I’m Taking It Back: Suicide Squad (2016)

I am doing something new as I am reviewing all of the reviews that I did for the 365 Movies in 365 Days Challenge. There are some reviews that I look back on and I say to myself, what in the hell was I thinking? So, I am doing a segment on here called I’m Taking It Back which means I re-review the film and take my grade back. Before we get into why I am taking my grade I gave the film back, here is the synopsis of the film. After the death of Superman, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has been trying to sell the government on the idea of project X. The idea of project x is to take the worst of the worst, give them an incentive, and have them do the missions no one else will do to protect the world. After Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) betrays Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) the government, the team now known as the Suicide Squad is commissioned and sent on a mission to save the world from the terror she brings.  The Suicide Squad is made up of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Katana (Karen Fukuhara). The film also stars Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker, Adam Beach (Flags Of Our Fathers) as Slipknot, Ben Affleck (The Town) as Batman, Scott Eastwood (Fury) as Lieutenant GQ Edwards, Alain Chanoine (Immortals) as Incubus, Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors) as Griggs, David Harbour (Black Mass) as Dexter Tolliver, and the film was directed by David Ayer (Fury).

So, I looked back at the film and then looked at my review and thought what in the hell was I thinking when I wrote that. I didn’t hate Suicide Squad by any means because I left the theater happy with it, but looking back on it how great was the film really? The film really did end up being the Will Smith show for the most part as he put no effort literally into his portrayal of Deadshot. I was OK with it at the time because I loved Will Smith, but looking back, he just made the film about him. Jared Leto was a pretty decent Joker as he tried to do what many before him did with their versions of the iconic character. I think the fact that David Ayer cut so much of his performance back really hurt his perception to the audience. The Joker is not a nice guy who is fun and loving, he is abusive to Harley and very sadistic and David Ayer screwed it all up by cutting out important moments out of the film. Now again, I thought this was a pretty decent film, but then Wonder Woman came out and made this look like amateur night. I also went back and rewatched BVS (Batman V Superman) and my opinion on rankings have changed as well. The best film so far is Wonder Woman, Man Of Steel, BVS, and then Suicide Squad last. I still love all of the action in the film and a lot of the characters, but let’s be honest here. In the end, I am going to give this film an B- for a final grade

89TH Annual Academy Awards- My Thoughts

I didn’t get to watch the whole special because I couldn’t get a feed where I was, but I caught the last half hour which is essentially all you needed to see last night especially the ending. It was that time of the show where it was time to reveal the winner of Best Picture and Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were presenting the award. When Beatty was about to read the winner, he seemed very confused so he would occasionally stop so Faye had to read the card and she announced La La Land as the winner of best picture. So, the whole entire crew came on stage and were giving their speech when it was revealed by the film’s producer Jordan Horowitz and Warren Beatty that there was an epic mistake. Jordan would reveal that the real winner of the award went to Moonlight and he waited on stage so that he could personally give them the award. That right there my friends is a very embarrassing moment for the Oscars and one that almost gets Steve Harvey off the hook for his epic blunder. There were a lot of surprises that night including that one because I thought for sure that La La Land was going to clean house. I knew that Casey Affleck was going to win Best Actor, but I thought that Dev Patel was going to win best supporting.

Out of 14 nominations which tied a record, the film La La Land only took home six total awards which is less than what I predicted (I predicted nine). One of the definite surprises of the night is that now you have to call Suicide Squad a Oscar winning film even though it was for best make up and hairstyling. Out of all the surprises and all the mayhem that ensued, the awards show definitely makes me want to watch Moonlight to see what they saw in the film which took home three golden statues that night. A lot of the films I predicted were second choices and if I had gone with my first choice, I would’ve done a lot better, but I listened to the hype. So, out of 24 possible awards, I only correctly predicted 11 of them which is 46% and that is a failing grade. Here are all the winners from the night:

Best Picture- Moonlight

Best Director- Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Best Actor- Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea)

Best Actress- Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Supporting Actor- Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Best Supporting Actress- Viola Davis (Fences)

Best Original Screenplay- Manchester By The Sea

Best Adapted Screenplay- Moonlight

Best Animated Film- Zootopia

Best Foreign Film- The Salesman

Best Documentary Feature- O.J.: Made In America

Best Documentary Short- The White Helmets

Best Live Action Short- Sing

Best Animated Short- Piper

Best Original Score- La La Land

Best Original Song- City Of Stars (La La Land)

Best Sound Editing- Arrival

Best Sound Mixing- Hacksaw Ridge

Best Production Design- La La Land

Best Cinematography- La La Land

Best Film Editing- Hacksaw Ridge

Best Visual Effects- The Jungle Book

Best Make Up and Hairstyling- Suicide Squad

Best Costume Design- Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Day 326: Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016)

The world of Harry Potter is definitely one that is interesting and that’s only having seen just two films. When I had heard that they were making a film about a book that Harry contained called Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, I had to see and it’s today’s film. In 1926, wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) decided that he wanted to travel to New York to let go of a friend that belonged there. Things get complicated when he bumps into a no-maj (a muggle) named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) which in turn sees some of the beasts in Newt’s suitcase get set free into New York. Now it’s up to them and two other wizards to try and find these magical creatures before the council finds out, but they stumble upon something more sinister along the way. The film also stars Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice) as Tina, Alison Sudol (Between Us) as Queenie, Ezra Miller (Suicide Squad) as Creedence, Samantha Morton (John Carter) as Mary Lou, Colin Farrell (Daredevil) as Graves, Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy) as Shaw Sr., Ron Pearlman (Hellboy) as Gnarlack, Josh Cowdery (Godzilla) as Senator Shaw, Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty Barebone, Jenn Murray (Brooklyn) as Chastity Barebone, and the film was directed by David Yates (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince).

First off, I just wanted to say that if you are a fan of Harry Potter then you are absolutely going to love this film because I loved it. The film features some great writing, amazing special effects, and some amazing acting from everyone especially Colin Farrell, Eddie Redmayne, and even Dan Fogler. It’s hard to just choose a few because everyone was amazing in the film. What I can say is that there is definitely too many people to mention which is why I only chose three. We could go on forever talking about the rest of them. There is a reveal at the end of the film that will either shock you or you cheated and went to IMDB and you are no longer surprised. Either way when you see it, you’ll be instantly excited. I almost fell out of my seat when I saw the surprise. The creatures were great and there were a lot of funny moments to go along with the cute moments (especially the Niffler who has a habit of stealing) from all the creatures. This is definitely a great origin story and they make various references to Hogwarts and even Dumbledore and that has me excited to see exactly what the future holds in store for this amazing wizard world. I know I am going to be glued to the news to see and hopefully after you see this, you’ll feel the same as me. I am going to go ahead and give the film an A for a final grade because it deserved it.

Day 218: Suicide Squad (2016)

Spoiler Alert: There may be information contained in this Article that could potentially spoil the plot of the film so continue with caution or do not read any further if you do not want to know. You have been warned!!!

You have no idea how bad I have been waiting for today’s film to be released. I have and still am a huge fan of Harley Quinn, The Joker, and the Suicide Squad that I have been salivating at the mouth for this. So, for today’s film, I am reviewing the latest DC Comics movie the Suicide Squad. After the death of Superman, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has been trying to sell the government on the idea of project X. The idea of project x is to take the worst of the worst, give them an incentive, and have them do the missions no one else will do to protect the world. After Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) betrays Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) the government, the team now known as the Suicide Squad is commissioned and sent on a mission to save the world from the terror she brings.  The Suicide Squad is made up of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Katana (Karen Fukuhara). The film also stars Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) as The Joker, Adam Beach (Flags Of Our Fathers) as Slipknot, Ben Affleck (The Town) as Batman, Scott Eastwood (Fury) as Lieutenant GQ Edwards, Alain Chanoine (Immortals) as Incubus, Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors) as Griggs, David Harbour (Black Mass) as Dexter Tolliver, and the film was directed by David Ayer (Fury).

I know what you’re thinking and you want to know how good the film was don’t you? As far as all the films in the current universe are concerned (which includes Man Of Steel and BVS) this is the best one of them all. This by far was the home run for DC Comics or at least the film that gets them back into the game and into the running with Marvel. Of course, there are a couple of spots that could have been better, but overall this film was very fun to watch and very enjoyable. Like all DC films so far, the casting is never the problem and this film’s cast was definitely solid. The way the film was being executed in the beginning with the flashback scenes with Deadshot and Harley Quinn looked a little questionable to me because of my fear of how it was going to turn out, but never fear. The film definitely gets back on track from that point and you never look back. Will Smith is amazing and witty, Margot Robbie is amazing and sexy, and Jared Leto is the new Joker. Jared Leto definitely took The Joker, made it his own, and needed more screen time then what was given to him because his performance blew me away. Every character in my opinion does an amazing job in the film and keeps you entertained for the most part.

I definitely didn’t leave the theater baffled at what I had just seen. I got it and understood what had just happened right from the get go. The thing that was great about this film is that it felt just like a Marvel movie with the character development and the comedy that is thrown in there with the drama. There are so many scenes I love in the film especially with Harley Quinn who just keeps you laughing the whole time, but there is a flashback with her and The Joker. She is still Harleen Quinzel in reality, but she basically turns into Harley in this particular sequence by diving into the vat of whatever it is that The Joker did as well.  That was one of my favorites and the battle sequence was amazing as well because you just these very different individuals mold into a team right before your eyes. Another definitely has to be the scene between Will Smith’s Deadshot and Diablo where Will is trying to psych him up. When you see the full scene, it’s a lot better than what is in the trailer. Like I said before, I was definitely not disappointed in the film as it’s a serious contender for the Monster Entertainment Awards at the end of the year. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade. DC needs to take notes from this film heading into the future.

Day 217: Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

In the battle between DC Comics and Marvel, DC has always had Marvel beat on the animated movie front with the superior titles. One of the most anticpated films based off one of the all time best selling graphic novels in Batman: The Killing Joke came out and I didn’t hesitate to make it today’s film. In the setting of the film, Batgirl (Tara Strong) a.k.a. Barbara Gordon has been working with Batman (Kevin Conroy), but after a case almost went too far, she quit the crime fighting business. In the meantime, the diabolical Joker (Mark Hamill) has escaped from Arkham to prove the ultimate point. He wants to prove that with enough tragedy, he can drive a man to insanity the same way he was years before by attacking the Gordon family. The film also stars Ray Wise (Jeepers Creepers 2) as commissioner Gordon, John DiMaggio (Adventure Time) as Francesco, Robin Atkin Downes (Suicide Squad) as Detective Bullock, Brian George (Hotel Transylvania) as Alfred, Maury Sterling (Kung Fu Panda 2) as Paris, JP Karliak (Sanjay And Craig) as Reese, Nolan North (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Mitch, Anna Vocino (Free Radio) as Jeannie, Rick D. Wasserman (Planet Hulk) as Maroni, and the film was directed by Sam Liu (Batman: Year One).

Now you are probably wondering what I am thinking about when it comes to Batman: The Killing Joke. Well, first I want to give all of you out there a Spoiler Alert just in case there is any info that is said that you didn’t want to know. So, Proceed with caution or turn away right this instance (just in case). The film just about everything you would expect especially if you had read the graphic novel. I thought it was a little daring for them to have the sex scene between Batgirl and Batman (you don’t see anything so don’t worry). I know the film got an R rating, but other than some language, some violence, there really wasn’t much to it that in my opinion suggested an R rating. Nevertheless, I am not saying that it was a bad film cause it’s up there with some of my favorites and it was great to see Mark Hamill return as The Joker because he is the ony voice I enjoy. The thing I really enjoyed were the flashback scenes that The Joker had explaining his origins. He’s a failing comedian who just needs one job to save his new family from poverty, but when tragedy strikes it drives him to the brink of insanity. Thus explaining why he became The Joker to satisfy our need to know who he is. The one thing that you’ll find in the film that is very interesting is the end of the film. There is one final scene between Batman and The Joker that you have to see for yourself because it’s just poetic justice in my opinion. I loved the action in the film, it was very well written, and truly a film everyone should check out. Suicide Squad comes out this week hence the reason I chose to watch this now. I am going to give Batman: The Killing Joke an A for a final grade.

Day 144: Suicide Kings (1997)

For today’s film, I chose a film that I have only seen bits and pieces of either to not having the time to watch or other things had come up. I also decided on the film Suicide Kings because of the mere fact that Christopher Walken (The Dead Zone) starred in the film and he’s one of my favorite film personalities. The film follows five friends who decide to kidnap a mobster by the name of Carlo Bartolucci (Walken). You see the five friends are hoping to squeeze some money out of Carlo in hopes of getting enough to pay a ransom note on one of the friends kidnapped sister. The only problem is that Carlo decides to play mind games with all of them in hopes of turning them against themselves. The film also stars Denis Leary (Rescue Me) as Lono Veccio, Nina Siemaszko (Airheads) as Jennifer, Henry Thomas (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) as Avery Chasten, Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints) as Max, Jay Mohr (Pay It Forward) as Brett Campbell, Jeremy Sisto (Clueless) as T.K., Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory) as Ira Reder, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) as Jeckyll, and the film was directed by Peter O’Fallon (Legit). 

This was a pretty interesting film to say the least, but it’s a Christopher Walken film where he plays a mobster. What more can you ask for from a film like this one? The idea of he kidnapping is actually pretty solid and when you find out a detail that the abduction of the sister was an inside job, you begin to try and figure out who did it. All I will say to you is that I should have gone with my first choice personally cause I would have been right. That is the beauty of films with a little mystery thrown in there is that they make you try to guess to the who-dunnit scenario. I really like Johnny Galecki, but his character really annoyed me a little bit, but then again he did his job right. The acting in the film for the most part was really good from everyone even Denis Leary who plays a cool driver/hitman kind of guy. This is actually a pretty good film despite getting a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes, but according to the audience score it must be a cult classic by now. I saw that one reviewer compared the film and it’s style to Quentin Tarantino and I can honestly see that as far as the dialogue is concerned. That was definitely the highlight of the film for me was the dialogue because the film was well written. The film is currently available to watch on HBOGO so check it out if you dare. I am going to give the film an B for a final grade.