In Retrospect: Joker

I'll admit I only know one joke. No one gets it.

It still truly holds up for me, Joker is still the movie that could live in the regular world of movies and comic book movies. There's been tons of talk about the movie, implications, theories, studies, what have you and all from just a comic book movie with a realistic tone. It's really amazing to see this movie do so well and my boy Joaquin just got a Golden Globe for this movie now we take on the Oscars! Is there much more to say about it since last time? Partially, I did discover a crucial puzzle piece that countless individuals have not brought up before when they talk about the aspect of the film regarding the narration. People say Arthur is the unreliable narrator, he imagines things therefor the whole movie could just be in his head while he's banging his head on a door in Arkham. This is wrong. The truth is found in simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius, of each particular thing ask what is in itself? What do we see in these daydreams of Arthur Fleck? We see him happy. He's on Murray's show and goes up on stage to huge approval of the audience and Murray saying he wants a kid like him, we see him go on dates with a nice girl he meets who is there to comfort him in a dark and troubling time. We never see him unhappy, downtrodden, or a failure in these daydreams. Thusly, many aspects of the film's story happened. Meeting Thomas Wayne, finding his mother's file, his various crimes, all happened. We never once see a daydream turn into a nightmare. I always saw it as Arthur was once in Arkham but was released and lived with his adopted mother and the story plays out as it's told. No twists or misdirects. I know that may seem boring and uninteresting but I'm simply not one for fan theories or heavy speculation (which we'll talk about more when Episode 9 hits video). The film is simply there to simultaneously tell a new story and expand upon previous stories about how The Joker came to be and it does it incredibly well. Joaquin Phoenix does usurp the throne that Heath Ledger has ruled for over a decade for me, though of course I'm still in love with his performance in The Dark Knight. It doesn't feel like a comic book movie with it's tropes and peculiar ideas, but simply tells the story of a man who is beaten down by the city he lives in and starts taking action that plunges the city into chaos and makes him something more than just another person on the corner. It's a damn well made movie considering the script was practically being rewritten daily, and the direction by Todd Philips can be very funny at times, and down right heartbreaking and cruel at others. I'm still personally debating on how I feel about there being a good possibility of a sequel, on one hand I'd love to see Joaquin Phoenix broadening the role and see where the story goes next but on the other hand I'm incredibly happy how this film ended. The fact that the film ends on the Joker thinking about Bruce Wayne standing over his dead parents and having a good hard laugh is iconic in it's own right, and then proceeds to end Tom & Jerry style with a 'The End' title card is just about as great an ending as you can get. The film has broke many records and stands as the highest R-rated movie to date, put that in your pipe and overdose on it Deadpool, and has been making too many appearances on best films of 2019 lists to even count. I'm proud DC took a chance on something so different to the comic book movie engine of today but the results are speaking volumes to the public. Something different can be amazing, and maybe we shouldn't always have the same formula that Marvel has been cranking out for an ungodly period of time. In fact that's probably the only reason I liked Doctor Strange and Black Panther is because I'm not familiar with that style of movie, hell I'm pretty sure I could count all the Marvel movies I've seen on one hand (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Doctor Strange, Black Panther) so maybe my opinions will change if I ever intend to eviscerate, uh I mean dissect the Marvel movies. I really hope we see more movies like this one though, taking risks and changing the game a bit if only just to make movies more interesting again. Joker still gets a sterling 4 stars, 9/10 from me, and I'm sure this movie will be watched, talked about, evaluated, and enjoyed for years to come. So I guess I got to tell the joke right? Alright. There were these two guys in an insane asylum, and one night they decide they don't want to be in an asylum any more. They decide they're going to break out. So they bust out and make a run for the roof, and there just across the rooftops is the city. Freedom. The first guy jumps across no problem, but the second guy doesn't dare make the leap. He's afraid of falling. So the first guy says, "Hey I brought a flashlight with me, I'll shine it across the gap and you just walk across the beam of light and join me on the other side.", but the second guy says, "What do you think I am? Crazy?? You don't walk towards the light at the edge of a rooftop!". You didn't laugh.

Joker

This is how it happened, this is how the Joker was born.

This movie, was everything I wanted it to be. I was not expecting groundbreaking cinema, but I was expecting a mature, dark, unapologetic, essentially a character study into the best comic book villain ever created. And the movie delivered it with flying colors, I was not even slightly disappointed, I'm just so happy. Most people would severely argue against an origin story for the Joker, saying it would take all the menace and intrigue out of the character but this film proves otherwise as we see Arthur Fleck live his life in Gotham while dealing with mental illness and trying to make something of himself. I am trying desperately not to talk about every scene because you should see the movie, though I'm pretty sure if you haven't seen it today you're no doubt going to see it over the weekend. So I will not divulge too much information, I just want to say this much. This movie takes single strands from The Killing Joke, not a lot, but there is stuff there and not only makes it a good if not great movie but builds upon it more. The story and characters could not have been pulled off better, Joaquin Phoenix's performance is so good I wouldn't be surprised if he snagged several awards. This film shows everything in a brutally and unapologetic way, to where you feel uncomfortable, you feel uneasy, maybe even scared, and that's exactly what you should do! You would not like being in the company of an individual like the Joker, and the movie isn't afraid of going all in. It's actually a DC movie that fully warrants the R rating, but it doesn't throw in an F-word here or some blood there just for the rating, it's all there for a purpose. To show a seedy and more adult movie about a comic book character, I mean Gotham has never looked worst, it's like if the Gotham television series and Taxi Driver combined, and it feels genuine and real. Everybody says The Dark Knight trilogy was more realistic and grounded, but guys even I can see the idea of a guy dressing up as a bat to fight criminals is still pretty hokey even with some swanky hi-tech toys, but this though could feel like it could happen tomorrow. All it takes is one bad day, and we all have had bad days. Bottom line, I loved this movie, like love it to the point I need to see it again and again before it even hits video! It gave me everything I wanted and then some, and I'm just gonna say it. Joaquin Phoenix is the true successor to Heath Ledger, and I don't actually have problems with Jared Leto cause there's been countless iterations of this character so I can roll with it being different, but I may need more time to sit on this but Joaquin took what Heath had and did more with it. Am I slamming Heath? Of course not. But really look at this big picture, 1989 hit and Jack Nicholson made the Joker more popular than ever, best Joker ever. For almost 20 damn years he held that, then Heath Ledger hit the scene and was a big contributing factor for why The Dark Knight is the best comic book movie ever made as well as one of the best films ever made and people lost their fudge over Heath Ledger. He took it to the next level. Those are huge shoes to fill but I think Joaquin pulled it off and gave us not only a Heath Ledger level of performance but went even further. You'd be okay if this was how the Joker was actually made even though the timeline is completely screwed cause he's like late 30s to earlt 40s and Bruce is like...8, but you don't even care. They played their cards right and it came in aces. I really hope this can lead to more standalone comic movies, they don't even have to be for a mature audience, just tell a great story with recognizable characters. I hope this movie garners more critical love as well as a huge fan following, and I'll be keeping my eyes open for finely dressed clowns this Halloween. Joker gets a 9/10.

Last Vegas

God this week sucked! School has been kicking my ass all week, so screw it. Let's go to Vegas.

Last Vegas is a truly hilarious movie, with a lot of heart and an all star cast. So let's round up those movie totals, we have: Michael Douglas, Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburg, one vegas trip, one bikini contest, several scantily clad cleveage showing beautiful ladies, pelvis gyrating, over 100 bottles of alcohol, one viagra pill, one bachelor party, 4 stars check it out! So our story begins with Michael Douglas getting married to a 31 year old woman, and his friends decide to take him out to Vegas for a bachelor party. This movie seems like the elderly version of The Hangover, but really it has a lot more heart and not nearly as outrageous or insane. You do get a great sense of the bond they have, and they do fight and bicker but really, what group of friends don't? So the story isn't exactly brilliant, it's a popcorn comedy movie and it knows it. It still takes time to develop it's characters, and the jokes made me laugh to beat the band. You know what I don't get? Why there are so many of these types of movies? Old man or old guys do stuff old folks usually wouldn't do, usually leading to a laugh out loud adventure, and ends with them returning to normal life albeit with a very memorable moment of their life now with them. I mean I like those movies, I'm friggin' reviewing Going In Style tomorrow! So obviously they hit a stride with me. This a good movie, not great but hey with a movie called Last Vegas I'm not expecting an Academy Award winning film. But that would be awesome.

Dirty Grandpa

Whew, what a movie. Made me laugh to beat the band.

Dirty Grandpa is a crude, hilarious, and all around crazy comedy starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron. I love Robert De Niro, but I hate Zac Efron. The plot pretty much follows a grandfather and grandson after the death of a family member, so the grandfather wants to live it up while he still can and spend time with his grandson...in the most batcrap crazy way humanly possible. The more I watched it I realized it was a unique spin on The Hangover, cause there's a wedding involved and they go on this crazy journey and find out stuff for themselves about how they want to live their life. It's not a carbon copy but you can pick up that, oh yeah that was like in The Hangover. Beyond that it's a pretty good film on it's own, although it has some of the most hated cliches in cinema history but I enjoyed the crass situations, and very lewd humor. There's even a character that is by all means, an absolute parody of idiot horny teenagers, and my God is it beautiful. This movie fully warrants the R rating, so tread lightly if movies like The Hangover isn't exactly your cup of tea. It's not a bad movie, I thought it was quite good but it is not for everyone, no way no how. I'm happy I saw it, but I don't think I would buy it. That achievement goes to The Intern, which is just a fantastic movie. All in all, I'd say give it a rent if you are in a very adventurous spirit, but if not you aren't missing the movie rental of the year. Good film, laughed my ass off, let's see what Redbox has for us next.

The Intern

What a beautiful film.

I am serious, this film is absolutely beautiful. Beautiful with it's concepts of old and new, of relationships, of old age, of the real honest to God human emotions that we experience. With as simple a concept of a film about an older gentlemen who interns for a new internet fashion store, the film holds many truths. The truth of the strain of being the big boss of a company and the effects it has on a family, the truth of how real people express their emotions and how they deal with situations. This movie is sincere, it is charming, it is funny with excellent human characters. Not characters but human beings. Robert De Niro's character is indeed a dying breed, a chivalrous, kind, compassionate human being who decides to spend a bit of time in his life when he doesn't have much time left to experience something new, but more so to help people. Anne Hathaway's character is an overworked, stressed mother who tries to make everyone happy and yet carries the world on her shoulders, trying to better her life for the sake of not only herself but her family. She has a daughter in this movie that is heart-gushingly adorable and sweet and that is only one element of this film that moved me. Moved me to laughter, to shock, and to tears. It is a beautiful film. Real, humorous, and lovely. Usually when I recommend films, it is because they are good movies that people should watch for one reason or another. But this is a film that...I demand people to watch. It is a life changing film, it changes your perspective on life, love, old age, being compassionate towards others, and to always help in anyway you can. Most people including myself saw this as a comedy focusing on an older man working with new technology and living in the modern world, but what it truly is is something far greater and meaningful than anybody could percieve.

Heat

I'm sorry that I was late, kinda busy yesterday and Heat is an almost 3 hour movie. I got through most of it but not all.

So Heat is one of the best crime drama movies ever put to celluloid directed by Michael Mann, and anything to do with Michael Mann and bank robberies is no bad thing! The story is that a team of expert bank robbers led by Robert De Niro steal millions of dollars in bonds, and a detective played by Al Pacino has to take him down. The whole movie centers around these characters actions and emotions, and it feels completely real, even though Al Pacino chews the scenery a little bit but that only makes it more enjoyable. And yeah, this is the movie with the greatest running firefight ever recorded on film, I'm serious. It goes on for like 10 minutes, there's no music all you hear is gunfire, and the weird thing is it's not even at the finale of the movie, it's about halfway through. But that's not even the best scene of the movie. The real best scene is when Robert De Niro and Al Pacino sit down in a cafe and talk to each other. And the reason why it is a big deal is because it's the hero and the villain sitting down, drinking coffee and talking about why they do what they do. I can't think of a single movie where the hero and villain sit down, have a drink, and just talk to each other. It has never been done, and it's very well written, very well acted, and is just so damn good. The ending is thrilling and yet touching, and is the perfect way to end this amazing film. If you are a fan of bank robberies, complex characters, amazing directing, brilliant writing, and are just a fan of crime dramas then Heat is for you.

And that ends this week of movie reviews. Join me next week when we look at some true love letters to the action hero franchise.