Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)

Well, they just couldn't leave well enough alone. Picking up two years after the events of the 2019 film, Arthur Fleck is waiting to stand trial for his crimes. He meets a fellow Arkham inmate named Lee (this movie's Harley Quinn), who stokes a part of himself that's long remained dormant. This highly stylized sequel is basically Joker meets La La Land. It's dark as all fuck, and the only light comes through those extended musical sequences which convey the characters' rich inner lives. Due to the success of the original, the filmmakers are able to take much more creative and experimental risks, which work to varying effect. But make no mistake, this is harrowing stuff. I for one am glad it tried something different. It could have easily gone a more conventional route, but it manages to stay true to the spirit of the original. 

The people who criticize this film apparently didn't understand the message of the first one. There's a meta-commentary going on where a lot of fans are attacking it for not being what they wanted it to be, which fits in well with the themes of the film. I do find it ironic that everyone is treating this film the same way the characters treat Arthur. It's a criticism of society itself, but most people won't have the self-awareness to see it.

3½ tears in the rain out of 5

Joker (2019)

"I just hope my death makes more cents [sic] than my life."

In an original origin story for the character, Arthur Fleck is a lonely, disturbed, misunderstood, put-upon man with a laughing disorder who is given to flights of fancy and bouts of anger and depression. Did they accidentally make a documentary of my life? Joaquin Phoenix turns in an award-winning performance as the struggling clown-for-hire/aspiring stand-up comedian who dreams about a better life; of being loved and respected by his peers. He cares for his ailing mother and becomes infatuated with his kindly neighbor. He tries to be a decent person and follow all of society's rules in spite of life's many injustices, until that tack just doesn't work anymore.

This standalone film in the DC universe owes its gritty roots to the filmography of Martin Scorsese; in particular, Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, but it stands on its own as a work of vigilante fiction. It's one of the best comic book adaptations ever made, precisely because it doesn't feel like one. They took all the wrong lessons from this when they attempted to replicate the formula for The Batman, and completely missed the mark of what makes this film feel so refreshing and brilliant.

5 tears of a clown out of 5

THE HANGOVER PART III [2013]

After the retread shittiness of the second film, it's nice to see director Todd Phillips put some care back into the final instalment of his Hangover series.
It ditches the "hangover" template of the story all together (you could be critical as to why it's called the Hangover then, but do you really want to bother wasting your time with something so silly?) and instead it allows the story to develop into a comedic manhunt/suspense film.  In a way it works quite well and in others it's a bit of a misstep as well.  There's a few good laughs to be had but at times it's just too dark or angry to fully enjoy it as supposedly funny film.  Hardcore fans of the series will eat it up but casual viewers will scratch their heads wondering if this is supposed to be funny or intense.

2½ coked up cocks out of 5

THE HANGOVER PART II [2011]

Todd Phillips' second instalment of the Hangover series lacks the element of surprise of the first and fails to bring anything really all that funny to the screen.

If not for the relocation from Las Vegas to Thailand the story would be an exact copy of the first one, only a bit more violent and grittier.  There's a few scattered laughs throughout the film but in the end, you can't help but feel that it's a result of screenwriting laziness and Hollywood producers eager to shit out a cash cow before it's fully cooked.

1 night in Bangkok out of 5

THE HANGOVER [2009]

It's a strange time when a vulgar & stupid film like Todd Phillips' fratboy humored The Hangover receives the critical adoration & awards one wouldn't expect it to.

I like to believe they gushed over it because it is pretty damned funny but sadly I'm willing to bet it's the box office intake that did it instead.  It's pretty much a fast-paced version of Dude, Where's My Car? set in Vegas and thankfully without Ashton Kutcher.  The characters are insanely underdeveloped, the premise and actions are overly outlandish and it will probably offend anyone who takes too much pride in their intelligence but if it's a buddy buddy film you're looking for then this is a good place to start.  

3 men and a baby out of 5

DUE DATE [2010]

Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Galifiankis star as two obnoxious unlikable characters in the roadtrip comedy Due Date.

While it supplies some great laughs, they are unfortunately few and far between.  As much as I hated the characters, the chemistry between the two stars made it bearable till the end.  A real shame.  It could have been so much more, given everyone involved in the film.

2½ Men out of 5