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I've put on syriana maybe a hundred times, and I'm finally understanding what's going on.
 
Saw a matinee of Joker today and it was certainly something. Marvel movies are pure popcorn, but other than fan service are kind of forgettable or don't have a lasting shelf life until the next one. I thought Logan was one of the best (if flawed) because it was committed to being pretty deep and complex. I'd put Joker in that company, but I had a few issues with it.

First off, even without the makeup Joaquin Phoenix owned that performance. Full stop. His detail of mental illness and narcissism with a slow boil of anger was mesmerizing. The hype train have already handed him the Oscar, but of the movies I've seen this year I think this might have set a bar. The Academy likes bad guys and are now a little more open to comic book movies.

It might be worth a future second viewing (but not too soon, because the movie is haunting). I like the nuances of the filmmaking and the clear differences and descent of Arthur Fleck. Makes me want to write a deep dive analysis on the importance of soundtrack, identity, and the odd dance numbers. Once again, mesmerizing stuff.

Probably what I disliked about the movie was the comic book aspects. I'm not referring to the actual Joker, but the connections to the Batman continuity. I won't go into detail, but I believe the same story could have been told without referencing or using any Wayne stuff. There's one scene I would omit altogether which comes across as a studio request rather than supporting the narrative.
It's been awhile since I've seen a raw movie like this that comes across as pure punk rock. I mean it by, here's an unflinching look at a mentally ill person, and yet it's hard to turn away. There was some absolutely iconic imagery in here. Well worth the price of a ticket. A- / B+ for me all the way.
 
Joker I probably give a 7.5/10.

Joaquin Phoenix gives an Oscar-worthy performance. His portrayal of Arthur Fleck actually made me feel uncomfortable. Brilliant acting.

That being said, I felt like I was watching a character study that just happened to have comic book elements thrown in around it. It didn’t really feel like there was an actual plot to the movie, other than, “Hey, look, it’s the Joker! He’s crazy!”

Certainly not a bad movie, but outside of Phoenix’s performance, the whole thing felt kind of hollow.
 
Joker I probably give a 7.5/10.

Joaquin Phoenix gives an Oscar-worthy performance. His portrayal of Arthur Fleck actually made me feel uncomfortable. Brilliant acting.

That being said, I felt like I was watching a character study that just happened to have comic book elements thrown in around it. It didn’t really feel like there was an actual plot to the movie, other than, “Hey, look, it’s the Joker! He’s crazy!”

Certainly not a bad movie, but outside of Phoenix’s performance, the whole thing felt kind of hollow.

Couldn’t agree more. I thought joaquin phoenix was incredible - like Oscar-nomination worthy. He puts so much into the movie - even his emaciated body is tough to look at. The movie itself though felt like it was trying to be more profound than it was. Like they wanted to make the new “Taxi Driver”, or an arthouse movie about mental illness or class disparity, but there wasn’t any depth to it. Everything it wants to be about was addressed only at the surface level. That being said, it was still entertaining and memorable, and Phoenix was so good that the whole movie was made better. 8/10 for me.
 
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Inside llewyn Davis is fantastic
 
Watched Joker. Agree with previous reviews. @Marcus and @ACisKING

I got the Taxi Driver and I’ll add American Psycho vibe as well.

Really fucking well done, Phoenix amazing, atmospheric. Think it achieved what it desired.

The pure heaviness of the movie made it super difficult to stick with. I don’t mean that it was boring, just difficult to sympathize with the character once he started to fall apart. I understood how we were being manipulated to root for him but it was just so heavy for so long that I was drained early and by the time he made his move, it was tough to climb on board with him. It was as if he got kicked too many times.

I understand it wasnt going to be a rip-rollicking ride and that I was in for heavy, but by the time we got to his speech (which felt forced and even a little hackneyed) I really didn’t like him that much.
 
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Watched Hereditary a few nights ago for the first time, as the girlfriend and I are trying to burn through several horror movies a week this month. I liked almost everything about the movie aside from the ending, which was a bit of a letdown. I thought the film did a wonderful job of weaving together a compelling story with a building sense of dread throughout, along with a couple of "holy shit" moments, one of which was relatively early in the film and caught me completely off guard. The last act was just kind of meh, though. Not bad, but it didn't really live up to the first two acts of the film.

The movie is gorgeously shot and brilliantly edited, though, so bonus points for that. They do a great job of throwing in seemingly innocuous lines that are important, though, and it's a very well-structured movie. I think I appreciated it more than the girlfriend because I took a bunch of film classes in college and can get into a well-made movie, whereas the ending kind of killed the whole experience for her.

Worth watching, though. I'll give it a 7.5 out of 10. Definitely one of the better recent horror movies I've seen. I'd say it's up there with Get Out as a more artistic horror film experience rather than the standard paint by numbers slasher flick.
 
Watched Hereditary a few nights ago for the first time, as the girlfriend and I are trying to burn through several horror movies a week this month. I liked almost everything about the movie aside from the ending, which was a bit of a letdown. I thought the film did a wonderful job of weaving together a compelling story with a building sense of dread throughout, along with a couple of "holy shit" moments, one of which was relatively early in the film and caught me completely off guard. The last act was just kind of meh, though. Not bad, but it didn't really live up to the first two acts of the film.

The movie is gorgeously shot and brilliantly edited, though, so bonus points for that. They do a great job of throwing in seemingly innocuous lines that are important, though, and it's a very well-structured movie. I think I appreciated it more than the girlfriend because I took a bunch of film classes in college and can get into a well-made movie, whereas the ending kind of killed the whole experience for her.

Worth watching, though. I'll give it a 7.5 out of 10. Definitely one of the better recent horror movies I've seen. I'd say it's up there with Get Out as a more artistic horror film experience rather than the standard paint by numbers slasher flick.

Agree with everything you say including what you say about the final act.

When I describe movies as heavy, that was another movie that was heavy. The Witch had it too.

Great directors know how to work the audience with the soundtrack, character development and setting. Isolation really does it for me. Joker felt really isolated even with it being in NYC. As did Hereditary.
 
Agree with everything you say including what you say about the final act.

When I describe movies as heavy, that was another movie that was heavy. The Witch had it too.

Great directors know how to work the audience with the soundtrack, character development and setting. Isolation really does it for me. Joker felt really isolated even with it being in NYC. As did Hereditary.

Yup. It was definitely heavy. Best thing about Hereditary was just the way, as I mentioned, that the dread just builds and builds and builds. That was what made the last act disappointing, because I didn't really feel it properly paid off that building dread.

I know Midsommar has seen mixed reviews on here, but I am actually looking forward to watching it simply because Hereditary was so well made. I feel like, even if the movie isn't great, it's probably at least going to be enjoyable to watch.
 
Yup. It was definitely heavy. Best thing about Hereditary was just the way, as I mentioned, that the dread just builds and builds and builds. That was what made the last act disappointing, because I didn't really feel it properly paid off that building dread.

I know Midsommar has seen mixed reviews on here, but I am actually looking forward to watching it simply because Hereditary was so well made. I feel like, even if the movie isn't great, it's probably at least going to be enjoyable to watch.

Have you seen The Witch?

Lighthouse looks really good too. Same guy.
 
Yup. It was definitely heavy. Best thing about Hereditary was just the way, as I mentioned, that the dread just builds and builds and builds. That was what made the last act disappointing, because I didn't really feel it properly paid off that building dread.

I know Midsommar has seen mixed reviews on here, but I am actually looking forward to watching it simply because Hereditary was so well made. I feel like, even if the movie isn't great, it's probably at least going to be enjoyable to watch.

I agree with this. Last act and the acting of the son were really poor to me. Will hold off on commenting about Midsommar until you see it.
 

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