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Harley Quinn

6.20 Emancipating the BIRDS OF PREY

February 14, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

After her debut in SUICIDE SQUAD, fan favourite Margot Robbie gets her time to shine brightly in BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN). After stepping out from the shadow of her ex—the Joker—Quinn quickly finds herself in the cross-hairs of every hitman in Gotham, especially maniacal crime boss Black Mask (Ewan Macgregor). However, Harley isn’t the only woman in Gotham who needs emancipation and she finds some unlikely allies in tough cop Rene Montoya, Black Canary and The Huntress. In a fantabulous episode, Mira Ibrahim joins me again to talk about the meaning of emancipation and pop culture’s portrayal of gender.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue the conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

6.20 Bird of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)Download

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: Birds of Prey, Cathy Yan, DC Films, Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oscars, Rosie Perez, Warner Bros.

Birds of Prey: Emancipation with an Edge

February 7, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

‘Turns out I’m not the only dame in Gotham looking for emancipation.’

–Harley Quinn, Birds of Prey

After the middling returns on Justice League, DC has broken away from their perceived Marvel-envy with a wide variety of films, ranging from the underwater epic Aquaman, teen-frenzied Shazam! and the dark and brooding Joker. With Birds of Prey, they continue the trend of well-written solo pieces that focus on character as opposed to forcing the next Avengers-type film. While cross-overs are inevitable (Quinn has already been confirmed for the James Gunn’s Suicide Squad film), the new approach has allowed each film in their canon to have their own flavour. Thankfully, Birds of Preycontinues the trend as a fun and free-wheeling burst of color and energy that breathes fire when it needs to and, more importantly, continues to breathe life into DC’s film slate.

Directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs), Birds of Prey (or the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) reintroduces us to the unpredictable Harley Quinn. Finally free from her relationship with the Joker, Quinn suddenly finds that she has a target on her back and she’s forced to go on the run from narcissistic crime boss Roman Sionis (Ewan Macgregor), his right-hand man, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), and every other thug in the city. But things soon begin to even out for Harley when she finds herself an unexpected ally with three lethal women – Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez).

Wild and unruly, Birds of Prey earns it’s ‘R-rating’ (though surprisingly less extreme than it could have been) and plays with fractured story-telling and breaking the ‘fourth wall’. (In fact, the film has so much freedom that it begs the question as to whether or not DC has found their answer to Deadpool.) For her second time in the role, Robbie seems even more comfortable as affable anti-heroine, Harley Quinn, as she bounds through the film with playful enthusiasm. (Incidentally, newcomers Perez, Winstead and Smollet-Bell also prove to be solid female counters to craziness.) What’s more, Yan’s desire to bathe the screen in colour helps Birds of Prey become a visual treat. Told entirely from Quinn’s perspective, the film uses every brightly lit neon possibility from glitter bombs to a Madonna-throwback sequence in an effort to bring the chaos of her mind to life. As a result, the film becomes an erratic but playful venture that doesn’t always stick the landing with its humour but offers enough quality performances and entertainment to deem the film a success.

While the film follows Quinn on her quest for survival, the subtext of the film focuses on Quinn’s journey to spiritual freedom from the men in her life, especially the Joker (who remains unseen in the film). In a distinct shift from her debut in Suicide Squad, Birds shows off Harley’s intelligence rather than focusing on her physical beauty. All but forgotten in her first film, the character does have doctorate in psychology and Birds allows her to make use of it, without losing her wild side.

What’s more, after ‘emancipating’ herself from her relationship with Mr. J, Quinn sends a message to the city that she’s finally a free agent. The problem is, however, that this action emboldens the other men of Gotham’s criminal underworld who were afraid to hurt her for fear of Joker’s wrath. With this in mind, the film quickly becomes a metaphor for breaking free from the abusiveness of male-dominance in a culture that ignores the value and intelligence of women. Though men comment on the softness of her skin or her pretty face, few take her seriously as a threat on her own. (Incidentally, Quinn’s journey parallels that of the other women in the film as well, each seeking to free themselves from under the thumb of their male oppressors.) As a result, Harley’s journey becomes less about finding safety but more about finding herself, and empowering others to do the same.

Enthusiastic and rowdy, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) proves to be another successful entry into the suddenly energized DC canon of films. As the demented by intelligent Quinn, Robbie continues to create a character worth watching. Though the humour doesn’t always work, Birds of Prey is a visual treat with enough strong performances to suggest that his will become another viable franchise for the future. After all, if Quinn really isn’t ‘the only dame in Gotham looking for emancipation’, Robbie still has a lot of work to do.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is free to fly in theatres on Friday, February 7th, 2020.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Birds of Prey, Cathy Yan, Chris Messina, Ewan McGregor, Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez

Podcast: SUICIDE SQUAD(Goals)

August 17, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

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http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/2.23-Suicide-Squad.mp3

This week on the show, Steve assembles his own band of misfits by inviting comic aficionado Arnaldo Reyes and Greg Banik to do battle with the SUICIDE SQUAD! Are Deadshot, Harley Quinn and the rest really the ‘worst heroes ever’?  Is the film worth the 27% on Rotten Tomatoes?  All this and more, on ScreenFish.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

2.23 Suicide Squad

 

Filed Under: Podcast, Reviews Tagged With: Batman, David Ayer, DC Comics, DCEU, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Jared Leto, Joker, Margot Robbie, Suicide Squad, Will Smith

Suicide Squad: The Characters Who Make It Happen

August 5, 2016 by Arnaldo Reyes Leave a Comment

It’s the golden age of comic book movies, thanks largely in part to Marvel Studios.

With WB finally starting a cinematic universe and after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice fell short of expectations, there were many questions and concerns going into Suicide Squad . With a rating of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, the early reviews  have sentenced the film to death, but is it really that bad?

Let’s answer that question right away, the film does not deserve that rating. Does it have flaws? Sure, but not enough to warrant a rating that bad. You can definitely see where David Ayer’s vision was interrupted by the studio but, overall, the film is actually very good. You can check out my thoughts on the actual film and it’s redemption story on our YouTube page.

For this segment, I want to highlight the characters that really made the film great. There are some that were forgetful (Captain Boomerang), some who were cheesy (Killer Croc), but, in a film like this, you need to the stars to stand out and Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Viola Davis did exactly that.

SOME SPOILERS

Deadshot (Will Smith)

deadshotDeadshot is clearly the unofficial leader of this ragtag group. Forced to do what they don’t want to do, he has the one thing no one else has — the determination to stay alive in hopes of seeing his daughter again. As bad as he is, Deadshot seems to do all the wrong things for the right reasons. Will Smith does a good job portraying this character where you genuinely see his heart throughout the film, even though what he does is wrong. While he only looks out for either himself or his little girl, this mission brings out more from him. You really see him evolve from not just a deadly hitman rotting away in a jail to a leader amongst thieves. He stands out and really shoulders the burden of not just staying alive, but keeping those around him alive. (And can I just say…the scene where he takes the lead on top of a car, fires off round after round and takes out Enchantress’ creepy army was downright amazing.)

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie)

harleyThe true star of the film. I had many reservations going into the film regarding this character but she nailed it. She captured the sillyness, craziness, and deadliness of Harley Quinn. Every scene she was in she stood out above the rest, giving you the right moments of laughter when needed. You get enough of her background and her love for th e Joker yet you are left wanting more. (For what it’s worth, that is a great thing to have.) Harley Quinn has become such a popular character since she first appeared on Batman: The Animated Series and, for her first time in a live action role, Robbie really nailed the part. She brings crazy to a new level, yet you see that deep inside there is a soul searching for love in all the wrong places.  To be able to balance that in a character is an amazing feat.

 

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis)

wallerCould there have been any greater person for this role?

Not a chance.

One can argue that Amanda Waller is the real villain of this movie. She neither a hero nor someone you want to cross. In the comics, Waller is ruthless with absolutely no heart. She only cares about doing her job and it doesn’t matter who gets in her way as long as the job is done. Viola Davis nails this role, showing us just how bad and evil Waller can be, even if she is on the good team. (For instance, this was evident when she shoots and kills FBI agents that were serving under her watch just because they never had the clearance to be part of the operation of Task Force X/Suicide Squad.) Who in their right mind would come up with the idea of putting nano-chip bombs in peoples heads in order for them to do what you want them to do? Not only that, these are lunatics! Waller has no friends and only sees others as leverage. For a woman who carried a heart for most of the film, it is the one thing she is lacking and why she is so dangerous. (It makes me wonder if maybe it isn’t the Squad that should be locked away.)

Overall I believe this film had enough value to warrant it a ‘screen it’ tag. There are flaws and some forgettable moments but where the film shines is in it’s characters and these really make it worth the watch.

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Amanda Waller, DC Comics, dc entertainment, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad, Warner Bros.

DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year

June 9, 2016 by Arnaldo Reyes Leave a Comment

SHG_HOTY_SD_OSLV_2D_1000598409If you haven’t had the opportunity to watch, or didn’t have any clue that they existed, the DC Super Hero Girls franchise has had a series of shorts on YouTube dating back to last year. With recent pushes in merchandise, DC is making the cautious effort to bring these superheroes to young girls, and they are doing a good job at it, for the most part. I feel they would have a bigger impact if the episodes were not just limited to three to five minutes (think My Little Pony). Maybe all that will change with a full length straight to DVD movie. Hopefully, this opens the door to more exposure for the young girls who haven’t found them on YouTube while video surfing through blind bag openings and people playing with toys (as my five year old only seems to watch).

Here’s the official trailer, and the official press release below. Are you excited about this announcement?

WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL FEMALE

SUPER HEROES NAVIGATE THE

TWISTS AND TURNS OF HIGH SCHOOL AS

WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT

RELEASES

DC SUPER HERO GIRLS:

HERO OF THE YEAR

ON DVD AUGUST 23, 2016

BURBANK, CA (June 9, 2016) – Where can you find the most powerful and prominent Super

Teens in the galaxy? Super Hero High of course! Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley

Quinn, Bumblebee, Poison Ivy and Katana band together to navigate the twists and turns of high

school in DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and

DC Entertainment, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE)

on August 9 on Digital HD and August 23, 2016 on DVD (SRP $19.98).

These young Super Heroes discover unique abilities, develop powers, and combat an abundance

of overwhelming, exciting and awkward moments to master the fundamentals of being a hero –

one day at a time! The group includes:

 Wonder Woman was raised on Themyscira, a paradise island overflowing with female

leaders. This natural born leader has super strength, the power of flight and a magic lasso

that forces anyone to tell the truth.

 Batgirl is crazy smart – she was accepted to Super Hero High based on her brainpower

alone (she wasn’t born with super powers). But this crime-fighting sleuth may be the

most influential of all! Her unparalleled intellect, expert martial arts skills, photographic

memory and legendary detective skills are a formula for an incredible Super Hero.

 Supergirl is the most powerful teen on earth, but also incredibly clumsy. She has super

strength, super hearing and super speed but will need to be sure she doesn’t trip over her

own two feet en route to saving the world.

 Harley Quinn is the resident class clown who lives for jokes and over-the- top pranks.

Nonetheless, this quick-witted gymnast is sneaky and full of surprises.

 Bumblebee has the ability to shrink, allowing her to sneak around without being spotted.

She makes sure her team is never surprised by any villains or enemies up to no good.

 Poison Ivy, got caught up in a botched lab experiment, and now has the ability to control

and summon plants. She’s gradually adapting to her amazing new powers and

blossoming into her new life.

 Katana is an artist with an edge – this fearless martial arts fashionista is up for any

crime-fighting test and is never without her sword.

Together, these seven fearless Super Heroes prove that we all have the power to make the world

a better place – even while school is in session!

 

 

SPECIAL FEATURES

 Six Animated Shorts:

o Hero of the Month: Wonder Woman

o Fall into Super Hero High

o Hero of the Month: Bumblebee

o Hero of the Month: Poison Ivy

o Clubbing

o Saving the Day

 

Filed Under: DVD, News Tagged With: Batgirl, Bumblebee, DC Superhero Girls: Hero of the Year, Harley Quinn, Katana, Poison Ivy, Supergirl, Superhero Girls, Wonder Woman

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