49. Sucker Punch (2011)

Code-name: Bjork

Writer/Director: Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen)
Type: sci-fi/fantasy, girl power, dream-within-a-dream

Cast:
Babydoll- Emily Browning
Sweet Pea- Abbie Cornish
Rocket- Jena Malone
Blondie- Vanessa Hudgens
Amber- Jamie Chung
Blue- Oscar Isaac
Dr. Vera Gorski- Carla Gugino
The High-Roller/Doctor- Jon Hamm
The Wise Man- Scott Glenn

Write-up:

*I tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum in hopes that people who read this entry will see this movie and how it plays out will take their breath away as much as it did mine*

First Impression

I saw this trailer a couple of times throughout 2010. It blew me away so much that I knew I had to keep an eye out for it. I saw it alone, was probably one of a dozen (likely less) people in the theater.
I didn't just love it, something about it really affected me, and it was hard to put into words exactly why. Still is, in fact.

The Plot (at minimum)

The opening sequence sets the stage (pun absolutely intended) for the main story. Babydoll (Emily Browning) and her sister's mother just died. It's *hinted* that their stepfather poisoned her to claim her fortune... until he reads the will and finds she left everything to the girls. In a scuffle, Babydoll accidentally shoots/kills her sister and her stepfather sends her away to the Lennox House for the Mentally Insane. He pays off Blue, one of the orderlies (Oscar Isaac) who arranges, in 5 days' time, for her to receive a lobotomy.

At first, it appears that the movie will be a short-lived one because, one montage later, Babydoll is about to have the procedure done. Then the scene transitions and we see another girl, Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) facing down the needle. As it turns out, that was something she was acting out on stage until she changed her mind.

The recreational area Blue dubbed "the theater" during Babydoll's arrival and the rest of the institution now appear to be a brothel. Blue is a gangster who runs the place and the girls are sex slaves who "dance" for clients, both in stage productions and in private rooms. They also serve to soften these clients in order for Blue to incur favors. Babydoll starts out on cleaning duty, but when Dr. Gorski (Carla Gugino) asks her to dance to music, she escapes into another world entirely. There, she meets the Wise Man (Scott Glenn) who divulges what she needs on her journey to freedom: a map, fire, a knife, a key and a mystery item.

Throughout the movie, Babydoll and the other girls escape into a number of alternate realities to retrieve these items. Simultaneously, in the brothel, Babydoll is dancing and the other girls are getting the items.

In essence, the brothel is a metaphor for the oppression the girls experienced in the mental institution. and complete with the four alternate reality worlds, it's a dream-within-a-dream type of deal. Like "Inception," but instead of Leo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, we get girls decked out in leather wielding firearms.

The Girls

...considering that last sentence and the fact that Babydoll is wearing a Japanese schoolgirl uniform in these alternate realities, I really thought this would have been a huge hit :-P but more on that later.

Vanessa Hudgens was the only name I recognized going into this. I really identified with Gabriella in "High School Musical"... until the sequels where her character's shyness disappeared. But compared to the other girls, Blondie (Vanessa) and Amber (Jamie Chung, who I've gotten to know as Mulan in "Once Upon a Time") didn't get as much screen time.

 I had seen Emily Browning in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (good, but not great) and I heard she was Stephenie Meyer's first pick to play Bella in "Twilight"... that would have been really interesting to see.
I saw a glimpse of her at the end of "The Host" earlier this year, but other than that, I probably will always remember her as Babydoll.

(such a cool look, so Japanese) 8-)

Other than her, the girls we get to know the best are Sweet Pea and her sister, Rocket (Jena Malone). I still find it hard to believe she was the same girl in "Step-Mom" because she looked so different. Then again, some poignant make-up, leather and lingerie will do that, not to mention the pixie haircut.
Yes, I am totally girl-crushing over here :-P

While it kinda sucks that Blondie and Amber weren't developed as well, the relationship between Rocket and Sweet Pea, and them with Babydoll is just as much as a part of this picture as Babydoll's own journey. Supposedly, Rocket didn't get along with their parents and run away from home. Sweet Pea followed, despite not having any issues with them. Either way, both ended up at the same place.

The Music and its Escapism

In football, fans who come to home games are often called "the 12th man" on the field. (The Seattle Seahawks are currently reaping those benefits).
In "Sucker Punch," the same could be said for the movie's soundtrack. By no means am I taking anything away from the art direction, costumes (super cool costumes!) and visual effects (in the alternate realities). They imprinted on my mind just as much, but as a music lover, when songs featured in a movie get my heart racing and their vibe commands my attention... I can't help but take notice.
It says a lot when I feel I have to OWN a movie soundtrack. Ironically, this one was reviewed a lot better than its correlating film (the same was said about "Graffiti Bridge," the sorta-sequel of "Purple Rain"). My only gripe is that the songs weren't in movie order, but that's what iTunes is for.

The opening sequence plays out to "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," sung by Emily Browning, which has a very subtle haunting quality to it. It took my breath away and I was in for the long haul.
She also sings "Asleep" (which I now know as a song by The Smiths loved by "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" protagonist Charlie) and duets in "Where is my mind?" with Israeli musician Yoav. Even though the latter first appears second in movie order, I position it last because the momentum shifts in its final minutes. Those final minutes also made a scene towards the end of the movie so much more powerful than it'd be without any music

"Love is the drug" sounded like something David Bowie would perform. In the movie (extended Blu-ray edition only), it's performed by Blue and Dr. Gorski on stage, which segues in and out of a montage of the girls' stage numbers, as well as the ending credits.

What is in order are the songs that Babydoll dances to and, by extension, play while she and the girls are in the alternate realities.

1) "Army of Me" by Bjork

• I was so enthralled by this song that it stayed with me quite some time after it ended. When I think of "Sucker Punch," this is the song that immediately jumps to mind.
• This also happens to be my favorite world in the movie because it was like something out of Japanese animé
• Alternate Reality #1: Feudal Japan in wintertime. The Mission: "Defend Yourself"-- Babydoll fights off three giant stone samurai dressed in armor with a samurai sword and a pistol.
• Unfortunately, on the soundtrack, as the song progresses, Bjork starts screaming, detracting somewhat from the escapism I wish to experience... [then after listening to the original cut, I changed my mind... the final verse doesn't have the same impact without the screaming :P at least not for me]

2) "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane (performed by Icelandic artist Emilíana Torrini)

• Holds its own just as much as its predecessor, something I can't often say
• Alternate Reality #2: World War I but with undead Germans. The Mission: "Get the map from the courier before he can make it to the zeppelin en route to the kaizer"
• sci-fi nerds, specifically cosplayers, might consider the overall look of this level and its inhabitants as "steampunk" (google it, I don't know much about it, but it's kinda fascinating)
• in reality, Sweet Pea is photocopying the map from Blue's office

"I want it all"/"We will rock you" mash-up by Queen (rap by Armageddon aka Geddy)

• Technically, this song plays leading up to Babydoll's next dance. The client is the mayor and he requested Amber to keep him company. She will come away with his lighter
• The critics didn't care for this particular number. I'm not crazy about rap in general, but it does help create the image they're trying to convey: the mayor's like a pimp

3) "Search and Destroy" by Skunk Anasie

• My least favorite of the "alternate reality" songs... most of the time, I gravitated towards the music and paid little attention to the lyrics. In this case, neither stood out to me
• Alternate Reality #3: A castle in shambles overrun by creatures who look suspiciously like Orcs from Middle Earth. The Mission: "Kill a baby dragon and steals the stones out of its throat ("if struck together produce the most brilliant fire you'll ever see")"
• The dragons on this level were pretty cool, Amber and Blondie are in the getaway helicopter with Babydoll, Sweet Pea and Rocket on the ground

4) "Tomorrow Never Knows" by Alison Mosshart and Carla Azar (punk and indie artists)

• Alternate Reality #4: bullet train en route to a metropolis. The Mission: "disarm the bomb before the train reaches the city" while fighting off android extras from "I, Robot"
• Simultaneously, Babydoll is dancing for the cook (from whom she saved Rocket earlier in the movie) while Rocket keeps him company, hoping to steal his knife without him noticing

Happy Ending?

Up until this film, I had a thing about unhappy endings, especially if a) I had such a good time and the ending ruined the movie or b) the sad ending made me feel like I wasted 3-4 hours of my life ("Gone with the wind" and "Titanic").

Sadly, "Sucker Punch" doesn't have a happy ending... but I actually decided that I had such a good time with all the above that I didn't care. In an odd sort of way, the ending did work and if desired, I could always revisit in the movie or by listening to its cool music

Why all the hate?

If the IMDB message boards are any indication, "Sucker Punch" has gotten some traction and may gain an underground following in the next couple years.
As a member of my college's animé club (most of which I enjoyed), I really got into the way it was presented. The action sequences reminded me of video games as well as some the series we watched in the club.

Most likely, the dream-within-a-dream motif threw a lot of critics off, feeling as if the pieces didn't quite add up. Others have also expressed displeasure at the way the girls were dressed, as if its only purpose was to turn people on... not quite helping with this movie's goal to empower them. The fact that it involves sex slavery and takes place in a brothel, both wrought with controversy, might also be the reason people had trouble taking it seriously.

Other than keeping an open mind, all I can really say to get people check this movie out is that it just might be geared to a specific audience. You either love it or you hate it. Personally, I think it's geared towards people who frequent Comic-Con and other nerd-infested conventions. :-P

Going Beyond...

Been brainstorming for the past year, but it's still too early for me to give any details... but in some form, this movie is inspiring my latest writing project... along with music from some of my favorite artists, most of which happen to be strong women. Girl Power!

"Oh... and One More Thing"
(the Wise-Man says this leading into his last piece of advice before each mission commences)

For "Mad Men" fans, Jon Hamm has a small role as the doctor Blue hires to do the lobotomy. In the theatrical version, he only had a couple lines, but in the extended Blu-ray edition, he has a 5 minute scene in the brothel setting as "the high roller" who's reportedly paying to take Babydoll's virginity... this is an unexpected gem of a scene, the way things play out...

52. Freedom Writers (2007)

Code-name: Gruwell

Writer/Director: Richard LaGravenese
Type: Inspirational Teacher, Drama, High School

Cast:
Ms. Erin Gruwell- Hilary Swank
Scott- Patrick Dempsey
Erin's father- Scott Glenn
Dept. Head Margaret Campbell- Imelda Stanton
Superintendent Dr. Cohn-
Eva- April L. Hernandez
Marcus- Jason Finn
Ben- Hunter Parrish
Andre- Mario
Sindy- Jacyln Ngan
Jamal- Deance Wyatt
Victoria- Giovannie Samuels
Miep Gies- Pat Carroll

Write-up:

"In a World.." says the epic movie trailer voiceover guy

My interest in this movie began with the very first trailer. I remember that it came out Spring of 2007 and right away, I pegged it for best picture and further Oscar contention...

Why that didn't happen, I still don't understand.
..this was before I learned that the majority of Oscar contenders don't premiere until the end of the year...

Of all my "inspirational teacher" movies, this is my favorite and the one I wanted to represent the genre on my countdown.

The Premise

The movie begins with newsreels from the 1992 Rodney King riots in Long Beach, California. After they came and went, racial tensions escalated in the region to the point where if it had a pressure dial, it would be pushing critical mass.

Through the eyes of a few high school kids, we see how the Latinos, Asians, Blacks and Whites see each other and constantly get into violent altercations. Heck, even life in your own circle isn't free of violence.

Enter first-year teacher, Erin Gruwell. She gets a job at Woodrow Wilson High School. It once was known as one of the most prestigious schools in the region. Now it's a reform school serving as hub for voluntary integration. Most of the kids enrolled are as an alternative to juvenile hall or jail.
Both the Head of the Department, Margaret Campbell and the Distinguished Honors/Juniors/Seniors Teacher caution her against being optimistic and urge her to put in her time and move on.

The first several days are rough for Ms. Gruwell. When her students aren't getting into scrapes with one another, they're apathetic and idle in their studies.

What starts to change all that is a caricature of a classmate that's passed around the room. Jamal, who'd been one of the most vocal students, suffers in silence when the picture makes its way to his desk. It depicts him with big lips.
Ms. Gruwell turns it into a lesson, citing the Holocaust and how a "gang" in Europe wiped out people they didn't like and took over countries. She then realizes an even bigger problem with the system when she finds out nobody in the class knew what the Holocaust was.

As the story progresses, she helps them to see the similarities in each other and they come together as a tight-knit family.
But not without opposition from her fellow teachers and her personal life coming under fire.

The Players

Before I saw the trailer, I hadn't been a fan of HIlary Swank... on the mere fact that she won Oscars two years in a row, and "Millionaire Dollar Baby" sounds like a stupid title for a boxing movie. Never saw a single movie of hers.
Then all that changed when I saw "Freedom Writers." I cannot imagine anyone else playing this role and giving all of themselves to it.

A movie this powerful in its message and execution, everyone practically embodies their roles. According to the DVD extras, some of them had even experienced similar circumstances to what their characters went through.

On the other side of the coin, I'd only just gotten over enduring Imelda Stanton as Dolores Umbridge in the latest "Harry Potter" movie... she's equally infuriating as Ms. Gruwell's biggest opposition in this film. Sure, if you look at things from her perspective, you get why she is the way she is... but the fact that she doesn't give an inch the entire movie. There's no great epiphany where she accepts she was wrong.
I just want to scream right now thinking about it. Class-A Bitch!

Luckily for Ms. Gruwell, she got the support of a superintendent to help her cause.

And while on the negative side of things, movies like these are the reason I'm not a huge fan of Patrick Dempsey. He's incredibly good-looking man, no doubt about that, but I rarely like anyone he plays. I'd never seen "Grey's Anatomy," nor do I plan on it. He was an even bigger jerk in "Valentine's Day." Keeping Jennifer Garner as his girlfriend on the side while he's still happily married?! Jerk!
All I have in the positive column are "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Enchanted," where he grows from a bit of a jerk to a really good guy... and possibly "Sweet Home Alabama," but I only saw it once years ago.

As for the kids themselves, I listed the more oft-featured characters in the cast.

Eva (pronounced as "Ava") is Latina. There was a deadly shooting outside her door when she was a kid and her father, who was innocent, was implicated in the murder and sentenced to prison.
She's also a witness to a drive-by shooting at a convenience store. Her friend, Paco, was the shooter, but instead, a black teen was arrested.

Marcus is black. There was an incident where he was sitting on a bench with his friend who accidentally shot himself with a gun he found. When the cops came, Marcus was deemed responsible. His mom had kicked him out of the house, also in part because he looks a lot like his father.

Ben is the only white guy in the entire class and obviously, he's very nervous about these circumstances. He's there primarily because he's not among the brightest kids.

Sindy is Cambodian. Her friend was killed in the convenience store shooting. She and Eva are seen getting into scrapes in a couple scenes.

Erin's father also becomes involved in her efforts with these kids. Early in the movie, he's pessimistic about what she'll able to accomplish. This has her confused because "he was Atticus Finch when I was a kid" and his involvement in Civil Rights inspired her to get involved in this line of work in the first place.
But unlike the other administers, he gets to know these kids and becomes just as great a help to them.

Going Beyond the Material

Let the Spoilers Commence!

 

First of all, I don't know why I'm so in love with this particular movie genre. I grew up in a great neighborhood, went to a great school, and got good grades. From a physical standpoint, I'm white, female, and painfully average. But I didn't have a lot of friends and didn't really fit in anywhere on the student food chain... let's just say I don't have a lot of fond memories.

 

Second of all, I've personally never had an "inspirational teacher," certainly not a single one that changed my entire life the way it happens with kids in the movies. I liked most of my teachers, but there was never a dramatic turn-around. Not that I really need quote-un-quote "saving" or "changing"... I just wish someone that taught me helped give me a sense of direction, something specific.

Right now, the only stand-out that comes to mind was my concert choir teacher, Ms. Cloak, because she said a few times how she liked how much I gave to doing the work in the class. I never got a solo or a part in any of the musicals, but she knew I gave my 110% as an individual. Admittedly, there were a few opportunities where I could have stepped into a leadership role to get people to stop talking and focus on learning the material...

 

There'll come a time where I'll dedicate an entire entry to my favorite "inspirational teachers" but for now, I'll just say that Mr. Keating, Mr. Holland, Mr. Hunterd and Ms. Gruwell (heck, even Mr. Feeney deserves a mention) were some of the teachers I wish I had in high school, but on screen, they'd taught me a lot of things.

 

Maybe I'm just a sucker (yes, I'm a sucker for a lot of things... don't judge :-P) for the impact they have on people and how they're remembered for the rest of their lives for it.

 

Still very much a hot button today, this movie's prime focus is on racism and prejudices and how education and acceptance can help overcome it.

Speaking from personal experience, I didn't grow up around a lot of minorities so when it came to the 2-3 African-American individuals I had per classroom, I was ill-at-ease because we looked so different. I didn't take it beyond physical appearance in making assumptions about them just because they were black.

 

My attitude about race started to change when I was a teenager, right around the time I glimpsed "Purple Rain" for the first time and Eddie Murphy was in a lot of my favorite movies... since then, I've gotten better about keeping an open mind, whether the topic is racisim, addiction or homosexuality. So many people go through life judging people based on what they deem to be social norms... I'll leave the judgements to everyone else.

But if you go out of your way to be notorious and jerk-ish, that's where I draw the line (Charlie Sheen, Miley Cyrus, and Chris Brown come to my mind).

 

While editorializing this, I can't help but wonder the other day how it would have went if this took place more recently... and there were a few Muslims in the classroom... and they did the Holocaust discussion.

Muslims are under the impression the Holocaust never happened.

It's hard to predict how things would have unfolded, had it happened that way, but it'd be really hard to condense that into a two-hour movie.

 

One cliché (that happens to have a lot of truth to it) in these movies is when the teachers get wholly involved with their students, their personal lives take a downturn. It happened with Mr. Holland, who wasn't helping his wife with their deaf son, Cole.

It also happened with Ms. Gruwell. Her husband left her close to the end of the movie... it could be for a number of reasons. She took two extra jobs to pay for supplies because the school refused to give her students access to new books and such. She took them on a lot of class trips and got home late. And he was also dissatisfied with the fact she was the bread-winner of the house. She tries to encourage him to go back to architecture and fulfill his potential, but he dismisses her, insisting he's surpassed his potential.

 

Like with Margaret Campbell, I can see things from his perspective and understand it... but on the surface, he came off to me as a man who hated being emasculated by his more successful wife. He even said "I can't be your wife" at one point... jerk.

 

One interesting scene that should be noted involves a late enrollee, Victoria. She's in the Distinguished Honors program and the teacher asked her to give the black perspective of "The Color Purple". Her mental dialogue hit the nail on the head.

"Do I have a sign on my forehead that says I'm a Rosetta Stone for African-Americans?"

Then the teacher got all bent out of shape, believing that Ms. Gruwell "stole" Victoria from his class... another jerk.

 

Turn-arounds and Resolutions

 

During the spring semester, the students were assigned Anne Frank's diary. While mulling over what to say at the trial, Eva becomes engrossed in the story and her relationship with Ms. Gruwell improves.

Then she gets to the end and flips the HELL out, upset that she died at the end and says it doesn't help her situation. Marcus is in the classroom, listening to this tirade and gives his own take on it. He also says he'd done research on Miep Gies because he thought she was a real hero for hiding the Franks and the VanPelts. This blossoms into a movement where the students write her letters and raise money to bring her to the school.

 

That was probably the most powerful moment in the entire movie. Miep wasn't playing herself obviously, but Pat Carroll did her amazing justice.

After learning about the Holocaust and such, I'd wonder every now and then if Miep was still alive and sure enough, she had been for quite some time. She passed away in early 2010 at the age of 100... just WOW!

 

When the trial finally arrives, Eva has a change of heart and decides to tell the truth. That her friend, Paco, was the shooter. Unfortunately, her community threatened and turned their back on her as a result. Lucky for her, she has Ms. Gruwell to talk to about it. This also allows her and Sindy to finally put their differences aside and become friends.

 

Andre also faces difficulty in his family. After reading "`12 Angry Men," he believed his brother would be able to escape a trip to prison. It didn't work out that way.

 

One point I must disagree with is where his mental dialogue said "there was no O.J. dream team"... we all know for a fact that O.J. got away with murder, yet the blacks still herald him as a hero.

At the same time, though, I believe George Zimmerman should have been convicted of murder, Al Sharpton shouldn't make EVERY discretion involving blacks about racism and I forgave Michael Vick's dog fighting after he signed with the Eagles. Sure, it goes against my principles as an animal lover, despite the fact he's atoned for what he did, but as a denizen of a Philly surburb, I'm desperate for an Eagles SuperBowl win in my lifetime... no matter who it is as long as they get that done.

 

I haven't completely swept hypocrisy out of my life, but I'm working on it.

 

Last but not least, the students adopted the new "Freedom Writers" in homage to the Freedom Riders, a group of black and whites that traveled on a bus through the country to pledge for tolerance during the Civil Rights movement.

And they put their journals together into a book... which this movie was based off of.

 

The Source Material

 

Shortly before I went away to my senior year of college, I picked up a copy of the book (at the same time as "Twilight"). It really is eye-opening, all the stuff in its pages. Some points, you can see certain characters coming to mind. Other times, it's about stuff getting heavier and heavier. Everything from domestic violence, drugs, hazing, incest and, if I remember right, pregnancy came up as well.

 

It was broken into chapters, each representing a semester. Ms. Gruwell wrote the opening of each chapter and the rest came from the students, all writing their entries anonymously. I'd absolutely recommend picking up a copy, if only to borrow from the library. It goes beyond the scope of the film and sometimes, that's a good thing.