Suicide Squad

Aug 4, 2016

(Reviewed by our guest critic, The Movie Knight)  Marvel has reigned supreme for almost ten years with the studios. But now, DC has finally got their gravy-train going,    Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made over $800 million worldwide, but failed to resonate with critics or fans…Can Suicide Squad change that?

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) believes the world needs a team of heroes, but this team will not be filled with “heroes.” Instead this team will be composed with some of the world’s most notorious villains. Some of these members include Deadshot (Will Smith), Diablo (Jay Hernandez) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). Their first assignment is to stop one of the other members of the squad, Enchantress, from destroying the world. Meanwhile, The Joker (Jared Leto) is on the loose and trying to recapture his old girlfriend, Harley.

FYI: News broke via The Hollywood Reporter on how there was a lot of turmoil behind the scenes in the making of this movie. The production was rushed and after the bad word-of-mouth began after Batman v Superman came out. A number of re-shoots were ordered to change the tone of the project to the point where they had two different movies on their hands. The dual version of the finished product never allows the audience to get into the movie. The action scenes take place at night, which makes it hard to see what is going on to the point where you may find yourself squinting.

After Heath Ledger’s Academy Award winning performance in The Dark Knight it did not appear likely that anyone would be willing to follow that act. The filmmakers went with another Oscar winner in the form of Jared Leto. Problem is, Leto does not command the presence of the Joker the way that Leger or even Jack Nicholson, before him, did. In the end, the character ends up nothing more than a high school bully.

Margot Robbie, Will Smith and Viola Davis, all give great performances, but not to the point that makes it worth seeing this movie. DC has a long way to go to catch up to Marvel. Right now they are heading in the wrong direction. Perhaps next year they can finally turn things around with Wonder Woman.  One tiara.

Florence Foster Jenkins

Aug 2, 2016

Hitting all the high notes of tenderness, love, music and drama, Florence Foster Jenkins’s will soon be nominated for all its pitch-perfect performances. 

Susan Boyle ‘dreamed a dream’ and apparently so did Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep).  Directed by the ever-fabulous Stephen Frear at the helm, comes the 1940s true life story of a woman who dreamed of singing at Carnegie Hall.  And she finally did.

But that’s not because she was a good singer, it’s because she was a determined one.   At first she’s a wealthy socialite dropping down on a New York stage of her private Verdi Club, dressed as an angel, and then as a Viking, entertaining elderly socialites.

At night, she goes home to the comfort of her stage manager and husband, St Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) who feeds her the delusions she requires.  Florence has a secret.  And it’s revealed each night when she’s safely tucked into bed.

St Clair has some secrets too, and it comes in the form of Kathleen (Rebecca Ferguson.)

But when Florence decides to become a full time entertainer, having been inspired by Arturo Toscanini (John Kavanagh) she hires Cosmo McMoon (Simon Helberg) to be her pianist.  For $150 a week he’ll accompany her on piano, as well as guard her briefcase, her chair fetishes and her rules about potato salad.

Her trio of men indulge her, encourage her, appease her, and basically feed her the B.S.  She sings like a mating cow.

There are two things to realize here when watching Florence Foster Jenkins. The first is it takes incredible talent for Meryl Streep to sing badly. And second, you’ll find yourself wondering how Hugh Grant kept a straight face.

This is a film about following your dream, chasing it to the very end.  Passion and life and love make for the best formula.

Hitting all the high notes of tenderness, love, music and drama, Florence Foster Jenkins’s will soon be nominated for all its pitch-perfect performances.  ♔ ♕ ♚ ♛