As of right now, this is the movie of the year for me. Joker has surpassed all my expectations. Kudos to the director, Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix for this beautiful, thought provoking masterpiece. Todd Phillips pushed this to Warner Bros and DC for almost a year to get it done for a R rating which was brilliant. I still can't believe that Todd Phillips, a comedy director known for the Hangover trilogy and other comedies did this beautifully violent movie and he got his cinematographer, Lawrence Sher as well.
There are a lot of things I love about this movie. The pacing was slow and at first I thought, it was perhaps a little too slow. But it was well worth the wait for the complete transformation cause when you see Arthur turn completely as Joker in all his glory, it was just breath taking. The color and tone was colorful yet bleak and you can feel the sense of dread and repression.
I have to say, the cinematographer, Lawrence Sher had some really cool shots. There were quite a number of them which can be really good posters or wallpapers. I loved the subway, the staircase shot and the hospital shot with the footprints. You will get it when you watch it. Absolutely brilliant. The way the cameras captured the acting was essential to the story telling of Joker.
Casting. Let's talk about the supporting actors first. Robert De Niro plays a character which is like a role reversal of King of Comedy and he played it to a tee. A fitting tribute, I might add. It was perfect casting him as talk show host, Murray Franklin cause besides the King of Comedy vibe, there was another iconic De Niro character tribute as well. Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) was also great as Penny Fleck, Arthur's mom. And last but not the least,
Joaquin fucking Phoenix. Brother of the late River Phoenix. The cheebye Caesar from Gladiator. Johnny Cash from Walk the Line. And now Arthur Fleck from Joker. A very underrated actor who loves to choose weird or unconventional roles.
His portrayal of Joker will definitely be one to be remembered. To me it is up there, as a very close second to the late Heath Ledger. The slow gradual transformation from Arthur Fleck to Joker was fucking amazing. Just notice Joaquin's eyes at all the pivotal moments. Just from that alone, you can see what a good actor he is. The crazy weight loss, and lines are a bonus. The most difficult part was the iconic Joker's laugh which Joaquin Phoenix mentioned was very tough. What was amazing was you can feel the pain and the anguish from the laugh which he created and it changes as the movie goes on. If he doesn't get any recognition or an Oscar for this, I'm very sure a lot of people are gonna be pissed. I sure will be as well, even though I think the Oscars are bullshit. This is truly acting at its finest. If a god like Robert De Niro approves of Joaquin's acting, then you know shit just got real. Thank you Joaquin Phoenix.
Plot. This stand alone origin story is one of a kind. Don't think of it as a comic book movie. If all those comic book fans who are gonna hate this for not being true to the comic, I say fuck you and fuck off. There never was a proper origin story for the Joker to begin with and there have been several. So shut the fuck up and enjoy the movie. The good thing is Todd Phillips has said that it will not have anything to do with any upcoming Batman movies. And to be honest, I truly hope there will not be a sequel for Joker. As much as I want to see more of what Joaquin Phoenix can do with Joker, let's just leave it as it is.
I really loved the 70's feel. From the soundtrack to the set and costume designs. Another fitting tribute to an iconic 70's movie was Taxi driver. Another iconic De Niro character, Travis Bickle which was why adding De Niro into the casting made total sense. I really loved the reference a lot cos it has always been my fav " hand gesture". I even have the fucking poster of Travis Bickle doing it.
It was also damn cool of them to do a tribute to the late Heath Ledger's Joker. Ace in the hole and the police car bit. Solid.
All in all, Joker is a magnificent movie and you have to watch it in the cinemas. Well worth the weekend price as well. It has been a while since I have been this excited for a movie and will definitely be watching it for the second time.
Piece of advice when watching Joker, watch it without any disturbance. No food or with someone asking you 5000 questions about the fucking movie. Devil is in the details. Enjoy the experience. Send in the clowns.
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