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Sucker Punch: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:30:57 +0000

This week director Zack Snyder’s bad-ass, chick-action-flick, Sucker Punch hits theaters with a bang. Snyder described the film as “Alice In Wonderland with machine guns” and there definitely is an aspect of that to the film. This is a dark, imaginative film that journey’s into the mind a young girl who needs to escape — but unlike Alice, Babyboll has a lot bigger threats than just growing up, she has to escape a mental institution before it’s too late. Sadly the film itself doesn’t follow through in terms of story, but it does manage some pretty impressive ideas. Check out our review below…

The Players:

Director: Zack Snyder
Writers: Zack Snyder (story and screenplay) and Steve Shibuya (screenplay)
Actors: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn
Original Music by: Tyler Bates and Marius De Vries
Cinematography by: Larry Fong

The Plot:

A young girl gets caught accidentally commiting some crimes and is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. In order to escape her fate, she retreats into her imagination and envisions a plan which will help her and her new found companions escape.

The Good:

The Look: From the flawless skin on all the girls, to the costumes, to the sets and the special effects; this film has a very distinctive look and it’s impressive. One has come to expect this from Snyder and he doesn’t disappoint on visual — though some may not like his videogame-esq special effects, there’s plenty to feast your eyes on.
All Out: I always prefer a film that takes risks and this film does. It’s great to see a director take an original idea and follow it through 100%. There’s no doubt that Snyder did that here. There is an attempt at a lot of interesting concepts in this film and there are some beautiful moments that really show you how talented Snyder is. Sadly, the whole film doesn’t hold up and that’s mainly do to the story BUT it’s hard not to appreciate and respect the effort.
The Opening: When the film hit the screen it immediately sent a wave over the audience and I couldn’t help but think “this is going to be awesome!” The start of this film, the idea, the premise, how it sets himself up is beautiful, dark, interesting — this is one of the best starts to a film. Sadly, before we can even finish the first act, things begin to fade.

The Bad:

The Story: Snyder takes a lot of risks in this film and unfortunately they don’t always add up or mean anything. You’re given this great premise and a lot of metaphorical ideas that at first seem really fascinating; but then you realize that they’re not all adding up, that things aren’t really making sense, then slowly the story starts to fall apart and you’re felt with some pretty images, and that’s about all.
The Repetitiveness: The film begins with one awesome trick and then repeats it 5 BIG times. Now this isn’t always a problem, films can repeat themselves if they’re clever about it. Sadly, unlike it’s competitor Source Code, which actually repeats itself eight times, this film doesn’t find the differences that keep you engaged while watching the same thing over and over. You need variation, in the characters, their motivation, and in tone in order to keep the story moving and give us something new to watch. The characters never really changed, only the settings. As a result it kept using the same gag just with a slightly different enemy to fight each time. It felt like five of the same short films playing back to back — mix it up!
Unbelievable Responses: The characters don’t respond like they’re human. Even under the most insane circumstances if there is not something relatable or tangible for us to hold onto, it’s hard to stay invested in the character story. The actors did their best to justify it, but even the greatest actors can’t solve plot holes that big. (Also unbelievable were the eye-lashes — I get the long lashes and excessive make-up in the brothel, but why everywhere else? This is like America’s Next Top Insane Asylum)
Casting Hamm: Though one can not get enough Hamm, he was probably the worst person in the world to cast as an evil villain that girls don’t want to have sex with. SPOILER When it’s revealed that he’s the “High Roller,” the one coming to take the young Babydoll’s virginity, one can’t help but think that women all over the country would line up for that spot. Now maybe if he was more evil or allowed to really play the villain it would work, but we barely see him in the start and in the end, he’s really not all that bad. If all we get is a sexy Jon Hamm, it’s hard to see what problem is, and if there is not problem, there’s no film.

Overall:

I can’t tell anyone not to go to this, because there are some really great aspects to this and it’s hard not to appreciate such a unique and interesting idea. That being said, it was not as enjoyable as it sound be and it definitely is no “Alice in Wonderland” story. The visuals were good, but not Snyder’s best. It’s a fun idea that’s never fully accomplished on screen.

Rating: 5/10

Sucker Punch is in theaters March 25, 2011.

Trailer:

Photo Gallery:

Five New Sucker Punch Character Posters

Krystal Clark — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:24:36 +0000

Warner Bros has just released a set of five posters that highlight the kick-ass characters in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch. The female driven action flick is led by a group of up and comers as well as some veterans and you’ve never seen them like this before. Check out the character posters below…

Out of this group, our favorite poster is of Babydoll. She has a gun and a sword so she can take you out with either one. If you want to die quick, she can hit you with a bullet, but if you’re itching for visceral pain, the blade can deliver. She has variety and we like that!

Set in the 1950s, Sucker Punch follows Babydoll (Emily Browning) who is confined to a mental institution by her stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days. While there, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain, and in that world, she begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man. This trailer gives us a better idea of what those five things are.

Sucker Punch is scheduled to hit theaters on March 25, 2011.

What do you think of the character posters for Sucker Punch?

Source: Coming Soon

Official Trailer for Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch!

Krystal Clark — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:54:23 +0000

It’s here! After giving you a sneak peek at the first trailer for Warner Bros’ Sucker Punch, the footage has been released online. It’s popped up on Apple Trailers and it has all the ass-kicking, gun-shooting, fighter-plane action that you could ask for. The film is directed by Zack Snyder and has been described as Alice in Wonderland with machine guns. It’s time to see if the movie actually lives up to the tagline. Check out the trailer…

Official Plot Synopsis:

Set in the 1950s, Sucker Punch follows Babydoll (Emily Browning) who is confined to a mental institution by her stepfather, who intends to have her lobotomized in five days. While there, she imagines an alternative reality to hide her from the pain, and in that world, she begins planning her escape, needing to steal five objects to help get her out before she is deflowered by a vile man.

As you can see from the trailer, Snyder continues to use that glossy, heavily airbrushed look in his films. The same dark colors with high contrast and special effects. The film looks to have a similar aesthetic as Watchmen and 300. I’m starting to think that his Dawn of the Dead remake is going to continue to be the only live action film in his arsenal that wasn’t mostly shot in front of a green screen.

Sucker Punch hits theaters on March 25, 2011. The same month Watchmen and 300 were released. Another coincidence? I think not!

Comic-Con Coverage:

What do you think of the first trailer for Sucker Punch?

Comic-Con 2010 Sucker Punch Press Conference

Mali Elfman — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:06:13 +0000

Who’s ready to watch Alice in Wonderland with machine guns?! It may sound crazy but that’s how director Zack Snyder has described his latest live action film Sucker Punch. The movie’s main characters are all female, including a talented actress Snyder has already worked with in the past. At the official Comic-Con press conference for the film the director along with stars Carla Gugino (Watchmen), Jamie Chung, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, and Emily Browning were all in attendance.

Here’s what went down…

If you want to catch up on everything Sucker Punch related from this year’s San Diego Comic-Con you’re in luck. We’ve put together a list of all our coverage on the film. Just go through our further reading section to find out more…

Further Reading:

What do you think of Snyder and the ladies of Sucker Punch?

Also, for more fun, here are our top stories from Comic-Con, feel free to enjoy…

Comic-Con 2010: Sucker Punch To Be PG-13? Snyder Confirms Xerxes

Krystal Clark — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:36:38 +0000

The cast of Zack Snyder’s female dominated action flick Sucker Punch took over Comic-Con with their official Hall H panel and those in attendance were lucky enough to see some cool footage. We also discovered some interesting news regarding Snyder’s plans for the film and his next project. Find out the dirt below…

Snyder came out first and talked about how excited he was to be at Comic-Con again (the usual). He took over the moderator’s job and decided to introduce the cast members which included Carla Gugino, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, and Emily Browning. They all introduced themselves and talked a bit about their characters in the film.

After the intro, they showed the first trailer for the film, which we gave an in depth description of in our first look. After that, Snyder spoke a bit about his next project, Xerxes, the follow up/spin-off to 300. He’s currently co-writing the screenplay right now and is definitely doing the movie.

Before they left he also let us know that he thinks Sucker Punch will be rated PG-13 (gasp!). We know it sounds crazy but he honestly thinks it might happen. He said that the ratings board gave Lord of the Rings a PG-13 and they cut monster’s heads off so why not? Sucker Punch also has the same kind of fantastical element to it so it could be possible.

Further Reading:

Do you want to see a PG-13 Sucker Punch or do you want a hardcore R?

Like what you read? For more fun, check out our top stories from Comic-Con…

First Photo: Girls of Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch

Krystal Clark — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:32:48 +0000

All this week photos from some of the biggest movies of 2011 have found their way onto the net. Yesterday, we saw the first images of Green Lantern, and new photos from Marvel’s Thor, and today we get a sneak peek at the kick-ass girls from Zack Snyder’s action flick, Sucker Punch. The female dominated film is just one of the many that will be represented at this year’s Comic-Con but you can get your first look at the cast below…

Sucker Punch takes place in the 1950′s and centers on a young woman named Babydoll (Emily Browning), who tries to escape a mental asylum after she discovers that her step-father plans on having her lobotomized in five days. The cast of kick-ass ladies includes Carla Gugino, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone and Jamie Chung.

The role of Babydoll was originally given to Amanda Seyfried but she was unable to take the part due to scheduling conflicts with the show “Big Love.” That has to suck considering her character really isn’t part of the series anymore. The Sucker Punch girls look bad ass and Malone is barely recognizable in this shot. We can’t wait to see the trailer for the film. Snyder had the actresses do a lot of fight choreography and we want to see them in action.

P.S. In case you didn’t notice, the one guy in this picture is Scott Glenn.

Sucker Punch is scheduled to hit theaters on March 25, 2011

What do you think about the first cast photo from Sucker Punch?

Source: OhNoTheyDidn’t, Entertainment Weekly

The Messenger: Movie Review

Kara — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:34:18 +0000

This is it, with The Messenger in theaters, the time for possible Oscar films has begun! First time director and co-writer Oren Moverman shows us how to make a movie with his debut film, which is as subtle and beautiful as it is poignant and dramatic. From an amazing script, to beautiful performances he has unknowingly made himself Oscar-bait.

Check out our interview below…

The Players

Director: Oren Moverman
Writer: Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon
Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone

The Plot

“You always shoot the messenger.” When someone dies fighting in combat today they no longer send a message but a messenger to deliver the news. In the film one solider (Foster), who was recently been pulled from battle, is paired up with seasoned officer (Harrelson) to do possibly the hardest job in the army, inform people that their loved have been killed. The young solider gets in trouble when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer (Morton).

The Good

The Script: One of the best scripts I’ve seen all year. Every moment has a reason, each scene pushes another plot point in the story, and they never rely on cliches to get where they’re going. Every moment feels organic and makes for a series of dramatic and yet nuanced performances
Simple Shots: As the director told us in our interview with him, often it would just be him and a cameraman in the room recording the performance. As a result, nothing felt staged, it felt like you were a part of the drama taking place. His choice to have all the message delivery scenes done in one shot again make you feel like what you’re watching is honest and real, and adds to the emotions of the scene.
Ben Foster: Finally he gets the chance to lead a great film. His portrayal of his characters is the perfect mix of intensity and yet vulnerability. You understand where he’s been and the pain of trying to adapt to his new laugh without him ever trying to show it.
Whole Cast: Woody Harrelson gave a serious and heartfelt performance that we’ve never truly seen from him before. He was even quoted saying that this first film where he truly cried on camera. Samantha Morton was gracious and beautiful, gave the story heart with what looked like no effort at all.
The Music: Completely understated, as it needed to be to match the performances and the style of filmmaking.
Directing: Honestly, everything that I’ve mentioned comes down to good directing. There are a million things that can go wrong with a movie, but this is one of the few times when everything went right.

The Bad:

I got nothing.

Overall

From start to finish this is a great film and I can only hope it receives the recognition it deserves come Oscar time. I highly recommend it for the holiday season, it has enough humor to keep you from feeling like it’s a “downer” and leaves you appreciating what you have in front of you.

Rating: 9.7/10

Photo Gallery

The Messenger will be released in a limited amount of theaters on November 13

Watch the trailer below…

The Messenger Official Trailer

Krystal Clark — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:09:04 +0000

The first official trailer for the Sundance hit, The Messenger has been released by Oscilloscope Laboratories. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Samantha Morton, and Jena Malone as a group of people dealing with the after effects of the Iraq war. A couple of weeks ago we brought you the first poster for the film, which was just as depressing as its subject matter, and the following trailer magnifies that tenfold.

Take a look at the first trailer for The Messenger…

Here are some of the plot details…

In his most powerful performance to date, Ben Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Samantha Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband’s death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.

The Messenger marks the directorial debut of Oren Moverman, and will be released on November 13th.

What do you think of the trailer for The Messenger?

Wood and Stone Replaced in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch

Krystal Clark — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:00:44 +0000

Is there something in the water at Zack Snyder’s camp? Perhaps he got exposed to the Iron Man 2 casting disease and now his latest project has been infected. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me fill you in. Snyder’s film Sucker Punch, is supposed to be an all female, ass kicking flick. It’s about a young girl committed to an insane asylum, who dreams of escaping with the help of her fellow inmates. The leader of the pack is Baby Doll, a role that was originally given to Amanda Seyfried. She dropped out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Emily Browning. That was only the beginning of the drama.

Two more actresses have jumped ship, find out who after the jump.

Besides Seyfried, the cast of Sucker Punch included Abbie Cornish, Evan Rachel Wood, Vanessa Hudgens, and Emma Stone. Two of these actresses are dunzo, and cited scheduling conflicts as their reason. Wood and Stone will not be able to star in the film, and have pulled out. They’ve been replaced Jena Malone and Jamie Chung. According to RopeofSilicon, Malone will replace Wood in the role of Cornish’s little sister. Chung will take over Stone’s spot as Amber, a country girl with a heart of gold.

Chung starred in Dragon Ball: Evolution as Chi Chi, and can be seen in the upcoming horror remake, Sorority Row. Malone is a former child actress whose made her rounds on the indie drama circuit, but was last seen in The Ruins.

I like Jena Malone and I think she is a very talented actress. She should have no problem fitting into this group of young ladies. Chung, who I remember from her days on Real World: San Diego (yeah, I used to watch that show) is proving to be an action dynamo. Snyder said the actresses would have to do fight training and choreography for the film, so she should have no problem there. Hopefully after this the casting issues will stop, and they can start on production already. What’s really going on Snyder?

What do you think about Malone and Chung replacing Wood and Stone? Is it a good fit? Who do you think should have been cast?

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Sucker Punch: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 5/10

Trailer:

Photo Gallery:

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The Messenger: Movie Review

The Players

The Plot

The Good

The Bad:

Overall

Rating: 9.7/10

Photo Gallery

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The Messenger Official Trailer

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Wood and Stone Replaced in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch

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