What was the last movie you've seen?

[noiseredux]

Most people from what I've seen have just condemned the whole plot of that opening (and considering the subject matter behind Killing Joke, I think that's saying something). But even if you ignore that or don't give a damn about the plot of the prologue, the issues with the change of tone and feel and pacing makes it feel, as you said, tacked on. Which is just a damn shame. It sounds like if they'd focused more on making the opening more cohesive to the rest of the story they could have knocked it out of the ball park. But alas. I don't feel like Killing Joke should have 20% of it's ratings on Amazon be 1-star reviews. Hell, even some of the 5-star reviews are saying to skip the beginning. That's just sad.

This is what gets me... The opening 20 mins or so does feel tacked on; does feel jarring in tone; and is *maybe* unnecessary... but the following 50 mins is fantastic. I see reviews that are echoing exactly what I've just said, and then give the film a 4/10. What? I feel like there's just a little too much overboard anger.

I've even considered that to some degree I can kind of see what the filmmakers were attempting. I think they were trying to add some backstory to Batgirl's character to give more weight to a pivotal scene that does come later. Whether or not this is successful is totally up to the viewer. It was a powerful scene in the book, and even knowing it was coming it still retained its power in the movie. So again, maybe the prologue wasn't necessary.

The film portion that follows the original story does so beautifully. But that means that a film of just that is 45-ish mins. Without doing *something* to elongate that running time, I reckon the backlash would be "how dare they sell us such a short movie?!?!?!" y'know?

The other thing to consider is like it or not, DC is using the prologue (and post credits scene) to set up a future movie that must center on Batgirl.

Anyway, blah blah blah. The intro does feel forced, but it's not the worst thing in the world. Next time I watch this movie - which I will do - I have no need to skip the intro or anything.

[MrPopo]

I felt like the beginning also helped set up the nature of needing to not succumb to the abyss. Batgirl almost does and it causes her to hang up the cape. Gordon very easily could have, and it speaks to his character that he doesn't.

[noiseredux]

I felt like the beginning also helped set up the nature of needing to not succumb to the abyss. Batgirl almost does and it causes her to hang up the cape.

very good point. I mean, Bats even talks to her about that. "You're not there yet." I feel like I get not liking the prologue, but it wasn't the disaster it's being made out to be.

[Ack]

Man Bites Dog

A team of filmmakers follow around a serial killer as he goes about his business, but over time he eventually convinces them to take part in his crimes and work as his assistants in this darkly comic mockumentary. It's violent and sleazy, with a lead who openly reveals his racism and misogyny, his sexual fascinations, as well as his knack for poetry and his methodology. In this way, it reminded me of a Belgian version of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, only at times this movie is funnier. Indeed it borders on excess, with sudden shifts in tone and action that are shocking and sometimes, admittedly, humorous. Not in a laugh-out-loud sort of way, but in a way that makes you grin as you wonder what in the hell you're watching.

It also offers a shrewd examination of the media, both in how the crew compels the killer to perform more acts of violence and in how he talks about the media's influence on picking targets: he does not want to be caught, so he kills postmen, poor people, old people, the mundane. People whose deaths won't be widely reported. People whom the media does not care about. He does this not as a compulsion, but because he makes a living off of it, to the point that it's just about all business. A thrilling business for him to be sure, but business nonetheless. And as they watch, the crew become desensitized to the point that burying bodies of his victims are normal. 2/3s of the way in, they actively participate in the rape and murder of a couple, and at that point they are entirely his.

Ultimately I liked the movie. It's sick and revolting at times, but I found more often I was disturbed by the open bigotry of the killer than the graphic violence, except in a couple of cases, both of which involved women. In one of these, a woman is hit in the face and has a seizure; she continues to make gasping noises as the killer and the crew move further into the house to take out her family. It's the sound that gets me because it does not stop. The other is the very explicit rape scene. I have a harder time accepting sexual violence in film than just straight violence I suppose.

[Exhuminator]

Seeing you review Man Bites Dog reminds me of an interesting evening I had circa 2001. I used to go to the video rental stores pretty often back then, to rent DVDs for the weekend as we did before streaming video was a proper thing. Well while I was there, I noticed Man Bites Dog, as well as some other movies with the name "dog" in them. I thought it'd be funny to make a theme so I rented them all. Let's just say that watching Man Bites Dog and Straw Dogs back to back wasn't the best idea. Thankfully Dog Day Afternoon was a little less bleak.

And yeah, I'd already seen Reservoir Dogs.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Let's just say that watching Man Bites Dog and Straw Dogs back to back wasn't the best idea.

That was close. If you'd followed them up with All Dogs Go to Heaven, you might not be here today...

[Ack]

Let's just say that watching Man Bites Dog and Straw Dogs back to back wasn't the best idea.

That was close. If you'd followed them up with All Dogs Go to Heaven, you might not be here today...

Reminds me of the time I watched Hotel Rwanda, The Killing Fields, and Schindler's List over one weekend and then followed it up a week later with Empire of the Sun. That was a rough week.

[noiseredux]

my wife and I both loved Suicide Squad. A lot. I'm not sure why the reviews have been so poor. My only expectation was to have a lot of fun - and it delivered big time. It was just a really enjoyable popcorn flick.

[MrPopo]

The movie does feel a little disjointed; you can tell that it started one way and was finished another.

[noiseredux]

The movie does feel a little disjointed; you can tell that it started one way and was finished another.

a little disjointed, sure. But that's a far cry from the "mess" that critics are making it out to be. I've read reviews now advising not to see it at all. I don't get it. I thought it was a blast. I thought there were some truly brilliant scenes. I thought much of the acting was great. I thought the visuals were fantastic. It makes me hope for a proper Joker/Harley movie.




Having seen all Eli Roth movies, this one disturbed me the most. Though at times it briefly dipped its toe into sort of campy silliness, for the mast part it was just fucked up. I'm glad I saw it. I'm in no rush to watch it again.