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Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week.

Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey
Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, and Ewan McGreggor
Synopsis: You know you had a rough opening weekend when you really under-perform at the Box Office and then change the name of your film. The original title of the film, i.e. the one it opened with on Friday, was "Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)." Granted, that was a mouth full, but I guess the thought is it also confused folks. And that's fair. When you call a film "Birds of Prey," and introducing those characters is a secondary goal at best, it can leave folks wondering. The shame of it is that in the checkered history of D.C. Comic Book adaptations, this one is actually quite entertaining. Robbie's Harley Quinn was my favorite part of the 2017 release of "Suicide Squad," and at the time I agitated that I'd like to see her headline her own movie, ideally sans Jared Leto as the Joker. We got our wish in "Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey," which also does introduce the Birds of Prey and gives us a stylized, violent, and often funny film. This one nails the fine line between those two that I often felt Zach Snyder's films were trying to achieve but couldn't quite execute. This is a big year for the D.C. Universe. After taking 2019 to lick their wounds, the world will deliver "Harley Quinn" and later a Wonder Woman sequel during the summer. And hopes are high for both. I thought this film delivered in terms of content, but it was not a hit at the Box Office. Anecdotally I've seen many comments from those who saw it that enjoyed it, but it seems that perhaps the marketing and title weren't clear enough to draw out viewers. Perhaps some solid word of mouth, a long holiday weekend, and a title change will boost interest. Either way, I thought Robbie delivered again, and I thought the rest of the cast was solid. I've always enjoyed Winstead, and thought she was good as the Huntress. Perez does well as Renee Montoya, and Smollett-Bell was solid as the Black Canary. In fact, I'd be interested in seeing the Birds of Prey in their own film, too. And I'd be open to more adventures with Harley Quinn, but I guess time and Box Office receipts will tell the tale. But I applaud the script from Christina Hodson, which hits the right balance of comedy and action and doesn't take itself too seriously, and I enjoyed the visual flourishes, and use of color, from director Cathy Yan. This is a better movie than early Box Office returns would suggest, and I hope more folks give it a chance.
Rating: R for strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material.
Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, February 14: "Sonic the Hedgehog," "Downhill," "The Photograph," "Fantasy Island"
Friday, February 21: "Call of the Wild," "Brahms: The Boy II," "Emma"
Friday, February 28: "The Invisible Man"