My Review of Joker: Folie A Deux (2024)

 

Written by Todd Phillips And Scott Silver

Directed by Todd Phillips

Lee (to Arthur): "I wanna see the real you."

Oh boy. In things I did not have on my 2024 Bingo Card, it would be how poorly received this sequel would be. Now I wasn't expecting another billion dollar hit but the way this follow up to 2019's Joker has gone down. It's definitely surprised me. Is the movie really that bad?

I'm going to be very contrarian here and say that, nope, it's not that bad. At the very worst, it's an average movie that tried it's hand at deconstruction (not unlike a certain other director) it's title character and the impact of said character's actions. Unfortunately it doesn't really pull it off as well as it wanted to.

You could say that was a deliberate choice on Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix's part to ensure they wouldn't be strong armed into doing a third movie. In that case, both of them succeeded with that particular goal in mind. There's no danger of a third movie ever happening.

Anyways, the movie itself. Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has been residing at Arkham State Hospital where he's become a figure of ridicule for the guards, specifically the brutish Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson). He's also being prepared by his lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) to stand trial for the five people he murdered in the previous movie.

During this time, romance also crept into his life in the form of fellow patient Harleen "Lee" Quinzel (Lady Gaga). She's determined to bring out his bad self and a failed escape attempt resulted in her being checked out of Arkham. Not that it matters as she was determined to be at his trial every step of the way.

For those of you who romanticise the Joker/Harley relationship, this movie won't be pleasing for you. It's another case of recent media presenting their union as wholly toxic, only this time with the roles reversed for Arthur and Lee. She's the corrosive influence and even when her lies are exposed, Arthur still won't give her up.

However as the trial proceeded and upstart DA Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) made it his mission to get Arthur the death penalty, the latter had his own epiphany of sorts. I guess it was the severe beatings or the testimonials of characters such as Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz) and Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill) but either way, Arthur gor a heavy reality check.

I get why the renouncing of his Joker persona would piss people off because it did somewhat undermine the first movie but at the same time, I think it mostly worked. However I wasn't surprised when Lee rejected him for rejecting the delusion and the end scene involving a certain inmate. Oh that scene will annoy people for years. Personally, it didn't bother me that much. I wonder why.

- A same sex kiss between Harleen and a woman outside the courthouse got removed but Arthur did give fellow inmate Ricky Meline (Jacob Lofland) his first kiss.

- There's an animated opening sequence that's blatantly alluding to Peter Pan, which summed up Arthur's mental state.

- In this continuity, Gotham actually is located in New York. It's usually not in other versions.

- Connor Storrie played the inmate who did that thing and might have referenced another Joker as well. Steve Coogan was also good in his scene as TV journalist Paddy Meyers.

- Standout music: There's a lot among the cast but the highlights include That's Entertainment, (They Long To Be) Close To You, For Once In My Life, When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) and That's Life.

- Chronology: November 8th was the end of trial and this movie was set two years after the events of the first one.

I think Joker: Folie A Deux should serve as a lesson that not everything needs further expansion on but a lesson that Hollywood will refuse to learn, no matter. The movie itself in my opinion was no better or worse than the first one and my only criticism in relation to the musical elements would be that the movie should've committed more to that idea. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are on good form with this movie being more disappointing than outright awful.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

DCEU Blog - Joker Sequel Goes Musical, The Sandman And Harley Quinn Get Release Dates And More

Okay this blog definitely has plenty to mull over with the first item of business being somewhat more serious than usual for here. 

At this point anyone reading this blog will be aware of the current situation with Ezra Miller (which seems to be getting worse), but what will it mean for The Flash? Truthfully no one seems to now but there are rumours that the WB will be dropping Miller from future projects. 

Black Adam premiered it's first trailer earlier in the month and will be releasing tie in comics for Hawkman, Dr Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone from July onwards. Test screenings have also rumoured another Superman appearance but not with Henry Cavill.

US fans will be able to buy a digital copy of Zack Snyder's Justice League from July 19th as part of a box set with Man Of Steel and Batman V. Superman.

Susan Sarandon has completed filming her scenes as Victoria Kord for the Blue Beetle movie.

Todd Philips has confirmed that the sequel for Joker will be titled, Joker: Folie A Deux with Joaquin Phoenix also back. The sequel is also rumoured to be a musical with Lady Gaga being eyed as the female lead.

According to more test screenings (take with a pinch of salt), Michael Keaton's Batman will also be appearing in Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom.

Rachel Zegler's character in Shazam! Fury Of The Gods is called Anne.

Netflix have released a first trailer for The Sandman, due for release on August 5th. The series will have ten episodes. Mark Hamill will voice Merv Pumpkinhead.

The animated movie, Green Lantern: Beware My Power will be released from July 26th.

The CW have released a trailer for the third season of Stargirl but have yet to confirm an air date for the returning series.

The third season of Harley Quinn will premiere on HBO Max from July 28th and will be ten episodes. Expect appearances from Amanda Waller, Swamp Thing, Nightwing, Constantine, Firefly and James Gunn to name a few.

The upcoming fourth season of Doom Patrol will contain twelve episodes. Release date yet to be confirmed.

Candice Patton has confirmed that she will be continuing her role as Iris West-Allen for the ninth season of The Flash.

That's everything for this month. Let's see what the next one brings in terms of DC content.

My Review of Joker (2019)

Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
Directed by Todd Phillips

Arthur Fleck: "For my whole life, I didn't know if I even really existed. But I do, and people are starting to notice."

Has there been a film in recent memory that has really stoked this much controversy over nothing? For months, it seems that certain segments of the media have had some of the most hysterical, overreaction takes on this movie and to be honest, it's given this whole thing more power than they intended.

Now I'm going to break this down in simple terms. This isn't a movie for incels or one that encourages violent behaviour but neither is it a movie that's as deep or as profound as it would like to be. It certainly tries as but much as co-writer and director Todd Phillips insists otherwise, this is a comic book movie through and through, albeit a rather dark and grim one but given the subject matter in question, that's hardly an issue for me.

It's 1981 and Gotham is on the brink of poverty. Mentally ill Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is struggling in every aspect of his life. His comedy career is a non starter and mostly sees him as an object of ridicule while his delusional and emotionally abusive mother, Penny (Frances Conroy) obsesses over billionaire Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) and would be love interest Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz) is more terrified than charmed by Arthur.

This is a movie with a macabre sense of humour and an overall bleakness that doesn't let up from start to finish. It's largely anchored by a masterful performance from Phoenix, who encapsulates this more grounded take on a classic villain but make no mistake here, Arthur is a villain and this is a villain origin story from start to finish.

Yes, Arthur is beaten down (figuratively and literally), lied to, rejected, humiliated but he snaps long before then when he kills those businessmen in the subway station and then his mother out of anger when he learns the real truth about his heritage really showed that it didn't take that much for him to snap altogether.

The movie teased the idea of doing something really controversial by making Arthur and Bruce Wayne half brothers, but ultimately balks at the end as we get a more damning insight into Penny's delusions and to be honest, she's one of the few victims of Arthur's who I felt no sympathy for, especially as Arthur learns about her past.

I did however feel sympathetic for talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert DeNiro) getting gunned down on live television as well as the unsettling (but off screen) fate for poor Sophie. Not to mention that Arthur's inadvertent call to arms resulting in a certain boy's destiny being changed forever.

However the last couple of minutes of the movie did make me wonder how much of what we saw actually happened. Arthur's a very unreliable narrator throughout the movie but the last few minutes even more so. The end scene, I can't decide whether it was a satisfying or a frustrating way to end this whole thing but the moment he really became the Joker was an obvious highlight from the whole thing.

- Despite Phillips insistence of not being a comic book fan, there did seem like there was some shades of The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight in this movie. DeNiro's role is a clear nod to The King Of Comedy as well.
- There's rumours of this movie being the start of a DC Black Label movie franchise and despite it's success, they'd be unwise to do another villain origin story.
- There's some rather obvious music choices in this movie (the use of Smile for example) but the best music is from composer, Hildur Guðnadóttir who absolutely deserves to get the chance to compose another DC movie.
- Chronology: 1981 in Gotham City.

Joker is an oddity of a movie. I knew I wasn't going to be madly in love with it when I went to see it but I also knew that I wasn't going to loathe it either. The script itself feels a tad self-indulgent and it's largely Phoenix's performance that anchors the whole thing as no-one else is really given the chance to shine. It is however an engaging movie but one that needs to remain a one-off in it's own little world for it's own sake.

Rating: 7 out of 10

A Glimpse At The DCEU's Future (Rumours, Spoilers, Speculation, etc) - EDITED

The last few weeks and following the release of Shazam! in the cinemas, it seems that the future of the DCEU will be having more shake ups as developments on further movies, including casting speculations have surfaced.

The Batman: After months of effective radio silence to the point where some people feared this movie was going to be scrapped/delayed, could we be close to finding out who will succeed Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight? It seems so, apparently. According to the latest rumours, the likely candidate to don the cape and cowl will be Robert Pattinson but other sources are also claiming that Nicholas Hoult is in with a chance of playing the Caped Crusader as well. Between the two, I think I'd prefer Pattinson, but either way it's starting to feel real now. Other rumours surfacing about Matt Reeves movie will be that somewhere between two to six villains will appear in the film, among them Catwoman and Penguin as well as filming to start in London in late 2019. After so much delay and little information, we're finally getting the goods on this one. (June 25th 2021).

It's now been confirmed that Robert Pattinson is Batman with his casting finally confirmed. The reaction seems to be rather positive so far and other rumours are surfacing that both Robin and the Riddler may also be appearing in the movie. More casting details should emerge fairly soon.

The Suicide Squad: Right now, this movie doesn't know whether it wants to be a straight up sequel, reboot or spiritual successor as James Gunn (also rehired by the MCU to complete his Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy) is planning to bring back most of the big hitters from David Ayer's 2016 hit - Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flagg), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang) and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) while adding new players into the mix. Initially Idris Elba was cast to replace Will Smith as Deadshot but will now play a different role in the movie. David Dastmalchian and Daniela Melchior have been cast as Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher, while John Cena has been also cast in an undisclosed role. The movie will also feature Peacemaker, King Shark and an unknown alien female character and could be pulling from the Onslaught story arc. (August 6th 2021).

New Gods: Yeah, I haven't been really too bothered about this one but it seems after months of nothing that some progress has been made with this one as well. First of all, Ava Duvernay is still directing the feature and she's got a co-writer in the shape of Tom King. The latter has been a writer for DC comics for a while having penned Mister Miracle (which will be handy for this one), Batman and the rather polarising Heroes In Crisis event series. Both of them have been pretty hit and miss in their creative endeavors but perhaps they might make for a decent match with this particular project and unlike a certain Scarlet Speedster, at least we're slightly closer to this movie actually happening in the next few years. (Date TBC).

- Joker (October 4th) released a trailer last month, generating a pretty positive reaction. There are rumours of a controversial plot twist in the movie that will go against usual mythology for the character.
- DC Vertigo have released a trailer for upcoming crime drama, The Kitchen, starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss. The movie will hit cinemas August 9th.
- Wonder Woman 1984 (June 5th 2020) has seemingly confirmed that Pedro Pascal's character is actually Maxwell Lord. Patty Jenkins also has ideas for a third movie, which will be set in the present day.
- Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) (February 7th 2020) will feature the Joker in a flashback sequence, though for now it seems that Jared Leto will not be reprising the role, but a body double instead.
- Aquaman's sequel has been confirmed for a December 16th 2022 released. The Trench are also rumoured to be getting a movie, due for release before the sequel.
- Shazam! will also be getting a sequel, though no date has been set yet for it.
- According to Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam could be going into production next year. I got to admit, I still have my doubts about this one actually happening.
- It seems both Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher's contracts have ran out this month, leaving their future in the DCEU in doubt.
- Other rumoured movies for development in the last few months have been Gotham City Sirens and Plastic Man to name but a few. Supergirl is also being rumoured to begin filming in the first quarter of 2020, though a director has yet to be confirmed.
- Right now, there isn't any hope for crossover events with other movies as each movie will continue to be it's own thing for the time being.

Well, I think that covers everything for now but the next few weeks and undoubtedly, SDCC 2019 should be interesting in revealing more of what the future holds for the DCEU.

DCEU - Big Changes Announced

Following the success of Aquaman clocking in over 1 billion worldwide last week, the future of the DCEU and general movie universe seems to be on the up. Here's what we can expect in the next three years.

Shazam: Due out on April 5th, we've already had a trailer and several set pics and some behind the scenes photos for this entertaining romp starring Zachary Levi and Asher Angel as Billy Batson/Shazam respectively, going up against Mark Strong's Dr Sivana. Recent spoilers have indicted that as well as meeting the Shazam family, we'll also be seeing the Deadly Sins in this movie, which even director David F. Sandberg has alluded to being as a superhero version of Big.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJCbtNZ18O8

Joker: Due out on October 4th, this film has finished filming and over the last few months, not only did we get a brief glimpse of Joaquin Phoenix transform from struggling comedian Arthur Fleck to the Clown Prince of Crime himself but the cast has also filled out too. Joining Phoenix in this film are Frances Conroy, Robert DeNiro, Zazie Beeetz and Marc Maron to name a few. Brett Cullen will be playing a more antagonistic version of Thomas Wayne while Dante Pereira-Olson and Douglas Hodge will be playing Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth respectively.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x0mwDykMfI

Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn):  Yep, it's one long title and this month, it finally began filming with a February 7th 2020 release date confirmed. The movie will see Margot Robbie reprise her role as Harley Quinn, now free from the Joker and allying herself with Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett Bell) and Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in order to protect Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from Black Mask (Ewan McGregor) and serial killer, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina). Rosie Perez also stars as an older Renee Montoya and a brief trailer was released this week to give people a sense of what Cathy Yan's movie will be like tonally. There's also rumours that we might be getting a trilogy here, which will also bring in Gotham City Sirens to the table as well.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrQTDDbti1Y

Wonder Woman 1984: The sequel to the much loved 2017 film has been pushed back to June 5th 2020 and while that's a bit of a bummer, it does give them more time to touch up some of the special effects they'll need for Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) no doubt. The movie will see Gal Gadot and Chris Pine reprise their roles as Diana Prince and Steve Trevor respectively in an 80's setting while Pedro Pascal, Natasha Rothwell, Ravi Patel, Gabriella Wilde, Kristoffer Polaha, and child actress Oakley Bull have been cast in undisclosed roles. Fans of Hippolyta (Connie Nielson) and Antiope (Robin Wright) should be delighted that both characters are back for this movie while director Patty Jenkins is already hinting at doing a third movie set in the present day.

The Batman: After months of silence, WB and DC set social media trending last night but not only finally confirming that Ben Affleck will no longer be playing the Caped Crusader but that Matt Reeves movie will have a June 25th 2021 release date and that his movie will be  detective story that will feature various members of Batman's Rogues Gallery to boot. I liked Affleck in the role but having a new Batman is the right move here and Reeves movie will clearly be a further break from the Snyder era of the DCEU, which isn't strictly a bad thing either. Also going by a recent interview, I get the impression that Matt's movie will be influenced by the likes of The Long Halloween and Hush, albeit an original story though. Really cannot wait for this movie. There will be another blog next week on characters I'd like to see appear in this one, some of whom are overdue a big screen outing.

The Suicide Squad: A couple of months, it was more or less confirmed that former Guardians Of The Galaxy director, James Gunn would be taking over for the sequel of David Ayer's divisive 2016 hit. Now, it's confirmed that Gunn will not only helm the movie, which is being touted as reboot with mostly a new cast but that the movie will also be released August 6th 2021. Personally I'm iffy on this one but I am hoping that Gunn at least keeps both Deadshot (Will Smith) and Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). As for whether or not Margot Robbie will reprise her role as Harley Quinn, that seems to be up in the air for now.

Batman Beyond: This month, the popular spin-off from Batman: The Animated Series celebrated it's 20th anniversary and with Terry's adventures continuing in the current Rebirth comics, it seems that an animated movie (with an Asian-American voice actor in mind, casting wise) is being touted for 2022 while DC's Super Pets will be released in May 21st 2021 as well. Out of the two, another adventure for Terry is the more appealing but it's nice to see that following the surprise success of Aquaman that DC are finally pulling out the stops again. We're still a bit away from getting anything concrete on New Gods or The Flash movies but I'm sure we'll know in due course what's going on with them.

More Information: https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/01/30/dc-films-new-batman-and-suicide-squad-movies-get-release-dates/#ebe4e6535921

So what do you think, DC fans? Pretty exciting stuff ahead, am I right?