On This Day in 2011: Remembering SUCKER PUNCH...

Two years before Zack Snyder inaugurated the DC Extended Universe with 2013's Man of Steel, his fantasy-action flick Sucker Punch arrived in theaters nationwide. Today marks a decade since I watched this movie at the multiplex. Sucker Punch is an interesting film...which is basically about a character (played by Emily Browning) who resorts to losing herself in an alternative reality while being forced to commit demoralizing acts at a facility where she is being institutionalized by her abusive stepfather. In her fantasies, the girl—known as Babydoll—pictures herself fighting against the forces of evil alongside other women (portrayed by Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung and Abbie Cornish) who are also being held at the facility.

Sucker Punch is a pretty dark, trippy and stylized film...which, of course, would be a nice preview of what was to come as Snyder was years away from directing an ensemble movie featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and other DC Comics superheroes. That is all.

Photos of the Day: Images from the SNYDER CUT...

Happy Monday, everyone! Just thought I'd share these screenshots from Zack Snyder's Justice League after I watched it on HBO Max yesterday (yes, in just one viewing). I actually enjoyed Joss Whedon's 2017 theatrical version of Justice League, so I was obviously very impressed by Snyder's 4-hour iteration of the DC Extended Universe's (DCEU) second ensemble film (after 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). So what did I think of the new cut, you ask? My notes:

- Resume development of Justice League 2...and re-hire Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman, immediately! And give Snyder a raise.

- Even though this was made possible primarily due to the Snyder Cut's 'R' rating, the way that Steppenwolf was defeated in this version is way more satisfying than his downfall in Whedon's film. To be blunt: Steppenwolf went out like a total b***h while Superman arrived like a boss in the Snyder Cut's climax.

- (Spoiler Alert) If Wonder Woman 3 has a villain who's remotely worthy of getting decapitated by Diana Prince's sword like in the Snyder Cut, then this sequel will be a huge improvement on Wonder Woman 1984!

And again:

- Bring back Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel and Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight, respectively. Zack Snyder revealed in Justice League that there is so much potential for the DCEU if future movies are made based on what Snyder conveyed in his latest comic book epic. Carry on.

On This Day in 2011: Remembering BATTLE: LOS ANGELES...

Today marks ten years since I saw the sci-fi action flick Battle: Los Angeles at the theater. I thought it was pretty exciting...even though the movie (which starred Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Ne-Yo, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Peña and Michelle Rodriguez) would've felt more authentic if it was actually filmed in the City of Angels. Battle: Los Angeles was mostly shot in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, Louisiana—with Camp Pendleton being the only California setting where production was held in the Golden State. It's all good.

Here's my original review of the film back in 2011.

Video of the Day #2: The MORTAL KOMBAT Trailer...

Warner Bros. Pictures

"Finish Him (or Her)!" The famous declaration made before a Fatality is conducted will be heard once again in this spring's latest cinematic incarnation of Mortal Kombat. Produced by James Wan (who directed DC's Aquaman as well as The Conjuring 1 and 2), Mortal Kombat will premiere on HBO Max and in theaters on April 16...with an 'R' rating that will insure that this film will live up to the gruesome martial arts sequences that defined the classic video games. I never saw 1995's Mortal Kombat movie (directed by Paul W.S. Anderson) nor its 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, but I look forward to watching this newest version in two months. How can I not considering the cool scene above showing Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) freezing the arms right off of Jax (Mehcad Brooks)? I reckon that this movie will be bloody fun...quite literally. Carry on.

Video of the Day: Zack Snyder's JUSTICE LEAGUE Cut Is Coming Soon...

"We live in a society where honor is a distant memory. Isn't that right, Batman?" So are the words of Joker (Jared Leto) as he confronts Batman (Ben Affleck) in Zack Snyder's version of Justice League...which arrives on HBO Max (through which I watched Wonder Woman 1984 last Christmas) next month. Can't wait! I actually enjoyed Joss Whedon's version of Justice League when it hit theaters in 2017, but seeing as how the film was originally shot with the vision of Zack Snyder (who also helmed 2013's Man of Steel and 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) in mind, I'm excited to see this iteration on my computer soon.

Justice League arrives (again) on March 18.

On This Day in 2011: Remembering THE KING'S SPEECH...

So today marks ten years since I watched The King's Speech at the theater. This biopic stars Colin Firth as King George VI, and how his speech impediment posed a challenge to him as he sought to rally the people of Great Britain at the onset of World War II. Geoffrey Rush (who folks probably best remember as portraying Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) did an outstanding job as Lionel Logue, a speech therapist who helped King George overcome his stuttering as the monarch gave his wartime address to the populace of the United Kingdom.

All I can say is, The King's Speech is a wonderful and very inspirational film! It deserved to take home the Academy Award for Best Picture a few weeks later. This movie epitomizes how cinema can make an impact on your life and instill joy in you if you're feeling down due to a daily struggle. I'm glad that I bought The King's Speech on DVD a few months later! Happy First Day of February.

Remembering My Trip to the 2001 Sundance Film Festival...

It was 20 years ago this month that I flew to Park City, Utah, to attend the Sundance Film Festival for the first (and currently only) time! The reason being that my sister's film The Flip Side (which I worked on as a production assistant back in 1997) was screened at this prestiguous event. In the photo below, Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker is talking to Rod Pulido (in the black beanie cap)—who also went to Cal State Long Beach, my college alma mater, and directed The Flip Side. In the image above, I'm just posin' out in the snow even though I felt horrible since I went on this trip feeling very sick...after I forgot to wear warm clothing when I hung out with my L.A. friends the night before I departed for Utah. Oh well.

In regards to other films that I saw at Sundance, I watched a New Zealand short called Moko and a Japanese gangster movie called Brother. Pretty good flicks! Have a nice weekend.

On This Day in 2011: Remembering THE GREEN HORNET...

Ten years ago today, I watched the action crime-comedy starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz and Christoph Waltz at my local AMC Theatres. For personal reasons, I'm reminiscing about this film even though I only saw it once on the big screen and don't remember any particular scene in it! Heh. What I can say is— I never watched this film in 3-D (as the poster above would indicate), and I never saw the original 1960s TV show starring the legendary Bruce Lee as Kato. Again, there are other reasons as to why I'm blogging about this movie. Have a great day!

On This Day in 2011: Remembering LITTLE FOCKERS...

Happy New Year, everyone! Just thought I'd commemorate the start of 2021 by pointing out that today marks 10 years since I watched the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro comedy Little Fockers at my local AMC Theatres. All I can say is, Meet the Fockers was better! But one scene from the second Meet the Parents sequel that stood out was the one where one of my former co-workers at my previous job actually got to share a hospital scene with none other than the lovely Jessica Alba (who played Andi Garcia, a drug representative in the film)! Of course, my co-worker was supposed to receive an enema by Alba in this moment, which made the scene all the more hilarious.

Little Fockers is probably the first of a couple of films whose anniversaries I'll celebrate this year (I also saw the Best Picture nominee The Fighter right after Fockers on New Year's Day 2011, heh). Ironically, two of those movies are Michael Bay flicks: Pearl Harbor (which was released in 2001), and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (which opened in theaters in 2011). Not exactly Oscar contenders, but it's all good. Hope y'all have a wonderful 2021...and stay safe during this year! Carry on.

On This Day in 2010: Remembering TRUE GRIT...

Just thought I'd point out that I watched the Oscar-nominated film True Grit at the theater a decade ago today. This was the last movie I saw on the big screen in 2010. Apart from the fact that this remake of the 1969 classic Western, starring John Wayne, received ten Academy Award nominations—including Best Picture, Best Director (Ethan and Joel Coen), Best Actor (Jeff Bridges), Best Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld) and Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins)—there are other reasons for why I would commemorate this movie ten years later. The King's Speech would go on to win Best Picture for 2010, FYI...but honoring that amazing film would take place in February of 2021 (assuming that I'm in the mood to blog about this movie around that time), seeing as how I watched The King's Speech at the theater in February of 2011. Happy Monday!