SCORSESE'S & DiCAPRIO'S 'SHUTTER ISLAND' TRAILER

Cover of Shutter Island: A Novel

Woo-hoo! The long anticipated trailer for Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel "Shutter Island" has finally hit the interbwebs.

Seems like a small departure for Scorsese - his first creepfest since "Cape Fear," the film centers on a U.S. Marshal named Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio in his fourth Marty picture) who travels to Shutter Island, a small island in Massachusetts’ Outer Harbor, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to find an escaped murderous patient in the Summer of 1954.

Here's the official plot:

“But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems. And neither is Teddy Daniels. Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumors of Ashecliffe’s radical approach to psychiatry? The closer Teddy and Chuck get to the truth, the more elusive it becomes, and the more they begin to believe that they may never leave Shutter Island. Because someone is trying to drive them insane...”

It looks pretty kick-ass. Enjoy

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BODY OF LIES: THE NEXT GREAT SPY FLICK

While the teaser trailer for "Body of Lies," debuted with "The Dark Knight," it didn't exactly give you an idea of what the film was about. Here's the new, extended trailer that's way better. And you gotta love how Leo is coming into his own as somewhat of a tough guy. First "Gangs of New York," "The Aviator," "The Departed" and the awesome "Blood Diamond," DiCaprio is hands down, one of the best actors in the game today.

As for "Body of Lies": Based on Washington Post columnist David Ignatius' 2007 novel about a CIA operative, Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), who uncovers a lead on a major terrorist leader suspected to be operating out of Jordan. When Ferris devises a plan to infiltrate his network, he must first win the backing of cunning CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) and the collegial, but perhaps suspect, head of Jordanian intelligence. Although ostensibly his allies, Ferris questions how far he can really trust these men without putting his entire operation - and his life - on the line.

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TARANTINO CHATS WITH PITT/DiCAPRIO

Variety reports that Quentin Tarantino is chatting with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt this week in regards to his upcoming WW2 epic "Inglorious Bastards."

Tarantino met with Brad Pitt in France on Tuesday to talk about the possibility of Pitt playing the key role of Aldo Raine. He'll talk with DiCaprio for the role of the villain Hans Landa on Thursday.

This is the first time either actor would be appearing in a Tarantino-helmed project which is currently seeking a co-financing partner to handle offshore territories. Shooting commences this Fall in Germany and France.

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'FLEMING' SCRIPT REVIEW

Last week, we told you about Leo DiCaprio starring in the Ian Fleming film biopic. Now, check out this mixed script review for "Fleming." Click HERE.

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LEO DiCAPRIO TO PLAY IAN FLEMING??

Slashfilm is reporting that Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way has acquired the rights to make "Fleming," a film biopic based on the life of British author and James Bond creator Ian Fleming.

The story would center on Fleming, who fought as a Commander of Naval Intelligence in World War II while creating 007 and the many characters from the novels. Scribe Damian Stevenson describes the film as “Shakespeare in Love or Finding Neverland with some real-life Bond-like espionage and female flattery thrown in.”

And while it has not been officially announced that DiCaprio would play Fleming, most insiders assume that Appian Way is developing the project as a starring vehicle for DiCaprio.

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LEARJET LIBERALS = HYPOCRITES!

Many of my hippie friends will surely disagree but I'm going to go on record and say I'm sick of hearing about all the "green" crap we should be doing. I get it. The planet is falling apart and I should use recycled toilet paper and brush my teeth with baking soda derived from tree bark from the Amazon.

It's bad enough I have to dissect my garbage between green glass, brown and clear glass. Plastics go in this bin; Newspapers and tin go over here. Ugh!!

The other thing I despise is that I'm being scolded by the likes of Leo DiCaprio, Brangelina, Sting et al. about how I can make the world a better place while they're all jet setting like '60s-era shagadelic swingers in their learjets.

The Daily Mail in London did a superb job of calling out these learjet libs and showing them for the frauds that they are.

To read the rest of the piece, click HERE.

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FOURTH TIME'S A CHARM

Variety reports that Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio will reteam yet again early next year on the flick "Shutter Island," a Laeta Kalogridis-scripted adaptation of the Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River," "Gone Baby Gone").

Set in 1954, the drama is set in 1954, with DiCaprio in final talks to play U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.

The Paramount and Sony Pictures co-production is being rushed forward for a March start of shooting. Filming will take place in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Nova Scotia.

The duo's first joint effort was "Gangs of New York," followed by "The Aviator," and then last year's "The Departed." All of the films were nominated for Oscars in one capacity or another with "The Departed" snagging a statuette for Best Picture.

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MANN/DiCAPRIO TO DEVELOP L.A. NOIR (HOW AWESOME)

Is there any film genre better -- no, make that cooler than "L.A. Noir?"

The Lounge loves it since it oozes with hepcat '30s and '40s atmosphere. A great time period for films or books -- men were men and the dames who wore cocktail dresses didn't show off their tramp stamps.

People, even the schlubby ones, got dressed up to perform the most menial of tasks.

There were milkmen.

Big band, swing, jazz and jump blues were all in the air. The cars were sweet, large masses of chrome and steel. Palm trees everywhere.

The City of Angels was an untapped land of promise. L.A. - its diverse, lush cityscape and various ethnicities was the newfound promised land that people flocked to in order to start over. Pre-Vegas.

It was the land of 'The Pictures," their studios, and a plethora of flavorful characters both on-celluloid and off. Chandler knew it. And no, I don't mean Mathhew Perry's prissy bastard from "Friends." If you have to ask "Chandler who?," Hemingway's Lounge is perhaps not for you. Of late, scribe James Ellroy hold the patent on "L.A. Noir" and has written mucho prose with it as a backdrop.

So, I'm jazzed whenever a new L.A. Noir flick comes out. Last year gave us "The Black Dahlia" and the awesome "Hollywoodland."

Here's the great news, however: Variety reports that director Michael Mann recently delivered a pitch for his next film, an L.A. Noir. It's to be written by "Gladiator" and "The Aviator" scribe John Logan and takes place on the old MGM backlot circa 1930s.

Now ... one of my favorite thesps, Leonardo DiCaprio, is said to play its main character, a shamus -- or rather, a P.I. -- that studio chiefs once relied on to clean up the scandals created by its stars. The rags today are NOTHING compared to the scandal sheets of yore.

Anyway, Leo's snoop is hired to investigate whether a starlet murdered her husband. One highlight of the film has a shootout unfolding in the Trocadero nightclub on Sunset Boulevard with such yesteryear celebs showing up like Judy Garland and Bugsy Siegel. How cool? Although, it's my belief there's never really been a good Bugsy on screen. Ray Sharkey came close in "The Neon Empire" but it wasn't Bugsy, just a character based on him. I digress...

New Line is said to have made an offer for $100 million, but Sony, Paramount and Fox are said to be circling like vultures. Cameras are set to roll next February.
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If you want to brush up on your L.A. Noir, the feel of the era or just cool Cali period films, check out some of these benchmarks:

"Sunset Blvd."
"Chinatown"
"Maltese Falcon"
"Ask the Dust"
"The Bad and the Beautiful"
"Barton Fink"
"The Last Tycoon"
"Mullholland Falls"

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