Tag: Suicide Squad

REVIEW: Peacemaker – Season One (2022)

Jennifer Holland (Left) and John Cena (right) in James Gunn’s PEACEMAKER — Photo: Warner Bros. / HBO Max.

All Episodes of the First Season of James Gunn’s PEACEMAKER Are Available on HBO Max Now.

I know. This show did, indeed, come out several months ago. Back then, I had been preparing to write a longer article about this show, but, then life got in the way, and now we’re in June. Sorry about that. Still, I am happy to be able to report that I think this show is absolutely terrific and I also think it’s the best DC Comics season of television I’ve ever seen. That statement is coming from someone who was obsessed with Smallville once, who loved the first season of CW’s The Flash, and who did follow the Arrowverse for quite some time. With respect to those shows, James Gunn’s Peacemaker is just head-and-shoulders above those other series in large part because it feels so director-driven. It has a distinctive style and voice that is just so right for this show.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Peacemaker – Season One (2022)” →

REVIEW: The Suicide Squad (2021)

David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Idris Elba, and Daniela Mechior in THE SUICIDE SQUAD — Photo: Jessica Miglio / Warner Bros.

Directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) — Screenplay by James Gunn.

Over the years, I have certainly not tried to hide the fact that I think 2016’s Suicide Squad, which was directed by David Ayer (though he has repeatedly made it clear that the film was essentially taken away from him as a result of studio interference), is, to put it mildly, one of my least favorite films ever made in the superhero genre. That 2016 film certainly reeked of studio interference, it was an almost incoherent mess, it was needlessly grimy and at times quite ugly, it used a decent soundtrack as a crutch and in a way that became incredibly tiring, all the while failing to get you to care about the characters or the relationships they were building. There were some decent things about it, but, on the whole, it felt like someone had tried to turn Ayer’s vision into a shameless imitation of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and that just didn’t work for the film that Ayer had envisioned.

Continue reading “REVIEW: The Suicide Squad (2021)” →

REVIEW: Birds of Prey (2020)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) — Directed by Cathy Yan.

In 2016, David Ayer’s messy and displeasing Suicide Squad embiggened the then fairly new cinematic universe from DC Films and Warner Bros. Pictures. Although it somehow won itself an Academy Award, the film was rightfully panned by critics, including me. I often think back on that film as being one of the absolute worst superhero films of the last decade. Therefore, at first glance, a spin-off from Suicide Squad, which is exactly what Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey is, shouldn’t appeal to me at all. However, this film promised to not just focus on the most entertaining character from Ayer’s film, it also promised a more colorful, more fun, and more feminine approach to a cinematic universe that could benefit from some levity and brightness. Thankfully, although I have some issues with her film, Cathy Yan has successfully brought the film’s characters to life in an entertaining way. Continue reading “REVIEW: Birds of Prey (2020)” →

DC Films: Where do we go from here? – Special Features #13

Remember that fantastic trailer for Man of Steel? The trailer that made it seem like DC and Warner Bros. would continue hot off the heels from the Dark Knight trilogy by introducing us to a breathtaking new Superman movie. Man of Steel was ultimately a disappointing beginning to a severely underwhelming cinematic universe. Continue reading “DC Films: Where do we go from here? – Special Features #13” →

Reaction to the Nominees for the 89th Academy Awards

'Manchester by the Sea,' Amazon Studios
‘Manchester by the Sea,’ Amazon Studios

And here we are! I had a lot of fun with trying to predict the nominations this awards season, it went a little bit better than last year’s predictions. I believe I got 77% of my predictions correct this year. But that’s not important. Now, let’s discuss the biggest shocks and surprises from this year’s nominations. Continue reading “Reaction to the Nominees for the 89th Academy Awards” →

Suicide Squad: Let the dust settle – Detective Comics Saturday #9

Detective Comics Saturday

Suicide Squad is out. The Rotten Tomatoes-score doesn’t look good, the film made a lot of money in its opening weekend, and I’ve written my review of the film. We’ve all been witness to exactly the same thing that happened after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. People online are blaming Warner Bros., film critics, and Rotten Tomatoes. But there’s really nothing we can do about how Suicide Squad was received, so let’s talk about what has happened and what that means for the future of the DC Cinematic Universe. Continue reading “Suicide Squad: Let the dust settle – Detective Comics Saturday #9” →

Box Office Predictions – August 2016

Box Office Prediction

NORTH AMERICAN OPENING WEEKEND PREDICTIONS:

  • Suicide Squad – Warner Bros. – August 5th, 2016 – $120-130 million
  • Pete’s Dragon – Buena Vista – August 12th, 2016 – $32-37 million
  • Sausage Party – Sony/Columbia – August 12th, 2016 – $25-30 million
  • Ben-Hur – Paramount – August 19th, 2016 – $15-18 million

Why Suicide Squad will make more money in its opening weekend than Guardians of the Galaxy did:

Continue reading “Box Office Predictions – August 2016” →

Favorite Thespians #7 – Jared Leto

Leto Thespian

As always Favorite Thespians contains three separate sections: one section on the first film I saw the thespian in (“On My Radar”), another section on 5 films you need to see to know the thespian (now retitled as “Watchlist”), and a section on my favorite performance from him/her. This month I’m focusing on a guy who isn’t just one of my favorite actors, but is also one of my favorite musical artists: Jared Leto. Continue reading “Favorite Thespians #7 – Jared Leto” →

Will Suicide Squad Be A Success? – Detective Comics Saturday #6

DC Saturday - Rebirth

Suicide Squad is the next film in the DC Cinematic Universe, and even though the superhero genre is the most popular genre in this century so far, DC/WB have had some trouble in kickstarting their cinematic universe. Man of Steel was polarizing, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was critically panned, but what about Suicide Squad? It will be the first DC Cinematic Universe film without Kal-El (you assume), does that then mean it’ll work? Will Suicide Squad be a success?  Continue reading “Will Suicide Squad Be A Success? – Detective Comics Saturday #6” →

The Future of the DC Cinematic Universe – Detective Comics Saturday #5

DC Saturday - Rebirth

Detective Comics Saturday is back! On the first Saturday of every month you’ll now see me discuss topics related to DC Comics or the DC Cinematic Universe.

I’m so happy to be back writing about everything DC! Now, after the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we have to readjust and get ready for the next film in the DC Cinematic Universe (I refuse to call it the DCEU) – David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. But with two WB/DC films having been released – with both of them receiving mixed reviews (to put it nicely) – we might also have to rethink the future of the universe. So, today I answer four questions that I have been thinking about since I saw Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – let’s get to it! Continue reading “The Future of the DC Cinematic Universe – Detective Comics Saturday #5” →