Suicide Squad (2016) Review

So, I’m a pretty unashamed fan of DC Comics. I’ve loved the characters and story arcs and all things that come with being a comic book fan. Truthfully, despite trying to see every movie with an unbiased approach, I had been hoping that 2016 would be the year that DC put themselves back on the map. Here’s the thing about being a fan of DC comics in a world where Marvel Studios has set the standard for what to expect. It’s like being one of the guys in a Jackass movie; you keep psyching yourself up for something awesome to happen, but you inevitably just end up getting hit really hard in the dick. That’s how Suicide Squad, the latest DC Cinematic Universe film, continuously felt.

In a world where Superman has made himself rival the power of a God, and shown that gods can fall, the government now scrambles to find an answer for if the next Superman isn’t a farm boy with a mother named Martha (WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!) Cue Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), the Head Operator of A.R.G.U.S. and the woman who takes it upon herself to put together a team of super villains who can be coerced into doing the dirty deeds that the good guys can’t quite accomplish. Along with the most badass soldier on the planet, Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Waller brings together Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and Enchantress (Cara Delevingne).

Now, this review is going to seem fairly negative... and it is. This is not a good movie. But just know, at the rate that Warner Bros. seems to want to still their nose into every DC movie, people won’t be getting that Cyborg movie they’ve all been begging for. There are a lot of things wrong with the direction these movies seem to be taking.

Suicide Squad clearly aims to give you an anti-hero story in the same vain as Guardians of the Galaxy, but with a much darker tone. The problem instantly is that the film forgets to write their characters as fun or compelling as any of the Guardians cast. Characters in Task Force X, as the government knows them, are merely there to be DC comics character name drops. The most obvious waste of interesting characters comes at the hands of Killer Croc, Katana and Captain Boomerang (though this might be the most charismatic I’ve ever seen Jai Courtney). I’ve been racking my brain, and I still don’t know what they bring to the story.

Also, I find it hilarious how we’ve been hearing about how method and weird Jared Leto has been to find the character of The Joker, when his screen time amounts to the smallest supporting part. And, frankly, I’m not sure if I liked his interpretation of the character. He’s clearly a superb actor, but his Joker feels more like a glorified thug as opposed to the Crown Prince of Crime. The Joker is supposed to feel like a total wildcard. We’re not sure if he’s gonna blow up a hospital or try to tell you a joke. Leto’s Joker just lacks the magic that Heath Ledger, Jack Nicholson and Mark Hamill have all brought to the role. I think that Leto needs to get a more substantial shot where he can really sink his teeth into it. Because he does some things excellently, but just doesn't capture you the way those others did.

However, the biggest problems that the movie faces are that it has no idea what it wants to be. The first act tries to set itself apart in its tone and introductions, giving characters a fun little introduction. However, after that, it falls hard into the tropes of being incredibly generic. The jokes that producers clearly felt would get standing ovations completely fall flat, numerous character moments fail to resonate because we have no stakes attached to most of the characters, and the pacing is so sporadic that you’re not sure if there’s something coming after this or if this is the final battle. Writer and director David Ayer, whose previous films include End of Watch and Fury, clearly either had to compromise a lot on his vision for these characters or had no god damn idea what he was doing with this property.

Now, there are a few things I enjoyed about the film, before I end this review. Will Smith, Viola Davis and Margot Robbie all nail their characters incredibly well, with Smith giving his best performance in some time. He plays Deadshot as a guy who sees being an assassin as a way to provide for those he cares about, and his internal struggle in that regard comes through. Robbie embodies Harley in a great way. Sure, she doesn’t have the accent that we all know Robbie can do, but Harley is fun and unpredictable and loves her Mista J. It’s Davis, however, that fucking nails Amanda Waller. She’s a no nonsense cold ice bitch, and she’d be the first to admit that before blowing your head off, and Davis plays it perfectly. Also, there’s a scene where Deadshot gets to let loose and shit a bunch of guys and it’s probably the highlight of the movie, so that was cool.

Ultimately, Suicide Squad fails because it feels more like a response than a statement. It feels like a response to fans that wanted DC to be more like Marvel, without laying any of the groundwork. The movie tries to be a fun romp, and ends up being a slow walk through a shit stained minefield where you step on every damn mine. That said, it's better than something like Green Lantern. It's just a movie that clearly could have used more time for everyone involved to get it right. While the criticism of a lot of Marvel films may be that most of them do and say the same thing, Suicide Squad shows up and fails to say anything.

Grade: D

Watch What I Said 6

IMDb: 7.7/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

My Grade: A+

So as part of adding content to this increasingly shitty blog, I've decided to include a weekly segment detailing a movie-a-week that people should check out. I know anyone that reads this blog does so primarily for my reviews, but I'm lazy and don't want to review anything right now. This weekly segment may also contain suggestions from other members of the Public Nerdity Podcast from time to time.

As I said, I'd have a second recommendation for this week. And it's a film I recommend to most people I talk to. If you've been paying attention to Jake Gyllenhaal the last several years, you'll notice he's been quietly doing the best work of his career. Snubbed last year for Nightcrawler, he's also been phenomenal in Prisoners and Enemy. However, the film that really kicked off this excellent stretch was End of Watch. This cop drama thriller from David Ayer, who directed Fury and the upcoming Suicide Squad, mixes traditional filming with a found footage, first person style. It follows two LAPD officers, Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) and Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are partners as well best friends. We follow Mike and Brian as they deal with the aftermath of a drug bust, and the fallout it ensues. Both Gyllenhaal and Pena are brilliant, making you believe they are the first to bust each others balls, as well as take a bullet for the other. The rest of the cast is great too, boasting the likes of Anna Kendrick, Frank Grillo, Natalie Martinez, America Ferrera, Cody Horn and David Harbour. I tend to dislike the found footage shooting style, but I really love this film.

Do yourself a favour and check out End of Watch. 

Fury (2014) Movie Review

The Justice League

War movies often have the tendency to glorify the brutality of war, or to patrioitize whoever is being depicted. And in most cases, it is justified. I can't imagine the courage that those people had, and still do have, and it makes me admire what they have done for freedom. The thing that Fury did that I admired was that it made me feel these things for these men, while also allowing me to understand them, sympathize with them, and even hate and pity them. 

It is April, 1945 and in a last ditch effort to win the war, Hitler has militarized all men, women and children in Germany, while the Allied forces continue to press deeper into the country. Don "Wardaddy" Collier (Brad Pitt) is the leader of the tank named Fury, and the leader of the operators of that tank. Those men are Boyd "Bible" Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Trini "Gordo" Garcia(Michael Pena), and Grady "Coon-Ass" Travis (Jon Bernthal). When their assistant gunner is killed, they receive Norman Ellis (Logan Lerman), a typist who is assigned to Fury. He is afraid, and does not fit in with these hardened men, and fears constantly for his life as they embark on a mission to take a neighbouring town, and, simply, hold the line.

What writer/director David Ayer crafts with Fury is very much akin to what he did with End of Watch, delivering a powerful character drama with real human moments. The men who sit and operate inside Fury are as close as brothers, and are willing to do whatever it takes to make it out alive. What I really enjoyed about it was that it was never about winning the war to these men, it was simply about survival. It shows you the side of these men, where they are busting each others balls, having a meal together, fighting each other, or fighting beside each other. It allows into the minds of each man, and Ayer does a good job fleshing out each character. He makes you feel the bond between these men without ever having to explicitly state it.

He also does well to balance the action once the plot begins to move. The trailers make it seem as though it is non-stop tank action, which is not true. The action comes in waves, with each wave becoming more overpowering than the last, but it is still a film about the characters, and the effect this has on them. It's a character study taking place in World War II. Ayers eye to realism really pays off in this sense.

The entire cast is outstanding. Brad Pitt is his usual outstanding self, playing Wardaddy as a man who has seem some shit. He's angry, bitter and tired about the war, and you see it from the way that Pitt simply looks at another character, or his posture or the way he clenches his  jaw. It's a performance of subtly, but it's something Pitt is used to. He's a man who is functioning on the mantra of kill or be killed, and he refuses to die.

Michael Pena, who was also in End of Watch, plays the driver, and brings the right amount of intensity, passion and drunkenness to the role. He's a character, you can sense, feels lost in the war, but at home in Fury. Jon Bernthal plays a bull of a man, playing Coon-Ass like the classic loose cannon assholes that made DeNiro a star. It's another reliable turn from the actor. And LaBeouf, who seems to be the topic of so much hate, is also excellent as Bible, the operator of the cannon. LaBeouf may get shit about being somewhat crazy, but he can act. And does he. Something about having a southern accent makes his performances all the more believable and genuinely better (see Lawless for proof of this). Also the silly moustache actually works. Don't ask me how.

The performance I most enjoyed, however, was the performance of Logan Lerman. After The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I've been excited to see what he can do, because that was a fucking brilliant performance. And he's aptly game here, often going toe-to-toe with each member of the cast and deliver another very strong performance. You believe Norman goes through a change in the movie, and while it feels a tad fast, you feel the emotion he feels. It's the kind of performance that made Joseph Gordon Levitt an A-list star.

Honestly, I simply enjoyed the hell out of this movie. It's not perfect. Not by a long shot. It suffers from some pretty bad pacing at times (mainly the beginning), and often simply lingers too long. But it's a movie that makes you appreciate the calm before the storm, because the storm is pure hell. It made me genuinely afraid of the situations these men were in. And, while it's no Saving Private Ryan, it will have your stomach in your throat and your balls in a vice (we all have balls in this scenario, I don't write for gender). It also suffers from some lackluster cinematography at times, as it doesn't quite do the tank battles or destruction justice.

Ultimately, Fury is a story about men who want the war to be over, but continue to fight because it's what they have to do. It's not about winning the war for their country, or to kill Hitler. It's about fighting because it's all they can do.

Grade: B+

DC and Warner Brothers Reveal Superhero Line-Up

So in case you haven't heard, DC and Warner Brothers have released their tentative movie line-up until 2020. Now, if you've read this blog before, you know I've speculated a lot on this, and superhero stuff is kind of important to me. I love it, I can't help it. But before I fanboy out, let's take a look at the schedule:

• 2016 — Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

• 2016 — Suicide Squad

• 2017 — Wonder Woman

• 2017 — Justice League Part One

• 2018 — The Flash

• 2018 — Aquaman

• 2019 — Shazam

• 2019 — Justice League Part Two

• 2020 — Cyborg

• 2020 — Green Lantern

Alright, so let's tackle this list chronologically. I'll skip over Dawn of Justice, and go right to Suicide Squad. It was released earlier this week that the rumoured line-up for the Squad would feature Blockbuster, Multiplex, Jaculi, Mindboggler, Captain Boomberang, Vixen, and Deadshot. Deadshot, Boomberang and Vixen expect to take up majority of the story, with no word as to why the fuck Harley Quinn isn't making her movie debut. Whatever line-up they go with will probably be officially confirmed now that writer/director David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury) confirmed today to direct. While I doubt this movie will be much like it, everyone should check out End of Watch.

Alright, next we jump to Wonder Woman, which honestly has no new information, though a producer with Warner Bros did confirm that Wonder Woman would be a half-god, being a descendant of Zeus. Gal Gadot is still attached to star. After that we got the first of two Justice League movies, both of which will be directed by Zack Snyder. So he's the Joss Whedon of the DC world, for those of you that follow Marvel.

After that, we got a solo Flash movie, with the now confirmed Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Perks of Being A Wallflower), in what will be the shortest titled film of his career. I don't know how I feel about Miller being Barry Allen, partially because of Grant Gustin playing a similar aged Barry on CW's The Flash. Also, after that, we have Aquaman, with the now confirmed Jason Mamoa (Game of Thrones) set to play the Atlantean King. 

Yes, I realize how long and useless this post is, but gotta get them clicks. We also have Shazam with The Rock set to play villain/anti-hero Black Adam. No word yet on Shazam, but let's just hurry up and sign Joe Manganiello already. After that, we got the second Justice League movie, then a solo Cyborg movie, starring Ray Fischer, that no one will see, then finally a Green Lantern movie in 2020 because 9 year should be enough time to forget the last one right?

Missing from the list are Man of Steel 2, and the solo Batman movies, as the release dates for both of those has yet to be set in stone. While I'm assuming casting for the Suicide Squad will commence shortly, the main Justice League members still to be cast are Shazam, and Green Lantern. Also, if they use them, there's still Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow. 

So much stuff. So much time. If you read the whole post, congratulate yourself. You did it. Have a Capri Sun.