Okay, this film has already been so widely debated that I’m not sure what I can really add to the conversation. So, I’ll just give my thoughts. “Joker” is a fairly basic character study of Arthur Fleck, a mentally ill man who feels increasingly marginalized by an uncaring and brutal society in Gotham City. To start, the characters, except for Arthur himself, are pretty flat. They seem to have little purpose other than to further Arthur’s story. This includes Thomas Wayne, who in other media is portrayed as a man of many dimensions, wealthy but caring, and instilling these values in his son Bruce. Here, he is portrayed as much more uncaring and elitist. Which gives much less of an impact in the inevitable alley scene we see in everything remotely related to Batman. More on this in a minute. It’s important to the point. Arthur suffers a condition that makes him burst into laughter at inappropriate times. He also has other unspecified mental illnesses. We’re never given the specifics. This is actually a little troubling because of the general depiction of mental illness. It almost seems like they are saying that if someone is mentally ill then they are a ticking time bomb and it’s only a matter of time before they go off. This is not a good look. After a series of events, Arthur begins spiraling downward, but at the same time realizes how much influence he can have over other people, an aspect of the Joker that isn’t often explored. And this is where the characters other than Arthur being rather flat comes into play. There’s more than one indication that we are actually witnessing these events through Arthur’s eyes. And this creates a brilliant depiction of a narcissistic personality. The only character that gets fully fleshed out is Arthur himself, but he can’t or won’t connect with other people to see their depth. As such, we get to see narcissism from the inside, no connection to others and in fact seeing them as pawns in his own schemes. It’s subtle and definitely not in your face, but if you look carefully, the hints are there. Those who fear that "Joker" would glorify incel violence or otherwise can rest a little easier, but as I mentioned, the film isn't without its troubling portrayals. It does vilify the mentally ill, which creates a whole host of other issues. The movie swings wildly between "excellent" and just "okay," and sometimes even "meh." As such, it gets a recommendation, but only a mild one.

*A Masterpiece*. The movie shows the escalating events that made Arthur become the Joker. Initially an inoffensive poor and sick man, Arthur suffered a tide of unfortunate events that pushed him closer and closer to the edge. Ignored and despised by everyone, sick and alone in the world, and neglected by the State, Arthur becomes progressively more violent until he breaks. Much more than one more Super-hero movie, *Joker* uses well-known characters to promote the reflection on the "ignored" ones. At least, ignored until they become a Joker.

***Not fun, but absorbing, artistic and tragic*** A mentally troubled middle-aged clown (Joaquin Phoenix) who lives with his mother (Frances Conroy) in Gotham City goes from not good to worse when he finally realizes his true identity. Robert DeNiro plays a talk show host and Zazie Beetz the friendly girl down the hall. Brett Cullen is on hand as Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s rich father. "Joker" (2019) is an arty, slow-burn character study of the popular DC Comics’ villain, but it’s more of a psychological crime drama/thriller and tragedy than a superhero flick (or, in this case, supervillain). The movie’s captivating from the get-go and practically everything works for a broodingly superb cinematic experience. There are several amusing bits, but this ain’t a fun flick. It’s heavy and tragic. But what’s the message? Simply that this is how a quirky man who wanted to make people laugh became The Joker. He’s a little reminiscent of the clown in Steve Gerber’s “Night of the Laughing Dead” in Man-Thing #5 (1974). The movie runs 2 hours, 2 minutes, and was shot in New York City (Bronx, Harlem, Manhattan) and nearby New Jersey (Jersey City & Newark). GRADE: A-/A

_Joker_ is a tour-de-force of a movie, not quite like anything I've seen, maybe since Taxi Driver. At its core it's a movie about the breaking point of a broken man, wrapped under the banner of a comic book movie that, take out the Waynes, works on its own. Joaquin Phoenix truly gives a transformative performance (not unlike Heath Ledger) and will say is deserving of an Academy Award. The supporting cast all did well, though, and it is a small role, Zazie Beetz was great and De Niro had his moments, particularly at the end. Got to hand it to Todd Phillips, between this and the good, albeit flawed, War Dogs, has proven to be more than those Hangover movies. No, this isn't a feel-good movie and while it does sit at the top of my 2019 list, not entirely sure when I'd revisit. **4.75/5**

the ‘Hangover 2 & 3’, the two most uncomfortable comedies he’s ever directed that felt more crime drama than anything funny. There’s also some dark humor in ‘Joker’ that involves a door chain. It’s silly, yet absolutely terrifying with the given context. A complete departure from his other work and that’s why I think it’s one of his best. I honestly think he made something so unique and meaningful. Seriously, I do. The score by Hildur Guðnadóttir helped set the tone tremendously. A melancholy tone with a chaotic twist. A representation of Arthur slowly drowning in his own misery and pain. A little fun fact: The score for the film were written based on the script even before the actual filming of the movie started, which I think is the best way to do it, if you ask me. Someone to imagine movie by songs and incorporate their interpretation through music. The cinematography was gorgeous and there’s a handful of shots that has imprinted into my memory. Lawrence Sher does an excellent job off showing the decaying Gotham city and the sewer waste look of the city. Bright neon lights with striking colors that manage to make the most run down of places look pretty. I like how they actually gave Thomas Wayne a character rather than “guy gets shot in alleyway”. He’s portrayed as a ruthless man with blunt ways of saving Gotham City. However he loves his wife and son, so his unforgiving attitude was all for the shake of keeping his loved ones safe. He’s also a massive movie buff where he often goes to watch the classics on the big screen. So it’s an interesting take on the character viewed in somebody’s else perspective. There’s a scene where Arthur goes to watch a comedy standup show to take notes on a comedians act. Every time a joke is told and everyone laughs, his face is frozen in place with an unsure grin while his eyes look around the room wondering why everyone’s laughing, but when the laughter dies down he jumps to live with a delayed laugh. It’s moments like that are simple, yet says a lot about him. Basically showing how disconnected he is with humor and everyone else. Now lets talk about the controversy that's been surrounding this movie: This is one of the most ludicrous controversy in recent memory. The movie will not cause or inspire violence, but shows why violence happens. I mean, there probably has been incidents when somebody committed a horrendous crime because their were influenced by a movie or a game. However, it’s he/she that should be brought into question, not the creators. Maybe this movie could inspire people to think twice about how they treat others. Why not think about the positives? If “Joker” is going to be responsible for violence and mass shootings, then so is every other movie with any form of violence ever. If people really care about how violence is portrayed in movies, then Rob Zombies ‘3 From Hell’ should also receive the same attention. Just imagine ‘Natural Born Killers’ times 100, but I guess it’s not mainstream enough for any of that. And sure, there’s some brutal and raw approach to violence in ‘Joker’, but we all have seen worst. ‘Deadpool’ is more graphic than this. It's not the directors duty to teach morals to the viewer. People will never learn to stop pointing fingers at things to blame and actually do something about it! People often understandment how much power their got. Anywhere, sorry about that folks, just had to get that off my chest. Go and check it out. Overall rating: “Send in the clowns” ⇠ you’ve gotta sing that like Frank Sinatra.

Joker made me laugh , cry , and made me feel scared . This movie isn't your run of the mill superhero flick this is a gritty homage to that of films made by the great Martin Scorsese . Some scenes will have you in shock and awe without breaking away from what Arthur sees and feels as he lives in an 80's era Gotham living with <a href="https://paperhelp.nyc/">paper help</a> and his mom and a mental disorder (Pseudobulbar affect if I'm not mistaken ) , the film also adds the unreliable narrator aspect ( where the camera can show you something that either isn't real or isn't happening), besides that the acting is phenomenal, Joaquin Phoenix really brings his A game, showing Arthur fleck as a loving, kind individual that just wants to make you laugh but is beaten down by an ever changing society that both beat him down and in the end breaks him. This movie also adds the idea of the "one bad day" theme from the killing joke comic where in the comic joker says and i quote '' all it takes is one bad day to bring the sanest man to lunacy " and it takes that idea and brings it to the forefront. In conclusion I think joker was beyond amazing, between the acting, music score and set pieces it was a wild (and scary) ride . Symbolism also sneaks into the movie with slight things you wouldn't notice upon first watching . This movie leaves you confused on what was real and what wasn't . In the end between you and your spouse , friend , or family member will have reasons on what was real and what wasn't and that's what made the movie even better for me , how it left me talking days after and like dark knight and iron man before this i believe that joker will change the superhero movie genre forever... send in the clowns 10/10 would see again

Each to their own, as always, but for me: Incredible! I was fully aware of <em>'Joker'</em> ever since its release, impossible not to be given the extraordinary hype that surrounded it, but it still absolutely surpassed my expectations - a sensational film. I adored every second of this; and I'm not even a Joker/DC Comics etc. 'fan'. Joaquin Phoenix gives an astonishingly outstanding performance as the titular character, undoubtedly one of the greatest showings that I've ever seen from an actor. I'm not one that takes notice of awards, but he is fully deserving of anything of that ilk that he won due to this. Quality! Everything else about the film is fantastic. Great score, great cinematography, great pacing... it's all just utterly superb and makes for a spectacular watch. I love that they avoided just going wall-to-wall crazy with this, don't get me wrong things get mad but there's more to it than just violence et al. I had presumed that I was going to enjoy this, but it honestly smashed any predictions I had about it before seeing it. Even after just one viewing, I can already state it's one of my favourite films. Excellent!

Carried by a terrific Phoenix, ‘Joker’ leaves an emotional impact as we see a bullied clown slowly transform into someone who enjoys creating chaos. Too bad we don't get to enjoy Phoenix as Joker more, though, because pretty soon after the turning point, the movie ends. 10/10

It's not an incel movie, despite what people are saying. And it's no a White Supremacy film either. It's not even a pro T-word president film. In fact, it addresses some pretty heavy left wing issues. Or at least issues that were traditionally on the left before things went...weird and all topsy turvy. However, it is also NOT a Marvel Film, so of you are walking in expecting a Marvel style movie you will walk out hating it. So don't go in expecting an MCU film. Instead you get a dramatic, slow moving, intensely building movie that develops it's characters. And it really develops them, when you start watching the film the Joker was sympathetic... and by the time you walked out you really hated him. And that is all I feel comfortable saying without spoiling things.

Really crazy dramatized movie. Slowly watching him go crazy. Pretty shocking ending and I wasn't expecting it.