Suicide Squad: General Discussion and Speculation - - - - - - - - - - - - Part 29

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[FunkMiller]

is anyone else finding the very first trailers song choice really really ironic now

Yep. Fabulous song though. Especially the Faith No More version.

BTW - your avatar? Class. One of the best zombie movies ever made

 

[DarthSkywalker]

And if you write Harleen Quinzel, there's another line in another episode.

And there's this also on this page:
In the original comic of "Mad Love", also written by Paul Dini, there is a suggestive line of panels indicating that, after being accepted to Gotham University, Harleen Quinzel compensated for her poor academic work by trading sexual favors to her professors.

I'm just saying that Harley being sexualized started in BTAS where she was created, comic have probably done way worse than a cartoon, but it started there.

You do not see the difference between that stuff and what they do with her now? Honestly? How many shots in the trailer are based around her being hot and the men knowing it? Look at how they now dress her up in the comics. There is no subtly to it. They had to literally digitally cover her bottom up in trailers and tv spots.

 

[Pokkle]

You do not see the difference between that stuff and what they do with her now? Honestly? How many shots in the trailer are based around her being hot and the men knowing it? Look at how they now dress her up in the comics. There is no subtly to it.

It's what I said, she is probably way more sexualized in the comics now than she was in BTAS.
But she was already sexualized even in BTAS that is cartoon so the evolution isn't suprising.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

It's what I said, she is probably way more sexualized in the comics now than she was in BTAS.
But she was already sexualized even in BTAS that is cartoon so the evolution isn't suprising.

Which is why people use the phrase, "overly sexualized". Because pretty much all characters are "sexualized", unless of stated otherwise. Even Superman. That doesn't mean he is going to start walking around in ass-less chaps for a suit.

 

[kguillou]

I think all of the trailer songs have irony in them: "The joke...was on me."... " You don't own meeee! DON'T tell me what to doooo!".... "Nothing really matters....to MEEEE!"

 

[Pokkle]

Which is why people use the phrase, "overly sexualized". Because pretty much all characters are "sexualized", unless of stated otherwise. Even Superman. That doesn't mean he is going to start walking around in ass-less chaps for a suit.

To me, she was already more than most.

By Paul Dini


I don't want to derail the thread too much so I will probably stop and I agree to disagree.

 

[Abudefduf]

From smart woman with a promising career ahead of her who mistakenly thought she could play with fire to lazy manipulative bimbo who slept her way through college.

Paul Dini, I love you but what the hell were you thinking there.

 

[Loki882]

Yeah that was not one of Dini's better ideas.

 

[Kathemy]

Well, for me the only competition for Harlequin is Poison Ivy for "most sexualized character of the DC universe." Not even Catwoman can compete. And I have to tell you I don't mind the "pinup girl" image one bit. Does that make me a sexist pig, I don't know and I don't really care. She was the main take of the film for me, easily.

The only weird thing is first she was given her signature hammer and then she's just running around with a baseball bat. What was up with that?

 

[BlueLanternKal]

Well, for me the only competition for Harlequin is Poison Ivy for "most sexualized character of the DC universe."

I'm going to disagree. Powergirl is walking fan service and everyone in DC that's acknowledged her is proud of it. Powergirl wasn't necessarily created for fan service, but from her debut to her 6th issue ever her breasts went from Bs to double Ds because the artist was trying to get publishing's attention.

Now she's even a recurring team up with Harley.

 

[Kathemy]

I'm going to disagree. Powergirl is walking fan service and everyone in DC that's acknowledged her is proud of it. Powergirl wasn't necessarily created for fan service, but from her debut to her 6th issue ever her breasts went from Bs to double Ds because the artist was trying to get publishing's attention.

Fair point.

 

[Paradox1]

I'm going to disagree. Powergirl is walking fan service and everyone in DC that's acknowledged her is proud of it. Powergirl wasn't necessarily created for fan service, but from her debut to her 6th issue ever her breasts went from Bs to double Ds because the artist was trying to get publishing's attention.

That's who I would say too

 

[FunkMiller]

I'm going to disagree. Powergirl is walking fan service and everyone in DC that's acknowledged her is proud of it.

One letter out.

 

[Loki882]

Zatanna and Black Canary are often played up for sex appeal as well. And there's kind of a difference between individual scenes/bits of dialogue with Harley being sexual, and having her dress in an even more overtly sexual outfit than she has in the comics, and constantly focusing the camera on her butt (which I've heard happens in the movie as well).

 

[Tvar10]

Not sure if its been mentioned or not, but this article describes a lot of what went wrong with production and stuff.. and the battle Ayer had with Warner Brothers, etc.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/suicide-squads-secret-drama-rushed-916693

The upheaval like that behind Warner Bros.'s DC team-up is becoming a staple of studio franchise filmmaking.
"Better late than never." That was one Warner Bros. executive's reaction to the excitement at Suicide Squad's splashy Aug. 1 premiere in New York. Tracking indicates the film could open to more than $140 million domestic and potentially hand the studio its first unequivocal megahit since American Sniper's $547.4 million in December 2014. With March's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice grossing $873 million worldwide but failing to impress audiences or reach the hoped-for $1 billion mark, Warners still urgently needs to jump-start its critical DC Comics universe, raising the stakes for Suicide Squad, which cost at least $175 million to make.

Yet if the villain team-up ultimately works — and it has drawn some harsh early reviews — it will be in spite of the kind of behind-the-scenes drama that is becoming typical for giant franchise movies that now are the main focus of the studio business: a production schedule engineered to meet an ambitious release date; a director, David Ayer (Fury), untested in making tentpole movies; and studio executives, brimming with anxiety, who are ready to intercede forcefully as they attempt to protect a branded asset. Often, efforts to fix perceived problems ratchet up costs, which drive anxiety ever higher. In extreme cases, such as Fox's troubled Fantastic Four, the intervention is so aggressive that it becomes unclear what it means to be the director. (In each such case, studios are careful to stress that the credited director is on-scene and in charge, which is essential to avoid DGA issues. And the wise director plays along.)

So despite grueling moments, multiple editors and competing cuts, the production of Suicide Squad barely stands out in today's landscape. In a joint statement to THR, Ayer and Warners production president Greg Silverman say: "This was an amazing experience. We did a lot of experimentation and collaboration along the way. But we are both very proud of the result. This is a David Ayer film, and Warners is proud to present it."

Warners chief Kevin Tsujihara announced the project in October 2014 as part of a slate of 10 DC films stretching into 2020. Though the studio believed there was enough time to get the movie done, a source with ties to the project says it was a sprint from the start. "[Ayer] wrote the script in like, six weeks, and they just went," he says, arguing that the whole process would have benefited if Ayer, 48, had been given more time to work. But another source closely involved with the film says once it was dated, pushing back the release was not an option: "It's not just that you've told the public the movie is coming, you've made huge deals around the world with huge branding partners, with merchandise partners. It's a really big deal to move a tentpole date."

In Ayer, Warners enlisted a director who had never made a giant, effects-packed action movie. Hiring filmmakers who lack such experience is the trend, and it's often out of necessity. "There are a lot of people who don't want to direct those movies and that's a huge problem," says one producer with franchise experience. "A lot of the proven guys are back-to-back with their stuff, or they want to develop it for five years, and there's a machine that has to be fed. And there's the economics." Seasoned directors are expensive, meaning studios turn to those with less experience, relying on instinct that they will be up to the job. Sometimes it works (Colin Trevorrow on Jurassic World), and sometimes it doesn't (James Bobin on Alice Through the Looking Glass).

A source with knowledge of events says Warners executives, nervous from the start, grew more anxious after they were blindsided and deeply rattled by the tepid response to BvS. "Kevin was really pissed about damage to the brand," says one executive close to the studio. A key concern for Warners executives was that Suicide Squad didn't deliver on the fun, edgy tone promised in the strong teaser trailer for the film. So while Ayer pursued his original vision, Warners set about working on a different cut, with an assist from Trailer Park, the company that had made the teaser.

By the time the film was done, multiple editors had been brought into the process, though only John Gilroy is credited. (A source says he left by the end of the process and that the final editor was Michael Tronick.) "When you have big tentpoles and time pressure, you pull in resources from every which way you can," says this source. "You can't do it the way it used to be, with one editor and one assistant editor."

In May, Ayer's more somber version and a lighter, studio-favored version were tested with audiences in Northern California. "If there are multiple opinions that aren't in sync, you go down multiple tracks — two tracks at least," says an insider. "That was the case here for a period of time, always trying to get to a place where you have consensus." Those associated with the film insist Ayer agreed to and participated in the process. Once feedback on the two versions was analyzed, it became clear it was possible to get to "a very common-ground place." (The studio-favored version with more characters introduced early in the film and jazzed-up graphics won.) Getting to that place of consensus, however, required millions of dollars worth of additional photography.

Other sources describe a fraught process — one cites "a lot of panic and ego instead of calmly addressing the tonal issue." Clearly all wasn't sitting right with Ayer, who in June suddenly dropped his longtime agent at CAA and defected to WME, though the agency won him back in a day. "He was under a lot — a lot — of pressure," says one person with knowledge of the situation, arguing that Ayer was exhausted and needed time to process conflicting ideas.

And there may have been other strains. Just weeks before the two versions were tested, Warners declined to ante up for Ayer's next project, Bright, which will reunite him with Squad star Will Smith. He ended up at Netflix, which made a staggering $90 million deal. Nonetheless, a day or two after Ayer fired and rehired CAA, another cut of the film was screened for a test audience, and sources say the results were strong enough that there was an upbeat plane ride back to Los Angeles.

Now the question is whether the film will deliver for an industry thirsty for something, anything, that will work in a summer bereft of live-action hits. Though reviews suggest the competing visions for the movie may have taken a toll (THR's critic calls the film "puzzlingly confused"), BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield says, "I've learned long ago there is not always a connections between reviews and box office and financial success." At the same time, it is imperative for Warners to build DC movies fans love like they do the Marvel pics.

Even on the day of the premiere, one insider fretted about whether Suicide Squad would mirror BvS' huge opening and weak legs. Another veteran says the goal is survival: "The movie's got to do $750 million, $800 million to break even. If they get anywhere close to that, they'll consider it a win."

so basically this has to put up BvS numbers just to break even?!?!

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Not sure if its been mentioned or not, but this article describes a lot of what went wrong with production and stuff.. and the battle Ayer had with Warner Brothers, etc.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/suicide-squads-secret-drama-rushed-916693



so basically this has to put up BvS numbers just to break even?!?!

This proves two things.

1. The budgets for these films are insane.

2. WB is not the studio of, "we let our directors do their thing".

 

[Tacit Ronin]

They are still the directors studio........in home media.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

Yeah I see an extended cut in this movies future as well. If this movie is as bad as the critics are saying then WB needs stop butting in and let the director's vision ride for better or for worse.

 

[Kathemy]

And there's kind of a difference between individual scenes/bits of dialogue with Harley being sexual, and having her dress in an even more overtly sexual outfit than she has in the comics, and constantly focusing the camera on her butt (which I've heard happens in the movie as well).

Oh, it does. Tons.

 

[SuperAl]

2. WB is not the studio of, "we let our directors do their thing".

well the restructuring of positions occurred after SS was done so maybe its being address with Johns running the ship now.

 

[Pokkle]

They are still the directors studio........in home media.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DC_Cinemat..._its_called_the_dc_extended_universe_because/

I'm really hoping they do a extended edition for this one though.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

well the restructuring of positions occurred after SS was done so maybe its being address with Johns running the ship now.

This was their mission statement since 2014.

 

[paulogonza]

why JL cast were at SS premiere they dont be adviced DCEU was canceled , JL was canceled, they dont recieved the memo? because everybody said the movie is doomed right now, will flop big time in boxoffice right and GA audiences hate this, go home forget DCEU maybe in another 20 years they can try again.