Using an expression from movies, we shall cut to the chase – 2021’s The Suicide Squad is by far the superior film, in that’s it good, a bar the 2016 film failed to meet. TSS really leans into the madcap over the top nature of the premise and raises the stakes with the bizarre members – including Swedish Olympian Javelin, the mysteriously named TDK (played by the always awesome Nathan Fillion) and the Weasel, who is just a big weasel. The fact that the squad members are very much disposable is also front and centre – a tagline for the film was “Don’t Get Attached” suggesting impending doom for some of the squad. In every measure from acting, cinematography, soundtrack, TSS is better than Suicide Squad.

Harley Quinn and The Rest

If perhaps not the most useful or powerful member of the squad undoubtedly Harley Quinn is the fan favourite and arguably central character of both films. Wisely TSS has had nothing to do with the Joker and is not even really referenced him. The backstory of the relationship between Harley and the Joker is genuinely horrific and it would be impossible to include the Joker and not drag the rest of the film down with it. Harley has more agency in TSS, she isn’t pining for the Joker, makes positive decisions regarding her life (if rather drastic ones) and rescues herself. The most important relationship for Harley in the film is her friendship with Rick Flag and she does talk about her bad taste in men and what she’s trying to do that about. Margot Robbie’s performance builds on previous roles as Harley and is making her into an increasingly complex character.

2016’s Suicide Squad was rightly criticised for introducing characters who did nothing and had no point in being there. TSS neatly sidesteps this problem with a great scene early in the film, and two of the lesser-known characters (completely unknown to me) Ratcatcher II and Polka-Dot Man have some of the most poignant and interesting moments – something its predecessor simply did not have.

Another thing 2016’s Suicide Squad didn’t have – Peacemaker. John Cena’s bizarre “hero” who loves peace and freedom so much he will kill anyone he has to so he can achieve it is certainly memorable. While extremely proficient at killing people he is also quite dim and his ridiculous, contradictory declarations are always funny.

As for the plot – 2016’s Suicide Squad barely seemed to have one and whilst the plot in TSS is ridiculous it makes sense, bringing in American geo-political interests, military coups and superweapons. There is a lot going on in TSS and there are numerous flashbacks and similar devices to set up the plot and this can be a bit jarring but it’s not difficult to follow.

An interesting addition to TSS was seeing more of the team behind the squad. We once again had Amanda Waller, the ruthless government agent more than happy to throw numerous prisoners to certain death, but also what is essentially her tech team. The IT types who manage the satellite feed, the communications, the people who make her nefarious plans possible. Some of these people are very much nerds and they are perhaps the “normal” people amongst giant sharks, impossibly expert sharpshooters and evil scientists. At times we are literally seeing the action from their point of view and they mirror the ethical problems we might have with Amanda Waller’s methods.

So in this titanic battle The Suicide Squad triumphs over Suicide Squad and despite my cynical attitude on certain companies and their willingness to endlessly reboot things it was nice that the Suicide Squad got to fight another day.

Also Read: Suicide Squad: Release The Ayer Cut

The post A Tale of Two Suicide Squads appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Interacting on Social Media and YouTube

Sometimes the best motivation to give something a watch is knowing that others will be watching the same thing. Well over the past few weeks various social media sites and platforms like YouTube have presented opportunities for you to give a film a watch and interact with the wider community.

Several big names have encouraged the world to check out certain titles on Twitter. Jared Leto started his own tweet along cinema club with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. And director James Gunn recently joined in with a #QuarantineWatchParty of Guardians of the Galaxy. Meanwhile, on Facebook, groups like Celluloid Screams have used the Watch Party function to host their own movie marathons. Here the festival programmers provided intros for several horror films encouraging people to binge-watch all of them in a single day.

Also, platforms like YouTube have proven a great place for watch parties to be hosted. Actor Riz Ahmed recently hosted a live stream on the platform where he provided commentary on the film Four Lions along with the films other actors Kayvan Novak & Nigel Lindsay.

The appeal of these online events comes from knowing that you are watching these titles along with others. And that you are able to engage and interact with them. So keep an eye open for similar events coming up on these platforms. Or why not host your own?

3^rd Party Applications and Add Ons

There are also several applications and add ons you can use to interact with others while watching films. Video and voice chat applications like Skype, Messenger Video Call and Discord allow you to connect with friends and chat along together while watching something.

But there are also apps that allow simultaneous viewing of films with your friends. For example the Netflix Party application for Google Chrome. This app allows you and several friends to watch and text chat over the same show/movie on Netflix at the same time. However, it’s currently only available on Chrome. Other resources like Metastream also offer similar services. Finally, there are services like Kast. This application works on Windows and Mac; it allows you to connect with several other people and stream your computer screen to them. Allowing you all to sit back and watch a movie on your platform of choice.

These apps and add ons provide a great way to Netflix and chill with your friends while in lockdown.

Festivals

Finally, because many film festivals have had to cancel physical screenings, several festivals including the upcoming SXSW festival in America and Visions du Réel 2020 in Switzerland have opted to showcase their films and other content on the internet. Releasing films through subscription services or websites, hosting interviews and performing masterclasses online. Which when coupled with the social media and connective opportunities mentioned above will allow the public to remain in touch with film culture. So be sure to keep an eye out for more opportunities like this in the future.

Conclusion

With all these options provided by 3^rd party companies and online platforms, we have ample opportunity to connect together and still enjoy a social media experience during the lockdown.

With many filmmakers and stars providing opportunities for socialization the community has a great opportunity to interact with each other as well as creatives in the industry. Allowing us to gain extra insight into films and perhaps giving us some inspiration to make something for ourselves. And while it may not be the same as the cinematic experience, these apps and events will help us stay in touch. As well as allowing us to continue experiencing great movie moments with others.

Also Read: The Most Important Cinema In The World (To Me)

The post Share the Love in Lockdown appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.