Sign of the times

Rating: 8/10 (30 January 2020)

Not a big fan of superhero movies, so i was irritated by the hype about "Joker". Definitly a solid movie with great lead performance by Phoenix but there must be something else about this hype.
First of all this is not a typical Hollywood movie... its darker, more realistic and nowhere near any superhero thing except for what will become of Arthur Fleck. This movie is closer to "Requiem for a dream" than to any of the inflationary DC or Marvel franchise that is thrown against the wall. There is some glaring similarities about a TV show that Arthur dreams to be on, imagining the best and beautiful in his mind, everything leading up to it and ending up in the worst place. A TV show that is a focal point of happiness in his and his mothers life but that is a sham with a host cynically exploiting Arthurs bombing as a standup comedian for views and pushing him over the edge.
I found it kind of funny how Philipps movie "Project X" was taken to be some kind of a party movie back then. To me it was a hard look at a cynical society that took everything to a dystopian level. It made me feel bad as there were no consequences in the end. Maybe people needed the laugh back then and were not quite ready to see what "Joker" is showing in a much more gritty way for the age of the internet trolls, the cynical 24/7 exploitation of everything by everyone, Donald Trump as a clown president tweeting like the self obsessed "Project X" kids about his every fart, school shootings being a normality and a healthcare system exploiting the weakest for the last cash it can squeeze out of dying bodies.
The hype about "Joker" which honestly is not that special of a movie unless there is a psychological component of identification is a sign of the times. This is a movie that everyone will project his stuff on... i even saw an incredibly lame review by Infowars which made me interested to finally watch this movie and make up my own mind. These guys do not even get, that they are the exact cynical Zeitgeist that "Joker" is focussing on... doing ANYTHING for clicks and using every method in the playbook to sell their stuff. Its exactly what Arthur Fleck says when he is on TV... "Everyone is just awful nowadays" and if everyone is awful... awful is normal.
So when all are implicated in that sham... its easier to let art point to it and use it as entertainment to have a small moment of truth and then go back to the show and play our part with a smile. Its all just showbuisness, isn't it.