Joker [DVD] [2019]

The fracturing of a man filmed well but lacking at times due to pace poor use of setting
It’s no fight club or even a falling down but if you can settle in for the slow burn the circling of the drain of arthur’s final care in the world is a compelling watch.

Not much to do with even the dark night version of the DC setting shows to date (familiar names/positions but that’s about the end of it) but thankfully despite the poor use of the setting the movie can carry itself well as long as you are not put off by the utterly sluggish opening half.

Superb
After many years not being a fan of DC and Marvel movies I think I recently stated in a review that I am finally getting on board with so many others, just not a total fanatic that buys every action figure and highly priced collection piece that is available. There is and has been some actors that are a bit wacky in real life that has certainly helped their career, Jack Nicholson, Bette Davis ( Bette Davis eyes ), Gary Busey the man filmmakers are frightened to cast, etc etc. Actors that can easily pull off a mad character because they a bit eccentric, melancholy, in the acting world they are what Amadeus was in the classical music world ie overly energetic and sometimes compromised personalities. Not sure if Mr. Phoenix is in that category? I don’t know a great deal about him as an actor or his personal life. But his portrayal off the Joker must be his greatest role and the highlight of his film career. His performance was nothing short off brilliant, even though De Niro had a small part in the film, Phoenix was the leading star and this was his film. The film itself was dark, the way his character evolved into the Joker was excellent. I truly and totally enjoyed this film and 100% recommend it. Maybe I am a bit nuts too!

A Mask Slips
‘Joker’ starring Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous Batman arch-villain is a 2019 box-office smash hit and it is easy to see why. This is not your standard-fare, DC Comics type film — Bruce Wayne appearing only fleetingly as a child — rather a delineation of The Joker’s rise from failed comedian and entertainer to prominence as Batman’s future bte noire. Perhaps worthwhile mentioning I am no super-hero fan though I did like Batman as a child and still to this day believe the 1989 film starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson offers terrific entertainment.
But Joker is no child’s film, contrarily a frightful insight into the mind of the psychopathic, narcissistic, personality disordered Joker, otherwise known as Arthur Fleck. Joker, while a gripping watch is at nub a scrutiny of mental illness at the extreme of extremes yet the basic ingredients of how or why people become that way are all there for viewers to see; significant research evidently having gone in to capturing the mindset of a personality badly gone wrong. And all masterfully depicted by screen titan and method actor Phoenix.
There are many simultaneously yet asynchronous moving parts within Joker’s personality constitution, most to this day poorly understood, certainly in wider public domain. Many associate narcissism with literal love of one’s own reflection but the condition transcends this notion over and again, in truth comprising a serious mental illness, only now rising in popular conscious or awareness. As such, narcissism is a term bandied about sans comprehension, typically on social media where spurned lovers vent at ‘narcissistic’ ex-love interests, attributing all gone wrong to outside failings through ‘gaslighting’ (gaslighting in its most basic form is projecting or pinning one’s own weaknesses, vulnerabilities or shortcomings onto a subject of interest in the hope of eliciting a reaction, thence satisfying the need for Supply) when the truth regularly lies closer to home. At the core of it all in layman’s terms is ‘the want to be wanted’ (see Cheap Trick for those light-hearted or U2’s With or Without You for the more serious as audible representations of narcissistic mind-set), many experts in psychoanalysis believing the source of the issue to lie with rejection — oftentimes parental rejection as is essentially the case with Phoenix’s Joker whose own mother was all abusive, narcissistic herself, besides a deeply de-stabilising influence. In order to make up this perceived deficit, narcissists will go to extravagant, eye-catching lengths to gain recognition, positive or negative. Love, sexual desire, adulation, dependence or fame; it matters little whom the source of Narcissistic Supply is – their own children (dependence), a lover (sexual desire), an audience or societal grouping (fame and adulation), with these last pertinent to Joker here as an aspiring comedian.
Phoenix’s Joker suffers a succession of personally catastrophic narcissistic injuries, the two ‘biggies’ being the realisation he was in fact adopted, coupled with a public ridiculing at the hands of long-term hero, Robert De Niro’s Murray Franklin, during an episode of Franklin’s talk-show. Both, congruent to that already stipulated, have rejection at their core. There is something tragic-comical about Fleck’s early appearances in the film as he is first brought onto Franklin’s stage as an all-round, mummy-loving nice guy who laps up audience adulation, which in real-world terms, would be very much of condescending, there goes the freak-show sort. The Joker’s mask or make-up is symbolic on several levels: most importantly it is his jovial, fun-loving front to the world when within lies a deeply disturbed, permanently unsettled human being. As demonstrated skilfully by Phoenix here as Fleck/Joker, the image presented to the world by narcissists is very much incongruent to what they actually are behind the mask. Such can shed tears, such can laugh, such can create friendships, such can present themselves as the best parents in the world but the truth would suggest there is little to no genuine outbound empathy or relatability at work. Pyschopathy, sociopathy, personality disorders and narcissism are individual, conceivably inter-related afflictions all with one common characteristic, the inability to understand or be mindful of others’ feelings. But this is not to state all psychopaths are narcissists etc, etc. Many sufferers in actuality loathe themselves at some level.
Joker is almost exclusively centred upon exactly that individual as we incrementally witness that mask mentioned slip into dark, destructive insanity. Filmed in New York, Gotham has come to be considered the accepted, fictional equivalent of that metropolis, Joker unravelling amidst the steams and stews of less-than salubrious neighbourhoods, with all the colour or otherwise these bring. As a triumphant crescendo, Joker is shown in his element, celebrated and cheered by a riotous sub-cultural following, quite apart from new source of Supply — why, who by or wherefores matter little to Fleck: he is accepted by somebody.

Superb acting by JP
Didn’t fancy this until my son recommended it. I know it’s comic book but boy does it highlight the ravages of poverty and poor access to mental health services. I am 57 and have rarely seen acting by JP as superb as this

Absolutely Brillia
Superb performance from Joaquin Phoenix, he made that character, totally engrossing

Mind blowing
This has got to be one if the best films i have seen in a long time . At points it was funny sad and unpredictable it made you feel so bad for the joker , when you see and understand what he went through as a child and most certainly as an adult you can sympathise with him . Theres one point in the film where you can see he has changed for good and he will never be the same again . This film shows the slow mental decline of a person and its not at all a nice thing to see but its reality it happens all the time in society, this is why it was heavely criticised so much by the woke generations when it first came out because people dont like the reality of this film because they can see themselves looking back at them .

Phoenix Is Superb!
Incredible acting by Phoenix!

Notwithstanding any negative reviews regarding this masterpiece (there’s a reason why just 2% were not happy, (and 81% were) which included complaints about anything BUT the film itself), this is a must-see.

Some reviews complained that the film has little to do with it’s ‘Super Hero’ histrionics. In fact, it has everything to do with it.

Joker’s of the past, have all had a complicated personality, which has included deviant / abnormal behaviour.
This could only have arisen from someone with a learned, warped view of peers, family and society, which was in fact, demonstrated within the film itself.

Faultless acting by Joaquin Phoenix!

Fantastic acting but long-winded.
This was obviously aiming for a Taxi-Driver / King of Comedy feel and pulls it off( especially with De Nero in the cast). I can see why it was lauded so much but I thought they laid on Joker’s problems a bit thick to be honest. It just rumbled on from one horrible event to another: all back story and no plot.That’s the only thing stopping it being a 5 star film in my view.

Outstanding
Joaquin Phoenix is one of my favourite actors and he doesn’t disappoint in this movie! He’s incredible as The Joker. Watching the transformation of someone with a disturbing home background and mental illness become this character. I found some of the scenes difficult to watch, but the film was gripping all the way through.

I would highly recommend this movie. Although I did feel quite disturbed for a while after watching it. I might need to watch some cat videos on You Tube now to make myself feel better.

love i
well now we know why Joker is for chaos and not law and orde

great!
I never bother doing reviews, but this film is simply amazing.

Incredible Acting
The film had me.from the beginning
Great film and superb acting
Definitely worth a watch

Intense
Fascinating film that sucks you in and you have to watch to the end. The slow mental decline of the man who became The Joker. Very good

Put on a happy face
Love this film so much I own it on dvd and had to buy it digitally so can watch it on my iPad whenever I wa

You haven't seen this before!
This film is so well acted its breath taking considering what we have to deal with in modern cinema. How the lead role is performed is mesmerosing…to take such an ”Unrealistic” subject matter yet make it appear so real is something only truly talented film makers and actors can do. At no time did I stop the film to get water or anything. I have watched it several times. I am so glad that I own it – its one of those you can return to with friends a multiple of times.

An amazing movie
I have seen this movie a few times and wanted to get it to keep on Amazon. In my opinion it is one of the greatest movies ever made, due a lot to Joaquin Phoenixs’ phenomenal performance.

It arrived safely and ahead of schedule
Not had the chance to watch the whole movie, however as always I checked the box and DVD and both were in really good condition with no obvious signs of damage so i am confident that there will be no problems.

Powerful and deep, manic laughter in despai
This is a comic book story in a million – one actually based on the desperate lives of those who occupy the bottom tiers of US society. Disconnected, alienated lives without the promise of any kind of fulfilment. Joaquin Phoenix is superb in his portrayal of Arthur Fleck whose only escape from the oppression of his existence is a descent into madness. A dark narrative indeed, masterfully written and played out.