“Birds of Prey” Movie Review

    Harley Quinn was without a doubt the breakout character of “Suicide Squad” so it seemed like a no brainer for Warner Bros. to bring her back for another adventure.  As it turns out, Warner Bros. had several Harley Quinn projects in development with “Birds of Prey” just being the one to be made first.  With a more female driven film overall, would the film be able to find success with a different audience?

    The film takes place after the events of “Suicide Squad” and tells the story of Harley Quinn after the Joker breaks up with her.  A lot of people want to see Harley dead and without the Joker’s protection, a good chunk of Gotham aims to take her out, top of that list is Roman Sionis aka the Black Mask.  Black Mask has made some enemies of his own however in the form of Gotham City Detective Renee Montoya and trained assassin The Huntress.  After a young girl named Cassandra Cain steals a diamond from Roman and he places a price on her head, Roman’s driver Dinah Lance aka Black Canary warns Detective Montoya and ends up angering Black Mask as well.  With no choice but to join forces, Harley Quinn, The Huntress, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain must face down Black Mask and his gang once and for all.

    The first thing you should know is that “Birds of Prey” is more of a Harley Quinn movie as opposed to an adaptation of the Birds of Prey comic books.  Yes, the Huntress and Black Canary are present in the film (though we will get to that in a bit) but the key member of the Oracle is replaced with Harley Quinn.  I enjoy Harley Quinn but wish she wasn’t the main focus of a Birds of Prey movie.

    So, on the subject of Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie was once again fantastic in the role.  Robbie seems to have had more fun in the role this time around, no doubt due to the fact that she is more comfortable and confident in the role.  Robbie is so perfectly cast as ‘Mr. J’s Pudding’ that it would be hard to see anyone else in the role.  Unfortunately, even though Robbie leads a ‘female driven cast’, Robbie is the only actress whose character is given any development thus making her the only memorable character of the group.

    The supporting cast (and members of the Birds of Prey) is made up primarily of Mary Elisabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, and Ella Jay Basco.  Winstead is completely wasted as the Huntress.  Winstead is a great actress and the character of the Huntress is interesting in the comics but this film fails to capitalize on the actress or character.  Smollett-Bell does a good job as Black Canary but, like Winstead, isn’t given much to do to shine.  Rosie Perez has a few moments of levity but fails to steal any scenes.  The real breakout of the supporting cast is the young actress Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain.  Basco is funny and holds her own against her more seasoned co-stars.

    Although the cast is primarily female, the main villain of the film is played by a male.  Ewan McGregor once again delivers an excellent performance as Black Mask.  I left the film wishing his character had been given more screen time and development.  While I personally didn’t have a problem with it, I do wonder if making all the males in the movie evil and all the females ‘good’ might send the wrong message to the film’s primary demographic.

    The film had some surprisingly good action sequences.  Many of the action scenes are on par with the “John Wick” franchise (which isn’t a surprise since John Wick’s director Chad Stahelski helped choreograph and film parts of this film’s action shots).  Aside from the excellent fight scenes, the film was also legitimately funny at times and I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times.  Director Cathy Yan managed to craft a very unique, if sometimes uneven, film with a little something for everyone.

    “Birds of Prey” or “Birds of Prey (and the Fabtabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” as it’s officially titled isn’t a perfect movie but it is enjoyable and a must see for any Harley Quinn or Margot Robbie fans.  I appreciate the fact that this film takes some risks and is a different overall tone than “Suicide Squad” was.  While this isn’t the best film of the DCEU so far, it’s a fun side adventure until we see Harley Quinn return next year in James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad”.

Grade: B-

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Movie Review

    It’s that time of the year again, the summer movie season is winding down and large tentpole films begin to make way for artsier films before the theaters are taken over by horror movies in the fall.  With few event films left to see, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” seemed like a natural choice as the next film for me to watch to review.

    “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is a fairytale version of the last days of the golden era of Hollywood.  The film tells the story of Rick Dalton and his stunt double and friend as the pair struggle to find work in a changing entertainment industry (and world).  As Rick slowly adapts and accepts new career opportunities in Italy, he accepts that his time in the spotlight might be behind him before an encounter with members of the cult of Charles Manson changes everything.

    As a major film buff, I really enjoyed this film.  I am not the biggest fan of Quentin Tarantino out there but he always gets incredible performances from his cast.  Tarantino is as passionate as he is controversial and his work on this film is no exception.  This film received some backlash for multiple reasons but none of the reasons take away from the movie as a whole.

    While I don’t feel any of the complaints about the film affect it as a whole, it doesn’t mean the backlash it faced was unfounded.  The biggest complaint it faced was due to it’s ending which...SPOILER ALERT...rewrote history and saw Sharon Tate spared of her fate.  I admit that the ending of the film surprised me although I should have seen it coming considering “Inglorious Bastards” also rewrote history.

    The depiction of women in the film also came under fire.  I think perhaps some critics are being a bit hard on Tarantino for this considering the men in the film aren’t depicted in the best light either.  With all that being said, perhaps “I reject your hypothesis” isn’t the best response to give a reporter when asked about the subject.

    Lastly, the film also was criticized for the way it depicted legendary actor Bruce Lee.  Bruce Lee’s daughter spoke out against the way Tarantino depicted her father and for not contacting his family.  I completely understand the family being upset but I personally felt it was one of the best parts of the movie and knowing how many liberties Tarantino took with real life events, it doesn’t tarnish his legacy one bit in my opinion.

    The film featured outstanding performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.  The two actors have a natural chemistry and their friendship shines through.  Margot Robbie is good as Sharon Tate but isn’t given as good of material as DiCaprio and Pitt to work with.

    Now, I mentioned that I wasn’t a huge Quentin Tarantino fan but his work on this film is impressive.  The movie is truly a love letter to the end of an era in Hollywood at a time when the film industry is changing once again.  Big name stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt no longer guarantee box office success so their inclusion in this film is a bit meta.  I also admire the different filming techniques Tarantino used when showcasing everything from older black and white network shows to spaghettini westerns.

    I will say if you aren’t a huge movie fan, this film may not be as accessible or as interesting to watch.  My girlfriend went to see this with me and did not enjoy it as much as I did partly for these reasons.  It is a movie that definitely isn’t for everyone.  That being said, there are a lot of funny moments and the soundtrack helps transport you back in time.

Grade: B