WOW!

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2019)

Just saw an advanced screening of Joker. And WOW! I was blown away! I admit it, when this movie was announced I wasn't interested in seeing, even though the Joker has always been one of my favorite villains. This was a dark and creepy telling of the back story of one of DC's most iconic characters.
Jack Nicholson was great and I thought his performance couldn't be topped, then along came Heath Ledger and he was even better than Jack winning an Oscar for the role. Now we get Joaquin Phoenix and he knocked it out of the park.
Joaquin Phoenix's performance is perhaps the best of the year and should be on the top of everybody's Oscar list. His laugh, his movements and his slow transformation from Arthur Fleck, a clown/wannabe stand up comedian to the crown prince of crime the Joker, was a thing of beauty to watch. He managed to make the character someone you could really care for.
I heard that Phoenix lost over fifty pounds for the part and developed an eating disorder.
If there was one down side it was the relationship with the neighbor. I thought it went nowhere and didn't advance the story narrative. It was great to see Robert De Niro have major part in the story as the "Johnnie Carson-ish late night host Murray Franklin.
Oh and by the way there was an appearance of "Lil" Wayne (aka Bruce) Here the only spoiler I'll say "Thomas and Martha Wayne get killed"
So, over all I really like this movie and recommend to any movie fan not just geeks.