by wearing loco fashions? Hmmm. Let’s keep an eye on this one.

One guy getting his eat on far more chill-like over the weekend was…

Leonardo DiCaprio, who was grabbing brunch at Hugo’s with a party of about four.

The Shutter Island star kept his glasses and signature hat on inside the delish eatery, and—get this—the stud-muffin actually had to wait for a table! Too fab. Leo was looking slightly puffy…but we have a soft spot for L.D., so we’ll just blame it on some poor clothing choices.

DiCaprio was with a couple of girls, but we seriously doubt this was a walk-of-shame-type brunch. Leo was spotted at the Weinstein party at Soho House later that night with on-off girlfriend Bar Refaeli by his sexy side.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/the_awful_truth/b170774_caught_nicole_kidman_gets_back_on_her.html#ixzz0htviuXsf

Mar-9-10 6:48pm

Getty Images

What better pair to draw a crowd to an Oscars after party than cougars extraordinare Demi Moore and Madonna? The two coupled up to host one of the hottest bashes of the year Sunday night, with 300 famous guests, a dance floor and yummy Indian food to boot.

Madonna and Demi play hostesses (People.com)
A source said, “This turned out to be the party that everyone wanted to be at.”

According to People.com, Madonna danced the night away and chatted with Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe, while Moore boogied with her husband Ashton Kutcher. Diddy played DJ, and he clearly knows how to work the crowd: He stopped the music until Anderson Cooper agreed to bust a move, and Cooper quickly obliged.

Also noteworthy: New couple Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper were cozy all night and even stuck around until 4 am. Adorable duo Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem were also around, along with Lady Gaga and Leonardo DiCaprio. Sounds like a night to remember!

Also on Zimbio:

Highlights from the 2010 Oscars

Check out some of the most memorable moments from the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

Best and Worst Dressed at the 2010 Academy Awards

The big question is not if ‘The Hurt Locker’ will upset ‘Avatar’, but if Zoe Saldana was better dressed than Sandra Bullock.

By Daniel Kilkelly, Entertainment Reporter

 

Home and Away star Todd Lasance has named Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio as his biggest inspiration.

The 25-year-old, who filmed his final scenes as Summer Bay’s Aden Jefferies last year, revealed that he would love to follow in DiCaprio’s footsteps as he aims to launch a Stateside career.

In an interview with the soap’s official website, Lasance commented: “My favourite actor has always been Leonardo DiCaprio, so most of his films are the sort of genre I aspire to.

“Blood Diamond is a movie I was obsessed with. I think I’ve watched it about 48,000 times. I love war films though, like Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan, and period pieces too, like Gladiator.

“I like pretty much anything to do with the military so if I can get in a Blood Diamond-y type war film, that’s where I’d like to be. But anything with DiCaprio in I’ll be fine!”

Lasance first discussed his Hollywood ambitions last year, vowing to “put in 20 years over there” if necessary.

The actor is currently committed to a role in mini-series Cloudstreet, an adaptation of Tim Winton’s novel of the same name.

/Film Shane T informs us that in the February issue of Empire Magazine, there is a very brief mention of Inception in the “On-Set Preview” section, where it states that writer/director Christopher Nolan came up with the idea for the movie when he was only 16 years old. Crazy…

Secondly, Playlist has also reprinted a quote Nolan gave the magazine which further confirms the leaked plot line from last year:

“Basically the film deals with levels of reality, and perceptions of reality which is something I’m very interested in. Its an action film set in a contemporary world, but with a slight science-fiction bent to it. Cobb [Leonardo DiCaprio's character], who is the center of things and expert in a particular technology that the film revolves around, has put this team around him [Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon Levitt]. It’s very much an ensemble film structured somewhat as a heist movie. It’s an action adventure that spans the globe.”

And lastly, star Leonardo Dicaprio was recently interviewed by movies.ie where he was asked about Inception, and answered:

“I can tell you it’s about two hours long, give or take,” DiCaprio smiles. “Anything more than that, and Chris has vowed to have me strung up by my tongue…”

Read more: New Inception Tidbits: Plot Details Confirmed, Running Time and Conception | /Film http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/03/10/new-inception-tidbits-plot-details-confirmed-running-time-and-conception/#ixzz0httXaAkW

Let the word: Di Caprio is not the most adored star of the world. Accuracy: it is no longer the star’s most adored by teenagers. This age, known to be ungrateful, replaced posters with those of Leo Zac Efron and Robert Pattison. Di Caprio is also delighted. At 35, he no longer feels any pressure and proves that unlike some actors and actresses, it is possible for Hollywood to start young and to improve with age, without any scandal. In recent years, Di Caprio has found roles commensurate with his talent. Dramatic roles for most, thanks to Martin Scorsese, has since become his mentor. Di Caprio replaces Robert De Niro, even if both players are close. They are also Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert De Niro who delivered together, the price Cecil B. Thousand Martin Scorsese at the last ceremony of the Golden Globes.
It seems that since Scorsese collaborates with Di Caprio, his films become more profitable. Is this a good thing? Neither the actor nor the director can ask the question. Shutter Island, their new film breaks all records at box office. Shutter Island is the only faithful adaptation of the novel of the same name, written by Dennis Lehane. I must admit that it is impossible to explain Shutter Island. We must see it to feel. And I confess that I am not alone in this case. I will just “pitch” the movie.
In Shutter Island, two cops played by Di Caprio and the excellent Mark Ruffalo landed on a small island to shed light on the mysterious disappearance of a patient confined in a psychiatric hospital. They are welcomed by doctors who seem to hide something important. A storm forced the 2 police officers to stay a few more days. Very quickly, they will face the demons of the past.

Ramzy: How can we talk about this movie without revealing the plot?
Leonardo Di Caprio: It’s interesting because I never know quite where to start and where to stop. But that’s what Scorsese wanted. Martin wanted an emotional journey for the viewer. A sort of roller coaster where psychological does not even know what to feel at the end of the film. When you look at the trailer, we see that Shutter Island was sold as a psychological thriller in the Hitchcock. This is the case, but Scorsese has focused on painting a canvas. That of human nature. He concentrated mainly on the characters’ emotions. There’s suspense in this film, but it is above all an exploration. This was the case in other films he has made. I think Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, for example. Both films particularly deal with the dark side of humanity and this, of course, puts us sometimes uncomfortable. With Shutter Island, the public expects something but when viewers go to the movies, they will see something completely different.

Ramzy: Tell me about your relationship with Martin Scorsese.
Leonardo Di Caprio: I’ll try to be brief. I know I could talk for hours! Since I’m young, I always wanted to be an actor and meet a teacher and a mentor like him. It is great. He taught me to watch movies with an artistic approach. It is a true film historian. Being around him is guaranteed to have an immense source of information. It has references and know who constantly inspire. Even his own films are a source of inspiration for him. When he embarked on a new project, the night he dreams of several scenes from movies he has seen. Then he will see the film to try to understand why he has dreamed. What is extraordinary is the fact that we are at his side during this process. And believe me, take the train Scorsese on and jump into the water. But you learn so much. I’m so lucky to have already made four films with him. I’d do a thousand more if I could. Scorsese has such knowledge and a look so special on film. I’m never tired.

Ramzy: Your character in the film smokes like a fireman. You still smoke?
Leonardo Di Caprio: No, I quit smoking. I smoke cigars occasionally, but I stopped smoking cigarettes and I am very proud. I must admit that it was very difficult to stop. I read lots of books on the subject. It was really hard because you’re really dependent on the cigarette. I recommend to all those who smoke to quit. It’s been a year and a half now that I stopped. I want the blow by making gaffe that I eat and taking exercise. But hey, never too much! (laughs …) When I do a movie, I’m just me but when I do not run, I let myself go a little.

Ramzy: Are you aware? Titanic is not the biggest success in the history of cinema. What do you feel?
Leonardo Di Caprio: First, I congratulate the team at Avatar. Frankly, I did not watch the figures closely before anyone speaks. I take my hat and I hope they will make more money. For me, Titanic offered me a huge opportunity because my name was attached. I was able to fund other movies with that. But Titanic was his little way. It’s always like that. There will be other films in the future that will beat new records. The film grows before our eyes and it’s great. I really liked Avatar, it was a unique experience as a spectator. I’ve never seen anything like this. James Cameron has created a virtual world in which we are completely absorbed and which we believe is very hard to do. I told them: “Bravo”.

Ramzy: We come back to your biography. Do you remember your first role?
Leonardo Di Caprio: I am not here by accident, I always wanted to be an actor. I was lucky in doing This Boy’s Life with Robert De Niro, and Gilbert Grape with Johnny Depp. These two films allowed me to play great characters. I remember shooting Gilbert Grape. Lasse Halstrom, director, let me really do whatever I wanted, even post a monster mess on set to play a character full of emotions and reacts spontaneously to what is happening. Since I’ve never confined to a particular course of action. With each new film, I become a kid again. While people talk about serious things, have fun. Cinema is our playground Generally, when playing a character, always fit the story or situation. It is our responsibility, especially when interpreting the main character. But not having the pressure of this responsibility, you can not know how it frees me. I can not even describe it. When one commits to a movie, it must carry the audience along. But when you have the chance to do what you want is very different.

Ramzy: You have 35 years. How you see things now?
Leonardo Di Caprio: All is well! I will not go into details of my life but the last two films I made were very difficult. I just turned 35. It is time to take things seriously. I want to make sure that whatever I do, it will be for good reasons. We’ll see where it leads me. I will not go into details because I am not sure myself what I mean! (laughter …). I was very lucky, I could do many things, but regarding my work, I am never satisfied. I think there are always other good films to do and other experiments. I do not know what I’ll do next, but I want to invest myself more in charity. Giving to others fills me with something weird. More and more it gives you a feeling of doing something important for the Earth or for men. It’s something I realized recently. It encourages me to take my decisions and responsibilities that I have vis-à-vis charities. It is in this sense that I will continue.

Shutter Island accomplished a feat this weekend. It beat out Kevin Smith’s 80’s buddy cop throw back Cop Out and George Romero remake The Crazies. Critics were not kind to Shutter Island. Audiences that previewed the film agreed. Things weren’t looking so great for Scorsese and DiCaprio.

Yet when the numbers were calculated at the end of the weekend and Shutter Island found itself triumphantly at the top of the heap. Total ticket sales for the weekend were 22.2 million. Total ticket sales for the movie in its ten day run equal 75.1 million.

Which goes to show a point I like make again and again, the power of social media. It seems that Shutter Island has been bolstered by word of mouth. Although many lambasted the movie it’s gained a following and people are telling others to go and see it. Putting the film on track to be a blockbuster at a time when other R rated films have done poorly.

So can we relay on the critics? As with everything it has to be taken with a grain of salt. It really comes down to what you value and why you are going to the movies. Something the studios are always trying to predict. I really enjoy the website Rotten Tomatoes because it gives you an idea on how good a movie is on the aggregate review by critics but also those of users. Both are made available for viewing to visitors of the site.

I feel there should be a word of mouth component too. Integrate the reviews on twitter, facebook, digg , youtube and other popular platforms. Perhaps even give people a ratio between the critics rating and the rating of the audience as culled from these sources..That way we can see how closely they really match. Just another factor that might help us movie fanatics make decisions about what we want to see based on our own values.

Shutter Island deserves its box office win because of the choice of the people. We vote with our dollars and at least for this week the movie is a winner. Hopefully in the future websites like Metacentric and Rotten Tomatoes will adapt to new social media outlets to help up make better decisions with our money.

 You can join the discussion on this issue with other readers right here: http://entertainment.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978074697&nav=Groupspace

ENJOY!!

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1966869_2078933,00.html#ixzz0hbqYRrsd

But like a short-track speed skater at the Winter Olympics, the studio showed that when it came to releasing a movie, it wasn’t how you started but how you finished. The postponement to a date that was relatively open — and got more open after Lionsgate moved “From Paris With Love” — proved a prescient move. 

Most box-office experts had estimated that a $35-million opening would be the benchmark for success. As it was, the $40-million figure marked the biggest opening for either Scorsese or DiCaprio, the latter of whom had previously broken the $30-million mark only once, with the conman dramedy “Catch Me If You Can” seven years ago. (Perhaps also propitiously, Paramount delayed the release to a time on the calendar when much of the country was still plunged in the stormy weather seen in the film.)

Although “Shutter Island” didn’t come close to the $56.4 million that “Valentine’s Day” earned over three days last weekend, it did rival the $41 million of “Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail” (2009) for the second-biggest February opening in three years — and for an R-rated film, no less. (Paramount also earned $9.1 million internationally from an assortment of global territories, including Spain, Russia and the Netherlands.)

Paramount touted its ability to attract a female audience that doesn’t typically come out to genre films (though does come out more often than it used to). Indeed, moviegoers were split almost evenly between men and women, as the profile of DiCaprio helped boost the “Shutter Island” numbers among women. The Scorsese pedigree was also likely part of the reason older viewers came out to the thriller in droves, as the numbers were also evenly split between filmgoers older and younger than 25.

But although the film’s opening will likely boost the argument that genre movies increasingly appeal to both genders and a range of ages, it might just come down to the calendar.

“The Departed,” the blockbuster that marked Scorsese and DiCaprio’s most fruitful collaboration, earned only $26 million in its opening weekend, but it was up against two releases aimed at men, the Dane Cook comedy “Employee of the Month” and the reboot of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Neither of those films broke any box-office records, but they did combine to take in nearly $30 million that weekend.

This weekend, on the other hand, there were almost no movies aimed at a young male audience — the only one playing widely (besides “Avatar”) was “The Wolfman,” the disappointing revival of the classic monster movie, which didn’t even make it to the $10-million mark. (Of course, one could argue that “Shutter Island” not only benefited from “Wolfman’s” weak opening but also contributed to it.) And even women didn’t turn out in such high numbers to see their preferred vehicle of last weekend, “Valentine’s Day,” as the film dropped 69%.

“Shutter Island” will face some competition next weekend from Kevin Smith’s male-oriented comedy “Cop Out.” But with women still coming — and Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” not opening for another weekend — expect another strong showing from Scorsese et al. Sometimes it pays to be an island.

Here are the top 10 movies at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates and Hollywood.com:

1. “Shutter Island” (Paramount): Opened to $40.2 million domestically and just over $9 million internationally from a smattering of foreign territories over the weekend.

2. “Valentine’s Day” (Warner Bros./New Line): Grossed $17.2 million in its second weekend of release with a drop of 69% from last weekend’s holiday opening. Domestic total: $88 million.

3. “Avatar” (Fox/Dune/Ingenious): $16.1 million in its 10th week of a release as the James Cameron movie hits $688 million domestically. A $51-million gross in foreign territories puts its international box office at $1.78 billion.

4. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” (Fox/Dune/Ingenious): Grossed $15.3 million for a drop of 51% in its second weekend of release. The film earned $23 million overseas for a domestic total of $58.8 million and a foreign total of $67.8 million.

5. “The Wolfman” (Universal/Relativity): $9.8-million gross and a 69% drop, resulting in a domestic total that reaches $50.3 million for a production that cost more than $100 million.

6. “Dear John” (Sony/Relativity): $7.7 million in its third weekend of release for a drop of 52%. Domestic total: $66.3 million.

7. “The Tooth Fairy” (Fox/Walden): $4.5 million as it enters its second month of release. Domestic total: $49.8 million.

8. “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight): $2.9 million in its 10th weekend. Domestic total: $21.5 million.

9. “From Paris With Love” (Lionsgate/Europa): $2.5 million in its third weekend, a 54% drop from an under-performing second weekend. Domestic total: $21.2 million.

10. “Edge of Darkness” (Warner Bros./GK Films): $2.2 million in its fourth weekend, down 54%. Domestic total: $40.3 million.

– Steven Zeitchik