ScreenCrave.com » vanessa hudgens

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

Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens on Set of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Krystal Clark — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:48:00 +0000

The new cast and crew of the upcoming sequel Journey 2: The Mysterious Island are hard at work filming in Oahu, Hawaii. Several paparazzi photos have surfaced online that feature returning star Josh Hutcherson, who appeared in Journey to the Center of the Earth in 2008 alongside Brendan Fraser, and the new cast members Dwayne Johnson, Vanessa Hudgens, and Kristin Davis. Take a look…

The new journey begins when Sean (Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist — a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean’s new stepfather (Johnson) joins the quest.

Together with a helicopter pilot (Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.

Like it’s predecessor, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island will also be shot and distributed in 3D. The production will be set in Hawaii before moving on to North Carolina for the rest of the shoot.

What do you think of the first photos from Journey to the Center of the Earth 2?

Source: Coming Soon, Spoiler TV

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

Vanessa Hudgens to Play Spider-Woman?

Krystal Clark — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:54:36 +0000

Has the world gone mad? We have yet to find a new Spider-Man but people are already looking for someone to play Spider-Woman? According to a recent report from MTVUK, High School Musical and Beastly star Vanessa Hudgens is in the running to play the character in a new adaptation based on the comic (rolls eyes).

An inside source close to the project states, “The idea is for this to be a fun, comedic movie and Vanessa is perfect for the title role.” We’re going to have to disagree on that. Spider-Woman needs to look like she can kick someone’s ass not dance all over them to the latest pop tunes. This would be a very, very bad idea for everyone involved. The source went on to say, “Spider Woman is strong and sexy but in this case hilarious. Vanessa is apparently very interested in the idea.”

The description of this character sounds like blasphemy. Spider-Woman was a prominent staple in the Marvel world during the late seventies but she was eventually depowered and faded away into obscurity. Over the past few years, she’s resurfaced as part of the New Avengers team and even got her comic revamped for another run.

We’re well aware that Marvel is interested in tackling their smaller, lesser known characters now that Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, and The Hulk have all been done but this is not the way to go. Hopefully, this is a sad rumor that someone made up when they were bored and had nothing else to do.

Could you see Hudgens as Spider-Woman?

Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer in Beastly Trailer

Krystal Clark — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:59:59 +0000

Beauty and the Beast is one of the most popular fairytales of all time. The 1991 Disney adaptation was the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards so imagine our skepticism when we heard about Beastly, a hipper live action version that stars High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer and one of the Olsen twins. Check out the trailer…

Beastly centers on Kyle Kingson, a rich and popular man who’s got good looks but a bad attitude. One day he crosses a young witch with his wicked mouth and she curses him with the face and body of a disfigured monster. His life is turned upside down when his father banishes him to Brooklyn where his only companionship comes from a blind tutor and his maid.

One day he saves the life of a drug addict and his daughter and in exchange for his help he asks that she live with him. He plans on making her fall in love with him because that’s the only way his curse can be broken.

Beastly co-stars Mary-Kate Olsen as the teen witch, Lisa Gay Hamilton as the house maid, and Neil Patrick Harris as the blind tutor.

Beastly debuts in theaters on July 30th.

What do you think of the trailer for Beastly?

Another New Moon Trailer Hits This Friday

Krystal Clark — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:47 +0000

More trailer news has broke. According to Cinemablend, Summit Entertainment has announced that a new trailer for The Twilight Saga: New Moon will debut this Friday. The film will play in front of the Vanessa Hudgens musical, Bandslam (I haven’t heard of it either). What a convenient way to promote the lesser known of the two, considering the massive audience that Twilight brings in tow. If you’re happy about this development, I’m sure you’ll enjoy my next piece of New Moon news.

Find out what else Summit has under thier sleeve after the jump….

Over at Comingsoon, they’re adding more fuel to the fire by confirming more New Moon promos. According to the site, a 14 second tease for the new trailer “will be airing nationwide”starting this Tuesday, August 11th. I really don’t know what they can show of substance over the span of 14 seconds. Then again, you could flash a smile, some abs, and a fang and I think fans would be happy. So, sad isn’t it?

New Moon hits theaters on November 20, 2009. It’s directed by Chris Wietz and stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.

Are you excited to see the latest trailer for New Moon?

Zack Snyder Talks Sucker Punch, Watchmen, and Wins at ShoWest

Krystal Clark — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:00:34 +0000

Director Zack Snyder has moved on from last month’s Watchmen adaptation to his latest all girl project, Sucker Punch. The film features a who’s who of up and coming talent featuring Abby Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Evan Rachel Wood and most recently Emily Browning. Snyder sat down and spoke to Entertainment Weekly regarding the film and rumors that Warner Brothers was heavily diappointed by Watchmen’s box office performance. He responded by saying,”All the studio has ever said to me is, ‘We are proud of Watchmen, we think it’s awesome and we stand behind it.” Snyder feels that Warner Brothers will faithfully support Sucker Punch just as they did his previous film.

The director is ready to up the ante with Sucker Punch, an action thriller that takes place in a insane asylum. Snyder says the film will be a “hard R”, and he’s really going to challenge the studio with it’s content. All of the actresses for the film are currently negotiating their contracts, and Snyder can’t wait for their deals to be finalized so they can get to work.

“They are all super excited because they get to play these juicy, mentally difficult roles, plus they get to fight,” he says. “We need to get the deals done because they’ve got a lot of fight training to do.”

Vanessa Hudgens kicking someones ass? I’m going to have to see this! I wonder if they will be taught martial arts or hard core street fighting? Snyder really loves to go for hard R ratings. He loves to push the envelope when it comes to violence, sex, and gore. I don’t consider myself a sensitive viewer, but I’m not a fan of adding stuff solely for shock value. I hope he doesn’t go that route with Sucker Punch, but old habits die hard.

Snyder was the recipient of the Director of the Year Award at this year’s ShoWest convention in Las Vegas. I don’t hate the guy but hasn’t he only made three films? Dawn of the Dead, 300, and Watchmen to be exact and only one out of the those was actually decent. He also earned a spot on Entertainment Weekly’s top 25 active directors this year where he beat out Clint Eastwood, Danny Boyle , Paul Greengrass, Ron Howard, Paul Thomas Anderson,and Darren Aronofsky just to name a few. That ranking alone forced me to disregard the legitimacy of the list. I’ll be more than happy to give him a chance once he shows me a film that’s not heavily diluted with slow motion and green screen effects. Is that possible?

Do you think Sucker Punch will do better than Watchmen? Does Snyder deserve all of the accolades he’s received?

ScreenCrave.com » vanessa hudgens

Sucker Punch: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 5/10

Trailer:

Photo Gallery:

Related Posts

Five New Sucker Punch Character Posters

Related Posts

Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens on Set of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Related Posts

Official Trailer for Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch!

Related Posts

Comic-Con 2010 Sucker Punch Press Conference

Related Posts

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

Related Posts

First Photo: Girls of Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch

Related Posts

Vanessa Hudgens to Play Spider-Woman?

Related Posts

Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer in Beastly Trailer

Related Posts

Another New Moon Trailer Hits This Friday

Related Posts

Zack Snyder Talks Sucker Punch, Watchmen, and Wins at ShoWest

Related Posts