Joker

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2020)

Todd Phillips really outdid himself with this one. Phillips has made a lot of well-known movies like The Hangover series, A Star is Born, Borat, War Dogs, and the list goes on, but Joker will stand out as one of his best movies. With all the hype behind it, Joker has become one of the most profitable "superhero" movies of all time, earning over a billion dollars globally, at the box office.
Even though the story could've dragged out a tad, it was paced out well, having this real unsettling tone throughout, giving us a great origin story on Arthur Fleck. We get introduced to Arthur Fleck's grueling hardships he endures, while having this insane psychological-driven story. The climax is just the cherry on top, re engaging the audience with a phenomenal twist. The ending set may come off a tad rushed, but I thought it was jaw dropping! It caps off Fleck's origin, and "starts" the devious tear Fleck goes on.
Joaquin Phoenix is an absolute stud! With such a star studded line up at the Academy Awards, Joaquin Phoenix shined the brightest, taking home the Oscar! He absolutely nails every single character trait the Joker has, getting right down to the very finest of details. All of the events that built Arthur Fleck up to becoming what he is, had such deep meaning, making you connect with his character easily. I was honestly so happy to see De Niro in this movie! This may have not been one of his biggest roles, but he carried himself through this supporting role like the professional he is, meaning a lot to the big picture, despite his lack of screen time.
The screenplay by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver spoke to many degrees of sophistication. They incorporated such deep & twisted dialogue, that really helped dig into Arthur's feelings, while also touching up on true things in peoples lives. Phillips & Silver we're nominated by the Osacrs for Best Adapted Screenplay, but fell short to the very worthy, Parasite.
The cinematography was brilliant! They utilized a lot of hand held scenes, with a fair amount of close ups. They used a lot of dark colors to really enhance the glum tone, representing Arthur Fleck. Joker wasn't very effects heavy, as you can probably tell by the budget, but the few times it is there for backdrops, it was presented very cleanly.
This movie is a must watch for all the DC fans out there. It was a well told story on who the Joker really is, and makes you appreciate who he was in the past shows/movies you've seen him in.