By Chris Kavan - 12/17/19 at 08:14 PM CT
This could be the last bulletin for the year (or second to last - not sure how the board does their vacation during the holidays) but, in any case, it's going out with a whimper, not a bang. At least there's something to discuss this week as one major film - the mouthful Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn - is getting the ratings treatments. Seeing as how Joker has done so well, the future of DC looks to be in better hands following the rocky launch of the whole Justice League fiasco. Birds of Prey, while tangentially related to the likewise rocky Suicide Squad, looks to be a film all its own. Hopefully it continues pushing DC down the right track.
While Marvel and the MCU have pretty much charted a perfect path at the box office (with a minor stumble like Thor: The Dark World or Iron Man 2 along the way), things have been much harder for the DC heroes. Whether it was making things way too dark and gritty with Batman v. Superman or rushing things with Justice League or just going too wild with Suicide Squad, the films just couldn't find the right balance. But the ship is starting to right itself. Wonder Woman and Aquaman were both solid films and Joker (while not exactly part of the DCEU) has broken all kinds of records. All in all, that means things look much better for upcoming DC films, including the long-winded title of Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Once again, Margot Robbie takes on the role of the titular character, Harley Quinn - the same version she played in Suicide Squad - but unlike that muddled mess, this time she has her own all-female crew, leaving the Joker behind. This crew includes Helena Bertinelli aka Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dinah Lance aka Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and one pissed-off cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez). They are on the trail of Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) who has been targeted by one of Gotham's most dangerous villains, the narcissistic Roman Sionis aka Black Mask (Ewan McGregor) along with his crazed right-hand man Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina). As I said, while this version of Quinn is spun off from Suicide Squad, director Cathy Yan has made it clear this will be a stand-alone story not related to that hot mess. Plus, the very talented James Gunn is already working on a new version of Suicide Squad (with Margot Robbie returning) that will likely supersede the first film. For the longest time it seemed studios were a bit leery of female superheros, at least when it came to stand-alone films. But the success of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel both prove that not only do female superheroes bring in as big of crowd as the boys - they deserve to be front and center. With a whole squad of kick-ass women (some only slightly crazy) taking charge, perhaps things will just get even better. Rated R for for strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material.
That's the only wide release films getting its ratings due, but feel free to check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN
Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material.
COME TO DADDY
Rated R for strong violence, language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity.
FISHERMAN'S FRIEND
Rated PG-13 for some strong language, and suggestive references.
LOST GIRLS
Rated R for language throughout.
THREE CHRISTS
Rated R for disturbing material, sexual content and brief drug use.
