Birds of Prey

[Robyn]

honestly one of my most anticipated films this year. it looks seriously good

[jenkins]

i think it's certainly a treasurable reflection of contemporary cinema culture, almost making the comic book movies seem like a good idea

[Alethia]

I'll watch Margot in anything. Gonna catch it this weekend.

[jenkins]

excuse me but this year in film needs converted to 2020

At its worst, "Birds Of Prey" is as loud, noisy and agitated as any other busy superhero movie, it's just candy-coated and provocatively vulgar in a way that would make Ryan Reynolds proud. The opportunity to say something about female agency, liberation, and sisterhood squad goals is there, but it's a shame it's not as pronounced as some of the sillier, excessive elements.

As a comic book movie writ large, as an adaptation of an imaginative, gonzo, frenzied, devilish graphic novel not meant for kids, "Birds Of Prey" is arguably perfect as a blast of that kind of feverish dynamism. However, as a movie, "Birds Of Prey" can't really break free from the cage of quirky insanity it is so content to nest in.

It's a girl-powered, earnestly feminist superhero movie with big, implausible action sequences and outsized personalities, and while it never quite reaches that potential, it does begin to map out a fresh path to the world-worn arena of superhero narratives. It may not be the promised total emancipation (at least not yet), but it is fantabulous in its own way.

etc. i never saw the Deadpools so i can't compare, but i'm not opposed to the idea of a comic book movie focused more on fun than serious whatever. in fact i'd go as far as to say i only support fun comic book movies

it might not have stuck its landing but i think it's on the right path like i just said

[Jeremy Blackman]

excuse me but this year in film needs converted to 2020

Will do today.

[Robyn]

It won't be perfect, but i'll be there opening day. Fun is the only thing I am expecting from this

Much like its central character, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a riot - an anarchic glitterbomb of lunacy that boasts some of the most inventive fight sequences ever seen in a comic book movie, even if it often has a tendency to undermine its momentum just when it's kicking into high gear. It doesn't reinvent the wheel - especially in the wake of the fourth-wall breaking Deadpool franchise and the swagger of Guardians of the Galaxy - but it's still a ballsy, biting blast that feels like a two-hour sugar high without the crash.

I'm also 100% sure I'll enjoy this more than Deadpool. It just looks more creative and fun on every level, and I rather spend two hours with Harley Quinn then fucking Ryan Reynolds.

[Robyn]

Loved it. It's Kill Bill meets John Wick with the most adrenaline pumping fight sequences in year. One of the most enjoyable super heros films i've seen (I might just be a bit pumped up because this was such a great time, but this is my spontaneous reaction anyway) 

Also, minor spoiler:

Spoiler: ShowHide

I'm not even mad that everyone will think that I stole the sprinkle fight scene from this (if anyone remembers, from the shout bin a few years ago, lol

[WorldForgot]

Inside the wild stunts and fight sequences of 'Birds of Prey,'

Roudbari broke down the vision for each character's style:

"Harley was interesting because we had what was already established [in 'Suicide Squad']," Roudbari said. "We wanted to take that and make it more exciting." But they also wanted to keep her movements grounded in reality. For this, the coordinators took a page from the Charlize Theron-starring "Atomic Blonde." "That's something we had in mind for everybody. But specifically for Harley Quinn, she had to have an unpredictable wildness to her ... An inspiration was Jackie Chan in 'Drunken Master.' She's not pre-planned, which makes her very dangerous but fun to watch."

"For Black Canary [played in the movie by Jurnee Smollett-Bell], we focused on taekwondo and we wanted her to primarily kick," Roudbari said. "In the comics, she's known as one of the better martial artists. But again, it's the idea of believability. If she's throwing a bunch of punches against a big guy, she's going to wreck her hand. But when she puts her strength into a kick, that's going to sell more."

"For Huntress [Mary Elizabeth Winstead], we went with the 'John Wick'-style brutality," Roudbari said. "She was raised as an assassin and thinks about how she can take out her opponent as quick as possible. She's the most-trained fighter of the whole group and of the highest caliber."
[...]
Chad Stahelski, the "John Wick" director, came in to help during reshoots. Stahelski made adjustments to the fun-house fight and other action scenes in reshoots, including Harley's attack on the police department, Roudbari and stunt performer Yoko Hamamura told Business Insider. This involved trimming down scenes that were originally longer to make them move at a faster pace.

"Chad came in and fine-tuned the details," Hamamura said. "Drama and action require two different types of filmmaking. To mesh the two is very hard. Cathy has a great vision for drama. It was cool to see that mesh with Chad's style of action."