Sucker Punch

The film Sucker Punch (2011) is an Action/Fantasy/Thriller following a young girl, nicknamed Baby Doll (Emily Browning). Her mother has recently passed away, and she and her younger sister fear for their lives knowing their stepfather is in control. When he discovers the inheritence is left to the children, he attacks Baby Doll- getting nowhere- and turns on her younger sister, killing her. Step daddy blames Baby Doll and sends her away to Lennox House for the Mentally Insane. In the asylum, he bribes Blue Jones (Oscar Isaac), who operates the establishment, to have her lobotomized. It'll take five days for the Doctor to arrive, but Jones will forge the on-staff doctor, Vera Gorski's (Carla Gugino) signature, for the procedure. In the asylum, Baby Doll witnesses an act in "The Theatre" in which Gorski tells another girl to relax, and surrendor to a safe place in her head. Watching, Baby Doll does just that, and finds herself in a fantasy world in which she's been taken to an underground Brothel, very much like the asylum, with all the same girls, but instead, her virginity has been sold to the high ruler, and she must learn to dance to gain his notice and money. Blue serves as pimp for the girls, and Gorski is their instructor. The girls, Baby Doll comes to know, as the friendly Rocket (Jena Malone), her older sister- and not so friendly- Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Asian-American Amber (Jamie Chung), and black-haired, sex kitten, Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens). When Gorski tells her to dance, the music sends her reeling into a deeper fantasy realm, where Gorski tells her she has all the weapons she needs; so fight. A man narrates her quest for destiny, giving her a sword and guns to use, and the battle against three giant, robot Samaris begins. But within all these fantasies, there really is a Baby Doll in some form of peril... and how far can those bounds of reality be pushed before real pain breaks the surface of the imagined?

This film was written and directed by Zach Snyder, who's infamous for such works as Watchmen and 300. Snyder came up with the original story himself before he made Watchmen, actually, but postponed the project to work on Watchmen first. Later, he took writing help from Steve Shibuya, who's first writing credit is Sucker Punch. Most of the same team used in Watchmen was used in Sucker Punch for their work in Visual Effects. Warner Bros took the script from Snyder with open arms, declaring that they were completely supportive- despite the R-feeling of a PG-13 movie- after the success they had gained from Snyder for Watchmen. Boy were they in for a surprise.

Let me begin by saying that this film was ripe with stunning visuals- not just the effects, but the make up, the costumes, the set design and pieces, and of course the effects themselves, explosions, jumps, choreographed action and dance, etc. This film was visually A material. My critique toward the visuals? Too many slow motion scenes. The movie is 120 minutes long exactly... probably would have been 90 without all the slow motion walking, jumping, looking, realizing, etc. We get it. Some things look good in real time too, guys. Let's go. The soundtrack was the second most notably great thing about Sucker Punch. I love listening to a classic in a new way (as long as it isn't filled with suck). The soundtrack had me at the opening with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," owned by The Eurythmics, but sung by Emily Browning herself, and not badly I might add. It continued to grab me through its remix of Bjork's "Army of Me," Jefferson Airplane's classic, "White Rabbit," and the mashup of "I Want It All/We Will Rock You." The soundtrack was nearly perfect, and I think you could only cut it up if you were really trying to.

Unfortunately, not to piss on the parade, that is where the good abruptly stops and turns into a carnal wasteland of, "What the fuck did I just watch?" For a while afterward, I wasn't even sure whether or not I liked it. The soundtrack and visual appeal were so good and strong, and everything else was SO bad that I was truly conflicted. How could it be that those groups of people never met and TALKED? It's like being a beautiful, gorgeous woman with face face face, body-yoddy-oddy, a BEAUTIFUL singing voice... and no brain, in complete bitchmode, and a case of "Wait, where was I going with this?" Yeah. That about sums it up.

The writing was ABYSMAL. Snyder, why would you consult a man with no writing credits on a film with themes like THIS?! Should've tried to reach Christopher Nolan, maybe? With themes like Mental Illness, the existance of multiple realities and the effects of those realities on ourselves and others, combined with Innocence and Lust, Honor and Action, and Self-Awareness... how the fuck could you let that fall so far behind??!?!?!? This film had POTENTIAL as a paragraph idea. And Snyder, you blew it, dude. I see where this could and should have gone. But it seems almost as if he wanted it to be this really intricate, detailed, mindfuck of a movie... and then saw this beautiful set and said, "Ya know, it's not really working the way I thought, but damn. Isn't it pretty?" Okay, Snyder? The beauty of Avatar is forever remembered. BECAUSE WE COULD UNDERSTAND THE MOVIE. All of the emotion in the movie made sense- it was cliche... but it made sense. I never questioned motives, or the "realness" of what was happening within the fantasy world-- probably because it was Disney's Pocahontas goes Blue Man Group in the Jungle. But it's a fucking Award Winner. I bet Sucker Punch won't be. BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN. Way to make the Original Screenplays look bad.

I've heard that some reviews are blaming the believability fail on emotion on the actors? I disagree. I feel that there was only so much they COULD have done with what was on the page. They can't make up action or dialogue that simply isn't there, in large part. I don't blame the actors, I blame the writer/director, himself. This script has plot holes, and pot holes, and explosion holes, and holes in the neck of a dragon-- and oh look, crystals! It's very, very hard to stay into this film. I watched the entire thing as if I was in a dream, and that's not what films generally do for me. But I HAD to watch it that way, otherwise all the broken plot lines and missing threads pulled away too much to enjoy what I was looking at. But, dreams frequently take a wrong turn and we stick with it. So to me, it was a $12.50 dream. Usually mine are free?

Would I recommend this to a friend... yeah. Depends on the friend, but I went with three other people, and the spectrum of reactions was alarmingly different. One person completely hated, would never watch it again. My friend and I were on the fence, and the fourth person loved it. My boyfriend's seeing it tonight, and I think he'll probably love it as well. I think with a film like Sucker Punch the audience it appealed to COULD have been huge... but now it's only really going to be enjoyed by followers of this type of film, instead of many. I don't think I'll be purchasing this film when it comes out (I mean, possibly for the beauty of it) but I'll probably acquire the soundtrack, one way or the other, because it was really well-done.

Animal Kingdom

The film Animal Kingdom (2010) is an Australian film, centering around an 18-year-old boy, Joshua- or "J"- (James Frecheville) who's mother has just passed away from a heroin overdose. The paramedics come and take her away as J watches Family Feud on the television, hardly aware of her death, it seems. He calls his estranged grandmother, Janine (Jacki Weaver) since he has no idea what to do about funeral processions, and she invites J to move in with her. He's still in school, and he does so, getting himself introduced into her lifestyle. She has three sons who stick close by her loving side, Darren, the youngest, (Luke Ford), Craig, the middle brother, (Sullivan Stapleton) and Andrew- or "Pope" as he likes to be called- is the eldest, suspected of armed robbery (Ben Mendelsohn). Craig is a pusher for heroin in the small town where they live, with Darren following his lead as he chooses, and Pope is on the lamb, hiding out from a gang of renegade detectives. J stays out of their business as much as he can, but Craig wants to help his brother, Pope. It's that very generosity that gets him shot by the same detective gang, leaving his young wife a widow with their child. Pope moves back in with Janine, and J goes to stay with his girlfriend, Nicole (Laura Wheelwright), though her parents aren't thrilled about it. Before he knows what's what, his uncles are pushing him to shut up while the police urge him to let them in on the details. His uncles have killed a squad car of two officers to get back at them for their assault, and J is mixed up in it. He wants to protect Nicole, and himself, but how far can he go in either direction before he's bound to get hurt- or hurt somebody else?

This film is loosely based on events taking place in 1988 in Melbourne, Australia. The script, written by the director, David Michôd, was originally entitled J, and explored the underground workings of Melbourne, focusing on the workings of a crime family, the Pettingills, and the Walsh Street Police Shootings. A fellow producer, Liz Watts saw a lot of potential in his draft, but argued that it lacked structure and deeper characterization. he agreed, and spent time working on a number of drafts until this one was finally produced and developed into film. This film received 18 nominations from the Australian film board, and an Oscar for Jacki Weaver as Best Supporting Actress. In total, the film has received 32 nominations, and 10 wins.

This film shocked me as far as quality goes. There wasn't an aspect of it that I didn't feel was up to par. The cinematography was gritty, yet clear and exciting. The shots were well placed and interestingly set. The writing definitely stood out to me, even from the first three scenes, which is great to be able to detect in a visual piece, because it's so behind the scenes. But the direction was very precise and wonderfully executed. The score also stood out to me as being memorable, dramatic, and strangely appropriate for an Australian film, though I cannot imagine why I feel that way. It all just worked really well.

Critiques I'd make on the writing would have to go firstly to the voice over done by J. In first act of the film, he lets us into his head, building him as a character who may not be able to- or even want to- speak his mind. We get a taste of how he really feels when no one else is watching, and I liked it, but wasn't sure it was needed. After that moment, we don't go into J's head again. That stood out to me upon finishing the movie as being a way for the writer to expose information for a brief moment with no follow through, which doesn't have to be the case. Just include a couple more blurbs of J's thoughts and then we're with him more often- which I genuinely would have LIKED because there is something socially not right with J and he never speaks, really, or seems to have much knowledge on etiquette. The voice overs would have helped me to figure him out a lot more, but I stand by that they should have been expanded upon or dropped-- it's the same way with flashbacks. Don't have one all of a sudden, and then no more, ever. That spells "cop out." Make it a theme, or make it gone.
The characters in this piece were reeeeally good and interesting, though. I've never heard of Liz Watts, but KUDOS, girl, for telling the writer to make them bigger, better, and awesome because to me that's one of the greatest strengths of the film, and the reason I'd like to own it. Their motivations are all unique and really strong.

This is definitely a drama that borders on some weird maternal sexual tension, as well as sexual tension between an older man and a younger girl, and a feeling of isolation from a character who doesn't speak, as well as the overwhelming feeling of us vs them about cops and drug lords, something that every country is familiar with, and it makes the film universal even though it's in Australia. I enjoyed every minute of it, and never found it to be boring. For a movie over two hours long, it doesn't drag on to me. Like I mentioned earlier, the score was really intricate and interesting, and I'd love to hear more from composer, Anthony Partos, who did a large part of the soundtrack. It really was well constructed and it's sticking with me. I say, watch it. There's something in it for a lot of people as far as I'm concerned-- but a word to the wise, it DOES border on uncomfortable. So don't expect a "feel good" after effect. It doesn't take you where you want to fall asleep.

Checking In...

Hey guys.

It's been a long time since I posted, yes. For the first week, I was away for Spring Break and wanted to see my boyfriend who lives 8 hours away from my school in that time. Selfish? Yes. Do I care? Not much, no. :) It was worth it.

I did want to say that I will shortly be back, as I have a plethera of new movies to talk about for you! Just because award season is over doesn't mean I haven't stopped being a fanatic. xD So settle down and get ready for me to piss all over the competition, cause 2011 is the season of CRAP! :)

Things to look forward to in this week include:
Animal Kingdom
My Name is Khan
and...
Sucker Punch, which hits theaters March 25-- this weekend.

I just wanted to make a quick review on The Town while I'm here.

It was so boring that I couldn't finish it. I turned it off. Ben Afleck? Please just act. That's bad enough. As a writer, you make me very, very tired. And I have anxiety. It's hard to do that.

The Stoning of Soraya M.

The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008) is a Drama set in Iran in 1986, which opens with a Muslim woman journeying to the side of a river, and plunking bones from the sand. She washes the bones off in the water, and buries them back in the sand, praying. Meanwhile, journalist Freidoune Sahebjam (James Caviezel) breaks down in a remote Muslim town. The local mechanic, Hashem (Parviz Sayyad), agrees to fix his car, but it will take a while. As he walks further into the town, he's approached by the same older, but attractive woman, Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo) who had washed the bones she buried, who tells him that the town is not what it appears- there is evil here. She's quickly dismissed by the Mullah, (Ali Pourtash) and the Mayor, Ebrahim (David Diaan) who tell the stranger she is a crazy hag in the town, and not to trust her. But Zahra is not swayed by this, and she regains his attention while he's eating lunch by throwing him a map of the town to get to her house, with a human bone wrapped up inside. He's intrigued. When he's done eating, he follows the map to her house. She wants him to record her story of what happened only days ago, because in this situation, a woman doesn't have a voice, so she will give it to him. The story she tells is about her niece, Soraya (Mozhan Marnò) who is involved in an abusive relationship with a man who only wants to be rid of her and his two daughters, to keep his two sons and to marry his 14-year-old prized girl. When the Mullah offers Soraya the option of being his "temporary wife," a role justified in the Koran, but shunned by the women as being a whore, she and Zahra are deeply offended, and Zahra chases him out. But her husand, Ali (Navid Negahban) stil wants to be rid of his wife. And when she takes over as houselady for Heshan after the passing of his wife, he sees an idea: an idea that means death by stoning for any woman under Sharia law: Adultery.

This film is based on the novel, La Femme Lapidée, by French-Iranian Journalist, Freidoune Sahebjam, in 1990. It's based on true events which he obtained from a similar woman in 1986 Iran. The film is adapted by Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh and Cyrus Nowrasteh, and was also directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh. The book itself has been banned in Iran, for obvious reasons, and though the locals still claim that the events seen or read in the story are falsified, Sahebjam sticks to his story that it is true. He has also been a war correspondant, and spent some time writing about the wrongs wraught upon the Baha'i community by the Iranian government, as well.

Words almost don't describe how much I loved this movie, and so much is recieved from a film that's won almost no awards- certainly not nominated for any Golden Globes or Oscars. Good grief, the acting is superb. The violent graphics are phenominal. The look and feel of the setting is perfect. I get the impression that this film may have been made on a low budget, but they used every penny to perfection. I also love that they didn't opt for English. This is a subtitled, American made film- and sometimes American directors take the easy way out and just give all the characters English speaking parts with accents- but not this film. The spoken language is beautiful, and having to read did not take away from the sets as it sometimes can. You really feel for Soraya every step of her beaten path which she follows. The climax is one of the hardest things I have ever had to watch- and I saw Passion of the Christ in theatres when I was 13. You know all along, based on the title of the film, where it's heading, but it doesn't make it any easier. They thought Hitchcock was the master of suspense? You just want this poor woman to be put out of her misery for Christ sake.

No complaints about this movie, and honestly, I feel it should be shown in religious classes- NOT as an anti-Islam film. I am against no race, sexual preference, gender, philosophy or religion- but at the same time, some people are. And far too many American children grow up texting and watching Bratz and having no concept of appreciation for the world they live in. They grow up to say, "this doesn't really happen," but it DOES really happen, all the time- every day. Many countries today still practice this same ritual exhibited in the film. I reccomend this film to people interested in gender studies, religion, thrillers, suspense, historical dramas, biographies, Islam, and crime and punishment. No one deserves what this woman had done to her- least of all an innocent. And Jesus thought he had it bad? Rumor is it didn't take him long to die. Give this a watch. Allah is not present.