Suicide Squad (2016)

[Trini]

On 6/20/2016 at 1:38 AM, DisneyBoy said:

The pigtails and hot pants thing makes her look like a deranged cheerleader more than anything....

I think that's the exact look they were going for.
-------------------------

Poor WB marketing; they are doing their darndest to make sure everyone knows this is going to be the opposite of that other 'dark and colorless' DC film: New posters.

It's understandable though, they counting on this and Wonder Woman to "save" the DCEU.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Trini

[Bruinsfan]

I don't know, if they just wanted Smith in the film rather than for the specific role they always could have included Bronze Tiger (the martial artist hero who was Flag's second-in-command when the squad was founded). I'm guessing he actively sought out the Deadshot part.

[BetterButter]

Squad Yourself

[MarkHB]

Entertainment Weekly is putting out 4 covers for "The Sickest Superhero Movie EVER".

Detailed plot description (includes some spoilers that haven't been revealed yet, but still not the identity of Scott Eastwood's character):
 

Spoiler

 

Suicide Squad (out Aug. 5) takes place in a post-Superman world, following the events of Dawn of Justice, as the government grapples with how to respond the next time an alien visits Earth with less noble intentions than the Man of Steel. The answer, according to ruthless intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), is to recruit society’s most vile criminals, armed with lethal skills and superhuman powers. Her first target is possessed archaeologist June Moone/Enchantress (Cara Delevingne).

Waller’s program doesn’t get a green light, though, until Midway City is threatened by a powerful mystical enemy, and Waller needs to activate the whole squad of prisoners. The baddies get a break. Deadshot (Will Smith) has his Second Amendment rights ­reinstated, Harley (Margot Robbie) is carefully excised from her birdcage, Diablo (Jay ­Hernandez) is released from his own fireproof fortress of solitude, Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and Slipknot (Adam Beach) strap their weapons back on, and Killer Croc ­(Adewale Akinnuoye-­Agbaje) is popped from his swamp. The one condition for their restricted freedom: Obey orders or die, a rule strictly enforced by squad leader Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), his samurai Katana (Karen Fukuhara), and the explosive devices inserted into their necks courtesy of Wayne Enterprises. (Thanks, Batman!) Throwing a wrench into all these plans is the tatted Gotham City arch-criminal, the Joker (Jared Leto), and his laser-like plan to reunite with his true love, Harley, mission be damned.

But a funny thing happens while these scumbags try to become heroes – they each must absolve themselves of their crimes even if society won’t. And that’s where it gets interesting. A layer of humanity – and sadness – resides underneath these characters’ stories as they each grapple with whether they can be redeemed.

 

[Rick Kitchen]

I got the Amanda Waller cover today.

[MarkHB]

The set visit news embargo for Suicide Squad has been lifted; one of the best things I've seen is this interview with Margot Robbie.

[MarkHB]

Also, this promo for the movie was worked into the ESPY Awards telecast....  I really want to go out drinking with these two!

[Demented Daisy]

Just bought our tickets!  Husband and I can't wait!

[MarkHB]

They did character-specific promos... start here in the playlist.  I love Waller's!

[Advance35]

I'm really interested in seeing how this movie is received.  Especially based on the description by Entertainment noted above. 

Spoiler

Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Bommerang, Killer Croc aren't these all villains who STAYED villains even when presented with the chance to change.  Each of these characters when given a choice, will ultimately choose evil.   Will the public like a group of Anti-Heroes that will ultimately stay villains?

Edited July 18, 2016 by Advance35

[MarkHB]

Re: the spoiler above, I'll say that a) it takes balls to go that route, and b) it's definitely true to the characters in question.

[PatternRec]

8 hours ago, Advance35 said:

I'm really interested in seeing how this movie is received.  Especially based on the description by Entertainment noted above. 

  Reveal hidden contents

Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Bommerang, Killer Croc aren't these all villains who STAYED villains even when presented with the chance to change.  Each of these characters when given a choice, will ultimately choose evil.   Will the public like a group of Anti-Heroes that will ultimately stay villains?

Is the spoiler referring to the comic book origins of the characters or specifically what happens in the film?

[Advance35]

No movie spoilers just a general spoiler about the various other versions of the characters.  Comics and Cartoons.

[DollEyes]

Bumping it up with the news that Jared Leto's on the cover of the new Rolling Stone. BTW, he's shirtless. 

[starri]

Why do I have to be twenty years older and he's still Jordan Catalano?

[AimingforYoko]

51 minutes ago, starri said:

Why do I have to be twenty years older and he's still Jordan Catalano?

Heh, hopefully he's got a few more IQ points than that.

[MarkHB]

There's a spoiler out now about an announced appearance in the movie; it hasn't really been publicized so I'm going to add it here and ask that you all treat it as a spoiler and not discuss it in plaintext before Friday.  Thank you :)

Spoiler

One of the flashbacks in the movie apparently shows the capture of Captain Boomerang.... by Ezra Miller's Flash.

[MarkHB]

On 6/21/2016 at 7:07 PM, Trini said:

New posters.

Karen Fukuhara definitely seems to be doing a great job of looking badass considering that, in interviews, her personality comes across more as "bubbly."

[Morrigan2575]

Looks like SS is getting mostly mixed to bad reviews. 

I have to say it had a hell of a marketing campaign, even if it reminded me of Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool.

[Advance35]

Ouch.   I just saw a few.  Specifically Vanity Fair.   I'm going to wait to see for myself but then again I'm one of the few people who didn't hate Batman v. Superman.   But if Suicide Squad doesn't do well with critics OR the average movie goer, does this mean the Movie DCU is finished?

[Morrigan2575]

You still have Wonder Woman and let's face it, JL will make money no matter what.

[JessePinkman]

55 minutes ago, Advance35 said:

Ouch.   I just saw a few.  Specifically Vanity Fair.   I'm going to wait to see for myself but then again I'm one of the few people who didn't hate Batman v. Superman.   But if Suicide Squad doesn't do well with critics OR the average movie goer, does this mean the Movie DCU is finished?

 

We couldn't be so lucky.

But really Wonder Woman looks promising and they've sunk way too much money into Justice League for the DCEU to go anywhere anytime soon.

The reviews (it's currently sitting at 38% on RT) haven't swayed me one way or the other, I've always thought it looked like a teenage boy's wet dream.

[Zuleikha]

I am so bummed. I really thought it looked good from the trailers. I even defended Robbie's hot pants. 

Do we have to spoiler to talk about things in the reviews? I'm also very surprised by what they're saying about who is and isn't the main villain. The trailers did an awesome job at making me want to see the movie, but they didn't do a great job of showing the plot conflict.

Spoiler

Per the reviews, ENCHANTRESS is the major villain? and the Joker is a glorified cameo??? What? That wasn't what I was expecting from the trailer or any of the marketing blitz interviews/emails I read! Did everyone else know this? I thought Enchantress was a member of the Squad. Although that does explain why I didn't see her in group shots, which I had been wondering about.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Zuleikha

[Morrigan2575]

I believe the rule is spoiler bars until it's offical release on Friday. 

[Matt K]

5 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

I am so bummed. I really thought it looked good from the trailers. I even defended Robbie's hot pants. 

Do we have to spoiler to talk about things in the reviews? I'm also very surprised by what they're saying about who is and isn't the main villain. The trailers did an awesome job at making me want to see the movie, but they didn't do a great job of showing the plot conflict.

  Hide contents

Per the reviews, ENCHANTRESS is the major villain? and the Joker is a glorified cameo??? What? That wasn't what I was expecting from the trailer or any of the marketing blitz interviews/emails I read! Did everyone else know this? I thought Enchantress was a member of the Squad. Although that does explain why I didn't see her in group shots, which I had been wondering about.

The early talk from the movie seemed to indicate that the Joker 

Spoiler

would be a bit part in the movie.

Although I guess I could be wrong.  

 

From what I've read it looks like they looked at Guardians of the Galaxy and the only lessons they took away was making the characters be "cool" and using classic rock.  For a while I was cautiously optimistic about the movie, Viola Davis seemed like perfect casting.  However, everything I read/saw about the movie gave me doubt.  Joker seemed like a bad idea in a movie like this, the  Harley Quinn issues, plus what seemed like a very bloated cast.  Also, the trailers seemed to lack the fun interaction that made GG and other Marvel movies (not that I'm certain the Marvel trailers showed that off much either) and everything I've read makes it seem like the cast interaction is one of the thing this movie didn't pull off.  

It's a shame because Suicide Squad is probably my favorite DC property that they'd make into a movie so I was really hoping it would be good (and the first DC movie I'd ever see, which is crazy since I was old enough to see all but Reeve's Superman).

[scriggle]

I'm disappointed this is getting bad reviews.  When I saw the trailer I thought it would be a decent popcorn movie. One of the reviews I read laid the blame at Snyder's feet for his vision of the DCEU.  Maybe it would've been smarter to go the Deadpool route with Suicide Squad.  It's a property that would probably benefit from a R rating.

[millennium]

This movie's getting creamed by the reviewers, and I couldn't be happier.    Months and months of endless hype, Jared Leto and his asshole Joker impression, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Margot Robbie, Margot Robbie and more Margot Robbie, the inane Deadpool vs. Suicide Squad imaginary showdown, the unforgivable appropriation of Ballroom Blitz for a generation that doesn't know who The Sweet was ... let the schadenfreude rip!

[Rick Kitchen]

4 minutes ago, millennium said:

This movie's getting creamed by the reviewers, and I couldn't be happier.    Months and months of endless hype, Jared Leto and his asshole Joker impression, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Margot Robbie, Margot Robbie and more Margot Robbie, the inane Deadpool vs. Suicide Squad imaginary showdown, the unforgivable appropriation of Ballroom Blitz for a generation that doesn't know who The Sweet was ... let the schadenfreude rip!

Why does it make you feel good to see things fail that people have been hoping for for months, if not years?

[millennium]

14 minutes ago, Rick Kitchen said:

Why does it make you feel good to see things fail that people have been hoping for for months, if not years?

 

Because it always seemed like an overhyped piece of shit to me, and I tend to enjoy it when turds of this ilk fail -- bonus points if they involve Will Smith.

I think the quality of movies has gone to hell, all sizzle no steak.   No one seems to give a damn about story anymore, whether in Batman vs. Superman or in Suicide Squad, which has been eviscerated for its thin and disjointed plot.   Movies like Suicide Squad are a litany of one-liners, loud music, lots of flash and color, but little else, and the studios have no problem charging audiences close to $20 a ticket to come away feeling disappointed.

The studio will still make its money back and then some, probably more than enough to justify sequels.   But at least the reviewers didn't give them a pass.   To me, that's some satisfaction. 

Edited August 3, 2016 by millennium

[Sakura12]

I just listened to a review from someone that loves DC and loved Batman v Superman and she said Suicide Squad is horrible. She also said she's done defending Zach Snyder after watching it.  Things are not looking good for DC. 

I'm still going to go see this weekend, having never seen Batman v Superman. But this is making me worry about Wonder Woman. The trailer looked good, and so did this movie's trailers. If Suicide Squad falls as fast as BvS in the box office, I think DC will need to reorganize and I think it could halt production on the movies not being filmed yet. 

[xaxat]

The more I read about Jared Leto's antics, the more I believe someone should have beat the shit out of him. 

He wasn't method acting, he was just using the role as an excuse to be as big an asshole as he could possibly be.

Same goes for director David Ayer. He was flat out abusive.

Quote

“The rehearsal was very intense,” Ayer said. “It wasn’t a normal rehearsal, we’d talk about their lives, their history, and really got them to open up as people to each other. I also had them fight. I had them fight each other. You learn a lot about who a person really is when you punch them in the face. It gets rid of a lot of the actor stuff.”

It wasn’t all fighting. According to Cara Delevingne, who plays Dr. June Moone, Ayer specifically asked her to walk into the woods and strip naked if there was a full moon. She told W magazine that’s exactly what she did.

I'm not on board with directors who believe causing emotional distress for actors is a legitimate motivational tool. Especially since it seems women are subjected to it more than men.

[Sakura12]

Well I'm sure Jered Leto's antics helped the cast want to punch him in the face. 

Considering the review say the movie sucks it's even worse that he did that because it didn't help the movie. The actor shouldn't have to put themselves through emotional distress to get into character, it's the story and director that are supposed to help portray that on screen. 

[Jazzy24]

49 minutes ago, xaxat said:

The more I read about Jared Leto's antics, the more I believe someone should have beat the shit out of him. 

He wasn't method acting, he was just using the role as an excuse to be as big an asshole as he could possibly be.

Same goes for director David Ayer. He was flat out abusive.

I'm not on board with directors who believe causing emotional distress for actors is a legitimate motivational tool. Especially since it seems women are subjected to it more than men.

This is ridiculous. 

Also why is this movie trying to take itself so serious? It's a comic book movie that's suppose to be funny, amusing, entertaining, light, etc.......

There was no need to put the actors through such horrible experiences. 

[millennium]

Kill the messenger!

Suicide Squad Fans Want to Shut Down Rotten Tomatoes over Bad Reviews

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 hours ago, xaxat said:

The more I read about Jared Leto's antics, the more I believe someone should have beat the shit out of him. 

He wasn't method acting, he was just using the role as an excuse to be as big an asshole as he could possibly be.

Same goes for director David Ayer. He was flat out abusive.

I'm not on board with directors who believe causing emotional distress for actors is a legitimate motivational tool. Especially since it seems women are subjected to it more than men.

That's just outrageous and I can't believe this asshole got the movie made after doing all that. I can't even imagine Viola Davis putting up with this shit or Will Smith.

But not even for Viola will I give my money to an abusive asshole like  Ayer. I'm frankly shocked no one told him to fuck off and walked off the set/movie. 

Edited August 3, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[Petunia13]

I called Suicide Squad being a piece of shit a long time ago. 

[Petunia13]

On January 27, 2016 at 11:18 PM, Petunia13 said:

This is just a collection of gifs pasted together as a movie.

?

[Sakura12]

I don't think Rotten Tomatoes has a hatred for DC movies, I seem to remember them giving great reviews to Nolan's Batman movies. It seems like DC while trying to play catch up to Marvel forgot they actually have to write a story for their movies and not just throw things together. 

Marvel may not always have a good story, however a story is there to follow. 

Edited August 3, 2016 by Sakura12

[xaxat]

The media should stop reporting about any change.org petition. A lot of them are just clickbait.

(Which is probably why the media reports on them. It gives them clickbait headlines.)

[Morrigan2575]

55 minutes ago, millennium said:

Kill the messenger!

Suicide Squad Fans Want to Shut Down Rotten Tomatoes over Bad Reviews

I have no idea if this movie is as bad as they say. I'm waiting for it to hit Netlfix although i do have a free ticket for Friday so i might take a shot.

What i find hilarious is that SS is getting the same defense as BvsS. Don't listen to critics go see if it sucks for yourself (guess they don't get that the point of critics is to help people decide if it's worth the money). Then there's my favorite, Disney bought off the critics to sink DC/WB movies and finally maybe Disney didn't pay them off but the critics are just biased in Marvel/Disney favor.

Now, for me, i really loved that first Bohemian Rahpsody trailer, i thought that movie looked deep/dark/edgy/funny.  However, the more trailers/TV released the more it began to look like SS was trying too hard to be GOTG/Deadpool.

However, i figured it was maybe just the fact that the marketing was trying to copy GOTG/Deadpool feel.  Then the last spot came outand i was struck by how much this seemed like a copy of The Dirty Dozen (one of my favorite movies). Now all the bad reviews, just killed most of my interest. 

Ironically, i had the same process with Independence Day Resurgence. I loved the Superbowl trailer . However, the closer we got to the movie's release the more i didn't like the trailers and wondered it if was the movie or the marketing? Then the reviews came out and it went from must see to eh, I'll wait for Netflix 

Edited August 3, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[AimingforYoko]

3 hours ago, millennium said:

Kill the messenger!

Suicide Squad Fans Want to Shut Down Rotten Tomatoes over Bad Reviews

Oh, good lord. These idiots are the same people who want to shut down 538 because they report the polls.

[millennium]

8 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Oh, good lord. These idiots are the same people who want to shut down 538 because they report the polls.

I think it's some mutation of political correctness ... a variant of the current campus mentality of quashing any thought that makes somebody uncomfortable or challenges them to consider an opinion they find unacceptable.    The mutant form injects an accusation of wrongdoing or unfairness to justify the silencing of the opposing point of view.    Example: "because It’s [sic] Critics always give The DC Extended Universe movies unjust Bad Reviews.”  Or, "If I don't win, the election is rigged."

[Shannon L.]

3 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

It seems like DC while trying to play catch up to Marvel forgot they actually have to write a story for their movies and not just throw things together. 

Exactly.  I didn't hate Man of Steel as much as other people did, but this past week, I watched Batman v Superman and, like others, didn't like.  My complaint was that it felt like I missed a movie or two in between.

Well, unfortunately, we thought the previews looked good enough, that, when our daughter said that what she wanted for her birthday was tickets to see it opening night, on Universal City Walk, at their huge IMAX 3-D screen (and to invite a friend), we indulged her and bought the tickets.  Maybe we'll end up liking it more than most of the reviewers.  At the very least, the characters have got to be more entertaining (even if a little bit) than Batman and Superman in the last movie.  They were so dour!

[Zuleikha]

The details in this article are unfathomable to me. Why on earth would they hire a trailer company to recut the movie? So many of the review critiques make so much more sense knowing that a trailer company had a strong hand in the final cut. Also, why would they make Ayers, a relatively inexperienced director, write the script in such a short time frame?

Also, putting on my bitter hat, why is it that articles on the gender bias in cinema hiring for directors always feature movie execs defensively talking about the importance of experience with tentpoles and now we're seeing so many inexperienced males directing them? They couldn't hire Catherine Hardwicke or someone like her instead? Heck, Harley's probably the most recognized name among the general audience. Get her right, and a lot of people will forgive an incoherent mess out of the sheer delight of seeing live-action Harley. But based on the review descriptions, it sounds like they did not get her right in part because of things like gratuitous ass shots. Hardwicke or Lexi Alexander or another female director may have botched things in a different way, but I don't think they would have gone for those!

[millennium]

8 minutes ago, Zuleikha said:

Also, putting on my bitter hat, why is it that articles on the gender bias in cinema hiring for directors always feature movie execs defensively talking about the importance of experience with tentpoles and now we're seeing so many inexperienced males directing them? They couldn't hire Catherine Hardwicke or someone like her instead? Heck, Harley's probably the most recognized name among the general audience. Get her right, and a lot of people will forgive an incoherent mess out of the sheer delight of seeing live-action Harley. But based on the review descriptions, it sounds like they did not get her right in part because of things like gratuitous ass shots. Hardwicke or Lexi Alexander or another female director may have botched things in a different way, but I don't think they would have gone for those!

Perhaps movie execs think the secret to tentpoles is hiring directors who can ensure the target demographic will be pitching tents.

[JessePinkman]

24 minutes ago, Zuleikha said:

Also, putting on my bitter hat, why is it that articles on the gender bias in cinema hiring for directors always feature movie execs defensively talking about the importance of experience with tentpoles and now we're seeing so many inexperienced males directing them? They couldn't hire Catherine Hardwicke or someone like her instead? 

2

This reminds me that Colin Trevorrow got Jurassic World (#trash) after making a student film or some such bullshit. And now he's doing Star Wars.

[Bruinsfan]

7 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

That's just outrageous and I can't believe this asshole got the movie made after doing all that. I can't even imagine Viola Davis putting up with this shit or Will Smith.

I can see Will Smith being game to put up with stuff alongside other actors in the trenches. However, my impression from comments about filming is that Viola Davis Oh hell no!ed her way out of Leto's antics and anything else that required more than a consummate professional acting performance from her. Which, I suppose, could actually count as method acting since you know Amanda Waller would put up with zero bullshit.

[kili]

Quote

Why on earth would they hire a trailer company to recut the movie?

The trailers looked really good. Maybe the original cut was so bad, they thought the trailer company could fix it since they managed to make the movie look good in 2 minutes. Maybe the movie should only be two minutes long.

Quote

Also, putting on my bitter hat, why is it that articles on the gender bias in cinema hiring for directors always feature movie execs defensively talking about the importance of experience with tentpoles and now we're seeing so many inexperienced males directing them?

It's like during the last financial crisis when all those executives were defending their massive salaries and bonuses and how they still deserved them after the government bailed their companies out with billions of tax-payers money. AIG got $182B in bailout money and decided to pay $165M in bonuses to executives. I'm sorry, when you lose that much money, you did not do a good job.

For some reason, when you are on the outside, all the rules apply. When you are part of the inside-club, there are always reasons for the exceptions. Female directors have their noses pressed against the glass from the outside.  Trust me, this guy will still get another chance to direct before they do.

I have to say some of those reviews are hilarious. The reviewers really get to sharpen their wit when a movie is this bad. Even the reviewers rating it "fresh" are giving some pretty tepid, back-handed praise.

[Lugal]

Wow, this sounds like a trainwreck all around.  Remember months ago when the news broke that they had a therapist on set for the actors to deal with the "dark themes" of the movie?  Everyone laughed and thought it was for marketing and that they were trying too hard to be 'dark and edgy' (but now it seems like the therapist could have been there for the abuse everyone was suffering).  Then came the trailers with Bohemian Rhapsody and Ballroom Blitz and actually made it look like it could be fun.  But no it seems the first impression was right.

Quote

Ironically, i had the same process with Independence Day Resurgence. I loved the Superbowl trailer . However, the closer we got to the movie's release the more i didn't like the trailers and wondered it if was the movie or the marketing? Then the reviews came out and it went from must see to eh, I'll wait for Netflix 

That's how I felt about BvS.  It was Batman and Superman, and the trailers did little to convince me and then the reviews came out and I discovered I would wait for netflix or cable and still haven't seen it yet.  SS will probably be the same.

[starri]

I have seen neither MoS or BvS, and really don't plan to.  But I was so hoping this would be good.  Maybe Wonder Woman will finally get it right?