Anarchic and Dumb ‘BIRDS OF PREY’ is Pure Fun-Loving DCEU Bombast

February 6, 2020 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Birds of Prey, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), Cathy Yan, Chris Messina, DC Extended Universe, DCEU, Ewan McGregor, June Smollett-Bell, Margo Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez Leave a comment

I’m only going to write out this whole title once so enjoy it while it lasts. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a movie that’s as excessive, unedited and utterly ridiculous as its title; a go-for-broke, R-rated, comic-book-inspired joyride through the most colorful, femme fatale-populated corners of the DC Extended Universe. Led by a cutesy head-butt of a performance from superstar Margo Robbie, Birds of Prey is a do-over of sorts for the much-maligned Suicide Squad, preserving its annoying pinball storytelling structure (the editing in this movie often stops momentum dead in its tracks) but delivering on the promise of unruly antiheroes actually being quite a bit of fun to watch. Read More

Out in Theaters: Z FOR ZACHARIAH

August 27, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine, Craig Zobel, Margo Robbie, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Robert C. O'Brien, Z for Zachariah 1 Comment

*This is a reprint of our 2015 Sundance review

There are so many pivot points in Z for Zachariah that it becomes hard to nail down exactly what director Craig Zobel intended for it. At one point, it seems decidedly about gender politics, at another about race relations, and eventually it boiled down to themes of suspicion, greed and jealousy. Spliced with a domineering amount of ambiguity. All this from a cast of three. To call it thematically rich may be overly generous – maybe thematically crowded would hit the nail on the head more – but nonetheless, it strives for something thoughtful and great, even when it comes up just short. Read More