Call Them As I See Them: Sucker Punch

Story:

Sucker Punch centers around a girl called Baby Doll (Emily Browning) who is wrongfully accused of murder and sent to an insane asylum by her stepfather. While there she enters into her own world in her mind, where she picture her surroundings to be a brothel instead of an institution. Along with four other girls she plans on escaping before she is lobotomized. While hatching her plot she and her friends enter another imaginary world where they fight in order to get what they need for their freedom.

Essentially it’s an Inception-esque story structure that…well, more on that further down.

(Note: There are some spoilers in this review, so if you want to see it cold, I suggest you wait until you see it until you read it)

Acting

There really isn’t too much to say about the acting in this movie. For the most part it was all okay, no one was either really great or downright terrible. The performances given were just enough to make the film believable given the material the actors were given to work with. One negative standout would be Carla Cugino who plays the head psychologist, the character is meant to be polish, so through the movie she was gives out a pretty typical eastern European accent that just feels pointless and out of place, given that the story takes place in Vermont. That could have been more due to the writing/directing but it was simply didn’t fit in with the rest of the movie.

Sound/Music

The overall sound design was good given all of the action sequences; it all fit in with what was going on in the film and never drew your attention from what was taking place on screen. The soundtrack was a mix of different psychedelic songs covered by different bands with orchestrated versions of them mixed in here and there. Overall there wasn’t much originality to the actual song choices, given that they were the same ones people always go to when they think about trippy stuff going on in someone’s mind. In particular White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane and Where is My Mind by The Pixies, so no real originality and as a result no real impression aside from some nice covers to go find on iTunes.

Visuals

In typical Zack Snyder fashion, there are a lot of green-screen effects here, for the most part it is passable, but otherwise there is nothing that makes it overall believable or noteworthy. Given that I saw it in IMAX, that is actual a negative, since that is where we are supposed to be blown away by what’s happening due to the high picture quality, not being able to accomplish any kind of impressive visual work for a film like this is just another disappointing feature this film carries with it.

Directing

This is Zack Snyder’s fifth film and in my opinion, it was also his weakest effort (note: have not seen Legend of the Guardians). Everything just feels so flat, whether the action, where they do that shoot from behind so you know its not the actual actor/actress even if you can’t see it, through to the acting. It just feels like it was mailed in, and given his previous works, that is sorely disappointing. Snyder is capable of doing so much more with a film than what is shown in Sucker Punch, it could have something to do with his script, but overall just a poor effort.

Writing (spoilerific section, so skip if you don’t want to know too much before seeing)

Where to begin…

There is so much wrong here that it ultimately kills the rest of the movie.

First off, the dialogue is choppy and oftentimes it is delivered in that way as well. There are moments throughout the movie where you can kind of see where it is getting at, which is attempting to introduce real conversations people would be having into the world of Baby Doll’s imagination, which is kind of neat. These moments happen so few and far between though that they can often go unnoticed or quickly forgotten.

There is also the wise old guardian (Scott Glenn) that pops up at the beginning of each action sequence to dictate the characters’ goals and some Zen-wisdom as well. Like, Snyder went to the big book of movie clichés to give the film some spiritual depth. It simply doesn’t work though, we have all seen it a hundred times and there is nothing to make it unique. There is a small part of the opening monologue about guardian angels coming in different forms to help us when we need it. Fine, you know what would’ve been cool? If every time this guardian showed up he wasn’t just dressed up in a different outfit uttering the same motivational crap as the last scene.

Then there is the story. I almost think Zack Snyder forgot he was writing a story that takes place in a women’s mental institution. We see it for about two minutes in the beginning of the film, and again at the end. I get the fact that the whole movie is supposed to take place in this Baby Doll’s mind, but it makes it really hard to empathize with anything that is going on when you cant tell if it is really happening or not. Then was the ending comes, we realize that things similar to what we saw were actually happening, but how are we supposed to know if you never take us out of the mind of the lead character to see it. Furthermore, there are a few times where conversations are being had with Baby Doll not present…how does she know what’s going on if she isn’t there? It all becomes speculation since she is apparently making it up in her head. A cool way to do it would have been to simply set the bulk of the film in the mental institution and the only time we got into Baby Doll’s mind would be for the action sequences. That would have made us feel for what is happening instead of being force to sit and look at all the pretty colors, wondering what’s going on and if it was real or not.

Which brings us to the ending.

Before the film got to this point, I would have said I was a little disappointed in it, but not necessarily call it a bad movie. Then they pulled a Brazil (Note: Brazil is a movie from the mid-80’s set in an Orwellian future directed by Terry Gilliam. It centers on a man who uses his imagination to escape the world around him. Similar to Sucker Punch). Out of nowhere, after over an hour and a half of the film in Baby Doll’s head, we are suddenly thrown back into reality where our main character has been lobotomized…screw you movie.

You don’t get to do that; you didn’t earn it over the two hour running time. That’s the emotional equivalent to having her wake up and realize it was all a freaking’ dream, and then you try to wrap it all up nice a neatly with everything sort of working out for an optimistic end. You even made a switch in main characters in order to do so. Who thought this was a good idea? Seriously, you cant just say in the last five minutes “Oh wait this isn’t my story. Its yours.” Then why did you waste our time in this girl’s head? If you were going to pull crap like that on us at least allude to it possibly happening, not just throwing it in at the last second. I don’t even know what you were trying to pull when you brought Scott Glenn back to do his thing one last time. Was that part even in the real world? Or was more inside Baby Doll’s head? Though not like it makes a difference since it apparently “isn’t her story”. Shame on you or you’re lazy writing.

Overall

The ending just killed Sucker Punch; I have never wanted to yell in the middle of a movie theater before. Had things been done differently I could have focused on some more of the positives, but ultimately this is one of the bigger let downs I’ve had at the movies in a long time. If you are really itching to see it, I say rent it and save a few bucks. Otherwise, skip it.

My DVD Collection

So over the past few weeks I have been using listal.com to catalog my DVD collection, since there are so many that sometimes I lose track of what I have and don't (I'm also kind of forgetful like that).

With the starting of this new blog I thought it would be a good idea to post it so that anyone who reads it can get an idea of where i come from as far as my film tastes. Which as you will see is rather varied.

Anyways feel free to glance it over and let me know what you think.

http://www.listal.com/list/my-movies-jcunnin

Call Them as I See Them: Drunken Master

Quick Intro to Series:

     Due to my busy work schedule I do not get to see as many new releases as I would like. So as a result I’ve decided to simply review movies as I see them and give my impression of them. I wont do any repeats, nor will I avoid new releases, but his way I will have enough content to be able to write blog entries on a consistent basis as I continue to write larger entries in between. So take a look and let me know what you think and offer suggestions on what I should watch next. Enjoy.

  

Drunken Master (1978)

I love martial arts movies, especially the old ones. They just seemed to give off more a sense that the things you were seeing were actually happening, rather than just being stunt double stand ins.

Of all of the martial arts stars my favorite is Jackie Chan, well known for doing all of his own stunts and before he started doing Rush Hour movies was one of the premiere action stars in the world, and in my honest opinion the greatest physical comedian of all time. That puts him along with Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, perhaps even above them since he will often abuse his body for the sake of selling a shot, and in turn has greatly paid the price physically for the sake of his craft. Yes, so have many others, but whom among them would actively go a face serious injury for the sake of getting the most realistic feel of a shot.

His first notable starring role came in 1978’s Drunken Master, in it he plays Wong Fei-Hung, the delinquent son of a martial arts master who is sent to train with hermit to learn a new form of kung-fu and get disciplined and defeat a powerful assassin.

Really, the story isn’t what you watch this type of movie for, it’s the fighting and there is plenty of it. All very well choreographed and shot so you get most out of each stunt and really get into the intensity that they give off. One of the things that strikes me about the fight scenes is the use of sound, to be specific, a lot of the movements are given a sound that is very similar to rushing wind, as a result it feels as if the characters are moving much faster than they actually are. It’s a little thing that goes a really long way in improving the overall quality of the fight scenes that are already top notch.

Overall, Drunken Master is a great martial arts movie that anyone who is a fan of the genre should actively go out and find. It is two hours of premiere Jackie Chan goodness, which even if you aren’t a fan (and how can you not be) can find some appreciation for the amount of physical skill being displayed throughout the film. Even if the core story may be a little lacking.

Trailers of the Week: 3/22/2010

Okay, I decided to highlight two trailers this week:

Exporting Raymond

This is a documentary centered around the journey of Phil Rosenthal as he travels to Russia to help do an adaptation of his hit series Everybody Loves Raymond. Its a real fish out of water tale in just about every sense and it looks as though Rosenthal's sense of humor really adds to the way he adjusts to his surroundings. Being a documentary it will probably go overlooked, but if it happens to be playing in your area its probably worth checking out, especially if you happen to be a fan of the original show.

Super

I was a big fan of last year's Kick-Ass, I just loved how dark the film was both in its humor and action, though I can see how some people would be put off by it.

That said next month comes Super which falls in the same vain of being about a man who decides to fight crime when his wife leaves him for a local drug dealer. Directed by James Gunn, who's previous film credit was 2006's Slither, and it seems to carry the same dark and gritty humor that Kick-Ass did. With a high caliber cast including Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, and Nathan Fillon     it looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Due to the lukewarm success of Kick-Ass though, much like Exporting Raymond this film likely wont be playing everywhere, but it still looks like its worth checking out if happens to be playing near you. 

Trailer of the Week

Hanna

Director Joe Wright (Atonement as well as Pride and Prejudice) latest film centers around a young girl who has been trained by her father to be a world class assassin, and goes on a mission to hunt down the intelligence operative familiar with her past.

The film stars Saorise Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones), Eric Bana (Munich, The Hulk), and Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, Indiana Jones 4). 

The trailer gives off the feel of being one of the Bourne movie mixed with some fairy tale themes, plus unlike many trailers it does not divulge the whole plot of the film in its two and a half minute running time. All of that, along with the pedigree of the individuals both in front and behind the camera it will hopefully at least be an interesting film (but you can rarely tell from a trailer).

Hanna opens April 8th

Hidden Gems #1: “Sleuth (1972)”

The Film:

How does a highly praised film with multiple award wins and nominations and widely praised for its time go relatively unnoticed by modern day audiences? Well, I don't know, but it is damn shame because 1972's Sleuth is a damn good movie and so few people have ever seen it.

Starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, the film garnering multiple academy award nominations, including 2 Best actor nods, Screenplay, Director and Best Picture (not wining any). It still carries a 96% rating on rottentomatoes.com as well as  an 8.1 user rating on imdb (good for #241 on their Top 250 list) and does still hold up well against its contemporaries.

Based on what was one of the most popular plays of the time, both in England as well as America (taking home the 1971 Tony Award for Best Play), the play/film tells the story of a mystery writer Andrew Wyke (Olivier), who invites Milo Tindle (Caine), a young hairdresser who has been having an affair with Wyke's wife, to his country home to commit the perfect robbery. Over the the next few days the two men engage in a battle of wits with a number of twists and turns up to its unexpected and memorable conclusion.

Both the film and the play were written by Anthony Schaffer who would follow up Sleuth with the screenplay for another famous mystery, the original The Wicker Man.

The Pros:

Villain and hero are not clearly set, which makes for an interesting film, since you wont be able to tell who is going to have the upper hand when all is said and done. Then when the film does reach its fantastic conclusion, it is both satisfying as well as unpredictable, a quality many films lack in recent memory.

As mentioned before, both Caine and Olivier are fantastic in the lead roles, really playing off of each other exceptionally well, and being able to put themselves in the position of their counterparts seamlessly. They range both exude showcases why they are both legends as far as craft of acting is concerned, and should be seen by anyone who appreciates such things.

The dialogue is also top-notch, with once everything is said and done you realize that everything you needed to know was given to you flawlessly with hardly anything feeling forced. What exposition that is given is brief and to the point and quickly moved on from.

Sleuth really is a classic movie, exhibiting everything you could possibly want in a movie using the bare minimum to get the story across (though not in a cheap way) which is ultimately more suiting for the film

The Cons:

One of the downsides to Sleuth is that it feels very stagey, there is not to much technically impressive about the film with most of the film taking place in a few room and that causes there to be very little action throughout the film. In it’s defense though, when action does happen, its made all the more effective. Which makes sense given the fact that the film was taken from and very true to a play.

Overall, the film seems very limited technically in what it does, it opens with a great crane shot of Milo arriving at Wyke’s home and making his way through a hedge maze to meet him, and at the very end of the film as well. After that it seems to bare down on the technical aspect of the film relying more on the performances and script over any technical aspects and rarely moving outside of the house the bulk of the action takes place in. Personally, I feel it adds to the film’s overall strength, but other’s may be turned off by it. That coupled with a running time of just over two hours could be a turnoff to a lot of viewers.

The big downside of the film, and the one that has contributed to many people not seeing it, is it’s rarity. It is extremely rare, with copies going for $50-100. That is for just a basic copy of the film, not a Criterion or Blu-Ray. Personally it doesn’t matter how much I love a film, that is way too much for any movie. I have personally seen 1 copy of the DVD of the movie at a library, every other version I’ve seen has been a VHS. There are barely any torrents of the film (not that any form of piracy is condoned). Sleuth has been posted in its entirety on youtube, which given the outrageous prices of procuring a video copy of it might be the best option of being able to see the film (though since it isn’t public domain that could be piracy as well, I’m not that familiar with internet laws to either of supporting or disapproving of such viewing)

Conclusion:

Despite the film’s shortcomings, I still believe if given the opportunity, be it youtube or the rare television viewing (usually on Turner Classic Movies). It is well worth a look, just for the fact that it serves as a testament that the combination of good writing and directing can carry a film that is otherwise limited. Enjoy.

IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069281/

Quick note: There was a 2007 remake featuring Michael Caine (as Wyke) and Jude Law (as Milo), which I have not seen yet so I can neither recommend or tell you to avoid, but given the limited release and poor reviews I did read I can only imagine that it is not very good. Once I do see it I will put together a follow-up to let you know my thoughts

**Please Note: None of the images or trailer belong to me. They belong to Palomar Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

A Quick Introduction

Hello anyone/everyone and welcome to my blog Film Ace.

I am a fanatic of all things related to entertainment, in particular movies. With that in mind I decided to put together a blog where I would both voice my opinion on the current state of movies, both with film reviews and editorials based around whatever might be happening in the world of movies.

What is most important for me though is to educate. By that I mean to help people to discover a side of movies that they may overlook, such as movies that might be classified as hidden gems or an essay highlighting an actor who's name we don't know but recognize instantly whenever he appears on screen (and there's a lot of them).

So with that in mind I hope you all enjoy my blog, and should you have any suggestions towards what to cover or ways to improve the sight feel free to comment or get in touch.