Bats v Supes

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

It's delicious.

[Dalty]

Nom nom nom.

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

This may not be the right place for this, but I've finally warmed to the Suicide Squad trailer.

[Dalty]

Finally? Three months of viewing?

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

Well, three months after viewing.

[Dalty]

Have you viewed it more than once, or is this some kind of transcendental reflection?

[Fake Strider]

Why not both?

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

Have you viewed it more than once, or is this some kind of transcendental reflection?

I think I've viewed it a total of three or four times.

[Dalty]

So why has it grown on you?

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

I probably just needed to get over the general lameness of a Joker with shaved eyebrows, silver teeth, and tattoos.

[Dalty]

I must admit, it does appear that Caesar Romero raped Jack Nickelson then wiped his junk on Heath Ledger's curtains without stopping to say "Thank You!" all the time screaming "Is this awesome? Will they love this?"

[Space Tycoon]

It is a very well made trailer. I seem to recall having felt this way before...

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

It definitely takes a few cues from the Watchmen trailer.

[Space Tycoon]

Indeed it does. Most notably the slowed-down, sadder version of an older popular song, which was used to great effect in the Watchmen trailer.

[Space Tycoon]

Ultron did the same.

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

It has some things going for it. What would normally be an annoying earthy chick cover is elevated by the symphonic hits. It's also a cover of a song that was already sort of morose.

It has Will Smith going for it, too. Will Smith's presence in a movie wouldn't ordinarily be that big a deal, but I know he held out for years and years following Men in Black and did his best not to tie himself to another preexisting comic property. Either he saw something special in this, or he's been out of the limelight for a while and is hungry. Hungry actors often give their best performances, so either way could be good.

There's also Batman and Joker in the same movie. I've weathered all sorts of Batmen/Joker combinations in my time. Even when it's bad, it's often good. Those two are peanut butter and jelly.

I'm also a Harley Quinn fan. We're finally getting a live-action version of Dini/Timm creation. It feels weird and maybe even a little cool. They could, of course, totally fuck it up. That's the risk. I hope they don't.

The Squad has Jai Courtney among its ranks. That could be bad. Dude's a talent vacuum.

It's directed by David Ayer. Could go either way. Whatever the case, I have to keep reminding myself that this wasn't directed by Zack Snyder. It's built on his movie's foundation, sure, but he's not the guy behind the camera this go-around. There's more hope than there might otherwise be.

I've also always liked the Suicide Squad premise. It's Dirty Dozen with DC villains. There's a lot of potential there.

[Space Tycoon]

Right off the bat, so to speak, Harley seems to have been needlessly oversexualized for this movie. I mean, I always pictured her as a frantic, psychopathic court jester.

Now it appears that the jaded masses demand a villainness whose image is derived from strippers, pr0n stars and Hooters girls. Not exactly breaking news there.

If that sounds unusual coming from me, bear in mind I am approaching my mid-40's. The focus of my mind's concentration, previously dominated by base, disgusting, slimy, libidinous urges, now faces increasing competition from considerations of morality, ethics, the greater good etc.

Trust me, I don't like it any more than you people.

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

They tell me it's fairly (visually) consistent with her portrayal in the Arkham games, but I ain't played 'em.

[Space Tycoon]

Nor have I.

[Dalty]

It is visually identical to the Arkham character...... vocally seems more subdued from the trailers which is a good thing as Arkham Harley could be a screechy annoyance.

Let's hope it nails it, then Snyder can step away to be ExProd and Ayer can do MOS2 !!!!

[Mal Shot First]

Wasn't Harley Quinn originally a screechy annoyance already?

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

This is only barely related to the above, but Arleen Sorkin, the voice of Harley Quinn, is in Trading Places. I think it might be her first film. It's a blink-and-you-miss-it spot. She's basically there because she had cleavage. That's what I remember her saying in this interview I read back in the early nineties, at least. She claimed that Landis was looking for just the right cleavage for the shot, and none of the other actresses auditioning for the role had it. She said that she wasn't all that well endowed, herself, but that she knew a trick to pull off the desired effect. She went on to claim that something similar to this homemade trick of hers would go on to be integrated into some famous bra's design.

That's how I remember it, anyway. I can't remember where I read the interview. I think it was in Wizard or Starlog or some similar magazine.

[The Swollen Goiter of God]

Huh. I'll be damned:

Interview with Arleen Sorkin

The Internet has everything, man. It was Starlog. It's weird how our brains hold on to--and twist--the little details. Here's the relevant bit:

"We had a lot of success and I did alot of commercials and radio spots. In New York, I was an extra. Because I was also a shoe model, I had these gold lamé boots. Anytime they needed a hooker, they would call me because I had those boots! I was a hooker in movies like Fort Apache: The Bronx," she says demurely. "You've seen me leaning into cars in numerous films! "I'm also in Trading Places with one line. [Director] John Landis has been a big supporter. I got the line in a weird way--I was an extra with a lot of cleavage. John came by, took a look and said, 'We've gotta do something with that cleavage!' He built a whole moment around me and my very large, pushedup breasts," she smiles. "Way before the Wonderbra, I knew how to work it!"

If she was in Fort Apache: The Bronx, then Trading Places clearly wasn't her first movie. Maybe it was the first one where she had a line. I don't feel like looking it up. (Sure, I'll troll the depths for a Starlog interview from the early nineties. But that's different!)

She also mentions during the interview how she and Harley Quinn both have perky breasts. Arleen Sorkin sure seems to talk about her breasts a lot.

[Dalty]

My first thought was "holy shit she's married to Doc Brown." Turns out she's not.

[Mal Shot First]

Arleen Sorkin sure seems to talk about her breasts a lot.

Reminds me of a mutual friend of ours.