Sucker Punch

[beckaandzac]

I made myself a couple of Sucker Punch icons, in part because I think it is possibly the most UNDERRATED movie I have EVER seen (I can't think why you'd want them, but they are shareable if you do). I spent a lot of this weekend reading reviews and being BAFFLED by them. And it hurts my soul because I think that it was ultimately a careful and

Comments

[auroradream]

I actually enjoyed it. And not just visually.

You know of any places of where I could find icons? Am in need of new ones and this movie was rife with iconability.

[beckaandzac]

Yay! Me too!

There are some at suckerpunch2011, but not that many, which is why I made my own. I hope there will be mooore though!

[ladyfalcon]

I consider myself a feminist, but one of the reasons I have trouble with some other feminists is that it seems impossible for any piece of art to discuss rape culture or patriarchy or what-have-you without being accused of pandering to those things. I definitely plan to see Sucker Punch, and now that you and Lucy have talked about it I'm super looking forward to it.

[beckaandzac]

I think that it's really hard to believe that a male filmmaker who has not had a great track record with films about the ladies could make a movie that effectively comments on rape culture. I completely understand why that is. BUT I think that in this case, the criticism that it panders and reinforces anti-woman stereotypes is not giving the movie enough credit.

I hope you like it! Lucy and I really want to see it again.

[sophie_448]

This is perfect! This is exactly what I was trying to get my mind around with the costuming, as well as the nature of power and violence on the various levels, and hadn't quite put together. Thank you so much for the super analysis

[beckaandzac]

Yay! It's so complicated, and I've seriously been considering for DAYS what angle to start unpacking it from.

I think you are SO RIGHT about the both sides thing. You have some people calling it exploitative and objectifying, and other people saying, "But what was the POINT? We didn't even get to see her HOT DANCING." So it is being accused of not taking women seriously and of not holding the interest of male viewers who assumed they were the target audience. Ugh. IDGI!

I think the overlap is really helpful. Everyone I know who's liked this movie is a feminist AND a geek of some description, and I think that says a lot about what we see in it.

Link away! I expect to be embarrassed by my grammar when I reread this in the morning, but I stand by my points. :D

[sophie_448]

Honest question: did male viewers really assume they were the target audience? Because the first time I saw the trailer, having heard nothing about it prior to that, I kind of perked up because I thought it looked like something different. Even from that brief of an exposure, I felt like it was doing something different with "tough chicks" and action tropes. I mean, being the optimist I am, I assumed it would most likely fail miserably to live up to that promise, but that was still the first impression I got.

But then I guess that's male privilege for you. It's got hot chicks in short skirts in it! It must be for me!

Yeah, that's true. Everyone on my flist who's seen it has really liked it (although not a whole lot seem to have gone yet). It's elsewhere that all the negativity is coming from. Well, just more proof that a benevolent fangirl oligarchy is the way to go :-P

LOL your grammar seems A++ to me, and thanks!

using my new MCR icons like a boss :-P

[beckaandzac]

I saw a couple of user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes that almost literally began, "As a dude and the target audience for this film..." and I think a lot of the feminist criticism as well has started with the assumption that the movie was made BY men FOR men ABOUT women, and that that's the root of its problems. I assume all of that was yeah, based on the physical appearance of the women in the trailers.

Well, just more proof that a benevolent fangirl oligarchy is the way to go

A++

Yay new MCR icons!

[beckaandzac]

Awesome! I really hope more people who liked the movie will speak up because there's really a lot that's interesting and worthwhile about it.

[pyrexic]

I'm glad you posted this! I've been torn about seeing the movie because fandom peeps have all had the same impression you did, about it being ABOUT exploitation and not exploitative itself, but everything I've heard IRL or from friends who have seen it is pretty much the opposite.

Now I think I will definitely see it :)

[beckaandzac]

Yay! I'd love to know what you think! I really do think that's the distinction people aren't making outside of fandom, that it can be ABOUT exploitation without being inherently exploitative.