The "Sucker Punch" Syndrome

I’m probably going to get burned at the stake for this one, but here goes…

Last night we went to see Sucker Punch at the theatre. Truth be told, I’ve been looking forward to this movie ever since I laid eyes on the initial trailer, so I was disappointed to see that it had garnered a whopping 11% on rotten tomatoes, and many scathing reviews. Still, we plunged onward with our plan to watch and enjoy the latest and greatest from visual-ultra-stylist Zack Snyder.

I loved it.

Here’s the thing. When I went to the theatre to watch Repo Men or The Losers I expected loud explosions, plenty of hero shots and a few dialogue zingers. Car chases, muscled men in tight black t-shirts, and a possible damsel in distress all fall within the realm of acceptable and expected elements.

When my girlfriends decided that “He’s Just Not That Into You” was next up for girls night, I expected love scenes, game playing, fashionable shoes and the break-it-right-before-you-make-it relational climax. Witty banter, misguided sex, and self exploration are all on the menu.

What I did not expect from any of these movies was depth of character, intricate plot twists or details, multi-layered story arcs, or anything else worthy of an academy award. This is why it astounds me when people slap Sucker Punch with a sour review claiming “I expected so much more.” Really? Because, you saw the same trailer I did, right? The one where a blonde girl named “Babydoll” wears a two piece Sailor suit and kicks Nazi-Zombies to the curb in an imaginary dream world? And you expected that to be what…Inception?

I feel like this one was all about expectation. People saw 300 and said “Zack Snyder is a visionary director with groundbreaking new visual techniques” then they saw The Watchmen and said “Snyder did the impossible, and made the movie that ‘could not be made’ and people LIKED it” (granted many also hated it, but that’s a whole different sack of hammers). Then Sucker Punch was announced, and it seemed like there was a whole stream of people who decided that this would be the next link in the evolutionary chain of Zac Snyder films.

Sometimes, a movie is just a movie. Cotton candy. Buttery Popcorn. When you go to McDonald’s, you don’t expect a steak. When you go to the Keg, you don’t order a Salisbury steak. It’s all about reading the menu and knowing what’s being served. I guess what I’m getting at is that Sucker Punch earned a bad rap because people chose to write their own future for it, before they saw it for what it was.

Yes, the movie had problems. Yes there were a few shoddy connections, and more than a few moments that left me wanting. But you know what? By the end I didn’t care, because I was fully engaged in a no holds barred, action-packed thrill ride…with girls….and burlesque…and awesome music. I went to Sucker Punch to be entertained. That was it. It achieved that, and I’d watch it again tonight. Just because it doesn’t fall under the genre-tastic über classifiers like Action or Chick Flick, doesn’t mean it can’t just be fun, outrageous, and awesome.

For what it was, and what it was meant to be, I give Sucker Punch both my thumbs up. Just don’t go in with your box of tissues expecting the Kings Speech. That one is probably still playing just down the hall, where Oscar lives.

--HUGE props for this go to Derek Langer for Inceptioning this post’s idea into my head (Somebody better be adding that word to Urban Dictionary right now) and talking this whole post out with me. Twice. --

Black Swan

Haiku Movie Review:

Darkly Riveting
Risks for Intelligent Eyes
Balance Reached En Pointe

**DISCLAIMER** Moderate Plot Spoilers


Black Swan is about a professional ballerina who is desperate to play the part of the Swan Queen (twin sisters, one good, one evil) in the Swan Lake Ballet. Natalie Portman plays Nina, a timid perfectionist whose life revolves solely around her career as a dancer in a New York company. Nina, whilst technically perfect, has trouble losing herself in the dark role as the Black Swan (the evil sister). Under the direction of the company's choreographer Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), Nina fights to embody the nature of the Black Swan, while barely holding her personal life together. As Nina fights to transform herself, the company's newest dancer Lily (Mila Kunis) competes for the Swan role, and thrusts her free-spirited nature in Nina's face. Nina gets more than she bargained for as her transformation into the Black Swan begins to take on a physical manifestation. Nina's struggle to address her inner demons tangos with her obsession surrounding the Black Swan part, culminating in a beautiful tryst between reality and art obsession.

Having only seen one Aronofsky film prior to this, I went into Black Swan with a cautious optimism, accompanied by a sense of trepidation. I really did NOT enjoy The Wrestler. Perhaps it was the fact that I hate on screen fighting (I close my eyes a lot in Rocky) coupled with the fact that I couldn't shield my compassion nerve from the tragic main character. Maybe it was Aranofsky's tendency to follow a non-linear sense of pacing, but it just didn't do it for me. Having been regaled of the abstract glories of Pi and Requiem for a Dream, I had no idea what to expect from Black Swan. That being said, I have a weakness for ballet movies and for Natalie Portman so it couldn't be an all around lose. Needless to say, it was a big win for me.

Aronofsky requests a certain level of intelligence from his viewers, and in so doing can take greater risks with a bigger payoff. The delicate balance between art and illness, control and obsession, is beautifully blurred as we follow the transformation of Nina from timidly cerebral into the visceral world of her art form, we too become entangled in a world lacking definition between reality and obsession, and Aronofsky refuses to explain the difference. To me, this was the main reason the film worked. It was unlike any other film I've seen with similar themes. It grants the viewer some breathing room, to decide for themselves what their reality is. Paired with beautiful dancing and stark visual realism, Aronofsky balances a tightrope between drama and horror. Though the startling moments are few and far between, they still pack a heavy punch that is in keeping with the disturbing nature of the visuals.

Natalie Portman is fully committed to the character of Nina. If there is a role that I'm going to see, everytime I see her in the future, this may be it. Her expressions and body language embody the essence of someone who is not quite whole. She is painful to watch yet you can't tear your eyes away. Mila Kunis was also impressive in the role of Lily, the free spirited dancer who lacks all the inhibitions that Nina has cultivated. She oozes sensuality, and is aware enough to hold back in keeping with the film's subtle nature. Overall the film was well cast, and acted. The dialogue was simple without being insipid. The subtext was almost completely left to body language and visual device.

What made the biggest impression on me was the film's sychronicity with Swan Lake. Watching this movie was like being at the ballet. The same suspension of disbelief is brought in, but part way through you're so swept up in the majesty of the story that you forget that the dancers may be on wires. The balance of all attributes was a delicately woven spider web. It was one of the more beautiful and starkly contrasted films I've seen in a while. It kept my mind riveted on it far after we left the theatre, and I'm still dealing with some of the more vivid images. I'd give this film a 4.5 / 5. If I was the only person who would ever watch this film again I'd give it a five, however I think that anyone who doesn't have my blind appreciation for Natalie and ballet may not be quite as riveted as I was. Also, the balance between genres is bound to cause a few people frustration.

**MAJOR SPOILER ALERT** Read on at your own risk. I mean it, I'm going to ruin the end!! **

At the end of the film, Aronofsky chooses to fade to white. I have to say, this is possibly the most ballsy thing I have witnessed in any film I've watched in the past two years. If you know how Swan Lake ends, you can imagine how the film finishes. The fade to white is a pretty serious statement on the justification of the means by which Nina meets her demise. It plays with the idea that in becoming the Black Swan, Nina has conquered her demons and is therefore set free to become the White Swan in the after life. To me, this also makes the statement that the movie completes its purpose with perfection, and instead of fading into the black unknown, makes its way into the white light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not sure I agree with this choice, but it sure made me think.

The Magic of Star Trek

I am currently coming off my second viewing of J.J. Abram’s “Star Trek”, and am still reveling in the excitement I felt during both screenings. I come at Star Trek primarily as a fan of TNG (The Next Generation, in non-geek) and of late, Deep Space Nine. I rarely watched the original series though I have seen all the movies (The Undiscovered Country being my favorite; no hate from the Khan lovers please.) I went into Abram’s adaptation feeling a certain amount of trepidation. Like so many other fans I was nervous that the genre would be overrun by a new wave, and homage would not be paid to the vision of the late Gene Rodenberry. Within the first hour my fears had been allayed and I knew that I loved the movie. This is unusual for me since most of the time I cannot gage my reaction to a film until the credits.

The thing that blew me away about this film was the cast. Though my knowledge of the original characters has by no means reached Trekker status, I couldn’t have asked for a better selection of actors to play the young crew of the Enterprise. Whether it was a strategic decision to choose relative newcomers to the big screen or just dumb luck, this film struck gold in its lead players. Chris Pine was able to breathe life into young Captain Kirk, making the character his own, whilst still humbly paying tribute to the Kirk created by Shatner and the original series writers. Zachary Quinto portrayed Spock in conflict, struggling with the pull between his human and Vulcan heritage. I was worried going in that I would only see brain-lusting Sylar of Heroes, marauding around space with pointy ears and a botched eyebrow job, but this was not the case. Quinto separated us so fully from his silver screen persona, allowing us glimpses of the Spock we know and love, but whom he has not quite grown into yet. The most paralleled portrayal in my opinion was that of Karl Urban, who portrayed Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. His mannerisms were nothing if not precise, and the humour surrounding his Bones-isms was perfectly timed and had just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek.

SPOILERS to FOLLOW

I read a review today where it was mentioned that Kirk’s character has zero development, and his journey is pretty much nil, in the emotional sense. I couldn’t agree more, though at first I couldn’t figure out why I still loved the movie. Typically if a character is lacking development I am turned off; in this case, I think I was just so excited to see where Kirk came from that I bypassed my normal must-haves for a character. I know from the original series that Kirk is a fairly stagnant character. Kirk is who he is, no bones about it I expected this. Seeing it brought to life by the vibrant and attractive Chris Pine only solidified my love for Kirk and his ways. I get the feeling that this movie bucks the system in many ways. Abram’s took an unpolished script from mid-writer’s strike, characters beloved by possibly some of the most intense fan group (ever met a trekker?) and a story arc that had a very specific format to follow, dashed a little bit of cinnamon and paprika on it, and the rest is magic.

The choice to create an alternate timeline was probably the best thing the writers could have chosen to give the film a little bit of breathing room from the expectations that it had to live up to, whilst showcasing characters that are recognizable despite different circumstances. The alternate universe allowed Abrams to showcase a different set of events without feeling like he was stepping on the toes of those who’ve memorized the dates and times of every important Star Fleet event in Trek history.

Nero as a villain was an interesting choice. This is possibly the only thing that remains up in the air for me (other than the copious sun flares that plagued the movie; seriously once is funny, twice is annoying, three times deserves a spanking). Nero is a villain that facilitated both Kirk and Spock’s agendas in the film. Kirk has a personal vendetta against Nero for causing the death of his father. Nero’s reactionary choices allow Kirk to showcase his shoot from the hip style. Spock, whose future self incidentally caused Nero to become what he is, struggles with the emotions brought on by Nero’s form of revenge and Kirk’s method of dealing with Nero. Why am I up in the air? We barely get to know anything about Nero. We see a brief holograph of the pregnant wife he lost when Romulus was destroyed. We know why he is here, but we never find out who he is. Some history on his personality would have been nice. Was he always so reactionary? Has he proven himself ruthless prior to these events? Do those awesome tattoos mean anything? Even a flash-forward (or back depending on how you look at it) to him with his wife may promote more sympathy for Nero, thereby creating more intensity behind his cause. One thing I can say for certain, Eric Bana delivered a great performance, as usual. I could barely find Bana in Nero at all, unless I scrutinized the eyes. He went as far as he could with what he was given.

Abrams breathed new life into the worn backdrops and tired sets, creating an Apple Store bridge, with clean white technology and Kindle-esque tools. Engineering resembles a submarine packed with technology, and well-oiled machines. The Enterprise gives the impression of the Navy, in space. The crew salutes the captain when he walks past, and you can tell that they are there to perform a duty, rather than attend a housewarming party. This was s fantastic directorial choice, as the original Enterprise was essentially a ship, not the home that was portrayed in The Next Generation where the crew lived on the ship for years at a time. In Kirk’s early days a mission was undertaken, executed, and the crew was returned to earth or their respective planets. This take gives the viewers a sense of realism, something that we can attach ourselves to based on the knowledge and experience that we possess.

The pacing of the film can be summed up in my phrase of the week “A no holds barred, action packed, non-stop thrill ride”. From the opening sequence, my eyes were glued to the screen. A great portrayal of familiar characters with a new cast and the best that updated technology has to offer. Combine that with J.J. Abram’s particular brand of magic, and you have a summer blockbuster that few can resist, and will likely last through the winter as well. Kudos to the team of Star Trek for approaching a seemingly insurmountable task, and showing us all that there is no reason you can’t buck the formulas and still appeal to the masses.