Joker (2019) Review

 “You don't listen, do you? You just ask the same questions every week. How's you job? Are you having any negative thoughts? All I have are negative thoughts.”

  I’ve been a lifelong fan of DC, particularly Batman and the wide range of villains that try to wreak havoc on Gotham. The villains make Batman and a majority of them are quite interesting. The Joker definitely being one of those interesting characters. So when it was announced that Joaquin Phoenix was going to be playing the Joker, the film became one of my most anticipated films of 2019. I’ve always wanted to see a film focusing on just the Joker. It even won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. So my hype for the film was off the roof. It’s safe to say now after seeing the film that it was worthy of all the hype it has received. Essentially it’s about a damaged man being brought down so many times that he finally snaps.

    The film centers on Arthur Fleck. He’s a hired clown performer by day and a failed stand up comedian by night. He struggles to keep the apartment for he and his mother to live in. Arthur is an outsider who suffers from a disorder caused by severe head trauma that triggers him to laugh uncontrollably at the most inappropriate time. When he’s hurting or upset and wants to cry, he laughs. His powerlessness to control his emotions repeatedly causes him harm. He’s trying to get as much work as possible during the economic decline of Gotham. Arthur has been so badly mistreated in the city that he is given a gun to protect himself. At first he declines, but caves in knowing he does need to protect himself. When he’s ambushed and being pushed over the edge, Arthur finally defends himself by shooting the men hurting him. Instead of feeling remorse for killing them, he feels nothing. It’s at this moment where he descends into madness becoming the Joker. Also creating Gotham’s working class to rise up all by shooting those three men. Bringing crime and chaos to Gotham.

 I think the critics have lost their way. We have hardly any more good critics anymore. Most of them are paid off and don’t even know what a good movie is. As Roger Ebert wannabe Glenn Kenny stated, “Joker is pernicious garbage”. Then again that guy seems not to enjoy any film. If you don’t love movies why even be a film critic. The critics are doing the same thing they did to Alita. Giving the film a bad score, while the audience score is way higher. Just look at the difference in ratings.

   There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the film due to the film’s depiction of violence. The film doesn’t endorse or romanticize violence in my opinion. The Joker has always been a violent criminal who commits monstrous crimes. Just read the Killing Joke. It’s who his character is. There’s been a whole lot more films more violent that also romanticize the violence.

  The acting is great especially from Phoenix. He’s one of my favorite actors working today (check out You Were Never Really Here). He brought his own flare to the Joker and has gifted moviegoers with a performance of a lifetime. He might even get an Oscar nomination and win. I forgot I was even watching Joaquin Phoenix on the screen, to me I was watching Arthur Fleck becoming the Joker. He truly lost himself in the character. He even captured the Joker's laugh spot on. I will go on to say that he is the best Joker to date.  There were times in the film when he was being hurt, abused, and how he was reacting to things that I discovered myself wanting to help him when no one else would. That’s great acting and directing. The rest of the cast fit in the film perfectly.

   Gotham City is a shady, gritty, and filthy place in Joker. Its atmosphere fits the film well. There’s smog, graffiti, and garbage everywhere. It’s the way Gotham City should look like, not cartoony like the Schumacher films. Gotham City in the film is like the perfect blend of Burton and Nolan set in the 80s. It’s more realistic because that’s how I’d imagine Gotham City would actually look like. You can tell the Joker is a byproduct of his environment. This Gotham could turn the nicest person into something despicable. So not only does the film have the best Joker portrayal, but also the best portrayal of Gotham City.

    Phillips and Phoenix have created a beautifully dark beautiful film. It’s a dark origin story that makes us feel sympathy for the Joker. The film feels like it could exist in the Nolan-verse. The film is many things: it’s an in depth character study, how society forms individuals and should society be held responsible for their actions, how prescribing people too much medication may cause more harm than good, and how society is corrupt.

  The direction is good, the score is remarkable, the cinematography is great along with the set decoration, and phenomenal acting from the cast.  The story and depiction of the Joker is convincingly intense and psychologically scary. I’m glad that the film took a lot of risks. I kind of wish more films took risks like Joker, but sadly I know they won’t. I personally believe that the film will be talked about for years to come. It’s hands down a masterpiece. The film definitely isn’t for everyone, but I do recommend that you to see it. I can’t wait for more future ‘DC BLACK’ films.

5 out of 5

Alita Battle Angel (2019) Review

Hugo: We go back we'll be on the run forever

Alita: But we'll be on the run together

 I’ve been a huge fan of Battle Angel Alita for over twenty years. I read the manga, watched the OVA, played the PlayStation game, and listened to the soundtracks multiple times. So naturally I was stoked when it was announced that 20th Century Fox purchased the rights and that James Cameron was involved with it... this was nearly twenty years ago. I waited patiently for it and waited some more. Then the trailer was released and I was super excited for it. Then the release date kept getting pushed back. So I waited some more. Was Alita Battle Angel worth my many years waiting? Why yes, yes it was.

  Alita Battle Angel isn’t a perfect film, but then again what film is other than Blade Runner 2049? I only have one minor complaint about the film and that’s all. Usually when I watch films nowadays I can’t help, but to find many faults in the film. I didn’t really do that with Alita. 

     The film is about disembodied female cyborg that still has a fully intact brain and heart who is found by an idealistic scientist who repairs her. She awakens, but cannot remember who she is and goes on a quest to discover who she is. She finds her humanity, willingly opens her heart to those she loves, and in the process takes out narcissistic robotic guys who underestimate her power due to her innocent demeanor. The love story is believable and I don’t understand that critics said it wasn’t believable since she has a cyborg body, but they loved 'HER' where the protagonist falls in love with an operating system.

   Usually when a film has a big budget, like Alita did, that usually means the company wants to franchise it. Milk it for all it’s worth. That’s why I don’t really like the films they think will be blockbusters because they really push the 3D on it. It’s not 3D because it’s not even shot in 3D. It’s shot in 2D and converted into 3D, an example being Clash of the Titans. The 3D with those types of films are just bad and nauseating in my opinion. The 3D films that James Cameron are involved in are truly phenomenal from Avatar to Life of Pi and now Alita. The 3D offers more visual delight to the whole film experience.

   Alita could very well be a franchise for one reason… and that’s actually Alita. Franchises are based on the protagonist. This is why films that were made to be franchises like Mortal Instruments fail because people just don’t like them. Then others succeed like Lord of the Rings or Indiana Jones. I hope that Alita will be just as iconic or more so than Katniss (Hunger Games) or any of the X-Men. The film definitely needs to make Fast & Furious type of money. She’s a character that is made for a franchise.

 

    Rosa Salazar shines as Alita. She’s everything you want a protagonist to be. You just can’t help, but to root for her. She’s more than a strong badass female character. She loves, she kills, and she’s driven by a strong moral code. “I do not stand by in the presence of evil,” she tells her opponent. It’s certainly clear she means it as well. Alita is a marvel of what CGI can do. So with Salazar’s terrific performance and adding that CGI really steps up those anime aspects. Then there’s Christoph Waltz as Dr. Ido. Of course he gave a good performance as he plays her father figure in a way. Keenan Johnson played Hugo perfectly as well. I was happy with all the performances. All the actors did justice to their characters.

    My only complaint about the film is that it has some awkward dialogue due to its narrative. The film has so much going on and it definitely doesn’t have the 2049 level of storytelling. It’s understandable since for the most part it follows the manga and James Cameron is involved so it means not much dialogue.

   I don’t understand what’s going on with critics nowadays. It has a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes by the critics, while the general every day audience gave it a 94%. It kind of reminds me of the Last Jedi, but in reverse. The critics gave it a 91% while the audience gave it a 45% (which deserves to be lower in my opinion).

   If you love anime/ manga you’ll love Alita Battle Angel. There’s big eyes, humungous swords, slow motion, eye popping color, and enough action to fuel a city. The Motorball scene is a beautiful ballet of cyborg bloodshed. It’s as if Robocop and Blade Runner had a baby and named her Alita.

   I found it to be a great adaption, especially Alita herself. She was perfect in every way. It was easy to forget that she’s CGI. Forget Captain Marvel Alita is the superhero film you need to see. I really hope it does well overseas so they greenlight the two planned sequels. It’s one of the best action films I’ve witnessed since MAD MAX Fury Road and John Wick. It’s arguably the best live-action film based on a manga and in the top science fiction films. It’s safe to say Alita Battle Angel is one of the greatest cinema experiences of my life. If it doesn’t get a sequel, much like Blade Runner 2049, I’ll just be happy that the film exists and I was able to see it as many times as I could.

5 out of 5

See it on the biggest screen possible and definitely in 3D.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) Review

Lucy: Emmet, you’ve got to stop pretending everything is awesome. It isn’t.

Emmet: Yeah, I get it. And that’s why I’ve cultivated a totally hard-edged side that’s super tough and, look, look, a shooting star! Make a wish!

     In 2014, the LEGO Movie defied all expectations and ended up being a delightful and colorful adventure for both children and adults. I expected it to be a cheap cash grab that was just going to be a toy advert, but what we got was a nostalgic magical film. In the five years since, we’ve gotten two spin-offs: the great LEGO BATMAN Movie and the forgettable LEGO NINJAGO movie. I enjoyed the LEGO BATMAN Movie more, but that’s because of my dry humor and I’m a major Batman fan. So after five years waiting and two spin-offs we finally got a direct sequel. So was it worth the wait?

  

    Well of course it was worth the wait. It doesn’t match the quality of the first film, but it comes close and does it justice. The first one focused on a father and son eventually bonding over LEGOs. Now this time it expands on the human characters as it centers on the brother and sister’s relationship as an analogy for what’s happening with Emmet and his friends. Emmet has to travel to the Systar System to save his friends and to prevent “Ourmomageddon”. The story was simple, but was rather satisfying and charming. It provided some heartwarming lessons that everyone could enjoy. These lessons include: sharing is caring, bridging the gaps among friends and family, respecting one another, and compromise.

  A big part of the success of this film is the voice cast. Chris Pratt returns as lovable Emmet. Will Arnett is of course Batman who is once again the scene-stealer. Most of the cast returns from the first one other than Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. The new additions to the film are Jason Momoa that voices Aquaman, Margot Robbie voices Harley Quinn, Bruce Willis voices Bruce Willis, my spirit animal Richard Ayoade plays an ice cream cone, Noel Fielding plays a sparking Noel Fielding… I mean vampire, and Tiffany Haddish voices Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi. Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi and Batman stole the film for me. She wants to marry Batman, but as he tells her “I’m a bat-chelor!” The new supporting cast of characters are great, but actually one of my complaints about this film is that the supporting characters from the first film didn’t have much to do and were just wasted.

   The addicting catchy tune, “Everything is Awesome” returns along with a couple more addicting tunes. One of them being titled, “Catchy Song” where they repeat the lyric “this song is gonna get stuck inside your head.” Then there’s ‘Gotham City Guys’, which involves… yep you guessed it! Batman! The jokes are non stop and well written. The animation has improved quite a bit in five years.

    The LEGO Movie 2: the Second Part is in many ways like the original. It has the same dry humor, cast, and they even have a catchy song or two that’ll get stuck in your head. It’s an unconventional animated film for all ages. There are scenes made for children to laugh and then the humor for adults to pick up on. The animation is appealing. The film is definitely worth a watch. So if you want to have a fun time with lots of glitter, desolation, Apocalyptic Batman, Glittery Batman, Batman’s Wedding (take that Selina Kyle), an ice cream cone played by Richard Ayoade and a glittery vampire played by his buddy Noel Fielding… then this film is for you. One last thing, what kind of jobs do these parents in the film have? Because who can afford all those LEGOS. They’re super expensive even when they are on sale!

3.9 out of 5