I don’t even know how you do this. Arthur was nothing but repulsive in every way in the first film. This is like that nauseating attempted “romance” between Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling in Hannibal except that at least Lector was charming. This film would be haaarrrd skip for me (I hated the first one) except that goddamn it, I like Gaga and am intrigued by this being a musical. I think Phoenix’s presence in the film is still enough to keep me away (he’s the most unpleasant-to-watch high-profile actor of his generation), but I am strangely tempted.
I thought that the first one was very good at doing what it was trying to do, but it wasn’t trying to be an enjoyable film. Especially since Joaquin Phoenix is so good at being an absolutely miserable character. I doubt I’ll watch this in the theater, but I’ll catch it when it’s more readily available at home. And I’ll do the same thing I did with the first one, which is appreciate it as a film, but one I have no desire to ever see again.
I didn’t get that. I found him oddly pitiable, in that essentially everyone in his life is constantly lying to or abusing him. Even his own psyche is doing this, trying to piece together some sort of normalcy from a broken existence. I think it was the first depiction of the Joker that I found human in this way, and it was very different than every other depiction of the Joker.
With the exception of the dwarf he works with, who he says is the only person who was ever kind to him.
For me, Joachim Phoenix made the character feel genuine, even if he was not a pleasant character. It was by no means a fun movie, but there was something about it that I liked.
I gotta assume you’re segregating him off from Leto due to age difference, or how high profile they are, because even within the specific niche of “guys who played the Joker”, Jeto is so, so much worse.
Leto is 3 years older than Phoenix so there’s not a huge age difference there. Sure Leto was a bad Joker, but he’s fine in most things and crucially he doesn’t stuff his performances with weird idiosyncrasies that just make him seem like he’s starving for attention.
I think Joaquin Phoenix is pretty consistently one of the most fascinating to watch actors. The Master, Inherent Vice, You Were Never Really Here, Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot, Joker, Beau is Afraid… the characters are usually pretty unpleasant (Doc Sportello excepted), but there aren’t many actors that really go for it that way.
I mean, isn’t this exactly what he did when he played the joker? Both on screen and off?
His joker was nothing but a terrible cry for attention.
He’s always doing this weird method acting thing, and then also with the Joker he made the character just straight up worse by adding stuff to it. So, method acting with a terrible character, to the extent that other actors wanted him to die.
I think it’s Phoenix’ subdued performance in Her that really convinced me he can be likeable when the character needs it, without being one-dimensional. So there’s that?
100% in agreement from me, yet I still watched the first one. It wasn’t a favorite, but I could see how much they put into it trying to be great and for sure, the guy can act even if I’m not a huge fan. I think that was the point, the Joker IS repulsive and IS nuts. He just took it and ran hard with it.
I was struck, even in that short trailer, seeing how well shot that was, the colors, the angles … I have no idea who’s in charge of cinematography but on a short trailer like that it’s really hard to capture how well things are done. And yet, it seemed very well done.
I would say I’m in the same boat, the look of the film and Gaga would be the only draws, and I think even in some way, how well they do the musical part of it.
Ooh, Hildur Guðnadóttir is doing the score again! Excellent.
Well, someone liked it.
With song, dance, comedy, darkness, animation, drama, violence and more, this is a musical — if it even is a musical — like no other.
The Guardian is less enthusiastic, handing it a 3/5.