Best Movie of the Year

Rating: 10/10 (7 October 2019)

There are many things that can be said about this movie, and going in there was a lot of talk about social commentary and how the movie will spark a violent event, but not one thing came across as something trying to trigger someone into acting out against society. It's just a movie, and a great one at that. I don't need people deciding my morals and movies don't either, it's just for entertainment, and this just that, but in a very uncomfortable way. I have never seen someone carry a movie in such a way that Joaquin Phoenix did. The way he moved, the way he held himself, to the way he contorts his body in an visibly painful way. It just screams commitment and pure talent. I just wish it wasn't a standalone film. The violence and gore in the movie is only in like 4 scenes but with such surprise and effect that those few scenes are burned into your memory. Robert Dinero gave a wonderful take on being a daily night time show host, and really is the best performance in a long time for him. This movie was truly uncomfortable, emotional, and really showed every layer of joker that really was never shown before. Every part of the movie slowly progressed Arthur Fleck into the joker, and if any part was removed, then the joker wouldn't have made any sense. It just shows how perfectly done the character arch of Joker was. I don't think there will ever be a movie with such respect to detail to the chain of events that led to his final form as Joker.