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Joker Review: Sympathy For The Devil

Joker Review: Sympathy For The Devil

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a pitiful man with a condition in which he compulsively laughs until he can barely breathe. While living in a slum in 1980's Gotham City, he takes care of his eccentric mother Penny, who dreams of one day being taken care of by mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen). Every day, he goes to work as a party clown with aspirations of being a stand up comedian. Economic troubles, social unrest and his own mental anguish regarding himself, his past and the rising anger from the lower-income citizenry push Arthur into a downward spiral the effects of which not even his fevered mind could contemplate.

      This review has been something of a long time coming for me, personally.I'm not usually a big fan of villains. That's not to say I don't enjoy some villains (Rowena on Supernatural is a personal favorite of mine), but by and large when a character is a bad guy and the story needs me to dislike them, it doesn't take much prompting. But then you have stories where the villain is excruciatingly human and it's tough not to at least understand their motivations for their actions. I think that's the key factor to a good villain: motivation. Which is a steep mountain to climb when it comes to an iconic villain like The Joker.

     To call The self-proclaimed "Clown Prince of Crime" mercurial would be the grand-daddy of all understatements. His motivations change with nearly each appearance. One moment, he wants to sell fishes full of Joker-venom, the next, he wants to run for President. One time he wants to kill all of Batman's family and comrades, the next he's trying to ruin Jim Gordon's sanity.You never quite know what to expect when the gruesome grinning gangster shows up. Even when it comes to his backstory, he would "prefer it to be multiple choice." Which is pretty much at the heart of Joker.

     Let me be absolutely clear about this right now, Joaquin Phoenix gives a STELLAR performance. He puts his entire body and mind into this performance and completely owns each scene he's in. Phoenix looks like this role exacted a heavy toll on him portraying such an emaciated, pathetic figure. But at the same time, there's a dark, sinister foreboding bubbling under the surface. It gives an uneasy sense of menace to every scene he's in. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is worth the price of admission alone.

     One other mark of praise I will give the film is that the cinematography and gritty aesthetic of Gotham City were top notch. It evokes a dilapidated metropolis with the contrast of the bright lights of the rich and famous with the shadows and dim bleakness of the unprivileged and forgotten. Anyone who's seen Taxi Driver or King Of Comedy can see the influence of Scorsese dripping off of every frame of this movie. The lighting and colorization of each scene sets the tone it's meant to convey perfectly, from the darkness of Arthur and Penny watching Robert DeNiro's Murray Franklin, to the bright, vibrant bombast of Joker's "coming out" scene on the now famous staircase in The Bronx. This is a technically well-crafted movie, for whatever misgivings I may have.

     Having said all of that, this is a strange, depressing and often times uncomfortable movie to watch. The violence isn't excruciating or out of place, just abrupt and visceral. The hopelessness of economic inequality echoes the current strife of today's society with the subtlety of a sledgehammer lobotomy. As relatable as Arthur's situation can be to some, it doesn't distract from his less endearing qualities like making an entire relationship in his head about a woman he shared an elevator with and briefly stalked.

     Watching someone spiral into madness can be an intriguing experience, but it can also cause self-reflection. If we went through what Arthur endured in this movie, would we be any better or would we ourselves lose our minds? That's what the movie would like to ask, I'm sure. But it doesn't really bother to. I'd go as far to say this movie really doesn't have anything to say about anything. It's not trying to be a grand political statement about the downtrodden citizens rising up to overtake the privileged, because the main character doesn't really care about that. He just happens to relate to or come from similar situations as those who live in poverty and having their medical care cut in order for the rich and powerful to live high on the metaphorical hog.

     Another thing that the story seems to gloss over is the notion of reliable narration. Certain revelations about not only Arthur but particular interactions with other characters, namely Sophie, an apparent love interest (played by Zazie Beets), it's shown that our protagonist's view of the world isn't necessarily one we can simply take at face value. Even though it's not specifically narrated to us in voiceover (like in Taxi Driver one of the movie's clear artistic inspirations) we still see the world framed through Arthur's perspective. Which throws how people's interactions with Arthur into question. Even at the end, we're not quite sure if what we watched was even real, but then again, that's probably the most Joker-ish thing of all. 

     As something of a side note, I want to take a moment to laugh at the hand-wringing fear-mongering that the media tried to put forth about this movie being so violent, so insane, so horrible, that it would inspire incels or aggressive male douchebags into going on killing sprees. First of all, while popular culture is known for people missing the point of a story, someone who ends up shooting up any place usually was headed down that path anyway and it isn't the fault of a fictional felonious fool. Secondly, while Arthur does display creepy behavior, especially toward Sophie, he doesn't show a sense of entitlement, at least not towards her. His concerns and cares seem to stem more about his own well-being and what he can get. And third, all this movie has inspired as of the time of writing this article is a bunch of folks clogging up a stairway in The Bronx.

Now that's funny.

    

    

Scorsese, Marvel Movies, And You

Scorsese, Marvel Movies, And You

Photo source: Comicbook.com

Evelyn Beatrice Hall once wrote, in her 1906 work The Friends of Voltaire, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Fandom is a fickle, mercurial, and passionate mistress. We in "geek culture" hold the media we view in such high esteem and regard that any form of disagreement, alternate viewpoint or dismissal of it as something "less than" is, to some, considered a personal insult or an attack likened unto heresy or blasphemy. Internet flame wars rage between fans, arguing which version or "cut" of a particular film is superior to others. Fans verbally battling over who should be the one true pairing or OTP of a fictional character (without going into the lengthy but necessary discussion on LGBTQ representation or lack thereof in media). It's become so volatile that even broaching subjects to put forth an opinion at all, let alone an unpopular one, is now considered a "hot take."

     Enter prolific and Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Hailed as a visionary auteur for his classic movies Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Cape Fear, Casino, Goodfellas, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, among many, many others. Countless aspiring screenwriters, directors, and filmmakers alike all look up to him as a  wellspring of cinematic knowledge. His stories are, if nothing else, undeniably human. From Travis Bickle's flawed and misguided view of the world in Taxi Driver to Leonardo DiCaprio's head-strong desire for money and notoriety in The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese knows how to make films about human drama in all its brutal, violent honesty. Despite the details of this paragraph, he really needs no introduction.

     In an October 2019 interview with Empire Magazine, Martin Scorsese spoke about the ever popular and ever profitable superhero film genre that has both made fans cheer and engorged movie studios wallets. "I don't see them," he said, "I tried, you know? But that's not cinema." The famous director then likened superhero movies, to which many attributed to meaning Marvel superhero movies, to be "theme parks." As per usual, the fandoms unloaded with both barrels. One side chastising the venerated filmmaker as a pretentious, out of touch film snob. Others defended Scorsese's comments, calling Marvel movies and superhero movies in general garbage or cinematic fast food, painting them as not worthy to be considered "true cinema" or "real movies."  

      This brings up the question, what is "true cinema?" Not to dive too deep into the etymology of the word, but it means basically "pictures that move." In a purely technical sense, all movies can qualify as "cinema." From Gone With The Wind to The Room, from Casablanca to The Emoji Movie. We often tend to, as flawed people, color our perspectives to the tune of our own personal tastes and preferences. Some folks will think movies like Scarface are "true cinema" in that they transcend their particular genre and speak about the human condition, in all its ugly verisimilitude. Others may look at it as a boring, overlong, needlessly violent screed on the evils of rampant ambition. Both viewpoints are individually valid.

      The conflict comes from taking our preferred tastes in medium (in this case, the kinds of movies we watch) as microcosms of our personalities and values as people. When someone calls a Marvel movie "utter garbage" or Citizen Kane "pretentious nonsense" or pick any horror movie as "vile, disgusting trash," we take it as a personal affront to our very being, or at the very least, an attempted shaming of what we enjoy as something "less than."

     I don't think Martin Scorsese is a "snob" for not liking genre movies or at least not liking the same kind of movies I like. He said he tried and it didn't work for him and that's all anyone can really ask of anyone else. But while I did find his comparison of superhero movies to theme parks a little bit dismissive, it was an apt metaphor in at least one regard, they engage the audience in an exciting and personal way and many people enjoy going to theme parks and riding the rides and experiencing some semblance of thrills, joy and excitement. It breaks up the monotony of their everyday lives and yes, provides an escape from the drudgery of the real world, even if for a couple of hours.

     Having said all of the above, his statement that "cinemas need to step up" is right in that folks do need to watch more than just the usual tights and fights fare. There are some pretty damn good dramatic or even independent films out there that deserve a lot more acclaim than they get. The Peanut Butter Falcon, which I reviewed earlier this year, was a delightful, warm dramatic film that I thoroughly enjoyed. There really is something for everyone out there if they're willing to look.

 
     According to IMDB, there's at least 10,000 movies currently released in 2019. Many of them aren't in theaters, going direct to video or TV or streaming. And even of that lesser amount, superhero movies take up multiple screenings. However, they're outnumbered by the majority of their contemporaries. I myself have watched more than my fair share of movies some would consider "true cinema" and found things to enjoy about them as well as things to criticize. Because that's what we do as viewers and especially as critics.

     Movies are meant to engage their audiences. They're meant to give back something to us for the time and money we've invested in viewing them. Whether it's a roller coaster ride of CGI action figures slamming into each other or a thoughtful character piece of a person slowly losing their mind to dementia or even a cheesy gore-filled slasher romp, if a movie engages with you, it's done it's job. Arguments can be made individually on whether or not it was a positive or negative experience, because art is subjective. It always has been. Not everyone will watch 2001: A Space Odyssey and see a masterpiece of film making. And guess what? That's okay.

      Captain America: Civil War doesn't have to be Taxi Driver. Shazam doesn't have to be The Godfather. The movies you like don't have to be like any other movie for you to enjoy them or consider them a quality cinematic experience. At the end of the day, no one can tell you what you like and what you think is a real movie or true cinema. That's something you have to decide for yourself. But can we at least not be condescending jerks to each other about it?

Hell In A Cell 2019 Review

 WWE Hell In A Cell 2019

or

Half These Matches Didn't Get Announced Until Today!

Natalya vs Lacey Evans

    

      After at least three previous encounters on RAW, once again we have a match between Lacey Evans and Natalya basically inflicted upon us. This slow, plodding, bore of a contest dragged on and on until we get Natalya mercifully making Lacey tap, making the score (for the two of you counting) at two a piece.

Rating: One Black and Yellow polka dotted outfit out of Five.


Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch (C)- Hell In A Cell Match For The RAW Women's Championship

     In a stark contrast to the previous women's bout, this match started off fast and furious with a brawl outside of the Cell as the structure was lowering. Once the two warrior women got back inside the Cell it was a brutal affair; chairshots to the back, ladders to the face, meteora kneedrops to the ladder, slamming repeatedly into the crimson-colored chain-link cage walls. One particularly gnarly spot involved Sasha being propped up on a chair propped on kendo sticks in the corner of the cell, only to be dropkicked by Becky into the corner wall. After a devastating Bexploder suplex off the top rope onto a pile of chairs and a Dis-ArmHer, Becky retains once more. I think this should probably seal the deal for this feud, and Sasha's heel turn has not exactly been paying off in dividends for her. While I'm not wild about the finish, this was a great opening match and a brutal women's match.

Rating: Four Chairs set up by Kendo Sticks In The Corner out of Five


Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns vs Luke Harper and Erick Rowan- Tag Team Tornado Match

     After a messy melee at the beginning of the match, it ended up turning into a bit of a slow, but well structured match as the veteran tag team Harper and Rowan would bludgeon Roman to then beat-down Bryan when they were finished.It does take a bit to get going, with some really long pauses while Rowan and Harper have control of the match. But once it gets going, it becomes a big more interesting. Especially when Bryan counters a powerbomb by flipping Harper off of the announce table while Roman runs across the other announce tables to spear Erick Rowan through the third and final table. After a Superman Punch/Running Knee/Spear combo, Reigns and Bryan prevail in a hard-hitting bout. Post-Match, Bryan and Roman hug it out and stumble their way back up the ramp.

Rating: Three Long Bushy Beards Out Of Five



Randy Orton vs Ali

     In one of four matches announced the day of Hell In A Cell, Randy Orton and Ali's match's build up was...a backstage segment earlier tonight where Randy Orton talked trash during Ali's interview. Such is the story with a good many matches tonight. It's a clash of styles as the slower, methodical malice of Orton faces off with the high-flying acrobatics of Ali. The story of this was Orton working the midsection of his smaller, faster opponent. Despite a few hope spots (including handstanding out of an RKO attempt) Ali eats an RKO and thanks for comin'. 

Rating: Two Gnarly Welts Across The Stomach Out Of Five. 



Asuka and Kairi Sane aka The Kabuki Warriors vs Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (C)- Women's Tag Title Match

     This match was a real mess. Another match that was put together an announced last minute, these four women have a bit of a clusterfuck of a match. The only interesting part came at the end where Asuka, harkening back to Tajiri and The Great Muta, sprays Nikki Cross with green mist. One spinning kick to the face later, it's all she wrote and we have new Women's Tag Champions. 

Rating: Muta 2.0 out of Five  



The OC (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows) vs The Viking Raiders and Braun Strowman

      Another match with very little build-up (aside from two matches between Anderson, Gallows and the Raiders on RAW) announced only hours before showtime, there isn't too much of a story aside from The OC's inability to solve The Viking Raiders. The match ends as abruptly as it was announced as the referee throws out the match when Gallows and Anderson, not legally tagged in, kicked Braun while he was down and ignored the official's orders. And then Braun lays out AJ Styles to set up his confrontation with boxer Tyson Fury. And we get a post-match of AJ Styles pretending to be concussed. Blegh. 

Rating: One Getting Of These Hands Out Of Five.  


King Baron Corbin vs Chad Gable

     Announced today but has had minor build up due to Gable losing to Corbin in the King Of The Ring tournament. After at least two cringe-worthy moments of short jokes, Corbin endures a withering opening volley from Gable before taking control. Say what you will about his wrestling ability, Corbin has a talent for making the fans hate his guts and wish he'd get hit by a barbed wire truck and land in a salt patch. Corey Graves doing the continuous short jokes and Greg Hamilton announcing Chad as "Shorty Gable" were definite points against this match, but Gable, as he tends to, puts on a stellar performance in a winning effort against his larger opponent.

Rating: Three Short Jokes That Were Never Funny Out Of Five



Charlotte Flair vs Bayley (C)- Smackdown Women's Title Match

     After R-Truth wins back the 24/7 Title from Tamina (Who won it from Carmella backstage earlier in the night), Bayley and Charlotte begin their match in earnest with Bayley showing her own dirty tricks. After trading shots working on each other's legs, Bayley ends up tapping out to Charlotte's Figure Eight leglock and left in a heap, screaming her frustrations and taking her anger out on the steel stairs and crying. Bayley's heel run has, so far, been pretty lackluster. I'm hoping her character gets something of an overhaul soon.

Rating: Two Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Temper Tantrums Out Of Five


"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs Seth Rollins (C)- Hell In A Cell Match For The WWE Universal Championship 

     Give Bray Watt credit, he knows how to make a character that's disturbing and nigh invincible. Taking hits with a kendo sticks like being hit with a wiffle bat, The Fiend looks like a beast as he throws Seth into the cage walls under the blood red lighting. Even when Seth puts him through a table and hitting him with his Stomp finisher, The Fiend gets right back up, almost immediately. The crowd turns HARD on Seth as he keeps hitting at least ten or more Stomps on The Fiend, who keeps getting back up and kicking out at a count of one. The Fiend's toughness seems to win the crowd over. Or it's just being hit with everything but the kitchen sink makes things a bit repetitive. And we have Seth laying a chair, a ladder, a toolbox piled on Bray's face, Seth slamming a sledgehammer ontop of the metallic pile was enough for the ref to call a disqualification. In a match that is typically no-disqualification.

     I get the story they want to tell here, Seth going to a dark place to try and put down The Fiend only for said Fiend to rise up (particularly after the match is thrown out and the medics come to put Bray on the stretcher. AEW chants rain down upon the proceedings like an angry storm from a justifiably pissed off crowd and I don't blame them one bit. A Mandible Claw, two Sister Abigail finishers and one more Mandible Claw post-match and we get strobe lights and woozy camera movements to make things all spoopy.

Rating:





Overall Grade:

Two Mountains Of Shit Out Of Five

     The beginning of the Pay-Per-View was hot as Hell, with a great opener and a really good follow up. But as soon as the matches with little to no build up started, the quality of the show went down drastically. The matches weren't technically bad or anything, there just was little to care about or get invested in, even for me, who watches RAW and Smackdown regularly. But the ending to that last Hell In A Cell Match is infuriating, I don't even care what the intent was. Instead of calling for a disqualification, call it a ref stoppage, or have The Fiend win. Clearly it was what the fans wanted, especially when Seth kept spamming his finisher and piling up tools and furniture on Bray's face. 

      Again, I get it, make The Fiend look unstoppable, make Seth look desperate, but you seriously couldn't just have the ref stop the damn match and have a post-match thing where The Fiend makes the lights go out and vanishes from the stretcher? You couldn't have done ANYTHING other than this utter incompetence? Why even have this match in Hell In A Cell (a match usually used to END feuds) as the first match of this story?

Match Of The Night

    

     By a wide margin, this match easily was the best of the night. Inventive in its brutality, hard-hitting, damn good all around from beginning to end, Becky and Sasha both gave stellar performances, beating the absolute hell out of each other in this war of attrition.