It's hard to say whether this is good news or bad news, but Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island has moved its US release date from October to next February. That puts it out of Oscar contention - at least for this year - and leaves a big hole in everyone's "most likely to win" lists.
Paramount chief Brad Grey said that the move was down to a wish to "remain flexible and willing to recalibrate and adapt to a changing environment" given that the company's slate was "greenlit in a very different economic climate". He says that this move will "maximize our overall success" and is the best move for the film as well as the studio.
One thing everyone's saying is that there are no problems with the film - it's tested well, and isn't terribly long at around 2 hours - but explanations for the move are a little obscure otherwise. One source that Finke quotes suggests that the move is down to Paramount's tight marketing budget, which won't allow them to promote the picture thoroughly for an awards run; another says it's a question of DVD sales; another that it's DiCaprio's commitments elsewhere (presumably filming Inception) which would keep him from doing the publicity tour that this sort of film requires.
In any case, the message is: don't worry, but do settle in for a wait. Since the UK release date is very likely to follow the US one, expect to see this early next spring.