Suicide Squad (2016)

"We're bad guys, it's what we do."

 

*Spoilers...do not proceed if you have not seen the movie yet.

 

I would be lying if I said that I went into the theater to watch Suicide Squad without any preconceived feelings. I already had a horrible taste in my mouth with this new DC universe after watching Batman vs. Superman. Low to no expectations was what I went in with, but I was sincerely hoping that I would be pleasantly surprised. I wanted to walked out after the credits and say, "WOW! That was so much better than I thought it was going to be. They proved me wrong." Instead I walked out saying, "I liked it better than Batman vs. Superman, but it was as bad as I thought it was going to be."

 

The more that I thought about the movie, the more I realized that my dislike for it really steams from the lack of these DC movies to really tell their characters story in a catching way. There was not enough character development for me to feel invested in these villains and actually care about what happened to them. Their backstories where short cutaways as Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) pitches her idea about this Suicide Squad at a dinner in a restaurant. It was maybe 15 minutes long. This was only enough time for me to feel any sort of real connection with Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie).

 



Warner Bros. has really dropped the ball with this entire DC universe. They are trying so hard to do Marvel has done with Avengers, but they don't seem to recognize that Marvel started this whole universe development back in 2008. It has been almost 10 years of movies to get to where they are with the Avengers. Warner Bros. throws together Batman vs. Superman and we are all supposed to understand this world and really feel like we are invested in an understand the characters. I have to be honest, when Waller was talking about metahumans, my brain went more toward Marvel first before I remembered that those are not the same characters.

 

They are accelerating the storylines with "files". So many freaking files. Apparently that is how everyone gets information in the DC world. Batman learns about the further members of the Justice League because of a computer file and then gets more information on them through files bestowed to him by Waller. We also learn about each of the member of the Suicide Squad as the members of the military flip through their files. Files, files, files, files, and more files.

 

The best way to really do these beloved comic book characters justice would have been to take their time through a few different movies. They could have easily given these high profile villains their own movies. People would have went to see them. An entire movie highlighting Harley Quinn and the Joker would have made a killing at the box office. I would have definitely enjoyed a movie around Deadshot. It was clear that he was a lot deeper of a character than just a man who kills people for money. The way that Marvel developed the Avengers, Warner Bros. could have easily develop the Suicide Squad. That would have been a really refreshing take on the whole super hero world. We always focus in on the heroes, I would have really enjoyed seeing the other side of things.

 

They also didn't sell me on the fact that we really needed to go to this extreme with the suicide squad yet. There was all this talk about the metahumans, but we only really had 2 movies with Superman. I didn't think that was enough to convince me as a movie goer that we needed to grad for these deplorable villains and throw them back out into society.

 

There where so many times throughout the movie that I turned to my boyfriend with a questioning look and said to him, "I am a bit confused as to what is going on..." The conflict was just so bizarre. The machine thing that the Enchantress is creating and then these sudden boil faced creature things... I had no idea where they came from. It wasn't even clear to me right away that the Enchantress was attacking the entire army. You don't really GET that. They also defeated the this godlike creature and her magic machine pretty simply...a bomb destroyed it. That is it. Blah. Too easy.

 

The one positive thing was most of the acting and casting was on point. I thought that Will Smith was a wonderful choice to Deadshot. His relationship with Harley Quinn was heartwarming. It helped to show Deadshot as a strong father figure, and Harley as the broken girl in need of love. Margot Robbie did a good job as Harley Quinn. Her character intrigues me. Viola Davis annoyed me as Amanda Waller. She seemed to be the playing the same type of character that she plays in How to Get Away With Murder. There was only one person that did not sell their character to me. That would be Jared Leto and his Joker.

 

I am sure that I am going to be attacked for that comment, but he really did not to anything spectacular in this movie or with that character for anyone to convince me he did this character justice. The Joker didn't have much of a place in the story line except for his role in turning Harley into Harley. The marketing team made it seem like he was part of the Squad, but that wasn't the case at all. That let me down a bit. His Joker seemed to try and channel Heath Ledger's Joker at times. It just didn't work. He tried to do a more psychotic Joker. It didn't work at all. A good friend of mine, Steve, (whose opinion and knowledge about comic books and these universes I greatly respect) said that the relationship they portrayed here in the movie between the two is not anything like their actual relationship. He said that the Joker is not anywhere near devoted to Harley as she is to him. The movie made it seem like he cannot live without her. They hinted at the fact that he owns her with her doggie collar with his name on it, but unless people where really thinking about it, they may not pick up on that.

 

Overall, I would probably wait to see this when it comes out on DVD. David Ayer really dropped the ball on this one. That was a surprise to me considering I loved End of Watch and Harsh Times. He also had in hand in Training Day and Fast and Furious. How he helped to shape those movies, but put this out I still have not been able to wrap my head around. A huge let down and two strikes against DC on my count. Even if they make new "back story" movies with these characters, they did it wrong and it is just a money thing in my eyes. They needed to focus on establishing a long lasting film franchise instead of just throwing things out there to jump on the bandwagon and make the instant money. Comic book fans are always going to be there. There is no reason to rush their stories. Take the time. Get it right, and you will had gold.   
 
 
 

The Walking Dead

"We've been praying together. Praying that God will save our town. Well, our prayers have been answered. God will save Alexandria because God has given us the courage to save it ourselves."

 

 

I was a little late jumping onto the Walking Dead wagon, and like most of the awesome stuff out there (and I hate to admit this) my younger brother was the one to pull me in. After the midseason premerie episode I felt compelled to write about what I feel really makes this show so freaking amazing.
"No Way Out" was one of the best episodes of any television show that I have seen in a long time. Everything that you wanted was there. You had the action, the sorrow, the triumph, loss, humor, blood, love...anything that anyone could want was there. One of the things that I really loved about this particular episode was that it brought the focus back on the walkers. It reminded us that they were a very real threat still. This was an important reminder for me because I have been telling people for awhile now that the walkers are kind of a secondary thing. The show isn't about walkers. They are there of course, but the real danger lies in the people who are left alive in the world after everything has gone to hell. This is the case for sure, but I think that we maybe all had forgotten just how dangerous the walkers can really be. Remembering that these things can essentially destroy an entire town in the matter of a few hours was a really terrifying thought. As viewers we had all gotten quite comfortable with being afraid of the people and killing a few walkers along the way. "No Way Out" slapped me in the face and pushed me down the stairs reminding me that the people in the world are one threat, but that the walkers are still there and just as dangerous to any new way of life as ever.
I was so happy to see everyone in Alexandria rally behind Rick and take a stand against the walkers. They made that decision that they would try to fight back no matter what. The best way to deal with the situation is not to hide in their houses and hope that everything goes away, but to take a stand and to take a stand together. It was the moment that both sides, our group and the Alexandrians, realized that if they didn't join together that they would all die alone. There is still hope left in the world.
Last weeks episode was equally as important as the season premiere. While there wasn't quite as much heart stopping action; that episode was there to help begin to develop foundation for what is coming next. Our people are starting to feel comfortable and at home for the first time in the show. They have a plan. They have food. They feel safe. It was the right time for Rick and Michonne be together for sure. That was really the first moment I feel like they both were able to put their guards down and relax. Neither one had to worry about taking watch or making sure a walker was coming to eat Judith. It was a moment of new normal. 
As an English major and language arts teacher, the story nerd in me comes out hardcore with this series. The writing for each episode is just pure brilliance. They have taken what Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard have brought to life in the comic book world and shaped it into something that makes me wonder what I did with my Sunday nights before Walking Dead was on. Each week presents a wonderful piece of the Walking Dead puzzle. I say that because recently I went back to the start of the series and watched season 1. I was blown away to see just how much the story has grown and the characters had developed from the time we first met them on their way to Atlanta. Each week our characters grow and change in a world that is so unforgiving, and even those so called "filler" episodes are another important pieces to this puzzle and these characters live.
My favorite character in the entire series is Daryl. Yes, he is sexy and I would follow that man to the ends of the earth, but that isn't the only reason why I love him. I feel that Daryl is probably the character who has done the most growing throughout the story so far. Going all the way back to season one, when the gang of guys were holding Glenn captive and Rick told them that they had to go and save him, Daryl wanted to leave him behind and said that it was everyman for himself. I thought that his character took a full circle when Beth was being held by the people in the hospital. He was not going to leave anyone behind and was going to do whatever he could to make sure that he got her home. He has become a true protector of his family, and will do whatever he can to keep them safe. I know that he isn't the only character to have grown over the course of the series, but for me; he is the one that really has taken what has happened and grown from it. Not just become hardened toward the world because of it.
So if you haven't had the chance to check out this show yet. Do it. You won't be disappointed at all, and if you are.... then I seriously will have to reconsider our friendship.... Just Kidding, but you will be the first person I throw in front of the walkers one day when the end of the world occurs!

Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens

"As long as there is light there is hope."

 

 

This was probably the most anticipated movie of the year. Hell it is probably the most anticipated movie of the last 10 years, and this is coming from a person whose favorite movies of all time involved a hobbit, a ring, and a wizard. I even had to jump onto the excitement of another Star Wars movie. Even if you are a person who does not really enjoy going to the movie, you have to appreciate the hype and the pure joy that this franchise has brought to millions of people. If nothing else, a person cannot ignore the fact that these movies changed the face of cinema. The original three films completely revolutionized the way that special effects in film was done, and because of those renovations it would be safe to say that this became the groundwork for the special effects that we see on the silver screen today.

I am not a person who jumps up and down and says, "OMG, STAR WARS IS THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME." I won't argue with you about which was better, Star Wars or Star Trek (although I do love Chris Pine). That being said, please do not attack me with whatever I have said about this movie. There are some things that I may be incorrect about in regards to the Star Wars Universe, and I do no know Episodes 1, 2, and 3 very well at all (this is because I absolutely despise the way those films where done and I hate them). Any comments that I make here are based off of my two viewings of this movie and my own thoughts and opinions. All that being said, if you have not been to the movies yet to see this, stop reading this right now. Go to the movies. Watch it. Then come back and finish reading. Go ahead. I promise I will be here when you get back.

J.J. Abrams, writer and director, really took this franchise and revitalized it in a way that I think George Lucas wanted to do with Episodes 1, 2, and 3 but was unable to. He was able to really bring a new story, with new characters to life but still not lose sight of where all of this started. He told the story in a way that, I believe, has created a entire new generation of Star Wars fans who will tell their children about the time they waited at midnight dressed as Kylo Ren just to see the next chapter. He took beloved characters and story lines from the original and allowed them to play a part in this new story without overshadowing the new characters and their own journeys.

In my readings around the internet, I came across a lot of people who were complaining that the whole movie was just the entire first movie retold. I would have to say that I agree with these people in the sense that the movie contained similar story elements. This story,at its heart, is just like every other story of this origin. It is the classic good vs. evil story. There is the light and there is the dark. The story has ALWAYS been the struggle between 2 dark lords and the Jedis. The Empire, the Sith, and the One Republic has always been trying to destroy the Jedi. This is just how the story goes. They are always going to have something that they build to try and destroy the enemy. It is the way the story goes. I know, I know they had a death star thing...Listen.... that weapon was HUGE. That thing made the death star look puny and stupid. They took the basic design to the death star, and like anything that failed to work the way you wanted too...you improve on it, and they did. At a very large scale. Every story in the world has already been told. Everything we watch and see is just a new variation of  a story that has already come before it. I also have this to say....it is just that a story for you to enjoy...so do that....enjoy it.

It was also a story that I thought was told really well. Watching it a second time I was really able to appreciate the little things that the writers put into the story that really shows me just how great of a story teller these people are. The struggle that Ren goes through for the first 3 quarters of the movie is really was done well. He mentions that he can feel the pull to the light. It is there and he is trying to ignore it and push it away. I didn't think that it was an accident that Poe says, "As long as there is light there is hope," when they are trying to destroy the Death Star on steroids as I like to call it. I felt that this was really more of an illusion to Ren more so than what was going on with the sun. This made even more sense to me watching the scene between Ren and Hans. The actual shot itself shows Hans bathed in light approaching Kylo who was in the dark, literally. As they are talking and Ren tells Hans that he needs his help and he gets ready to hand him his light saber, it isn't until the light from the sun puts Hans into complete darkness that we see Ren grab the saber and end Hans's life. I really believe that up until that moment there was still hope. I believe that he still could have come back from the dark and returned home, but it was that moment, that choice he made to take his father's life, that extinguished any light that he may have had left. I really thought that was beautifully shot.

I also felt that there was a nice balance between serious story lines, comic relief, and action. It allowed you to really believe in the characters and start to relate to them. There are always times when we have felt alone and abandoned. How many times did you want to escape from something that people forced you to do? Everyone at one time in there life wanted to runaway. It made the characters real and made you want to route for them.

The actors did an amazing job. They were a group of actors who I hadn't heard of before this movie. I thought that was the right way to go for casting because you were able to go into the movie without any preconceived notion about how you thought a particular actor was going to portray a character. It was all brand new. Daisy Ridley, Rey, and John Boyega, Finn, I thought had wonderful chemistry. They reminded me a lot of the unlikely pair in college that just found their way together and didn't realize that they were becoming friends until it already happened. I thought that their chemistry was natural and didn't feel forced at all. I also loved Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. I thought that he played the angry young dark lord really well. He is still learning, but any person who can get shot and punch themselves in the wound while STILL fighting is pretty bad ass to me. Oscar Issac as Poe was great too. He was a character that I loved right away and was one that I would want to be friends with. I thought that he and Finn (Boyega) had great chemistry as well and you really bought into their friendship. The original cast, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and even Mark Hamil came back and took their roles back as if nothing has changed. The world moved on, time went by, and it changed all of them. I thought that they played their characters just as they would be. And I cannot forget about Andy Serkis, the king of parts played behind the CGI. He was fantastic as Snoke (or as I like to call him creepy alien guy). A movie can have the best script in the world but it really is up to the cast the bring it to life.

I had no major complaints about this movie at all. There are many reasons to take a few hours of out of your day to sit in a dark theatre with some popcorn. One of the main ones being to just be entertained. This movie did not fall short of that at all. I laughed, I cried, I jumped, I walked out of there excited to see the next one! To me that is in the win side. So, if you haven't seen this one yet go to the theatre and take the time to see it on the big screen. This is one you will want to say that you saw with the surround sound and all the big screen digital screen glory. May the force be with you. Or not if you prefer the dark side. In that case, may you control the force in all its wonderful dark glory! And if nothing else BB8 was so cute!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PREDICTION

After leaving the movie yesterday with my brother and watching it for the second time, I formed a really bizarre and out there theory. I don't necessarily believe this completely but I thought it was an interesting spin on things and I decided I wouldn't be upset it if this was true. OK- so most of us can agree that we believe Rey could every well be Lukes's daughter. Most people I have talked to also think that the story line could possibly go that she is the great Jedi that we have been waiting for. This call can be backed up with how she was able to control the force without much training. I also believe this to be a strong possibility, BUT I also think that this is to easy.

SOOOOOOO I thought that this special Jedi we all are waiting for could very well be Finn. Now I know that is crazy, but hear me out. Finn resisted the conditioning from his stormtrooper training. Now this isn't training that he had just gone through, this is something he had been conditioned from since he was really little. He just made the decision and snapped out of it. Then if you notice during that same fight scene...as Ren is getting back onto the ship, he looks right at Finn. A short time after that he tells Snoke that there was an awakening and he felt it. I think that the awakening is Finn snapping out of the conditioning. There was nothing that we were shown with Rey that would constitute at that moment in the story and awakening.

I think that she is Luke's daughter and he sent her as far away from anything to do with Jedi's as he could because he was hoping to keep her from turning to the dark side just as Kylo did. He knows that she has Vader in her as well, and he does not want to see her do to the dark side. She would be just as strong as Klyo because she is Luke's daughter anyway. That would explain her strong control of the force. It makes sense too...one dark...one light in the same family. But I really think it would be a nice twist to the story if Finn was the great Jedi we have all been waiting to see!