thesethoughtsremain (25 May 2012)

Montage mania!!!

I have seen the montage used to hold some pretty good movies togetherand provide balance to them.However you can't make a montage and hopeto hold it together with a movie.I was scratching my head to say themovie was all over the place well that would be an understatement.Themovie was more frustrating then strippers in spiked lingerie.And Idon't recall seeing any boobies so no gratuitous nudity(hope thatdoesn't count as a spoiler).Beautiful imagery some very cool specialeffects sequences and what red blooded American male would say hedoesn't enjoy a hot girl in a school girl outfit.The advertisers reallyearned their money on this one because it looks really cool.Of courseit came out about a week ago and I don't see the commercials anymorehmmmmmmmmmmmm.Love you :)I'm dancing.................I'm dancing....I'mdancinnng........dance.

DICK STEEL (24 May 2012)

A Nutshell Review: Sucker Punch

Girls, girls and more girls, decked out in cleavage bearing, tightfitting outfits wielding assault rifles and swords, slaughteringenemies in their way without batting an eyelid, false eyelashes andhairdo all in place, with nary a sweat broken in the process. Welcometo Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch, which played out like a typical Otaku'swet dream chock full of loud action sequences, sizzling sensuality anda narrative that's a poor cousin to Christopher Nolan's Inception.Yes boys and girls, it's back to imaginary worlds and landscapes allcoming from the depths of one's mind and imagination, where theseenvironments are shared with those in the same boat, with the dreamerwielding ultimate power to do almost the impossible within, in a questto seek that elusive escape back to the real world. Only that it comeswith easier kicks based on the end of some pulsating music, and filledwith 4 distinct missions to fulfill in order to impact their real worldflee from the mental institution they find themselves confined in, withthe usual corrupt caretakers at the helm making it more like a prisonthan to help in rehabilitation.If you've seen Zack Snyder's live action films, then you'd just aboutknow what to expect from him, with slow-mo signature sequences and aneclectic selection of pop music peppering the background, with EmilyBrowning doing an excellent cover of Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams, whichbecomes the film's prologue introducing Browning's Baby Doll, a girlwho thwarted her stepfather's attempted rape of her and her sister, butan intervention resulting in her sister's injury meant having thetables turned and thrown into a mental institution, with the wardenBlue Jones (Oscar Isaac) bribed to keep her inside long enough to getan unsanctioned lobotomy to keep her quiet, permanently.So begins a plan to escape from her unlawful detention before the HighRoller / Doctor (Jon Hamm) arrives in a few days for the procedure, andwe begin that descend into Baby Doll's mind, imagining and painting alandscape that makes it a lot more interesting to look at, since it's abrothel rather than a madhouse, with its predominantly female inmatesbeing exotic dancers with exotic identities trained to gyrate by DrVera Gorski (Carla Gugino), who finds a gem in the raw newcomer, andBaby Doll soon hatches a plan to escape based on the retrieval of 4items to aid in her escape mission as guided and introduced by Wise Man(Scott Glenn), with peer collaborators in tow such as Abbie Cornish'sSweet Pea, Jena Malone's Rocket, Vanessa Hudgens' Blondie and JamieChung's Amber.If this is done by a sleazy director, then you'd have plenty of sexygyrating sequences with the characters decked in various states ofundress, but under the hands of Zack Snyder, this spells opportunityfor some heavy and very detailed set action sequences, sort of like aCharlie's Angel episode with plenty of amped up ass-kicking andattitude. Despite everyone fawning over Baby Doll's incredible dancemoves, they get translated to action, set against various dreamscapesas we descent into yet another layer of the imagination (told you thiswas a poor cousin to Nolan's Inception), filled with giant Samurais,steam-punked and clock- worked soldiers in war torn Europe withZeppelins decorating the gloomy skies, Orcs and dragons from MiddleEarth and a race against time mission set in a speeding train.Thematically, it advises females to seek and allow that inner self ofstrength to take charge, but frankly we rather see the visualmanifestation of that.They are all played out like an exaggerated video game, with Snyder atthe game controls as he moves the characters like those you see in anytypical anime, slicing, dicing and shooting their way through enemies.In fact he fills up the screen with so much details, it deserves asecond look just to allow your eyes to roam the background, as thecamera moves about in dizzying fashion, usually making the heroineslook good as they dispatch the usually faceless villains. While Snyderalways speeds up and slows down motion in alternating fashion, at leastit's less of that shaky cam BS that's becoming a bad unhealthy trend,allowing you to gawk at (ahem) the intricately designed action piece athand.As a guilt trip, Sucker Punch delivers that knock out blow in havingfound the right mix of eye candy cast after some musical chairs castingwith actresses dropping out and others back filling, and ultimatelyit's a job well done. This marks something original that Snyder hasdone for the first time in his career - his other film projects havealways been adaptations of sorts - and while he had created animaginary world, it's the stunningly beautiful flowing visuals thatcreate more of an impact than the strength of the story, but kudosthough that he had the guts to turn things around in the final actwhich does surprise a little instead of being the all protectivecreator unwilling to let go.Just as a side, for some reason I'm seeing a lot of Superman potentialin this one that reminisces of the Max Fleischer animated series, withthe kinda kinetic energy that Snyder is known to pump up his actionsequences, and the narrative design to tell the story of the Last Sonof Krypton and frankly I'm a tad bit excited to see Snyder's print overa Christopher Nolan-David Goyer story idea.

derflive (24 May 2012)

Confused about the plot of Zack Snyder's masterpiece Sucker Punch? Read this theory which will answer all the questions you lay have about this movie.

When you have read other reviews like I have, you will have noticedthat a few theories are very widely spread. One is about the dancingsequences of Babydoll being her escape from being raped. The other oneis of Sweet Pea being the lead character and it's all her imaginationwe see and not Babydoll's. I will try and explain why these twotheories are wrong.The imaginative part of the movie starts and ends with the doctorhammering the lobotomy tool through Babydoll's brain. This is the firstand most direct evidence of it all actually being Babydoll'simagination and no one else's. The other, more confusing evidence forthis is the wise man/bus driver. This has a lot of people confused. Thefact that we see the wise man appear as the bus driver can be explainedas follows: When Babydoll and Sweet Pea escaped the asylum we think wesee the real world events, not the fantasy. Yet, they are still wearingtheir brothel outfits. So this must still be the fantasy part. Theswitch between real life and the fantasy world in this part of themovie is why we get thrown off. Rewatch these scenes to understand whatI'm talking about. In the extended version of the movie, we can seeSweet Pea taking down a dress from someones clothing line. It is thisdress she wares at the bus station in the movies final scene. In thefinal shot of the movie we can see a billboard that has "ParadiseDiner" written on it. Remember Sweet Pea telling Babydoll to "write hera postcard from Paradise"? This is yet another hint to the fact that weare actually seeing Babydoll's fantasy of Sweet Peas escape. Babydollis taken away by the security guards just as Sweet Pea passes the maingate of the asylum. What happens after that is not known by Babydoll.Unfortunately, Dr. Grovsky fails to mention what happened too. Shementions that Babydoll helps Sweet Pea escape, but she doesn't say ifshe stayed out of the hands of the guards. She may have been caughtlater on. We don't know.Now for the dancing sequences. It is being made very clear in thecomplete story that the only time that girls are being assaulted (if atall) is after they have been lobotomized. Since these are Babydoll'sfantasies from before her lobotomizing, we can assume that she is notbeing raped by that fact alone. Not by Blue anyway. The only scenewhere she may have been assaulted is when she dances for the cook. Ibelieve what happened in the real world at that time is that the cook(being defeated earlier by Babydoll when she rescues Rocket from him)now tries to rape Babydoll. The cook once again fails in his attempts,because Rocket, returning the favor, rescues Babydoll from the hands ofthe cook. They other dancing sequences may be group sessions, led byDr. Grovsky. They are generally not something she is suppressing evenin her fantasy substitute of the occurrences at the asylum. They aremerely a transfer to the second level of fantasy. Whenever she dances,one of the other girls is stealing one of the required items. Anotherthing we have to remember is that it is being made very clear that hervirginity is being saved by Blue for the High Roller. And in thebrothel's final scenes Babydoll says to Blue, right after stabbing himin the left shoulder that "he will never have her, EVER". Thisstatement directly implies that he has also never had her before thattime.

Araboo (23 May 2012)

Unexplainable, Amazing, and Disturbing

This movie is in a category of its own. Be warned its very dark and disturbing. If you are the type that likes the show Lost, or anything that leaves you with some questions to answer on your own, then you will like this movie, if not, either enjoy the special effects or move along. When I left the theater, I didn't know what to think of this movie. Now after 4 days of thinking, I can easily say wow I love it. I have spent more time thinking about this movie then Inception, Fight Club, Lost Highway, or Mulholland Dr. Every scene, every action, every word can easily be interpreted as something else. I've come up with a lot of answers on my own, you should do the same. Kudos to Zack Snyder for making a film this risky and dark. I wish more flicks were like this.

muchodiablo (23 May 2012)

Are the critics bilnd or deaf?

I have read the same reviews of this movie. "Can't follow story", "It's confused", "Couldn't follow". I have no idea what movie these people saw. This movie has a very easy to follow story and GREAT visuals and soundtrack. Add in some fair to good acting and you have a very good movie. If you like Matrix-like visuals and good action with a great soundtrack. GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It is a good escape for 2 hours. Isn't that what a movie like this is for????

treyplemons (22 May 2012)

hot babes with machine guns= one kickass film

OK, let me start with saying that if you rate this film any lower thana 7 then you are a complete and total faggot....literally. thestoryline is superb, the action is mind-boggling, and the scenery isperfect. I've never heard of this director, but he did a fantastic job.this is a new type of story that hasn't ever really been used before asfar as i can tell. and its funny how movies that critics hate, aremovies that i love. why? because film critics are liberal idiots. thisfilm has no political standpoint,....its just hot babes shootingmachine guns and kickin some ass. great character development (as faras baby doll, sweet pea, and rocket are concerned...idk if thats aspoiler or not)but, honestly, i rate this movie a ten because its really the first ofits kind that I've seen, and doesn't deserve to be rated a6.3.....thats just horrible. not only are critics liberalidiots....their also hypocrites when they say that films need to beoriginal....but then they say that the original ones suck.....so thatswhy i hold my one finger salute to all critics :)anyways, great movie. definitely watch it

Christian Toto (21 May 2012)

Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch should send shivers down the spines of Superman fans.

(21 May 2012)

Disappointment

Watching Sucker Punch was like watching a video game....except there are video games that are more sophisticated then this film. If I had to guess, I would say the movie had more to do with making a quick buck then actually satisfying an audience. Basically, the plot involved the protagonist devising a set of tasks to escape the asylum where she was wrongfully committed....which might sound like an intriguing premise, but when you actually see the movie the lack of reasonable explanations for the steps to her plan in addition to how easily the other girls at the institution go along with them....well, it was just ridiculous. If you read, I'd recommend checking out The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox instead.

A.O. Scott (20 May 2012)

There is nothing here to enjoy, beyond the tiny satisfaction in noting that the movie lives up to its name.

Keith Uhlich (20 May 2012)

Map! Fire! Knife! Key! (Well, eat drink man woman to you too, honey.)

buggy3001 (19 May 2012)

the last wicker man air bender

that name describes how good of a package this movie is. Bad doesn'tdescribe it properly, and this is coming from a guy in his mid 20s wholoves movies that generally get rated horrible by critics and to asmaller extent people as well.I came in waiting to see exactly what others here described in their7-9 star reviews. That would be an "anime" live action flick, a bit of"Sin City" mixed with a a very lite "Inception".Spoilers past this.What i got was a story about the main character who wasn't at all aboutthe main character but wasted 1 and a half hours on her. Also gothorribly flat acting, extremely bad dialogue that makes fast andfurious movies sound like the king's speech, sporadic action sceneswhere everything is shaky cam intertwined with fast cuts to hide badchoreography, absolutely no character development, a dream within 2dreams only 1 of which actually has an "intro" that identifies going inand out of.Now for the jist of the actual plot vs what actually happens on screen.Main character goes to asylum and immediately imagines it being a"gentlemns" club without any sort of transition into this dream stateinterpretation to let you know its started. Then when she supposedlystarts dancing she is so "raw" that she mesmerizes all the men watchingher while in the mean time her mind wanders around and we see 5 minutedisplays of nazi zombies, lord of the rings and i robot in herdifferent dream sequences. The problem here is they also show nodancing, she just swings 2 centimeters left and then right and thedream starts...When she comes to from those dance-dreams, absolutely every scene hasgirls crying in it and comforting each other, there's no difference tomove the story forward.Lastly i saved the visual effects for last because i love movies alonebased on them, like 2012, even if its weak in other parts. There arevery few movies that come to mind that have this bad and blatant CGIthat i've seen. People saying its supposed to be a "fantasy" settingdon't understand that fantasy is not a way to describe "bad".Also, just as a side note for guys who thinks there's eye candy in thisworth it enough to see, get your ticket money and go buy a calendarwith random girls for each month. You'll get more out of it.

(19 May 2012)

Strange

I went to see this with my two teen daughters (17 and 14). We often love the movies the critics hate. We love action, graphics, and movies that keep moving and don't always have to make you think or cry. That said, this was the absolute worst movie I recall ever seeing. It was simply too weird to explain. I wanted to love the action parts, but the action made no sense since it was all in her head while she was dancing? This was the first movie that all 3 of us walked out of hating. To this day I have a sense of confusion feeling when I even think about it.

(19 May 2012)

Negative reviewers !! so obvious !

Just a quick remark to those negative reviewers, they are so obvious in their attempts they are not giving " Sucker Punch " a fair review, but rather they are just trying to bash it out of their own anger or own personal problems with the movie. could you guys cut it, it is so obvious and no one is going to believe that " sucker punch " is the worst movie ever made !!people keep saying how bad the plot was, that there was no story ? what ??!!i really can't see what is the problem with it ? " An Abusive step father sends his step daughter into an asylum claiming she is crazy, more abuse at the asylum is inflicted on her, she escapes by dissociating from reality into a fantasy world ", that is an interesting story as any !! what exactly do people want for a plot ?Sure the plot does lack in certain areas, and might have left things unexplained, but it does not harm the movie or make it the worst thing ever made.I also like the fact that they never tried to add silly or funny scenes to make it more light or soft and kept it being a dark movie, unlike the silly Transformers movies, that have stunning visuals but very forced and silly humor.Characters are interesting, and the girls were introduced gradually into the plot with good character development.People complaining that they could not see the Girl dancing during the transition, well, BOHOO !! go cry to your mommy !! do we really have to see what happens and how she dance, what are you expecting ? live with it.the action scenes and the sound effect editing are superb. special effects were amazing and visually stunning !! I can't believe people say that this is the worst movie ever made with this kind of unique effects that are not commonly seen in movies.I do believe that people have different opinions, and some poeple could have not liked Sucker Punch, but the huge attack it is getting is unfair and unjust. this can't be the wrost movie ever made !! even if the producers wanted it to be, it can't be !Unlike most negative reviewers here, i will admit that Sucker Punch is not the perfect movie, it is not the best out there, but it is very enjoyable and entertaining. it is worth 4 stars, but i will give 5 just to make things fair a little in here !!I am buying the DVD, and i would recommend this to any one who did not see it, and it worth buying not just renting, because it has rewatchable qualities.

lalitdevraj (18 May 2012)

Drawn between good or bad

This was movie was a doozy to rate as I was in a fix as to whichaspects offered the stars. Yes, there was a grand effort to make a USPof this movie the titillation factor given by the actresses. With adifferent way of capturing the story expressed, this movie excelled inbeing unique. The efficacy of graphics and action sequences would havemade this movie an excellent one except the unfortunate aspect of-women. To be clear, it is not because the women are participating inthe action, but rather are dressed as they are and attack as they do.One borders along the line of wondering whether to be 'turned on' orenjoy the action. Indeed, for those who cherish a woman who can fight,this movie is on to adore, but for people more of my liking this was ablunder. Suckerpunch offers a new way of looking at a story, butconfuses the viewer on many levels. Although it may be apparent what isbeing headed towards, this movie strikes up many questions, forexample, why are we watching this/ what is the message trying to beexpressed/ what can be learned? Note: It is not that movies cannot bemeant for time-pass, but it feels very different to most movies. Watchit if you must, but do not except to be mind-blown as more of a journeyis considered as opposed to twists and turns along a straight path tothe climax like most movies.

(17 May 2012)

An Interesting Movie You Might Love or Hate

I was really excited when Sucker Punch came out in theaters. I went to see it right away based on the previews. Here's the deal (with no spoilers):1. The film is beautiful. It's just pleasing to watch. The female characters and the scenes. It's a big movie.2. It's a great ride, but a bit of a downer.3. The story is a little bizarre. You need to suspend a lot of disbelief to enjoy the movie. It's Alice in Wonderland meets the Matrix.4. Lots of action. Girls kicking *ss ala Kill Bill, but with big guns too.5. Interesting mix of futuristic and old, again reminiscent of the Matrix.When the movie ended, I wasn't sure if I liked it or hated it. I was glad I saw it though. I plan to watch it again.

(16 May 2012)

pretty colors; decent effects; plot by stoners.

Lot of other reviews, so mine will be brief. IF you are one of the people who loved the Matrix ( original) right up until Keanu Reeves turned into Superman in the most lame ending to an otherwise fantastic film, you will have that same 'what the...' feeling at the end of this one. The dialogue is bad, even the great Scott Glen can't save his sparse lines from sounding hokey. The girls are pretty. Color and scene composition is very good. And the effect of surrealistic blending of reality and lucid dream is nicely done. BUT - ( semi spoiler alert ) the ending and the pseudo-hip "Like, wow, this is all, like, a great Deep Profound Metaphor for ME and MY life and like, you know, I can BE and I can be FREE and like, you know, stuff..." philosophy would only be impressive to someone who finds Secret Wisdom in the Cheech and Chong movies. We get to meet ( but never really know) several young girls who may or may not be real, and who - with one exception - are all killed off in their heroic efforts to escape either a psychedelic brothel or a dark, hell-hole dungeon of a mental institution. The villains never receive justice, the innocent are slaughtered and in general, there is nothing to take away except the knowledge that one has spent tims that can never be regained, watching the pretty lights and pretty colors.I should have gone back and watched Sin City again.

Gage Hull (16 May 2012)

Very Disappointing Way To Waste My Time Mr.Snyder

You Want Me to give an honest review of how bad this movie is? OK. Thismovie is about strippers with guns shooting stuff. Its not as great asit sounds because obviously with that summery you might expect at leasta nude scene or two like in watchmen, but no, there's not one. The plotof this movie is could have been good but the way the action sceneswere made it extremely painful to watch. I'd rather watch troll 2 orthe room with Tommy Wisowe because i would actually enjoy laughing athow bad those films where. If you check you'll see both films receivedextremely low reviews, so saying that means something. Worst ZackSnyder film ever? you decide.

Richard Niner (16 May 2012)

Fun Flick

The movie portrays itself as something a little different and that as aviewer is exactly what you get. The characters have enough personalityto be of interest but none are really developed fully because of thesteady pace of the action sequence that are weaved into the story line.The dream scenes are visually dazzling and the action in them top rate.The dynamic between the actresses is very much that of a team and it'simpressive that many of the stunts and fight scenes were done by theactual actors in the film. I didn't find a real connection with any oneof the bunch but it was a movie that was worth seeing on the big screenjust for the stunning visuals. Solid Sci-fi/drama with some kick assfighting. Worth a look.

Vassili Lee (15 May 2012)

One of the best film that I'd ever watched(a review from Hong Kong)

***May contain spoilers***Some people might think that this film sucks,wasting time,such arubbish,pointless(at least some HK audiences thought so).I disagree with them!I love this film so much,that's why I watched ittwice within a week and it is one of my favorite film that I had everwatched(I would like to watch again).If the full marks of the film are 100,I would give 85.I love this filmbecause the 5 young ladies are pretty(especially BabyDoll andSweetPea).The fighting scenes and effects are exciting.The story iscreative and the theme is meaningful and instructive.The soundtracksare great.Things that I don't like about the film is BabyDoll has a bad life,thatmakes me feel sad and the ending makes me feel sad too=[Another thing that I want to talk about is the theme.Some peopledislike the film because they don't understand what it is all about.Itssimple , if we want to reach our goal , we must fight , we must fightfor it,not just sit down and wait for your goal comes to you and youmust stand for it,don't give it up!(Wise Man said "If you don't standfor something,you fall for anything." and "Don't ever write a checkwith your mouth you can't cash with your a$$.")We own ourselves,wecontrol our destiny,our world,no one can stop us,even there areobstacles,we can go over it and reach our goal,like what SweetPea saidat the beginning and the end of the film.We gotta make it,NOW FIGHT!P.S. This is my first film review,if there are any mistakes,any grammarand vocabulary mistakes,please forgive me and let me know.Thank you forreading me work! =]

(14 May 2012)

Fantastic

I'm not only saddened by some of the negative comments regarding this movie, I'm also somewhat disturbed. I won't put this film on a pedestal claiming it's the best film to come out the same year but it's hardly the trash some reviews have chalked it up as. Amazon compared it to Moulin Rouge, WTF!? Underneath this visually stunning film is a great story that comes off as intelligent, emotional and chock full of dark gritty drama. Some just couldn't see past the visuals or the girls and the outfits they wear or were probably disappointed because they expected more skin. Snyder's work is somewhat underrated in that he doesn't get enough credit for placing a fantastically laid-out film in the middle of his visual wizardry; the death scene of Leonidas in 300 is a perfect example of this. In Sucker Punch, the scene where the girls are confronted by Blue Jones because he's figured out their plan is utter brilliance in the structure of the movie, the performances and how it was placed on screen. This movie isn't for anyone and in an sense making a film like this is a new direction for the industry, visual effects that aren't sterile, included for vanity or overshadow the actual movie. Sucker Punch is the kind of film that brings a smile to my face in view of all the other pointless garbage Hollywood drones out. One of my friends was proud to take her daughters to see this and they all loved it claiming it to be the ultimate "girl power" movie showing girls they can rise up from anything. If you could see the intelligence and artistry laid out in 300 or The Watchmen then absolutely watch this movie. If you don't like it, Hollywood made three Transformers films instead.