Suicide Squad... ECT

[Frazier]

Anyone notice towards the end of the trailer, looks like Joker has a bit of ECT lined up for, I'm guessing, pre-converted Harley Quinn (his then psychiatrist).

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[birchswing]

I'm really out of the loop. It seems like there have been so many comic book movies in the last decade, and given that the only comic book characters I ever knew of were Superman and Batman, I've been a bit lost. I kept seeing Suicide Squad mentioned, but had no idea it was another comic book movie.

I was actually going to make a thread on Reddit asking this, but since you brought it up, what are the good adventure/action movies of the last 10-15 years? I recently saw World War Z because it was headlining on Netflix, and it was terrible. I found it boring, and the plot made no sense. And the ending was abysmal--it was like they were too lazy to make an ending and just narrated what it would have been instead.

I did like Batman Begins--the second two not as much.

Haven't seen any other movies in that vein that I can think of. I hear things like Avengers and I have no idea who they are. I know Robert Downey Jr is Ironman--don't know anything about that either. It's like all these comic book movies and their fans appeared out of the ether. I grew up in the 80s--I think I knew one kid who read Superman. Never even heard of the rest of these ones, but they're all the rage now.

@Frazier, how do you know enough of the mythology to know who Harley Quinn is? I can only remember Lois Lane and Jimmy the photographer as the extras! And of course the villains, like the Joker, Riddler, and Penguin. I feel as dumb in the world of popular comic book movies as I do with Greek mythology.

 

[wolfvgang22]

I used to collect comic books as a kid in the 1980s, so this comic book movie craze is awesome for me. I'm pretty much their target demographic. I collected spider-man, but my friends collected other books. The film industry have figured out they have 70 years of pre-made stories to draw from, some quite complex and mature ( like Watchmen, the upcoming Superman v. Batman, etc.)

If you don't mind comic book stuff, I highly recommend Daredevil on Netflix, though it is rated mature for violence and language.
I really enjoyed AntMan for a less serious adventure that's PG 13.
So many good films out there...
I loved Mission Improbable: Rogue Nation. Same basic plot as all the other Mission Implausible films, but good fun nonetheless.
Finally, I recommend John Wick for straight forward action. Very violent, though.
Randomly, I liked Skyfall, the last James Bond film. The one before it, Quantum of Solace was a snooze-fest.

On a professional note, its unfortunate that ECT is brought up as some scary boogy man in movies still. I wish uneducated writers and film makers would just quit with that already.

 

[Salpingo]

If you don't mind comic book stuff, I highly recommend Daredevil on Netflix, though it is rated mature for violence and language.
I really enjoyed AntMan for a less serious adventure that's PG 13.
So many good films out there.

On a professional note, its unfortunate that ECT is brought up as some scary boogy man in movies still. I wish uneducated writers and film makers would just quit with that already.

Looks like Netflix is going to release superhero series on a semi annual basis, mostly the edgier, street-level crime stories that are less special effects driven. Deadpool is also on the way, a lot bloodier but more of a passion project and fan-driven.

As for ECT, I'd be more worried about the mental illness = psychotic serial killer trope. The involuntary surgery is just a horror archetype that will never go away since it plays to our base fears (particularly when performed by an unlicensed psycho clown)

 

[FranzLO]

In general I enjoy super hero movies but they are just so overdone and taking over everything it is just way too much. But people will keep watching and giving their money so it will not stop. Oh well.

 

[Frazier]

I'm really out of the loop. It seems like there have been so many comic book movies in the last decade, and given that the only comic book characters I ever knew of were Superman and Batman, I've been a bit lost. I kept seeing Suicide Squad mentioned, but had no idea it was another comic book movie.

I was actually going to make a thread on Reddit asking this, but since you brought it up, what are the good adventure/action movies of the last 10-15 years? I recently saw World War Z because it was headlining on Netflix, and it was terrible. I found it boring, and the plot made no sense. And the ending was abysmal--it was like they were too lazy to make an ending and just narrated what it would have been instead.

I did like Batman Begins--the second two not as much.

Haven't seen any other movies in that vein that I can think of. I hear things like Avengers and I have no idea who they are. I know Robert Downey Jr is Ironman--don't know anything about that either. It's like all these comic book movies and their fans appeared out of the ether. I grew up in the 80s--I think I knew one kid who read Superman. Never even heard of the rest of these ones, but they're all the rage now.

@Frazier, how do you know enough of the mythology to know who Harley Quinn is? I can only remember Lois Lane and Jimmy the photographer as the extras! And of course the villains, like the Joker, Riddler, and Penguin. I feel as dumb in the world of popular comic book movies as I do with Greek mythology.

Besides main characters, I know very little about comics/histories/etc.

I just happened to know Harley Quinn because she was in a Batman video game I played long ago. She was an interesting personality, so looked up her "bio" on wiki. Mostly stayed with me over years likely because she was a psychiatrist and the dynamic with Joker. Similarly, I know a tiny bit about Scarecrow because he was a "professor of psychology and psychiatry" with very interesting psychotropic means of attack.

So essentially a biased foci of interest on my part.

I know little to nothing otherwise, never heard of "suicide squad" before this movie and just took a special interest in the trailer due to ECT depiction.

PS: World War Z was indeed a terrible movie. I was so let down.

 

[whopper]

As some of you know I'm a fanboy. Harlequin, despite my love for the character, is ridiculous in it's conception that she is a psychiatrist. She's ditsy, not bright, and her personality type has no believable concept of making it through medschool even in a comic-book fantasy world.

People in medschool have personality issues but they're not of the Harlequin type. Narcissism, OCPD, entitlement, intellectualization, now these are the things I'd expect to see in a real psychiatrist villain.

 

[wolfvgang22]

I guess I'm going to delete World War Z from my Netflix queue now.
Anything else good on Netflix? I like science fiction and action the most.

 

[whopper]

Enemy at the Gates is good. The movie ain't new but it is new on Netflix this month.
Daredevil-Rocks. First time DD hit the screen with a something as good as the best of the DD comics.
Doomsday Preppers is good, well good for about 3 episodes. Then when you see the next person with something along the lines of a delusional/paranoid disorder you've seen them all.

 

[birchswing]

Thanks to all for the recommendations.

I forgot to reply to the original point about ECT. Maybe not being in the field, I don't see the connection to ECT used as a scare tactic in movies and people's public opinion, unless it were a very realistic movie. Think of all the times dentistry is used as a gag in movies--some sort of evil dentist who doesn't use anesthesia, a la Little Shop of Horrors, or that Seinfeld episode where they gave him laughing gas and he thought he had been molested while under.

If anything, I've seen ECT more accepted. Carrie Fischer has talked openly about it helping her. And Dr. Oz had an episode on it that was largely very positive, if I remember correctly. Mad Men had an episode with ECT. It wasn't really positive or negative. In the episode, and the show in general, you saw women who were depressed in their marriages, seemingly because of boorish husbands and constricted gender roles, who turned to psychiatry (Betty sees an analyst) and then in this one particular episode, Pete's dalliance has ECT. The most positive and productive portrayal of psychiatry I've ever seen on TV was Sally's psychiatrist, Edna. She seemed too good to be true, but according to my psychologist the 1960s were the heyday of psychiatry (he has more negative opinions on the current state of it).

 

[whopper]

ECT, IMHO with all the modern guidelines isn't something to be afraid of anywhere near the reaction it usually creates. Aside from One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest, horror movies, and simply the notion of an electrocution IMHO have created a type of Jungian image in the mind of any electricity hitting the brain as bad.

Many patients I've seen on it tell me why I didn't recommend it earlier. Some patients that got it and relapse insist on getting zapped right away instead of trying meds first.

Oh forgot to mention Orange is the New Black was good first season, got worse second season and third season (I haven't completed it, up to about the last few) is even worse. To the degree where I'm thinking it was a waste of time to get into the show in the first place.

 

[Shikima]

Surprised no one has mentioned Sucker Punch with the frontal lobotomy at the end.

 

[punkedoutriffs]

I'm really out of the loop. It seems like there have been so many comic book movies in the last decade, and given that the only comic book characters I ever knew of were Superman and Batman, I've been a bit lost. I kept seeing Suicide Squad mentioned, but had no idea it was another comic book movie.

I was actually going to make a thread on Reddit asking this, but since you brought it up, what are the good adventure/action movies of the last 10-15 years? I recently saw World War Z because it was headlining on Netflix, and it was terrible. I found it boring, and the plot made no sense. And the ending was abysmal--it was like they were too lazy to make an ending and just narrated what it would have been instead.

I did like Batman Begins--the second two not as much.

Haven't seen any other movies in that vein that I can think of. I hear things like Avengers and I have no idea who they are. I know Robert Downey Jr is Ironman--don't know anything about that either. It's like all these comic book movies and their fans appeared out of the ether. I grew up in the 80s--I think I knew one kid who read Superman. Never even heard of the rest of these ones, but they're all the rage now.

@Frazier, how do you know enough of the mythology to know who Harley Quinn is? I can only remember Lois Lane and Jimmy the photographer as the extras! And of course the villains, like the Joker, Riddler, and Penguin. I feel as dumb in the world of popular comic book movies as I do with Greek mythology.

 

[birchswing]

The second one was good, but it had so many stories. It felt like more than one movie. In that way, I suppose it's very comic-book like. The individual parts were great, but it just felt like lumps of plot scattered all over. I liked the pacing of the first movie better. It had a great beginning in Tibet (I think?) and the beginning and end of the movie were all very well connected in an interesting way. I don't know whether to blame benzo brain or not, but I don't remember the third movie as well, which is odd given it's the one I would have seen most recently. I remember the hand to hand fighting with Bane at the end which seemed sort of anticlimactic. I really must have memory impairment because I don't remember the plot to that one much at all. Something about how he had become vilified and had to allow that to happen for good to prevail. Maybe if I watched all 3 again I would equally enjoy them. Memory is a funny thing whether impaired or not. The first one stands out the most to me because of the contrasts in it--the slow beginning that took place in a completely different atmosphere than Gotham.

 

[Ceke2002]

Someone really needs to make a decent adaptation of Vampirella. The original Warren series that is, not Dynamite who at one point seemed intent on turning Vampi into the queen of pneumatic boob jobs. It's not like I expect them to raise Jose 'Pepe' Gonzales from his grave, but FFS there must be someone out there who can draw a better version of Vampirella than some of the offerings in the last 5 years or so. At least they occasionally seem to have some half-way decent cover work artists, at least for the special edition releases.

 

[Mad Jack]

As some of you know I'm a fanboy. Harlequin, despite my love for the character, is ridiculous in it's conception that she is a psychiatrist. She's ditsy, not bright, and her personality type has no believable concept of making it through medschool even in a comic-book fantasy world.

People in medschool have personality issues but they're not of the Harlequin type. Narcissism, OCPD, entitlement, intellectualization, now these are the things I'd expect to see in a real psychiatrist villain.

I'm pretty sure her ineptitude is a combination of an act and insanity. She isn't unintelligent, she just plays the part. I've known many women like that over the years, including a couple in medicine. I guess they think it's cute or something, or maybe they want people to underestimate them. Hell if I know, but done right, it's got to do something for them.

 

[Ceke2002]

Oh forgot to mention Orange is the New Black was good first season, got worse second season and third season (I haven't completed it, up to about the last few) is even worse. To the degree where I'm thinking it was a waste of time to get into the show in the first place.

Try the Australian prison drama 'Wentworth', it's gaining a lot of popularity in the US. Season 1 and 2 should be available on netflix, not sure if they've released season 3 on netflix in the US just yet (they're a bit slow), but there are full episodes on PrimeWire (or low quality versions on YouTube) I believe. It's a lot darker and grittier than Orange is the New Black though.

Edited to add: Here we go, you can find season 3 here if it's not already on netflix.

http://www.primewire.ag/watch-2739366-Wentworth-online-free

Season 1 and 2 short recap.



Season 3 Trailer

 

[Ceke2002]

I'm pretty sure her ineptitude is a combination of an act and insanity. She isn't unintelligent, she just plays the part. I've known many women like that over the years, including a couple in medicine. I guess they think it's cute or something, or maybe they want people to underestimate them. Hell if I know, but done right, it's got to do something for them.

Or there's a third option - it's a protective mechanism they developed a long time ago that has kind of ended up becoming their default state even in adulthood. They may very well want people to underestimate them, but not from a power play point of view, but because appearing ditzy and dumb means you're less likely to be getting bashed on a daily basis.

 

[Ceke2002]

I guess I'm going to delete World War Z from my Netflix queue now.
Anything else good on Netflix? I like science fiction and action the most.

The Strain for a TV series is good. For classic Sci-Fi check out films like The Andromeda Strain, Xtro, Westworld, Videodrome and Demon Seed (obviously movies like Alien, 2001, 2010, Altered States, Blade Runner, Soylent Green, Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956 + 1978, and the original The Day The Earth Stood Still all go without saying). I'd classify Scanners and Village of the Damned as sci-fi as well, but your mileage may vary. Dark City is good, so is Gattaca, and The Fly remake with Jeff Goldblum, also Solaris (check out the 1972 original as well as the remake) and John Carpenter's The Thing. And if you're into manga/anime at all you can't go past Urotsukidoji (but watch the uncensored OVA release and skip the godawful remake they bought out a few years ago) and there's also a fantastic series called 'Psycho-pass'. If it's available on netflix as well there's a little known sci-fi film from 1966, starring Rock Hudson, called 'Seconds', which explores some interesting psychological themes.

 

[birchswing]

ECT, IMHO with all the modern guidelines isn't something to be afraid of anywhere near the reaction it usually creates. Aside from One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest, horror movies, and simply the notion of an electrocution IMHO have created a type of Jungian image in the mind of any electricity hitting the brain as bad.

Many patients I've seen on it tell me why I didn't recommend it earlier. Some patients that got it and relapse insist on getting zapped right away instead of trying meds first.

Oh forgot to mention Orange is the New Black was good first season, got worse second season and third season (I haven't completed it, up to about the last few) is even worse. To the degree where I'm thinking it was a waste of time to get into the show in the first place.

I don't whether it was the first or second season, but at one point watching the show I realized two things 1) These characters could just as easily be 14 year old girls as women and 2) The setting could just as easily be a middle school.

I haven't been able to bring myself to start the third season. It's really not that good, and I worry that it puts American prison in far too good of a light. With all the fun and hijinks they have, it's like Sesame Street for adults. As I've said elsewhere, I think our prison system is full of human rights abuses and needs drastic change. This show just makes the idea of prison palatable. Granted, they did have the one episode with Chapman in solitary confinement and showed her development of psychosis. But in general the tone is too light.

 

[Ceke2002]

I don't whether it was the first or second season, but at one point watching the show I realized two things 1) These characters could just as easily be 14 year old girls as women and 2) The setting could just as easily be a middle school.

I haven't been able to bring myself to start the third season. It's really not that good, and I worry that it puts American prison in far too good of a light. With all the fun and hijinks they have, it's like Sesame Street for adults. As I've said elsewhere, I think our prison system is full of human rights abuses and needs drastic change. This show just makes the idea of prison palatable. Granted, they did have the one episode with Chapman in solitary confinement and showed her development of psychosis. But in general the tone is too light.

How about a show with a psychopathic prison Governor, who among other things mentally, sexually and physically tortures a psychiatrically unstable inmate, who has a history of self harm, in order to manipulate her to commit murder on her behalf, and then cuts off her support network when the other prisoners convince her to make a complaint to the prison board, has her placed back into the prison's psychiatric unit and in an act of revenge goads her into attempting to gouge her own eye out with a pencil.

Of course that's all before she completely loses the plot and quite openly murders another mentally unstable inmate, who believes she has a mission to protect babies from being abandoned like she was by developing an obsessive attachment which, when it's taken away, triggers her to suffocate (or attempt to) the child in order to send it to a better place. By this point the prison governer is also having somewhat of a psychotic break and has developed the delusional belief that the child's mother is her dead lesbian lover, that she was having an illicit affair with as a prison guard, come back to life and that's her baby that's being murdered, which is when this scene takes place in the season 3 finale.

If you're looking for a prison setting type tv show that isn't afraid to pull any punches and go down some pretty dark and heavy storylines, you should totally check this series out. Like I said in my previous post, this aint no 'Orange is the New Black'.

 

[Ceke2002]

ECT, IMHO with all the modern guidelines isn't something to be afraid of anywhere near the reaction it usually creates. Aside from One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest, horror movies, and simply the notion of an electrocution IMHO have created a type of Jungian image in the mind of any electricity hitting the brain as bad.

Many patients I've seen on it tell me why I didn't recommend it earlier. Some patients that got it and relapse insist on getting zapped right away instead of trying meds first.

I've got a few friends whose lives were literally saved because of ECT. Their transformation before and after treatment was almost miraculous to a degree, and not one of them would hesitate to have it done again if it was needed. Most of them actually now consider it their first line of treatment before anything else, it worked that well for them.

 

[Ceke2002]

As some of you know I'm a fanboy. Harlequin, despite my love for the character, is ridiculous in it's conception that she is a psychiatrist. She's ditsy, not bright, and her personality type has no believable concept of making it through medschool even in a comic-book fantasy world.

People in medschool have personality issues but they're not of the Harlequin type. Narcissism, OCPD, entitlement, intellectualization, now these are the things I'd expect to see in a real psychiatrist villain.

Ooooh nice art work, colour me impressed.

These were the first two comics I ever bought out of my own pocket money when I was 8 and 9 years old. I also collected the Eerie and Creepy series from the same publishers (along with a host of other horror, and fantasy based comics), as well as the 'Famous Monsters of Filmland' series from Forrest J Ackerman, but Vampirella always remained my first comic book love. I read my original collection of comics until they literally fell apart, and then started specifically collecting the Warren Edition series of Vampirella again at the age of 16. Got together a pretty good collection, mostly the later numbers in the series, but then fell on hard times financially in my early 20's and was forced to sell them off in order to not end up homeless. I began collecting again about 10 years ago, this time mainly concentrating on the early editions (so far the earliest ones I have are Number 2 and Number 4). I can only afford to buy about 1-2 copies a year (2 copies is pushing it) so this time around I'm going for quality over quantity. You have to be so careful collecting vintage comics though, there are so many rip off merchants out there that will try and convince the unsuspecting buyer that they have some sort of limited edition French version of a comic, that's worth so much more than the original US publication and they charge like wounded bulls for something that's only worth as much as the paper it's printed on - or they take reissued editions from later publishing companies, such as Harris or Dynamite, and try to pass them off as original Warren series to trick people into paying a higher price thinking they're buying a rare collectible.

 

[touchpause13]

Or there's a third option - it's a protective mechanism they developed a long time ago that has kind of ended up becoming their default state even in adulthood. They may very well want people to underestimate them, but not from a power play point of view, but because appearing ditzy and dumb means you're less likely to be getting bashed on a daily basis.

I love Harley. She's probably my favorite DC character and I agree with this. You have to keep in mind she's been in an abusive relationship with Joker for years. It's a defense mechanism, and she doesn't act that way pre-joker so...

 

[RemotelySpeaking]

Whopper -- Keep in mind, with Harley, society has dumbed her down lately into the blonde bimbo role. These days, its insinuated in a lot of media that she slept her way through school, while originally, she EARNED her degree. In the animated series where she was born, she took on the Joker because he was a high-profile, interesting case... and he ended up turning her psychology right back on her to the point where she pitied him/fell in love with him. She modified her behavior to make him happy, but she still retained her smarts. She was even able to capture/nearly kill Batman all on her own, by rethinking/altering a plan that Joker had tossed out because it didn't work. In the Assault On Arkham film (and some other comic media) she is able to diagnose some of her fellow Squad members using her degree. So she does have the smarts. And the ditz is just a facade.

I'm really hoping Suicide Squad showcases her original character, rather than the blonde typecast she has been thrown into as of late.