Joker [2019] by Todd Phillips
I'm not much of a fan of superhero movies so I went into Joker with fairly low expectations. I was wrong. This was a dark and disturbing film that explores the nexus between mental illness and the pathology rampant in an unforgiving and corrupt society. Gotham is portrayed as looking and feeling like 80s NYC, the New York I grew up in. The iconic steps Joaquin Phoenix can be seen dancing on are in The Bronx at 167th Street near Jerome Avenue. The performance by Phoenix will be remembered for a long time. The film looks and sounds great. It has an intimate and somewhat indie feel at times. I was at a pre-release screening (by one day) and Director Todd Phillips was there for a Q& A. He discussed how the feel on the set was very unique and unlike a Hollywood film and they often had the score playing and let Phoenix improvise his movements and actions. I would also note that there is an extended homage to another classic psychodrama set in New York City - The King of Comedy. This film is special. I might even go see it again.
The Dark Knight Trailer 2 was my all-time favorite trailers in terms of gaining my interest.
The first Joker trailer was very good, too.
Dark Knight Trailer #2 - ( New Window )
The filmmakers are probably hoping that the vast majority of people don't know the comic book origin of the character.
That’s quickly becoming a positive indicator it’s a good movie/show.
RT sucks...I'll judge for myself like any movie I see.
First of all, Tim Burton's Batman took some liberties with the canon storyline. Most notably, Jack Napier did not kill Bruce's parents. It has been established that Joe Chill killed them.
The origins of the Joker have never been truly established. Various possible origins have been presented, but we have no way of knowing what is the true story (or even if there actually is one).
The comic story that went the farthest into the Joker origins was The Killing Joke. Joker was a failed comedian who tried to support his pregnant wife by leading a gang through a chemical plant to rob a playing card factory next door. His wife and unborn child died, and when Batman arrives to stop the gang, the would-be Joker flees through the waste value and discovers that the chemicals turned his skin white, his hair green, and his lips red. He has a psychological break and starts laughing hysterically.
However, at the end of the comic, Joker says the following to Batman, which suggests that origin story may be a lot of bull.
In The Dark Knight, Joker told two different stories about he got his scars (Dad carved a smile into his face, or he did it to himself to cheer up his depressed wife), and was set to tell a third variation before Batman intervened.
Then in the TV show Gotham that just ended, they had the Joker as a man named Jeremiah Valeska, who was driven insane by his crazy brother Jerome (a proto-Joker).
And of course in Joker, the story is of a man named Arthur Fleck.
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Was a businessman named Jack Napier who fell in some acid. Or is this a completely new story not tied to the last superhero movie I watched in 1989?
The filmmakers are probably hoping that the vast majority of people don't know the comic book origin of the character.
Actually, the comics have mostly kept the Joker's origins obscure. The "Jack Napier" name was a creation of Tim Burton.
Actually, the comics have mostly kept the Joker's origins obscure. The "Jack Napier" name was a creation of Tim Burton.
Cool, I had no idea. I was trying to figure it out but couldn't find a good explanation how this "origin" squares with the previous interpretations. I feel like I get it now. Thanks guys. Definitely intrigued by this... I like my films very dark.
“Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture. There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore – I’ll tell you why, because all the f–king funny guys are like, ‘F–k this shit, because I don’t want to offend you.’ It’s hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter. You just can’t do it, right? So you just go, ‘I’m out.’ I’m out, and you know what? With all my comedies -I think that what comedies in general all have in common – is they’re irreverent. So I go, ‘How do I do something irreverent, but f–k comedy? Oh I know, let’s take the comic book movie universe and turn it on its head with this.’”
There is no single backstory for the Joker. There are variations on themes.
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Was a businessman named Jack Napier who fell in some acid. Or is this a completely new story not tied to the last superhero movie I watched in 1989?
There is no single backstory for the Joker. There are variations on themes.
Or what Greg said...
I can honestly say I doubt there has ever or will ever be a better onscreen work that details a human being's slow descent into madness. It is detailed, accurate and pretty disturbing.
Phoenix, Phillips, the cinematographer, and oh my god the person who scored the film all deserve an Oscar. The score is top 3 I have ever heard in a film.
That's a bold statement that covers a lot of material, past and future...
That's a bold statement that covers a lot of material, past and future...
Yes.
I can honestly say I doubt there has ever or will ever be a better onscreen work that details a human being's slow descent into madness. It is detailed, accurate and pretty disturbing.
Phoenix, Phillips, the cinematographer, and oh my god the person who scored the film all deserve an Oscar. The score is top 3 I have ever heard in a film.
Actually what I think is interesting is that Arthur is already mad, and it is a failure of the state to attend to his illness that drives him over the edge. The politics of Joker are very provocative.
I sure feel blessed to have had the family and opportunities i've enjoyed so far.
Joaquin Phoenix goes full Taxi Driver for the shallow but striking psychodrama of Joker - ( New Window )
Exactly. I fully agree. He was talking about woke culture killing comedy I think.
The first Hangover was very funny, and Due Date had some hilarious moments even if it was hit or miss overall.
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It is truly amazing. I'm not one for these kinds of movies either but it's something unbelievable. Like seriously unbelievable to the point I'm amazed the film was able to be made.
I can honestly say I doubt there has ever or will ever be a better onscreen work that details a human being's slow descent into madness. It is detailed, accurate and pretty disturbing.
Phoenix, Phillips, the cinematographer, and oh my god the person who scored the film all deserve an Oscar. The score is top 3 I have ever heard in a film.
Actually what I think is interesting is that Arthur is already mad, and it is a failure of the state to attend to his illness that drives him over the edge. The politics of Joker are very provocative.
I agree. In a lot of ways, it's a movie about the failures of society. Joker isn't the villain---society is.
Dave in Hoboken - You'll LOVE this film. Philips is a FANTASTIC director and Joaquin plays this role to a TEE.
The first Hangover was very funny
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The first Hangover was very funny
Never saw Due Date but the first Hangover doesn't get enough credit for how well-written it was. A lot of cleverness went into that movie and because it's just a broad comedy it's overlooked.
I can't actually remember a single funny line from The Hangover. All I can recall about it is that the group just navigated from some incident to the next.
Paging Dr. Faggot
Thanks a lot Bin Laden
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In comment 14612004 Greg from LI said:
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The first Hangover was very funny
Never saw Due Date but the first Hangover doesn't get enough credit for how well-written it was. A lot of cleverness went into that movie and because it's just a broad comedy it's overlooked.
I can't actually remember a single funny line from The Hangover. All I can recall about it is that the group just navigated from some incident to the next.
WOW....just goes to show that we are all constructed differently!:) I cant think of too many moments through out that movie where I WASNT laughing. Easily my favorite comedy of the past 15 years or so. But again, different strokes...I know most people love Adam Sandler movies, at least based on box office. After I was dragged in to this movie named "Click" several years ago, you couldnt force me to watch another of his movies. Not a huge Will Ferrell fan either. I guess if we all liked the same things life would be boring.
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In comment 14612042 Milton said:
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In comment 14612004 Greg from LI said:
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time.
The first Hangover was very funny
Never saw Due Date but the first Hangover doesn't get enough credit for how well-written it was. A lot of cleverness went into that movie and because it's just a broad comedy it's overlooked.
I can't actually remember a single funny line from The Hangover. All I can recall about it is that the group just navigated from some incident to the next.
WOW....just goes to show that we are all constructed differently!:) I cant think of too many moments through out that movie where I WASNT laughing. Easily my favorite comedy of the past 15 years or so. But again, different strokes...I know most people love Adam Sandler movies, at least based on box office. After I was dragged in to this movie named "Click" several years ago, you couldnt force me to watch another of his movies. Not a huge Will Ferrell fan either. I guess if we all liked the same things life would be boring.
I remember thinking it was funny when I saw it, but I can't actually remember anything funny about it now. I feel like it got a lot of mileage out of Zach Galifianakis just being Zach Galifianakisian.
When it comes to wacky incident after wacky incident movies, it's no Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle.
They were always unbearable, I couldn't imagine being interested in what they were saying in 2019.
I didn't read a single word in a review and took it for what it was, of course it was going to be dark, it's a Joker movie.
A bit overwhelming with all these clowns all over the place. Oh wait, that's BBI I be thinking of.
That doesn’t make any sense...
that's a lot of movie goin'.
I haven't seen it yet but from what I read about the movie a couple of months ago, Phoenix's Joker is a sort of proto-Joker. That is, this Arthur Fleck Joker character is supposed to serve as inspiration for the actual Joker that becomes Batman's arch-nemesis. No idea if they will actually tie anything in from this movie into the DCEU or start another DC cinematic universe from this. Personally, I can't wait to see this movie and take it for what it is.
from beginning to end, this movie had me wanting more. This gave us the mind of a notorious villain that we didn’t understand. It gave us the true modern day look at a psychotic city going to shit and a man that was crazy enough to come to terms with his insanity. It’s insane how Phoenix commanded your attention in each scene he was in.
and to echo what others have said, the score had you feeling the madness throughout the film. The Score has you going through the motions with anyone in the film.
if I were Warner Bros, I would open the checkbook to Todd and anyone associated with this film. I saw Bradley Cooper produced it so even get him on board. This is what separates DC from Marvel. They can do these types with real world consequences.
funny tidbits, Martha and Thomas Wayne died in the alley way I walk through everyday to take the train to NY. Also, the theater they were filming was also in Jersey city. There is where I saw Batman so long ago.
Best Movie this year.
And the fact it utterly annihilated box office records this weekend would suggest DC would certainly be open to it. No idea how that'd work though with the story.
A hockey anthem of the 70s 80s 90s shunned away by society because of the heinous crimes of its creator yet the familiar triumphant tune seems to sync perfectly with the birth of this new evil maniac.
I much prefer uplifting movies my self.
I just thought the movie was tedious. It is one thing to document a person’s descent into madness it is quite another to do so effectively and while entertaining audiences. I thought they did effectively it just wasn’t all that entertaining. The story line was thin and it repeated the same points over and over. I thought Joaquin Phoenix was excellent but the movie overall just was to depressing and to really say hey I enjoyed that 2 hours. There are plenty of depressing, gritty stories that are also entertaining, this just wasn’t one of them.
It drew out some laughs from the audience at things they might not normally laugh at or they would, but wouldn't admit to it (The door lock scene & knock knock joke in particular). That was pretty clever.
The only thing I didn't like is a thought it was a bit to on the nose with some of the plot points/motivations and there was a little too much hand holding for the audience in the final act during the Murray Show scene. Joker was a little too aware of his craziness and too direct with his explanation. "Show. Don't tell." would have worked better here to me.
I much prefer uplifting movies my self.
This kinda scares me that people are being conditioned to think this way. Do you know how many villains over the years have been glorified? Patrick Bateman. Anton Sugar... and you know.. the Joker multiple times to name a few? It doesn't glorify anything. In fact, if anything, it shows how we as a society can do a better job supporting the mentally ill, the disenfranchised, and the ostracized to help them be better parts of society instead of helping them come to the conclusion that society itself is the enemy. I think that's an apolitical statement.
The unrest is unwarranted. The rise in violent crime dramatically increased in the 60's when the news started covering it aggressively and violence became a path to relevance for many. This is just a great movie that shines a light on the corner of our world no one wants to look at.