BLUF: “Joker” should not be compared to other recent iterations of the Joker. I mean, it will be but it SHOULDN’T.
C+ movie overall, B+ performance from Phoenix. I didn’t mind the originality of the story, but there were some problems with overall point that I didn’t get and wonder about. I almost wished the conclusion was more ambiguous with no reference to Bruce Wayne.
Loved the nod to the iconic “Wings” tracking shot in the comedy club. It was subtle, but #iPeeped.
My two cents on Todd Phillips: for someone to basically torch himself with his highfalutin statement about “woke” culture being the catalyst for switching film genres to direct, I expected this film to be epic. Based on the trailers, which were fantastic marketing and (quite honestly) better than the damn film, I was sure I’d be watching the next coming of the medium. And I’m overdoing it a bit, but this wasn’t that great, y’all. I get the hype, but this ain’t is, sis/bruh.
I mean…shawty (Phillips) had a decent screenplay, and a fantastic actor who is pretty much a chameleon. But this wasn’t overly superb—I’m surprised by its early accolades. The direction was…there. The soundtrack was great, but it did not fit the mood Phoenix conveyed through his acting. And I’m guessing the casting director loves “Atlanta” because we got half their supporting cast as characters in this film; and I’m not mad about it—MORE PLEASE!!
Quick Tangential Thought—A Short List of Actors Who Are Effective Acting Chameleons:
Charlize Theron
Joaquin Phoenix
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Denzel
Christian Bale
Leo in “Django: Unchained”
Amy Adams
Viola Davis
Sidney Poitier
Meryl Streep
Daniel Day Lewis
Like, I FEAR these actors because their talents are often unexplainable. It’s like that time Lady Gaga spoke about Ryan Murphy.
The violence. Okay, so I keep seeing a lot of public statements about this film and how audiences should brace themselves for increased acts of violence. My biggest fear with any art is that societies forget or care not that art and life are intertwined and cyclical. In this film’s case—a pedestrian iteration of the Joker story—it should be taken for what it is. What this is not, and should not be, is a source to incite violence against innocent people. Rather it’s a mediocre jump-scare tactic about a terrorist clown presented to the public yearning to escape the daily violence and ignorance of a mediocre, terrorist clown. (hint hint)