Joker FULL Reaction
Added 2022-04-05 19:01:01 +0000 UTCSuch a great character study and twist on the "superhero" genre. Joaquin Phoenix delivers a powerhouse performance, and I think Todd Phillips did an excellent job as well. Many of the scenes are setup and executed perfectly, and I'm also a fan of the colors throughout. The soundtrack is moody, intense, and mixed up with some oldies for a fitting tone that is both darkly comedic and unapologetically tragic. Highly recommend!
Comments
I decided to give this another try but in the end, despite some beautiful acting from Joaquin Phoenix, for me, this film was just OK. I love Joaquin as an actor….”Walk the Line’” is actually one of my favourite films because of him. His strength as an actor is his great vulnerability and when he needed to showcase that in this film he nailed it. However, my issue with the film is that they went too far with making him empathetic. And I’m all for that if the focus of the film was his trauma and mental health. Yes, there have been films where the there’s a duality between good and evil within the “villain” but that is a very fine line. Red Dragon (2002) did that quite well and I’d even say Joaquin’s portrayal of Commodus in Gladiator was far more nuanced as well. Both those films made you understand the pain of the villains but they still managed to sustain the tension. Perhaps you could argue that the director intended it to be sympathetic psychological piece but it definitely felt like it was paying homage to “Taxi Driver” as you mentioned and “A Clockwork Orange” at times. There was a certain madness to the brutality in those films that made sense because the antagonists were unpredictable. I felt on edge in those films because we didn’t delve too deeply into the backstory. And even in serial killer films when we do find out their backstory, we don’t usually get such an intimate glimpse into their life. It’s the lack of empathy that these killers have and the lack of empathy we feel for them that makes us afraid because it’s the fear of the unknown. This film felt like it was trying to have the best of both worlds by having the pendulum swing from one extreme to another and I was unable to reconcile that in my mind. So I have to disagree about the tense moments in this film. The only time I was really concerned was for the mother and her daughter but pretty much every act of violence in this film I saw coming. Even Murray. During the interview, you could see the tears in Arthur’s eyes. He reacts out of pain which is still a very human thing. His actions were not unpredictable and I don’t see him as beyond reach yet like Heath Ledger’s Joker. Regarding the violence…It never felt sinister to me. Not even his psychotic laughter. All I felt was his pain and his desperation to be free from it. I saw him as a victim and I’m not sure if that was the intention? Even during the massacre during the train scene, I felt more for him than his victims. I’m not sure if it was the way it was shot as well? It was stylistically beautiful with the colours and the pulsing lights but I wasn’t shocked at his violent turn. I would’ve shot it with more focus on the guys laughing and then a sudden sound of a gunshot on a close up, maybe of one of the guys and then blood coming out his mouth or something. I would’ve had more close ups of the other victims in general just so we could see how terrified they were as well. Final points: 1. Cinematography - I mean it was stunning….but at times a little too stunning if that makes sense? haha. It seems to be the style in these modern films/ TV shows but there’s something a bit too “clean” and artificial about the colour and lighting for me. It kinda looks like a music video at times. I personally prefer a more organic look like the cinematography in “LA Confidential” or the lighting in Wong Kar-wai’s films. 2. Mother - I personally think that Thomas Wayne made that whole thing up to make her look crazy. Yes, mental illness can be passed down but a lot of it is borne out of severe trauma as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if shunning her is what sent her off the deep end. Anyway, interesting reaction as always Thor. Off to watch Buffy now 🤗
Effie
2022-04-06 20:20:18 +0000 UTCHmm, I have strong opinions about this one so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this when I get a chance, hopefully tomorrow :)
Effie
2022-04-05 19:21:25 +0000 UTC
