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Thread: Joker

  1. #1

    Joker

    Anyone seen it?
    joker.jpg

  2. #2

  3. #3
    I posted the below on the other movies forum...

    Joker. Just watched it. Brilliant.

    Have to say watching it at BFI IMAX in London it was a very visceral, immersive experience. At times it reminded me of the look of Kubricks The Shining, also One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, and inevitably King Of Comedy.

    Phoenix is utterly extraordinary. He has perfected the Joker laugh so well that it's a mix between a laugh and an anguished cry.

    Also, the look of Gotham is extraordinary, dirty, grimy bleak etc. I think by the references I saw it is meant to be early 80s.

    Some interesting nods to the legend and characters from the Batman universe too.

    And the supposed controversy about violence is unfounded...there is violence, but only one scene could be described as very graphic.

    And I certainly never got the impression that it either glorifies the Joker or asks us to sympathise or empathise with him. At best, you may understand why he does what he does, but you would not excuse or rationalise it.

    Cant wait to see it again.

  4. #4
    I don’t really do superhero movies, but if there’s one series I am more drawn towards it is the Batman universe. I was intrigued by the reviews and so I made an effort to see Joker. I was not disappointed, it is an extraordinary performance and as a stand alone tale, absolutely riveting. I am not sure how to read the ending, I think there are many ways it could be interpreted, but nothing detracted from the overall look and feel and the portrayal of an outsider descending into darkness was mesmerising.

    Just not enough... thwock... splat... biff... bang... pow...

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by happytheman View Post
    Anyone seen it?
    Only to my right .....
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  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Rogue Mail View Post
    And the supposed controversy about violence is unfounded.
    Here in Europe, this is not the controversy; the controversy concerns the discourse of real-life societal analogy - and in particular the ideological aspect of it. At the same time there's an angle of historical aesthetics at play, as the film itself dives into mental traits of the New Hollywood approach to cultural narrative - a perspective which has not been particularly explored for more than 30 years. The same critique befell Ari Aster with his recent Midsommar monstrosity - which I also liked.

    I really liked the movie. Didn't love it, but really, really liked it. And Phoenix is astounding; even better than in The Master.
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  7. #7
    I don’t really do superhero movies, but if there’s one series I am more drawn towards it is the Batman universe. I was intrigued by the reviews and so I made an effort to see Joker. I was not disappointed, it is an extraordinary performance and as a stand alone tale, absolutely riveting. I am not sure how to read the ending, I think there are many ways it could be interpreted, but nothing detracted from the overall look and feel and the portrayal of an outsider descending into darkness was mesmerising.
    Oddly enough, the one part of the DC universe I cannot stomach is the Batman side, and the Joker as a villain and character has never been of interest to me- and I am a comic book aficionado and collector. I love DC, just not this. And I cannot stand Joaquim Phoenix, who seems to hate being an actor even as he is happy to take the huge salaries it offers him. And I further hate anything that becomes part of the culture war and partisan divide, which this movie clearly has. So, I cannot comment on the film, but only on the issues that surround it. Its director has been a bit of pompous asshole, taking issue with those who do not like its representation and that it makes a serial killer the protagonist. It's not his fault! He was driven to evil- by his unloving parents! That story has been told a hundred times.

    Good comic movies, in my estimation: Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy, early X-Men flics, Black Panther, and Blade, as well as Watchmen and V is for Vendetta.
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    I'm not a superhero guy either and went at my kids recommendation and I have to say Phoenix's acting was truly a tour de force!

    The film was also quite topical with the theme of Wayne and the billionaire class vs. a popular uprising of sorts. Of course the people participating in said uprising are depicted as thugs, reprobates or mentally ill just as they are here on U.S. on corporate/state-controlled media (Fox and hate radio) which is consumed without question by their audience, 90% of whom consist of re-programmable, pig-ignorant, intellectually-stunted, unprincipled meat-sticks wholly bereft of the ability or will to evaluate the veracity of "information" being presented to them. Scary times in the real Gotham...

  9. #9
    Member chalkpie's Avatar
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    Loved it. Fuckin dark and depressing. Saw it very stoned too - probably not the best idea
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  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by chalkpie View Post
    Saw it very stoned too - probably not the best idea


    I haven't seen it, but I've heard good things from the people I know who have been. Joaquin Phoenix does seem to be almost universally praised for this performance, whether the critics loved or hated the film itself.

  11. #11
    From Epic Prog, duh The_Lurker's Avatar
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    I put my thoughts about the film here: https://michaellikestowrite.com/my-b...t-to-see-joker
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    I really enjoyed the movie. Big Phoenix fan too.

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    I saw it week before last. I also really enjoyed it. I would think Phoenix would get an Oscar nod for this one as he was incredible IMO. I actually know a person with the affliction that Joker had in the movie. This person had an aneurism burst in his head when he was in his early 20’s. It caused the same condition where anytime he reacts to something emotional it comes out as laughter. I am not sure that many people know that it is a real condition.

  14. #14
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Outstanding. Phoenix is truly an actor's actor. I don't think anyone else could have pulled it off, especially the laughter. Just give him the flippin' Oscar.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rogue Mail View Post
    Also, the look of Gotham is extraordinary, dirty, grimy bleak etc.
    I loved how everything went full Escape from New York, i.e. hell at the end!

    Quote Originally Posted by Rogue Mail View Post
    I think by the references I saw it is meant to be early 80s.
    1981. One theater marquee advertised Blow Out and Zorro the Gay Blade. Both were summer releases.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    One theater marquee advertised Blow Out and Zorro the Gay Blade. Both were summer releases.
    Heh. And Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered coming out of a Zorro film... Coincidence? You be the judge
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  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    Outstanding. Phoenix is truly an actor's actor. I don't think anyone else could have pulled it off, especially the laughter. Just give him the flippin' Oscar.
    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post
    Outstanding. Phoenix is truly an actor's actor. I don't think anyone else could have pulled it off, especially the laughter. Just give him the flippin' Oscar.
    You called it but I don't think that was very hard. I didn't get to see the flick until just after the Oscars but I had not heard a bad word about his performance and it seemed like a foregone conclusion.

    A very sad movie. I've seen people off their meds, not many people but a couple, and it's really messed up to see someone who is not in control of their mind. One neighbor recently dumped salad mix all over my front door and porch one night. I wonder what would have happened if I had been outside to confront him. That could have been ugly for me. If you are so out of it to dump lettuce all over a friendly neighbor's door who knows what could have happened.

    The whole damned movie was intensely depressing. He tried his best until the system failed him but he seemed pretty lost before that even happened. A very good study of mental illness and how it is dealt with these days, which is to say not very well.

    With my Mom having lost her mind I wonder if someday I'll end up like that and I pray that never comes to pass. Let me keep my sanity if I cannot keep my health. I'll take that.
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  17. #17
    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dropforge View Post

    1981. One theater marquee advertised Blow Out and Zorro the Gay Blade. Both were summer releases.
    If they had set it in 2019 they could have had Arthur appearing on the Rupert Pupkin show, with Rupert having been rehabilitated and working himself up through the comedy circuit and eventually hosting Jerry Langford's old show.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave (in MA) View Post
    If they had set it in 2019 they could have had Arthur appearing on the Rupert Pupkin show, with Rupert having been rehabilitated and working himself up through the comedy circuit and eventually hosting Jerry Langford's old show.
    The Wiki page for Joker says that movie was an influence. Doesn't sound surprising. Wondering why I've never seen it.
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  19. #19
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheLoony View Post
    The Wiki page for Joker says that movie was an influence. Doesn't sound surprising. Wondering why I've never seen it.
    I sniffed that early. Even had Dinero in the Langford role (of sorts) and Phoenix in the Pupkin role. I'm not a fan of how sympathetic they tried making the Joker character. He was painted with too broad a brush. Not everyone with mental or emotional disorders are psychopathic murderers.

  20. #20
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 3LockBox View Post
    I sniffed that early. Even had Dinero in the Langford role (of sorts) and Phoenix in the Pupkin role. I'm not a fan of how sympathetic they tried making the Joker character. He was painted with too broad a brush. Not everyone with mental or emotional disorders are psychopathic murderers.
    But you still liked him better than Letoker, right?

  21. #21
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    ^ you mean Leto? I've not seen Suicide Squad. Heath Ledger is the gold standard

  22. #22
    Member moecurlythanu's Avatar
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    ^ Indeed he is.

  23. #23
    Whippersnappers. The best Joker is still Cesar Romero.
    Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by 3LockBox View Post
    ^ you mean Leto? I've not seen Suicide Squad. Heath Ledger is the gold standard
    Leto wasn't as bad as the internet has made him out to be. Not great but after Ledger it's hard to compete. I think Phoenix did a great job but it's a totally different story.
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  25. #25
    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheLoony View Post
    Leto wasn't as bad as the internet has made him out to be. Not great but after Ledger it's hard to compete. I think Phoenix did a great job but it's a totally different story.
    I didn't have the same issues with Leto as most. I was glad they didn't do the same thing. But yes, Ledger's a hard act to follow.

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