Stories about rock stardom and such often follow a formula in how they’re formed, how they become successful, more success, sex, drugs, alcohol, fights, they break-up, some tried to do solo careers, and then reunite. It’s a story that’s been told a million times yet what Alex Ross Perry does in this film is really the study of a singer whose love of rock n’ roll and excess would eventually takes its toll on herself, her family life, and her band. Notably as it’s told in five different scenes detailing the fall and resurrection of Becky Something (Elisabeth Moss) who is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Something She as there’s brief segments in between detailing the band’s rise. Perry’s script is more about Becky and her attempt to try and be this rock star as well as a mother despite the fact that she’s divorced and at odds with her ex-husband and her own mother. The five segments all play into Becky and her band in their good times but mostly bad times with the second and third segments showcasing Becky’s self-destructive behavior and how she destroys her relationships with those who care about her. The fourth and fifth takes places years after the events of the first three segments as it relates to what she lost but also her own fears.
Perry’s direction does have some style in its approach to long static shots as well as tracking shots in some parts of the film yet much of it is straightforward. Shot on various locations in New York City as well as the upstate area for one segment, the film play into these moments in time as the first segment is about a performance from Something She and its aftermath and the second segment is about a failed recording session that lead to the band’s break-up while a new band in Akergirls watch in horror. The usage of close-ups and medium shots don’t just add to the intimacy of some of the tension but also in how much Becky is willing to destroy herself and everyone else in her path just as some are trying to help her. Even as it would capture the chaos during a scene in the third act where Becky and Something She drummer Ali van der Wolff (Gayle Rankin) have an intense physical fight backstage.
There are a few wide shots in the film yet Perry chooses to focus on these moments that play into Becky’s wild behavior and her need to have answers whether it’s spiritual or as a way to maintain this persona as a wild punk rock star. There is a lot of attention to detail in what is going on with and around Becky as the dramatic tension that occurs such as a failed recording session that lead to the band’s break-up shows more attention towards Ali and bassist Marielle Hell (Agyness Deyn) who are struggling to keep it together but are aware that the band is done. By the time the film moves towards the fourth and fifth segments, things do quiet down as it play into Becky coming to terms with what she’s lost but also what she still has. Even towards the end as she tries to figure out if she has to play this wild persona or just be a mother to her daughter. Overall, Perry crafts an exhilarating yet intense film about a punk rock singer’s struggle to be all sorts of things including being a mother.
Cinematographer Sean William Price does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of low-key interior lighting for some the backstage scenes and in some of the stage lighting as well as natural interior/exterior lighting for the segment at Becky’s home with some blurry flashes for some of the concert performances. Editor Robert Greene does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward in letting shots linger for a while as well as providing a few rhythmic cuts for dramatic effect. Production designer Fletcher Chancey, with set decorator Paige Mitchell and art director John Arnos, does fantastic work with the look of some of the backstage area in some of the shows as well as the look of the studio and Becky’s home. Costume designer Amanda Ford does nice work with the costumes from some of the stylish clothes that the bands wear as well as the ragged look in their clothing.
Hair/makeup designer Amy L. Forsythe does terrific work with the look of the Akergirls in their colorful hairstyle as well as how they would evolve in the coming years in contrast to the chaotic look of Becky. Sound editor Ryan M. Price does amazing work with the film’s sound in the way music is presented live as well as the way music is recorded in a studio and other aspects of the sound as it plays into the chaos of Becky’s life. The film’s music by Keegan DeWitt and Alicia Bognanno is incredible with DeWitt providing a low-key ambient score for some of the dramatic moments of the film while Bognanno writes some of the original songs for Something She and Akergirls while music supervisor Rob Lowry provide a couple of songs that Becky sings including a song by Bryan Adams and one from Charles Manson.
The film’s superb cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Daisy Pugh-Weiss as Becky’s daughter Tama, Hannah Gross as Tama’s stepmother Tiffany, Craig Butta as a studio recording engineer, Alexis Krauss as musician at the film’s final segment, Keith Poulson as Ali’s husband, Lindsay Burdge as Marielle’s partner, Eka Darville as a shaman who doesn’t seem to have Becky’s best interests, and Amber Heard in a small role as Becky’s former mentor Zelda E. Zekiel as a woman who is trying to help Becky to get her into the right path of life. The performances of Ashley Benson, Cara Delevingne, and Dylan Gelula in their respective roles as Roxie Rotten, Crassie Cassie, and Dottie O.Z. of the band Akergirls are fantastic as a new band who admire Becky as they see her as an influence only to realize how troubled she is to herself and to their own career. Eric Stoltz is excellent as the music manager Howard Goodman who manages both Something She and Akergirls as someone trying to maintain some control while starting to lose patience with Becky as he has a lot to lose with her drug abuse. Virginia Madsen is brilliant as Becky’s mother Ania as a woman who had seen Becky at her best and at her worst as she’s trying to help her but also knows when something horrible is to come.
Gayle Rankin and Agyness Deyn are amazing in their respective roles as Something She drummer Ali van der Wolff and bassist Marielle Hell as two women who are trying to keep the band together with the former as a drummer who is also wild but also in control until a major fight backstage while the latter is someone who is trying keep everything in control until she has had enough. Dan Stevens is incredible as Becky’s ex-husband Danny as a man who cares about Becky and their daughter yet is trying to get her help but also be there as a mother to their daughter. Finally, there’s Elisabeth Moss in a spectacular performance as Becky Something as the singer/guitarist for the band Something She as a woman just trying to be this wild persona and a mother to a young girl but is troubled by her drug abuse and need to control everything as it is Moss at her most energetic and most vulnerable as it is definitely the performance of her career.
Her Smell is a tremendous film from Alex Ross Perry that features a phenomenal leading performance from Elisabeth Moss. Along with its ensemble cast, fascinating character study, simplistic yet chilling presentation, and an energetic music soundtrack. It’s a film that explores a woman trying to balance responsibility and stardom but also destroy those including herself on her path as well as cope with everything she’s gained and lost. In the end, Her Smell is a sensational film from Alex Ross Perry.
Alex Ross Perry Films: (Impolex) – (The Color Wheel) – (Listen Up Philip) – (Queen of Earth) – (Golden Exits)
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the DC comic series by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, Suicide Squad is the story of a group of supervillains who are tasked to stop a major threat to the world in exchange for reduced prison sentences. Written for the screen and directed by David Ayer, the film is an unconventional superhero film of sorts where it is focused on the bad guys who are given the chance to do good while dealing with their own faults as individuals. Starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinnaman, Cara Delevingne, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Adam Beach, Karen Fukuhara, Scott Eastwood, Ike Barinholtz, Jim Parrack, and Viola Davis. Suicide Squad is an intriguing but extremely messy film from David Ayer.
Following some catastrophic events around the world, the film revolves around an intelligence officer who wants to create a task force filled with supervillains to stop any major threat available as they would team up with a military officer to kill an evil witch-goddess known as the Enchantress who has inhabited the body of an archeologist named Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne). It’s a film that has some of worst of the worst that include a hitman, a pyromaniac, a mutant, a bank robber, and a former psychiatrist who later became the girlfriend of the Joker (Jared Leto). They’re given the chance to do good and save the world in exchange for a reduced prison sentence as they reluctantly do the job with Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) leading the team. It’s a concept that has a nice idea but writer/director David Ayer unfortunately doesn’t go all the way with its execution.
While he does manage to establish who are the members of this team known as the Suicide Squad in Floyd Lawton/Deadshot (Will Smith), Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), George “Digger” Harkness/Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Chato Santana/El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Waylon Jones/Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Some of these characters are either underwritten or under-utilized while the script falters very highly as Ayer tried to cram so much into the story but never finds a way to create a balance for everyone involved. Even the stakes in trying to stop the Enchantress and her brother Incubus (Alain Chanonine) doesn’t have much weight or motivation for the Suicide Squad to stop other than death if they don’t do the job. The character of Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is a mysterious individual who holds the fate of the entire squad as she is an antihero that is unique as she is one of the most interesting characters in the film.
The story about Harley Quinn’s relationship with the Joker is definitely not given more to be engaged into as it’s really one of several subplots in the film as the character of the Joker is someone who isn’t really used for the main plot other than to try and retrieve Harley back into his life. It’s a storyline that could’ve been fleshed out more but it’s often seen in flashbacks where there is little of the Joker in the main storyline. Another issue in the film revolves another member of the Suicide Squad in Christopher Weiss/Slipknot (Adam Beach) where he’s only in the film for a few minutes and doesn’t really do anything.
Ayer’s direction is where the film really suffers as it not only tries to cram so much into a two-hour film but also do it with some constraints to appeal to a wide audience. While Ayer would create some exciting sequences that does help tell the story and is filled with a lot of action. It tries too hard to be all things where it does have moments that are funny and moments that are exciting but it never finds that balance to bend all type of genres where it is very messy. Though there’s some good compositions that Ayer makes in the medium and wide shots to establish the locations as well as some close-ups. It is all very stylized and sometimes it would be style over substance where Ayer is doing whatever he can to try and make it enthralling. Yet, the emphasis largely on visual effects and wanting to create something big tends to overwhelm the story as it kind of loses of focus on what it wanted to be. Another aspect of the film that is problematic is that underneath all of these storylines, sprawling action scenes, and comedy is that there is a good film somewhere.
It’s obvious that given that this is a studio film that Ayer must have consulted with the executives at Warner Brothers in giving them what they want. Yet, this interference from people who aren’t involved in the process of filmmaking are the last group of people who understand what an audience wants. Sometimes, it’s best to not give them what they want as this film unfortunately tries to do so many things but giving the character of the Joker a small amount of time in the film as well as not providing a backstory for Killer Croc and a volunteer in Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana (Karen Fukuhara) definitely would baffle the audience. The climax is also kind of lacking in something bigger as it ends up being very conventional as it never really has the chance to become something of its own in favor of trying to be like every other superhero film. Overall, Ayer creates a decent but extremely inconsistent and underwhelming film about a group of bad guys teaming up to save the world.
Cinematographer Roman Vasyanov does some nice work with the cinematography with its array of colors and lighting schemes for much of the scenes set at night as well as the usage of desaturated colors for some of the daytime scenes. Editor John Gilroy does some fine work with the editing as it is very stylized where it relies a lot on fast-cuts but does provide enough footage to establish what is going on despite the constraints of what the film would suffer in its final cut. Production designer Oliver Scholl, with set decorators Beauchamp Fontaine and Shane Vieau as well as supervising art directors Brandt Gordon and Brad Ricker, does excellent work with the set design from the prison cells of the members of the Suicide Squad as well as the look of some of the cities and buildings they go into. Costume designer Kate Hawley does superb work with the costumes from the clothes some of the members of the Suicide Squad wear as well as the stylish clothing of Harley Quinn.
Hair/makeup designer Alessandro Bertolazzi and creature/effects designer Steve Newburn do brilliant work with the look of some of the characters such as El Diablo, Harley, Killer Croc, and the Joker where they’re given distinctive looks. Visual effects supervisor Jerome Chen does some good work with the visual effects in creating some mystical effects relating to the Enchantress though it does get overwhelming at times as the design of her army is kind of weak. Sound editor Richard King does fantastic work with the sound in creating some sound effects and in some of the broad moments in the action sequences. The film’s score by Steven Price is wonderful as it’s mainly a mixture of orchestral music with some electronics as much of the music that is assembled by music supervisors Gabe Hilfer and Season Kent that features an array of music from the likes of AC/DC, Rick James, Eminem, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lesley Gore, the White Stripes, Black Sabbath, Kanye West, K7, Norman Greenbaum, the Rolling Stones, and the Animals.
The casting by Lindsay Graham and Mary Vernieu is brilliant despite some of the issues involved due to the interference of studio executives as it feature some notable small appearances from Jim Parrack and Common as a couple of the Joker’s henchmen, Alain Chanonine as the Enchantress’ brother Incubus, Ike Barinholtz as a prison guard, Scott Eastwood as Col. Flag’s right-hand man GQ Edwards, David Harbour as a government official, Shailyn Pierre-Dixon as Deadshot’s daughter, Grace Santana as El Diablo’s wife in flashbacks, and Adam Beach in a very wasted performance as Slipknot. Karen Fukuhara is fantastic as Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana as a volunteer who is deadly with a samurai sword as she helps the Suicide Squad while Cara Delevingne is alright as Dr. June Moone in displaying her fears and vulnerability but isn’t very good as the Enchantress who is just this lame villain.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is terrific as Waylon Jones/Killer Croc as a reptilian-like mutant who can do things underwater and kick ass though he is very underutilized and underwritten. Joel Kinnaman is superb as Col. Rick Flag as a Special Forces officer who leads the Suicide Squad into battle while trying to hide the fact that he is personally invested in this mission to stop the Enchantress. Jay Hernandez is excellent as Chato Santana/El Diablo as a pyromaniac who is reluctant to help out as he is afraid of unleashing his powers knowing how bad it can become. Jai Courtney is fun as George “Digger” Harkness/Captain Boomerang as a bank robber with a deadly boomerang who is quite tough but also has some weird fetishes.
Jared Leto’s performance as the Joker is a mixed bag where not only is it a very small role where he’s not given much to do for the story while his performance is funny at times but also over-the-top for the wrong reasons. Viola Davis is brilliant as Amanda Waller as an intelligence officer creating a plan to help the world in the face of a threat as this is a no-nonsense character that is quite ruthless but also very determined to do whatever it takes to save the world. Will Smith is amazing as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot as a hitman/assassin that is good at what he does yet is also complex as he’s got morals despite the fact that he’s a bad guy as Smith brings some charm but also some weight as a man who knows what is at stake. Finally, there’s Margot Robbie in a phenomenal performance as Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn as a former psychiatrist who goes insane and falls for the Joker as she is this odd yet insane woman often speaks her mind and does crazy things as it’s the real standout performance in the film.
Suicide Squad is a decent but uneven film from David Ayer. Despite some action sequences, intriguing premise, and a great ensemble cast, it’s a film that suffers from trying to do so much only to bring in so little. In the end, Suicide Squad is just a very disappointing and underwhelming film from David Ayer.
David Ayer Films: (Harsh Times) – (Street Kings) – (End of Watch) – (Sabotage (2014 film)) – (Fury (2014 film)) – (Bright (2017 film)) - (The Tax Collector)
DC Extended Universe: Man of Steel - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Wonder Woman – Justice League - Aquaman - Shazam! - Birds of Prey - Wonder Woman 1984 - Zack Snyder's Justice League - The Suicide Squad (2021 film) - (Black Adam) – (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) – (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) – (The Flash) – (Blue Beetle) – (Batgirl)
© thevoid99 2017
