Sucker Punch = A+++

[cleaverthepit]

Loved it. Let the flames start

davis

[Go0gleplex]

admit it. you just liked the scantily clad girls! lol (though the mecha shown in the trailers look cool)

[Sir Ironside]

I am personally leaning towards Hobo with a Shotgun.

Suckerpunch, the title chosen just doesn't sit well with me, for whatever reason.

The inevitable question, is Suckerpunch something that is a must see on the big screen, or waiting for the DVD release would be alright?

[cleaverthepit]

BIG SCREEN

I'll admit the chicks in the promo shot got my attention. After reading the reviews I sorta passed the movie aside and decided to watch it later on pay-per-view or something (which usually means never). So i went to watch Battle LA. I was early so dropped into other screens to watch shows for a bit before BLA began. I happened into the the opening of SP. Within one minute I was hooked and left. Then I went and watched it last night to get the full effect.

AWESOME

The same thing happened with the Matrix years ago.

Do the babes help the film. Sure, but the 'babeness' of it falls into the background fairly quickly becomes just more candy for the eye on par with the dragon, the technobot thing, the techno-zombies, the warren of trenches, the castle, the planet, etc....

Which begs the questions; would the movie have been as good with men instead of babes.

Good question.

Would the Matrix have been better had Neo been Jessica Alba?

As for the plot. Sorta not really there as I see it. At least, the events depicted are tangential to the 'plot'

anyway, just liked it and was wondering how others felt.

[Coleston the Cavalier]

Well, if Davis liked it, I gotta go now.

[Omote]

Are we allowed to swear on these MBs? Sucker Punch f*cking blew goats. Man, that movie was awful. Let me tell you exactly why. Sure, I could see if the director (Zack Snyder) made a move with pure ass-kicking babe action, and that was it. Sucker Punch is not about babes kicking ass. Not at all. The lame ass director (who I used to like, now I'm not sure why) tries to force feed us some crap about all we have to do is "imagine" and we can escape our living nightmares (or some shit like that). First of all..

SPOILER ALERT!
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Baby Doll doesn't get away. Not even a little. Matter of fact she utterly fails in her attempt to escape her mind and her prison.

Then, if that wasn't enough, at the end of the movie there is this terrible voice over from Carla Gugino who tells us some ultra truism about what we were supposed to learn from watching this movie... I had to have my friend sucker punch the hell out of me just to make sure I was not dreaming about some craptastic movie. Unfortunately for me, I had watched this piece of crap movie and not learned a damn thing about myself.

NOTE TO ZACK SNYDER: If you are going to make a movie about stuff blowing up, guns, dragons, B-52s, giant samurai with miniguns, and tittays, have the balls to actually make that movie and not slap on some second thought dialogue about some mind over matter lesson. Idiot.

Worst movie I have seen in years, and yes, I did see that piece of crap Skyline movie.

~O

PS: Davis, I shall debate you at any time my friend about this sh*tty movie! Bring on the retorte!

[Go0gleplex]

That's okay Omote. I've seen worse said about it on other forums. From observation, it seems to be 90% (maybe more) totally panned. It's not one I plan on spending any money on...though I might redbox it just for the mecha.

[cleaverthepit]

I had to have my friend sucker punch the hell out of me just to make sure I was not dreaming about some craptastic movie.

SPOILERS - don't read if you are planning on watching the movie

This is what I got with regards the imagination thing; the only thing you can control is your imagination and your interpretation of events around oneself not necessarily escape them. In fact, I would go so far as to say the movie implies we can not escape our nightmares/reality (hence the ending). I could go on but i feel myself getting tired.

Genre mixing does not bother me, even the extreme genre mixing here as they are just dreams.
and some other stuff

We'll continue this until gen con, whoever loses has to watch sucker punch.

[Joe]

I had to have my friend sucker punch the hell out of me just to make sure I was not dreaming about some craptastic movie.

SPOILERS - don't read if you are planning on watching the movie

This is what I got with regards the imagination thing; the only thing you can control is your imagination and your interpretation of events around oneself not necessarily escape them. In fact, I would go so far as to say the movie implies we can not escape our nightmares/reality (hence the ending). I could go on but i feel myself getting tired.

the only thing you can control is your imagination and your interpretation of events around oneself

Exactly!!!
Dude...you just said something that is a cornerstone. From this one realization one can plant mustard seeds that move mountains.

The question is how much of this do we already do and yet don't realize it?

I never even heard of this movie but I am hooked already!

So Suckerpunch huh?

As for Omote...breathe man...breathe

[Omote]

*deep breaths* SPOILER ALERT
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Though I can't remember the finer details* of this movie, Davis, I think you interpret the movie as it probably was supposed to be interpreted with the line: "the only thing you can control is your imagination and your interpretation of events around oneself not necessarily escape them."

OK, sure I'll buy that for a dollar. But why does the voice over at the end of the movie suggest otherwise? I wish I could remember the exact words but she says something to the effect in the first part of her statement that you keep yourself alive with your imagination...

Babydoll is gone man, she's f***** gone. The only person who did escape survived not by the use of imagination, but by sex and laying low. The rest of those chicks started using their imagination (and at this point I think I'm reading too deeply into this movie, which, I'm not sure is even possible) only when Babydoll got to the asylum... in which case their imaginations got them summarily executed. So what did imagination or dreams have to do with getting free?

Bah!

*Ladies with guns and swords, that I do remember.

[cleaverthepit]

As for imagination setting one free, I don't think that's the point. Imagination simply allows one to manage life's 'sucker punches' (at least one manner for doing so). Baby Doll can only be set free by sacrificing the "mystery object." The mystery object, as it turns out, is her pre-frontal cortex. She, in effect, sacrifices herself to effect Sweet Pea's escape and to forget the decisions she regrets and her horrid life. To survive and be free, she must leave the mundane world and enter that of her imagination in a very permanent manner.

Also, bear in mind, this is Sweet Pea's story not Baby Doll's. The story is told through the eyes and imagination of Baby Doll though, not Sweet Pea. We don't know that the other girls are dead. We know they were removed from the brothel dream (possibly separated from Baby Doll so they no longer play a role).

[cleaverthepit]

"*Ladies with guns and swords, that I do remember."

Snyder's comment on geekdom fetish. On that level, the movie can be enjoyable as well. I mean, scantily clad women with swords and guns fighting giant samurai and techno zombie nazis? WTF, geek heaven.

[Omote]

I certainly didn't get the mystery object being the pre frontal cortex, though I do agree that the story was Sweet Pea's... but they go through a hell of a lot to make me think it's Baby Doll's story. All think all of this is faux depth. This movie is not deep at all, which I would be all in for. But Sucker Punch clearly tries to be something deep and metaphysical. I think once the movie finished filming and edited, the producers or the director said to themselves... "Oh crap, what I had intended didn't come out through the story at all. Oops, better throw in a bunch of voice-over work to make the audience understand." And to be honest, that voice over was needed to get to the point otherwise everybody would be totally dumbfounded.

Remember the Harrison Ford narration added to Blade Runner? Yuck. Though that discussion is a bit off topic.

But, perhaps, I'm looking too critically at this movie. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be anything deep at all. In which case, Sucker Punch still fails with it's weak story and weaker acting.

~O

[Just Jeff]

As for Omote...breathe man...breathe

Have a milk steak.

[cleaverthepit]

All right, let me drag you in.

Ask yourself, who is the main character and what do we know about them?

[Breakdaddy]

Davis is gonna go down swingin' for this movie. Those chicks must've been REALLY hawt.

[cleaverthepit]

Main character: insane or not? not sure. Sweet Pea enters the institution after her sister runs away and is institutionalized. Sweet Pea is not insane (we are lead to believe. But we only get to see the situation through her explanation.) Baby Doll is institutionalized after trying to kill her stepfather/father whatever but actually killing her sister. Was the act justified and the act of a sane person simply trying to protect kin? We are lead to believe Baby Doll is wrongfully institutionalized.

Looking at those two characters and the transition scene (first lobotomy scene) as one morphs into the other, I am left with the lingering question as to whether or not Sweet Pea and Baby Doll are the same person and each is a 'state of mind' reflection of the other (mirror scene in brothel dressing room).

In fact, we are left with very little real to grasp. From the opening sequence (curtains drawing open and pan in to stage upon which Baby Doll sits) unto the end (the bus driving off into the distance with the sign "Paradise" upon it) we don't know when or where reality begins/ends. IF EVER.

Odd scenes that don't seem to add up, taken in pieces and recombined start to build up. First scene, babydoll on stage pans to 'real life' retelling of event in childhood. First scene with sweet pea . she is on bed on stage ending the acting out of childhood trama.

other scenes as well

davis

[cleaverthepit]

indescribable.
LOL

[cleaverthepit]

blade runner did have the added voice over to explain things to the audience. the director's cut was better.

[Troll Lord]

I have to agree with Davis, I loved this movie. The story was compelling and interesting, the characters all very cool (even the baddies), the undertones were rampant, and the action sequences through the roof cool...a B17 and a dragon, it doesn't get much better than that. To me echoed the very best of Epic and Heavy Metal magazines. And for my movie philosophy...beautiful people doing extraordinary things...it was spot on.

Steve

[Joe]

Guns + Girls + Butt Whipping = Happy Joe

Ok...I have a tendency to internalize movies and books...don't even get me started on Where the Wild Things Are so bear that in mind.

To be small weak and helpless in a situation you cannot escape. Acting out when you are in such a state can cause harm to self and those you love and cause others to think you are the problem and should be removed from the community.

It was RE Howard, JRR Tolkien, Moorcock, and their ilk that let me know that as long as I had access to books nobody could take my freedom.

It is true that they can harm your body, take your freedom, and drug you into a drooling mess. They can even take your life and some times there is absolutely nothing one can do about it.

But its not a bus driver, or doctor, or priest, that holds the key in those horrible situations.

Its only YOU!

Tools are available, both divine and mundane but it is up to each individual to accept the help and use the tools.

The movie gets a B+ in my opinion.

The only thing that would have raised it to an A+ would have been to cast Summer Glau in the lead role.

[Omote]

Looking at those two characters and the transition scene (first lobotomy scene) as one morphs into the other, I am left with the lingering question as to whether or not Sweet Pea and Baby Doll are the same person and each is a 'state of mind' reflection of the other (mirror scene in brothel dressing room).

Honestly, I don't have much to argue over this point, though this theory is serious stretch.

We've all seen movies over-analyzed, but you sir, are taking Sucker Punch to a new level! I will simply bow out of the topic saying that Sucker Punch seemed incredibly simplistic for this level of thought process.

~O

[cleaverthepit]

that's gotta be worth one beer.

watch me over analyze Dumb and Dumber

[Omote]

Haha! That conversation would be worth one beer back sir! Haha.

~O

[cleaverthepit]

ROCKS

[GameOgre]

Oh! I thought it read Donkey Punch...nevermind.