"BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) (2020) Review

 

"BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)" (2020) Review

I never thought Warner Brothers Studios would do a follow up to the 2016 D.C. Extended Universe (DCEU) movie, "SUICIDE SQUAD". Not really. And there are reasons why I had harbored this belief.

Despite being a box office hit, "SUICIDE SQUAD" was poorly received by critics and many moviegoers. Yet, the movie also had its share of fans - including myself - who actually managed to enjoy it. But the Warner Brothers executives were more concerned with the critics' opinions than with box office performance. And since "SUICIDE SQUAD" was strongly associated with the D.C.E.U. films made by director Zack Snyder, I quickly formed the opinion that Warner Brothers would allow the movie to disappear from memory.

So, imagine my surprise when I learned that the studio had green-lighted a movie about the experiences of the Harley Quinn character featured in "SUICIDE SQUAD". I am aware that she was the most popular aspect of the 2016 movie, but I never thought Warner Brothers would approve a follow-up film about her and the formation of the Birds of Prey. So, color me surprised when I learned that this new movie would be made and it would be directed by newbie filmmaker, Cathy Yan.

"BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)" begins four years after the events of "SUICIDE SQUAD". Off screen, the Joker ends his relationship with fugitive Harley Quinn by tossing her out on Gotham City's streets. After finding an apartment, thanks to a Tawainese restaurant owner she befriends named Doc, Harley became a roller derby player. Meanwhile, crime lord Roman Sionis has decided to become the new crime boss of Gotham following the Joker's disappearance. Due to a drunken Harley's assault on his driver and his memories of past insults, he tries to kidnap her, but the singer at his nightclub - Dinah Laurel Lance aka Black Canary - comes to her rescue. Impressed by Dinah's skills, Roman hires her as his new driver/bodyguard. Roman is also after a diamond embedded with the account numbers to the Bertinelli crime family fortune, who were massacred years ago. However, a young pickpocket named Cassandra "Cass" Cain steals the diamond from Zsasz and swallows it after she is arrested. Friendly with Cass, Dinah decides to become an informer for police detective Renee Montoya to protect the girl. Another person interested in Cass is Harley, who is after the girl and the diamond on Roman's behalf after he threatened to kill her if she does not cooperate. Another person threatening to overshadow everyone else's interests is Helena Bertinelli, a mysterious archer who has been carrying out a series of mob-related killings in revenge for her family's deaths.

On the surface, I was inclined to regard the narrative for "BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)" as a loose series of subplots that barely connected. But the more I thought about Christina Hodson's screenplay, the more I realized that there is one aspect of the film's plot that strongly connected the subplots. And I am not referring to Harley Quinn. To me, Ronan Sionis aka Black Mask is the cord that connects the various subplots.

Think about it. Due to Harley's breakup with the Joker, he wants criminal control of Gotham City and petty revenge against her for past insults. Ronan had organized the massacre against the Bertinelli crime family with the help of his main enforcer Victor Zsasz, in order to get his hands on the family's diamond. This leads Helena to hunt down members of his crime family. Cassandra "Cass" Cain had managed to steal the very diamond that Ronan wants, leading to her becoming his main target. Dinah Lance was employed as the main talent at Ronan's nightclub, until he hired her to become his driver and a bodyguard. And because of Cass being endangered by Ronan, Dinah had agreed to serve as a spy within the Sionis' crime family on behalf of Detective Renee Montoya. As for the latter, she had been fixated in arresting Ronan for years. And because of this, she ended up being suspected from the police force and searching for Cass and the diamond. "BIRDS OF PREY" could have easily dissolved into a confusing movie that possessed disjointed story arcs. Thankfully, director Cathy Yan and screenwriter Christina Hodson had the good sense to use a strong and dynamic villain like Ronan Sionis as the main link to connect the movie's protagonists' varied subplots.

"BIRDS OF PREY" also featured a rather unique narrative style that reminded me of the first half of "MAN OF STEEL" and "SUICIDE SQUAD" in that it depended on a great deal of story utilizing flashbacks. In the case of "BIRDS OF PREY", the film's narrative use of flashbacks struck me as very colorful and unique - almost with a strong comic book style to it. Mind you, the speed in which the narrative jumps between the past and the present is a bit mind boggling and can force a moviegoer to keep on his or her toes, while watching it. As for the film's action sequences - I enjoyed them, but most of these sequences seemed to be dominated by Harley. It is not until the last major fight sequence in which Harley needs the help of Dinah, Renee and Helena to protect Cassandra from Ronan's goons. And I must say . . . it was a well-shot fight sequence.

As much as I had enjoyed "BIRDS OF PREY", I had some problems with the film. A lot of fans had complimented Harley's warehouse fight against Ronan's thugs, while accidentally inhaling cocaine. Honestly? I found Harley's accidental drug intake rather unnecessary. There was another scene that really annoyed me and it featured Harley’s "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" illusions after being punched by Ronan. It was one of the most pretentious montages I have ever seen in a comic book movie. And very unnecessary. There was also a scene in which Dinah finally used the famous Canary Cry on many of Ronan's thugs in the film's final action scene. After using it . . . she passed out. Why? Why was it so necessary to make her faint after using the Canary Cry? So that she and Renee would not participate in the chase scene featuring Harley, Helena, Cass and Ronan? Having the Black Canary faint after using her Cry irritated the hell out of me.

However, my main problem with the "BIRDS OF PREY" narrative was that two actions by the Joker - his rejection of Harley and departure from Gotham City - kick started the film's story. If the Joker had not rejected Harley, she would have never been forced to re-start her life on her own and play a role in the formation of the Birds of Prey. And Ronan would have never made the effort to elevate his position to Gotham City's top crime lord. So . . . why did the Joker dump Harley? Why did he leave Gotham City? Unfortunately, Hodson's screenplay never provided a reason behind the Joker's actions. In the case of Harley Quinn and the Joker, Warner Brothers could have made a movie depicting their relationship and what led to their breakup. Or . . . Hodson and Yan could have provided some explanation on why the Joker had dumped Harley in the first place. But what I found really baffling was his decision to leave Gotham City. Why did he do it? And why did Hodson and Yan make no effort to explain his disappearance?

I certainly had no problems with the film's performances. Margot Robbie, as usual, gave an energetic and skillful portrayal of the comic book villain. Some have claimed that Robbie's performance in "BIRDS OF PREY" was superior to her performance in "SUICIDE SQUAD", due to how Harley was written in both films.. To each his or her own, I suppose. Personally, I found this claim hard to swallow. I thought Harley's characterization was excellent in both films. More importantly, both films did an excellent job in depicting Harley's character during different periods in her life.

I have only seen Ewan McGregor portray a villain - major or minor - in two other films before "BIRDS OF PREY". And honestly? He should portray villains as often as he can. I thought his portrayal of the narcissist and vindictive Ronan was superb and spot on. I also enjoyed how he managed to inject a bit of homoerotic overtones in Ronan's relationship with his henchman, Victor Szasz. Another performance that I truly enjoyed came from Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Dinah Laurel Lance aka the Black Canary. Smollett-Bell did an excellent job in conveying Dinah's emotional turmoil over her current life and desires. Thanks to the actress' performance, Dinah seemed torn between her disgust and fear of Ronan, her sense of self-preservation, her continuing trauma over her vigilante mother's death and her desire to help others - especially someone like Cassandra Cain. Rosie Perez gave a first-rate, yet colorful performance as the world-weary and alcoholic Detective Renee Montoya. Perez skillfully conveyed Renee's struggles with being underappreciated by her fellow Gotham City Police detectives and being rejected by her ex-girlfriend, District Attorney Ellen Yee. At the same time, Perez's Renee conveyed a steely determination to not only arrest Harley early in the film, but also bring down Ronan at all costs.

"BIRDS OF PREY" proved to be Ella Jay Basco's second movie in a career that spanned at least six years. I thought Basco gave a first-rate, yet subtle performance as the pickpocket Cassandra Cain. Basco managed to form strong screen chemistry with both Robbie and Smollett-Bell. And she also conveyed a talent for sharp and witty dialogue that seemed to come from no where, taking others by surprise. The role of Helena Bertinelli aka the mysterious archer aka the Huntress was a curious one for actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Her role in the film was not as big as the others. And unlike the others, her connection to Ronan was clouded by the fact that she was unaware of Ronan being personally responsible for her family's deaths. Despite having a smaller role than the other protagonists, Winstead gave a memorable performance the ruthless assassin, whose emotional growth, stunted by past trauma, made it difficult for her to connect with others. I have personally not seen Chris Messina in a movie for nearly a decade - not since 2012's "ARGO". But I have to admit that the role of Victor Szaz has to be one of the most fascinating I have ever seen him portray. Messina's Szasz is a brutal, yet observant enforcer with a talent for ass-kissing I have yet to see in any other comic book movie. Not only was Szasz one of Messina's best roles, but I also believe it was his funniest. The movie also featured competent performances from the likes of Steven Williams, Ali Wong, François Chau, Daniel Bernhardt, Dana Lee and Derek Wilson.

Overall, I enjoyed "BIRDS OF PREY" very much. It is not perfect. No movie really is. And I have pointed out that I believe its main flaws came from Christina Hodson's screenplay. But I thought she did a good job in using the Ronan Sionis character to connect the protagonists' subplots in order to form a main one. The cast, led by Margot Robbie, provided excellent and entertaining performances. And Cathy Yan proved that given a chance by the studios, she is a talent to be reckoned with as a director.

"WHISPERING SMITH" (1948) Photo Gallery

  

Below are images from "WHISPERING SMITH", the 1948 adaptation of Frank H. Spearman's 1906 novel. Directed by Leslie Fenton, the movie starred Alan Ladd:

"WHISPERING SMITH" (1948) Photo Gallery

Jerk Cooking

 

Below is an article about a cooking style known as Jerk cooking:

JERK COOKING

There is a cooking style for a variety of meats that has become basically immortalized for many around the world. This cooking style, which originated on the island of Jamaica is known as Jerk cooking. This cooking style involves meat that is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice.

Many historians believe this Jamaican jerk seasoning was developed by escaped enslaved Coromantee Africans in Jamaica. But other historians have unearthed evidence that jerked meat was actually created by local indigenous people called the Tainos. When the British had invaded Jamaica in 1655, the Spanish colonists fled and left behind a large number of African slaves. Rather than be re-enslaved by the British, the Coromantees escaped into Jamaica's mountainous regions where they mixed in with the local Taínos. It appears that these runaway slaves, who became the island's first Jamaican Maroons, learnt this cooking practice from the Tainos.

Many believe that while the Tainos developed the style of cooking and seasoning, the Maroons introduced the marinade and use of cooking pits. All racial groups hunted the wild hog in the Jamaican interior and used the practice of jerking to cook it in the seventeenth century. However, by the end of the eighteenth century, most groups had switched to imported pork products. Only the Maroons continued the practice of hunting wild hogs and jerking the pork.

When the Maroons found themselves in new surroundings on Jamaica, they were forced to use what was available to them. As a result, they adapted to their surroundings and used herbs and spices available to them on the island such as cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic, brown sugar, ginger, salt and especially Scotch bonnet pepper; which is largely responsible for the heat found in Caribbean jerks. They also cooked their seasoned wild hogs over pimento wood, which was native to Jamaica at the time. This wood is still the most important ingredient in the taste of the meat.

Jerk cooking and seasoning has followed the Caribbean diaspora all over the world. Jerk seasoning is not only used on pork; but also chicken, tofu, fish, shrimp, shellfish, beef, sausage, lamb, goat and vegetables. All forms of jerk can now be found at restaurants almost anywhere a significant population of Caribbean descent exists. They include such locations as the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Inhabitants on the French-speaking Caribbean islands developed the poulet boucané ("smoked chicken"), which is quite similar to traditional Jamaican jerk chicken.

Here is a recipe for Jerk Pork Shoulder from thespruceeats.com website:


Jerk Pork Shoulder

Ingredients

*1/2 cup ground allspice berries
*1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
*6 to 8 garlic cloves
*4 to 6 Scotch bonnet chile peppers (trimmed and seeded, wear gloves)
*1 tablespoons ground thyme (or 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves)
*2 bunches scallions (green onions, greens included, trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces)
*1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
*1/2​ teaspoons ground nutmeg
*2 teaspoons Kosher salt
*Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
*2 tablespoons soy sauce (to moisten)
*1 (6- to 9-pound) pork picnic shoulder roast


Preparation

*Gather the ingredients.

*Place allspice, brown sugar, garlic, Scotch bonnet peppers, thyme, scallions, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and soy sauce in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

*With a sharp knife, score the thick fat on the pork shoulder into a diamond pattern, but do not cut into the meat.

*Using gloved hands, press and massage a thick coating of the jerk sauce on the exterior of the pork so it is completely covered with a thick coat. Refrigerate any leftover sauce. It will keep for a month or more.

*Place the pork in a roasting pan and cover with a lid, foil, or plastic wrap. Refrigerate to marinate at least 24 hours or for up to two days.

*When ready to cook, let the pork sit at room temperature at least one hour or until it reaches room temperature. Then, preheat oven to 450 F.

*Line a roasting pan with heavy foil and insert a roasting rack.

*Roast pork uncovered for 30 minutes at this high heat, and then lower the temperature to 325 F.

*Bake an additional 3 1/2 to 4 hours, depending on the size of your pork shoulder. If you notice the pork is starting to burn, place aluminum foil over it.

*Let roast rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

*Serve.

Tip: Jamaican jerk pork is not a dish to leave to the last minute. This recipe requires that you plan in advance. You need to let the pork marinate for at least 24 hours before roasting it.

"THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" (1977) Review

 

"THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" (1977) Review

I have seen my share of movie and television productions that are based on novels and plays by Alexandre Dumas père and his son Alexandre Dumas fils And for some reason, I never get tired of watching them - over and over again. And one of them is the 1977 television movie, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK".

Directed by Mike Newell and adapted by William Bast, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" is loosely based on Alexandre Dumas père's 1847-50 novel, "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later". The novel was the third and last of the author's "The d'Artagnan Romances" literary trilogy, following "The Three Musketeers" and "Twenty Years After". The movie begins with Philippe Bourbon being snatched by a group of mysterious men from his small French estate and imprisoned at the Bastille. It turns out that the men behind this kidnapping is King Louis XIV's finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert and the head of the Musketeers, D'Artagnan.

Aware that Philippe is the twin brother of the king (and the rightful monarch of France), the pair plan to conduct a bloodless coup to eventually switch Philippe with the corrupt and malicious Louis. However, their plans are stymied when the Chevalier Duval, an aide of the also corrupt Superintendent of Finances Nicolas Fouquet, stumbles across Philippe. Fouquet, via instructions from Louis, orders Duval to take Philippe from the Bastille and install him in another prison on the coast. Fortunately for Colbert and D'Artagnan, they learn of Philippe's fate from Louis' reluctant and disenchanted mistress Louise de La Vallière and plot to rescue the royal twin and continue with their plot to replace him with Louis.

When I saw "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" for the first time, I thought it was perfect. Flawless. And it became one of my favorite Alexandre Dumas adaptations and television movies for years. After my recent viewing of the television movie, I now realize that it is not perfect. I feel that screenwriter William Bast had changed one aspect of Dumas' novel, "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later", that had an impact on the 1977 movie's narrative. The novel had portrayed Louis as the older twin and rightful king of France. For some reason, Bast had made Philippe the oldest twin. Why? I have no idea. To justify Philippe's theft of the French throne? Unfortunately, this narrative change left me wondering why Philippe, as the "older twin" was not allowed to be his father's heir and later, successor. In one scene, Colbert explained that former French minister and lover of the twins' mother Queen Anne, Cardinal Mazarin, had Philippe taken away following the latter's birth, in order to manipulate then King Louis XIII. This explanation struck me as lame and confusing. And Bast should have never changed this aspect of Dumas' plot.

Many moviegoers have become increasingly critical of any production that have not closely adhere to its literary source over the years. I have no idea how many of them felt about this 1977 television movie. But I have a pretty good idea how I feel about it. Although I found the major change mentioned in the above paragraph troubling, I had no problems with many of other Bast's changes. I have read Dumas' novel. It was interesting . . . to say the least. I have no problems reading or watching a story with a downbeat ending if it suits the narrative or if I am in the mood to embrace it. I have never been in the mood to embrace Dumas' 1847-50 novel. Which would probably explain why I enjoyed the changes in this adaptation a lot. But wait . . . extreme changes had been made in other adaptations of "The Vicomte de Bragelonne". What was it about this particular adaptation that I enjoyed? I found it better written than the other adaptations.

For me, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" was a tight and well-written story that did not drag or rush the movie's narrative. Which is more than I can say for Dumas' story. Most Dumas' adaptations tend to be part-dramas/part-swashbucklers. "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" - at least this version - seemed to be eighty-five percent drama and fifteen percent action. In fact, the only real action sequence in this production turned out to be D'Artagnan's rescue of Philippe from the coastal prison. And if I must be honest, I thought Mike Newell's direction, Freddie Young's cinematography and Bill Blunden's editing made that sequence a tense, yet exciting affair.

However, the meat of "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" centered around its dramatic scenes. Thanks to Newell's direction, Bast's screenplay and a talented cast, the television movie featured some very memorable scenes. Among my favorites are Philippe's discovery that he is the King of France's twin brother, Louis' malicious reaction to his failure to impress Louise de La Vallière, a tense conversation between Philippe and Queen Marie-Therese, and the last verbal duel between Colbert and Fouquet. If I had to select my absolute favorite scene, it had to be the one that featured Louis' "Sun King" ballet, Louise's failure to be impressed and Louis' malicious act of using the Queen as a scapegoat for his embarrassment.

As I had earlier stated, the dramatic scenes in "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" would have never been fully satisfying to me without its top notch cast. Yes, there were solid performances from the likes of Denis Lawson, Hugh Fraser and Brenda Bruce. But I found myself impressed by other members of the cast. They include Vivien Merchant, who did an excellent job in conveying Queen Marie-Therese's mixed emotions toward her emotionally abusive spouse - whether it was desire, resentment or a combination of both. Ian Holm was excellent as Minister Fouchet's aide, the Chevalier Duval, who seemed to be brimming with cunning intelligence and stealth. I would never associate Louis Jordan portraying a swashbuckling figure. But I must admit that he made an excellent man-of-action in his portrayal of the experienced, competent and quick-thinking D'Artagnan.

Jenny Agutter gave a sublime and passionate performance as Louise de La Vallière, Louis' reluctant mistress who ended up falling in love with the latter's twin. Ralph Richardson's portrayal of France's finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert struck me as one of the more entertaining performances in the production. I found Richardson's Colbert cunning, intelligent, patient and more importantly - at least to me - witty. I have seen Patrick McGoohan in several heroic and villainous roles. But I must admit that his Nicolas Fouquet struck me as one of the most subtlety portrayed villains I have ever seen on screen. McGoohan's Fouquet could put Sheev Palpatine from the STAR WARS saga when it comes to subtle villainy. And I like subtle villains. I find them more dangerous.

If I had to give an award for the best performance in "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK", I would give it to its leading man, Richard Chamberlain. Mind you, Chamberlain had to portray two characters - the decent, yet slightly hot-headed Philippe Bourbon; and the vain and egotistic King Louis XIV. Mind you, I thought Chamberlain did an excellent job of conveying Philippe's sense of confusion, anger and passion. But the actor's portrayal of Louis literally knocked my socks off. Chamberlain's performance was not over-the-top. He did a subtle job of conveying Louis' villainy. And yet, he managed to inject a great deal of - how can I put it - joie de vivre quality in his performance that I found truly entertaining. There was no doubt that Chamberlain's Louis was a villain. But his Louis proved to be one of the most entertaining villains I have seen on screen.

I realize that I have yet to discuss the television movie's production values. We are talking about the 1970s. Although I can recall a good number of television miniseries with first-rate production values, I cannot say the same about several period television productions from both sides of the Atlantic. And "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" is a television movie with a 100 minutes running time. However, I thought its production values were first-rate. Despite being a made-for-TV movie, "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" was shot on several locations in both France and Great Britain. Thankfully, Freddie Young's photography did an excellent job in enhancing those locations. John Stoll took advantage of those locations and skillfully re-created France and Louis XIV's court of the late 1660s or early 1670s. I am not an expert of 17th century fashion - in France or anywhere else. I have no idea whether Olga Lehmann's costume designs or Betty Glasow's hairstyle are historically accurate. But I cannot deny that I found the hairstyles satisfying and Lehman's costumes beautiful, as shown below:

 

In the end, I am happy to state that "THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK" remains one of my all time favorite adaptations of an Alexandre Dumas père novel. Despite my quibble of one of William Bast's changes in Dumas' story, I feel more than satisfied with his other changes and thought he had presented a first-rate story. And my satisfaction also extends to Mike Newell's top-notch direction and the excellent performances from a cast led by the always superb Richard Chamberlain.




R.I.P. Sir Ian Holm (1931-2020)

"DRAGONWYCK" (1946) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "DRAGONWYCK", the 1946 adaptation of Anya Seton's 1944 novel. Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the movie starred Gene Tierney and Vincent Price:

"DRAGONWYCK" (1946) Photo Gallery