Joker

[Boomer 8]

I'm really looking forward to this. The early reviews are running hot and cold, though. Great comments about Joaquin Phoenix's performance, but very negative ones about the movie’s cynical message.

 

[whaleshark 4]

This looks intense, like something you'd see only once because it's good but draining at the same time. Joaquin Phoenix does seem amazing here.

[Zack T 171]

The negative comments on how harsh it is make me want to see it more, honestly. I LOVE dark and gritty, and everything about this seems like it'll be for me. I absolutely love good villains and seeing descents into madness, that's why I loved Breaking Bad so much, or the Following, or why Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith is my favorite Star Wars.

 

So yea, let's do it.

[didge 11]

I haven't been good at and reviewing movies lately, but then, this trailer makes me look forward to October. Negative comments will always be there, but the best way to form an opinion is by getting first-hand experience.

[Guest Wild4U]

The negative comments on how harsh it is make me want to see it more, honestly. I LOVE dark and gritty, and everything about this seems like it'll be for me. I absolutely love good villains and seeing descents into madness, that's why I loved Breaking Bad so much, or the Following, or why Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith is my favorite Star Wars.

 

So yea, let's do it.

With a logical plot and characters, villain stories can be more compelling than the regular ones. It feels like a journey to better understand humans and the evilness we each hold.

 

As my friends usually say, don't trust reviews too much. I read that the movie won a price in the film festival it premiered, so I'd say let's give it a try. I wonder why they say it's a standalone movie, though.

[DandyMandy 25]

I was stoked to see it, but was so disappointed in the end. It was like watching a group from 4Chan. The Joker just seemed like a disgruntled white male who thinks he's not receiving his due in life - the right to break the rules and have pretty women in his bed. It was a cringefest.

[Guest Wild4U]

I was stoked to see it, but was so disappointed in the end. It was like watching a group from 4Chan. The Joker just seemed like a disgruntled white male who thinks he's not receiving his due in life - the right to break the rules and have pretty women in his bed. It was a cringefest.

Oh, man, that's discouraging. I was trying to keep myself positive after the previous comment, but I guess there's really something wrong about the movie. Do you think the issue was more about directing than the actor?

[DandyMandy 25]

I think it definitely had more to do with the writing and directing side which seemed to revel in it. I expected something gritty, but that was something else.

[whaleshark 4]

Still haven’t seen it, but it's been interesting seeing the divide between critics and the audience. It's pretty stark on Rotten Tomatoes, 60-something percent from critics but close to 90 percent from site users. I also wonder how this Joker portrayal compares to Heath Ledger's..

[Guest Wild4U]

I think it definitely had more to do with the writing and directing side which seemed to revel in it. I expected something gritty, but that was something else.

That's too bad, but what's done is done. At least it's nice to hear that it's not an issue with the actor. I bet he was under pressure because of the spectacular portrayal by Ledger before him (who probably sent the character to a new level of popularity).

 

I think I'll just wait for this one on DVD. Are you going to see it soon @whaleshark ?

[whaleshark 4]

Yeah, I want to see it soon! I heard that Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2" is on the soundtrack. Not the best choice. Edited October 8, 2019 by whaleshark

[Salome G 24]

I thought it was aggressively fine.

[Zack T 171]

I really enjoyed the end actually, I felt like it had done a great job slowly building Arthur from being a mild mannered guy with aspirations of being a comedian into embracing his dark morbid side and finding his confidence from it, and being encouraged by society to keep going because he was finally being accepted by some people, despite breaking the law.

 

There was some aspects of "he's just another angry white guy who's entitled" but it felt more like it was geared toward showing how mental illness/trauma can dramatically alter perspectives. He was clearly living in a fantasy world, until reality would give him sharp wake-up calls he had no choice but to see. And to be fair, life dumped on him pretty hard.

 

Not that it justifies his actions, that's why he's a villain. But most villains think they're doing right in some capacity, and we saw that in this one too.

 

It wasn't as thrilling with maniacal action as you might want a Joker movie to be, but it was so thoroughly believable for me that I really enjoyed it. Very well written and executed, quite good.

[Guest Pluto]

I'd say the movie is quite believable as well. Some may find it hard to understand because it's unusual to be a villain; we all want to relate better with those who do the right things. I think it's once again a reminder about nature vs nurture and how we do our part in the latter.

[headrush 8]

This is one of the better 2019 films. Most definitely, hats off to Joaquin Phoenix. I totally bought into his portrayal. You could call this "One Flew Under the Cuckoo's Nest" as Arthur/The Joker kept sliding through the cracks of social services and chances to have any meaningful relationships.

[Boomer 8]

Yeah, I want to see it soon! I heard that Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2" is on the soundtrack. Not the best choice.

Can't believe this made it to the soundtrack.

 

I liked the movie's setting, approximately late 70s / early 80s New York, when crime was high and employment was low. It matched the dreariness of the story.

[Rambler 3]

I wonder if Joaquin Phoenix, Todd Philips, and others associated with the movie feel kind of vindicated by its success. It must have been uncomfortably surprising that they had to answer the white-male-violence questions when the movie first got released.

[headrush 8]

Nice seeing Phoenix win Best Actor at the Golden Globes. On a side note, wonder why Beyonce remained seated during the standing ovation for him.

[Boomer 8]

I'm thinking of seeing it again, a one-day rental. Has anyone watched it a second time? I'm wondering what I missed from the first time.

[Dust and Rust 9]

It's a good movie because it's representative of a segment of society that people don't like to talk about, face and fix. It makes some people uncomfortable and squirm in their seats. I LOVE movies like that and I love this movie.