Shutter Island Moved To 2010

SHOCK. That's my response. This was a film I was really looking forward to, and now it seems we'll all have to wait until February 2010 to see it.

Paramount has moved the Martin Scorsese thriller from its original October 2nd release date, which would have put the film in a prime spot for awards consideration. This is apparently the issue. Paramount already has two major Oscar contenders slated for release this year, Jason Reitman's Up in the Air and Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, and has decided to cut back expenses by pushing back Shutter Island and nixing its awards campaign all together.

I don't understand it, quite honestly. The film looked like a winner, with a cast and crew that certainly would have drawn a lot of buzz. Martin Scorsese. Leonardo DiCaprio. Patricia Clarkson. Michelle Williams. Ben Kingsley. Jackie Earle Haley. Seems strange.

I'm hoping against hope this isn't an indication that Shutter Island is not as good as it looks. Who knows, though. Paramount obviously sees more potential in other ponies this year. What a disappointment.

The Cast of Inception

We know next-to-nothing about Christopher Nolan's follow up to last year's smash The Dark Knight, Inception, a fact which may or may not be remedied with this Friday's release of the teaser trailer. Teasers for Nolan's films are some of the few that actually tease, showing us very little of the plot.

What we do know, though, is that Inception boasts a killer cast. Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are the four headliners. Oddly enough they all have some pretty major projects out this year. Shutter Island. Public Enemies. Nine. Whip It. (500) Days of Summer.

Other members of the cast include Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Ken Watanabe, and Tom Hardy.

Lots of big names. It's not surprising, after The Dark Knight's crazy success at the box office and Heath Ledger's Oscar win, that stars are lining up to work with him. The long list of A-listers in Inception will only bolster already high expectations for Nolan's next. Here's hoping the film lives up to them.

Side note: Am I the only one hoping that Nolan and Cotillard hit it off big time? Like, big enough for her to be cast as Catwoman in the next Batman film?