Art & Arthur
Last night I finally caught up to Joker (2019), courtesy of Netflix. It lived up to the hype. It was not what I expected. The element of fantasy that accompanies the Batman series is completely absent. Instead the film opts for realism, rendering a portrait of a man close to the edge, who has a history of abuse and perhaps the genetic makeup for psychosis passed down from his mother. Joaquin Phoenix, who won the Oscar, is magnificent in the lead, ascending to the pinnacle of his profession, adding to an already impressive canon. Scott Silver, who has been in the business since 1996, co-wrote the screenplay with Brooklyn-born Todd Phillips, the director, whose prior claim to fame was The Hangover series. I haven’t seen any of those three movies and probably never will. Curiously, Silver has only six screenplays to his credit. He was also nominated for The Fighter (2011), which I haven’t seen either, as I’ve maxed out on boxing movies. The creative team chose a 70’s cinematic feel for Joker, and it fits perfectly, cinematography by Lawrence Sher. The location shooting is top notch, much of it done in NYC. The scenario has Gotham City spinning out of control, and I couldn’t help liken it to the Big Apple’s current state, although it is not nearly as far gone as its fictional counterpart. Are there political statements being made? Maybe, but there’s no question that a major theme is the coarsening of society. The film received eleven Academy Award nominations, winning also for Best Original Score, done by Hildur Guðnadóttir. It also incorporates popular songs intelligently. 827,000 plus users at IMDb have rated Joker, forging to a consensus of 8.5 on a scale of ten. Not only is the film an artistic success, it did sensationally at the box office, returning a billion-plus worldwide on a budget of $55 million. No doubt this grants Phillips and Silver carte blanche for awhile. They earned it. The only aspect I didn’t like is the making of Thomas Wayne into a creep, a stark difference from his previous depictions as an almost saintly figure. He is portrayed by the ubiquitous Brett Cullen. Since I cannot be objective about Robert DeNiro at present, I will not comment on his role. Anyone turned off by grim proceedings and violence should pass. Here is Phoenix as the former Arthur Fleck in the scene that has already become iconic and will live on in cinema history:
According to an article at nypost.com, for the first time in ten years Manhattan rents decreased, almost 3% compared to 2019. Still way out of my price range.
Here’s a foxnews.com headline gun control advocates won’t like: “Legally armed driver shoots, kills gunman to stop fatal shooting spree in Indiana.” Given the current climate, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of this.
My thanks to young Bek, who bought two novels in Russian for his dad and handed me a list of about 40 books he wants in case any come my way.
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Vic-Fortezza-Author-118397641564801/?fref=ts
Read Vic’s Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
