We're going to back to my childhood...I mean Agrabah!

Hey, so, I haven't been active since 2017, but you know, I need that break.  I got to a point where I was really burned out.  I couldn't go to a movie without being hypercritical.  Movies weren't enjoyable anymore.  I tried making vlogs but honestly, I don't enjoy them as much.  I wanted to step away so I could get back to a place where I could see a movie and enjoy them. 
Fortunately, I am back to that place.  I am able to sit through a movie and actually have fun again.  Part of that is because I took time away from my blog, part of that is because I have been fortunate enough to make new friends who enjoy film as much as I do.
With that said, allow me to have a proper introduction.
Hello all you lovely people out there in Internetworldland!  My name is TheCinemaChick and as you can tell by my moniker, I'm a girl who loves movies.  I've been doing this little blog since 2012 and have no plans to stop again any time soon,  Have I seen a lot of movies this year, absolutely.  Will I see a lot more?  Yes I will.  I'm already making plans to see the new Godzilla when it comes out next week and at some point, I will see John Wick 3. 
So, you're probably wondering what movie managed to revive me.  What film was so good that it made me want to write again?  Truth be told, it's a movie we've all seen before.  I grew up in the 90s, like many of you did.  So, like many people, I've watched all of the animated Disney films.  Wouldn't you know, they remade a bunch of those classics.  I have seen all of the live action remakes up to date.  I liked Beauty and the Beast to an extent.  The first Alice in Wonderland was good, didn't care for the sequel.  Well, The Lion King is coming out later this year but Aladdin is back in theaters.  Let me tell you, it was worth the wait.
Like a lot of people, I was apprehensive about seeing this one.  I had the same prejudices.  Robin Williams wasn't the Genie and I really wasn't sure Will Smith could measure up. 
I was extremely wrong,
Will Smith absolutely shines as Genie in the live action flick.  He brings some of that old school Fresh Prince attitude to the character.  So yes, he is not Robin Williams, but instead brings a wonderful and exciting new take to this familiar character.  He has a charm and sincerity about him that I really liked.  While most of his scenes are done with CGI, I still enjoyed it because I could see elements of the animated movie in there,  If the whole "But he's not Robin Williams" thing is what's stopping you from seeing this, do yourself a favor and get over it.  You won't regret it.
The casting in general is also perfect.  Normally, production companies tend to whitewash a movie.  Let's never forget the live action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell.  In this case, they didn't.  They chose highly skilled actors who managed to truly embody their animated counterparts.  Mena Massoud was brilliant as Aladdin.  Naomi Scott shined as Jasmine.  Not only that, but they really turned Jasmine into a badass.  Instead of just being compliant, she has a voice and takes a stand for what she believes in.  Hell, they even wrote new songs just for her. 
The story is the same as it was back in the day.  Jafar wants the lamp so he can have absolute power.  Aladdin happens to be the diamond in the rough.  You know, I feel it's okay to talk about the plot since the first version of this film came out so long ago.  If you haven't seen it, where have you been all this time?  Like, it's been shown on television thousands of times.  Anyone who's ever had to babysit has had to watch this.  It's a classic Disney animation now.  Everyone should have seen it be now.
One thing I really liked is how this iteration of the story managed to combine Bollywod and hip hop.  While the movie stays true to the Middle Eastern feel it's always had, there are some new, more modern elements added in.  I don't want to give away too many of those details because they really were amazing to see.  There are a few dance sequences in the film that honestly, were the best parts.  The duet between Genie and Aladdin was worth the wait.  I mean, I planned to see this movie so I could ooh and ahh over the costuming, but overall, I loved it.  Yes, the costumes are breathtaking.  I really want the chance to see them up close so I can admire the intricate details more. 
If this is what we can expect from the Disney live action remakes, then sign me up.  From the beginning, I was having fun.  I sat with Fry and we were singing all of the songs because for us, this is nostalgic.  Neither of us were fully on board going into the movie but after seeing it, we agree that it doesn't deserve all the negative press it's been getting.  If you enjoy bright, colorful scenes, well fleshed out characters and a touch of nostalgia, Aladdin is definitely worth checking out.  I'm glad I did because maybe if I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't be inspired to return to my passion.  And yes, I consider film blogging to be one of the biggest passions in my life. 
I know this review is going to seem a little short and maybe a little choppy but I'm getting back into the swing of things here.  I'm ready to return to this blog, maybe look at getting my own domain again and who knows, maybe there will be a film so good, I can't even put it into words.  I mean, it happened with Avengers: Endgame.  I cried 4 times during that movie, no lie.  But for now, I think I'm going to sign off and let you all enjoy the magic of the newly released Aladdin.
      As always, I'm TheCinemaChick, I'm back in my natural element and for all you know, I have a magic lamp in my backpack.  What three wishes should I make?

Suicide Squad

                Hello everyone!  I’m TheCinemaChick and I’m actually motivated for once!  That’s right, I’m in a great mood and I want to write, so let’s do this.  If you’re wondering what I’m doing right now, I’m listening to a song called “Let Me Fall”, recorded by Josh Groban.  I have to admit, I’m a huge fan of this man.  I went to his concert a few years back and sat in the second row.  His voice is like magic, that I can assure you.  Plus, he’s really hilarious.  He’s coming back into town this year, or early next year, I can’t remember when.  I wish I could meet him, I really do.  I used to sing a lot, you know since I was a total choir nerd, but these days, the most I do is singing along with radio.  I’m not that good anymore because I am really out of practice but hey, that could change, you never know.

                Ah, you’re not here to read about my never ending love of Josh Groban’s music are you?  No, you’re probably thinking, “What movies have you seen recently?  What’s good?  What’s not?  TELL ME!”  I admit, that’s probably an exaggeration, but someone out there might actually be dying to know what I’ve seen.

                If you’re that person, you and I are now best friends.

                The truth is, I haven’t seen many movies lately.  I unfortunately fractured my ankle, so I’ve been staying off it.  I can go out and I’m able to walk, but it’s painful and sometimes just uncomfortable.  So in the past few months, I’ve only seen four films.  Two of them I loved, one I was left a little disappointed in and then there’s “Suicide Squad”.  Hold your thoughts until the end, boys and girls.  We’re going to talk about the latest DC movie.

                I saw “Suicide Squad” with a group of friends that I’ve known for about half my life now.  Like everyone else out there, the trailers had me pretty pumped.  I was excited to see a movie about villains being put out there.  I love Harley Quinn and the Joker.  Those two are some of my favorite bad guys in out of all comic books.  However, they are horribly dysfunctional, let’s admit that straight off the bat.  That is not love, that is psychological abuse which caused Stockholm Syndrome.  If you know anything about the history of these two, you will see just how horrible things are.  Joker repeatedly abuses Harley Quinn, emotionally, mentally and physically. 

                That aside, I also had to keep the last DC movie in mind.  I was also psyched to see “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and I ended up not liking that one.  Don’t get me wrong, there are elements of that film that I absolutely adored.  Ben Affleck as Batman?  He was actually good!  The introduction of the meta humans?  Brilliant!  Gal Gadot as Diana Prince, better known as Wonder Woman?  Yes, please!  My problem with that movie is that it was so long.  Most of the movie was spent building up to the final battle, which ended up being a bit of a letdown.  The humor wasn’t that great and fell flat in most places.  Also, what was up with the random dream sequences?  DC fans, explain the thing to me!

                Note to everyone involved in future Batman movies: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE…stop retelling the story of his parent’s death!  It has come up in every single Batman film and I don’t think it needs retelling.  Even people who aren’t familiar with this franchise know that he’s an orphan due to tragic circumstances.

                “Suicide Squad” is just a bunch of villains rounded up to defeat another bad guy who isn’t really all that threatening.  I couldn’t really find another plot beyond that.  And that’s being generous.  Most of this movie is spent giving backstory on Harley Quinn and Deadshot.  That’s what it focuses on all throughout.  I can’t deny that Margot Robbie and Will Smith have really good chemistry on screen.  If the other characters had that much screen time, I bet they’d be pretty awesome too.  Seriously, everyone else becomes a background character.  In the trailers, they make Slipknot out to be some really important person in reality (MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT) he barely gets three minutes of screen time.  Why even have him if he’s just going to be wasted?

                That is one thing that really, really bothers me.  Why make a big deal about these people if you’re not going to use them properly?  I’m not as familiar with DC comics as I am with Marvel, so I wanted to know all about these characters.  Captain Boomerang looks like a madman and I wanted to know all about him.  Katana has a sword that traps people’s souls in it.  We get a brief glance into her history but even then, she’s relegated to a role that barely has her speaking.  Excuse me, she was more badass that most of the people in this movie.  Making her so insignificant is an insult to her.

                Ok, I’m going to go on a little rant here.  This movie has a whopping four women that share the screen.  We have Harley Quinn, Katana, Amanda Waller and Enchantress.  As I already stated, Harley is shoved into the forefront.  Katana is stuck in the back, speaking only Japanese and letting team leader, Rick Flag, speak for her and Enchantress…I’ll get to her in a moment.  Let me start off with Amanda Waller.  She is played by Viola Davis, an actress I absolutely adore.  In the film, Waller is straight laced, no nonsense, doesn’t beat around the bush.  She gets to the point without making any excuses.  I honestly thought she was one of the best characters in the whole movie.  Davis brings this quiet intensity to the role that makes you want to hate Waller for using people the way she does, but at the same time, you have to admire that kind of tenacity.

                Harley Quinn is portrayed as some kind of tragic romance story.  I do like the nod to her origins as a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum.  She did fall in love with the Joker and it turned into a tumultuous relationship.  And in the games, comics and cartoon series, she is insane.  However, she is not overtly sexualized.  In some instances, she does have a somewhat sexy appearance, like in some of the video games, but come on.  Why didn’t she get her Arkham Asylum outfit?  And yes, they did briefly translate her original red and black costume into live action.  I have to admit, it looked hideous.  But, did we need to stick her in shorts so tiny they should be considered underwear?  And did we have to see her getting dressed?  She was pretty much only there to be a sex symbol.  For the most part, Harley Quinn came off as stupid, love sick and useless.

                And this is coming from someone who loves Harley Quinn.  I hated this incarnation of her.  I didn’t particularly care for Margot Robbie either.  Half the time, she spoke as a normal person and then sometimes, a little of that Harley voice would come out.  If you’ve seen the animated shows, you know what I’m talking about.  I can’t stand it when actors can’t keep an accent.  Either commit to the role or don’t.  Then she spends the whole movie trying to be reunited with the Joker.  She doesn’t care about anyone but him and at one point, abandons everyone to be with him.

                Speaking of the Joker, why was he advertised so much?  He’s barely in the movie!  The movie is two hours long and he has maybe fifteen minutes on screen?  I love Jared Leto, I really do.  His music is awesome and if you haven’t seen “Dallas Buyers Club”, I highly recommend it.  However, if you’re not into political movies about drugs and HIV and cross dressers, you should skip it.  I wasn’t sure if I was even going to like him as The Joker because let’s be honest, he had some huge shoes to fill.  People are still talking about the late Heather Ledger’s portrayal. 

                Heath Ledger was gone too soon.  He was an amazing actor.

                I liked Jared Leto’s portrayal of the Joker in this movie.  To me, in reminded of the older versions, a la Cesar Romero and a little Jack Nicholson.  This is not the dark, brooding Joker that Ledger brought us.  This is the Joker that loves to have fun and really play with the people he intends to later kill.  To me, he did a great job.  Leto has gone completely unappreciated because he will always be compared to Heath Ledger.  Both men did this character justice, just in different ways. 

                You know what we see more of than The Joker?  Harley Quinn’s ass.

                Now, let me talk about Enchantress.  I know a few things about this character and I know that her story was messed up.  She did not translate well to the big screen.  This was my first time seeing Cara Delevingne in any movie.  In my opinion, she was a horrible choice for main villain.  First off, she’s barely wearing anything, so way to overly sexualize another character.  Second, I don’t really know what her intent was.  Ok, she wanted to change the world but how?  I mean, she had the swirling cloud of doom for the majority of the film, but other than that, she didn’t do much.  Third, what was up with that weird dancing?  Seriously, it’s the climax of the film, she’s standing by her magic cloud and it looks like she’s just dancing to the music there.  And she barely even puts up a fight.  The climax was such a letdown.

                The Joker and Enchantress were more like romantic interests than threats.

                The final scene sets things up for a possible sequel.  They are already planning on making a Harley Quinn standalone film, which…I don’t know how I feel about that.  If “Suicide Squad” was any indicator, it’s just going to be another two hours of Margot Robbie being unable to pick an accent and showing off her butt in sparkly booty shorts.  In the comics, Harley does leave The Joker and hooks up with Poison Ivy.  They work well together.  I would love to see the interactions between those two women.  The thing is, Harley isn’t just a complete psychopath.  She’s incredibly intelligent!  I mean, she had a doctorate in psychology before all this mess got started!  Show off her smart side!

                Overall, I didn’t care for it.  Just like “Batman vs Superman”, it takes too long to get to the point and I was left wanting something more.  The plot is paper thin and rarely ever comes into play because they focus too much on Deadshot and Harley Quinn.  There are a lot of flashbacks, which do detract from the action a lot.  The Joker is completely wasted due to being under used.  Enchantress comes across bland and boring.

                Again…why did we need to see Harley Quinn’s butt so much?

                I know this is all setting up for the future Justice League movie for the DCEU (DC Extended Universe).  There is a cameo by Ezra Miller, which also made no sense.  It didn’t add anything to the film or tell me more about his character, Barry Allen.  Why was it there?  To say “Look we promise better things are coming!  Just hang in there and trust us!” 

                And this is coming from someone who also loves Ezra Miller!

                I have seen the trailer for the “Justice League” but even then, I’m not terribly interested.  I like the dialogue between Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen.  I like the interaction between Arthur Curry and Bruce Wayne as well.  It has the potential to be good.  However…I’m so sorry DC, but your track record isn’t looking good.

                Look at “Green Lantern”.

                I really wanted to love “Suicide Squad” but with the messy editing, muddled plot and poorly written characters…I couldn’t.  It has good moments but overall, I wasn’t excited about it.  I also saw it in 3D, which was a waste of money.

                You know how children have short attention spans so shows use bright colors and loud noises to keep their interest?  That’s what this felt like.  The movie knew it wasn’t good but look!  Bright colors!  Music!  Action!  Harley Quinn’s sparkly butt!

                Overall, I’m mixed.  I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it.  I just wish it had tried harder.

                I’m TheCinemaChick and I’m a Marvel.