Popular reviews

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  Review by CloserLook Media ★★★★ 324

  This happened to my buddy Eric

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  Review by Joao ★ 1.7K

  if you’ve never swam in the ocean then of course a pool seems deep.

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  Review by brat pacino ★★ 251

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  bad because
  -he never said joker’s trick
  -super-rats mentioned but never expanded on
  -i know the gf was a fantasy but they still made us watch him kiss her. don’t like the implication that joker fucks 
  -posits people with mental illness as unhinged murderers when really we just want to lay in bed amidst our snack food wrappers forever 
  -willfully ignorant + fundamental misunderstanding of revolution/ANTIFA (how are you gonna say your film “isn’t political” when characters are carrying signs that say KILL THE RICH)
  -why would you watch this horrible pastiche of much better films when you could watch the king of comedy (1982)
  -10 million other reasons

  good because
  -he liked to move it move it :)

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  Review by davidehrlich ★★½ 450

  Todd Phillips’ “Joker” is unquestionably the boldest reinvention of “superhero” cinema since “The Dark Knight”; a true original that’s sure to be remembered as one of the most transgressive studio blockbusters of the 21st Century. It’s also a toxic rallying cry for self-pitying incels, and a hyper-familiar origin story so indebted to “Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy” that Martin Scorsese probably deserves an executive producer credit. It’s possessed by the kind of provocative spirit that’s seldom found in any sort of mainstream entertainment, but also directed by a glorified edgelord who lacks the discipline or nuance to responsibly handle such hazardous material, and who reliably takes the coward’s way out of the narrative’s most critical moments.

  “Joker” is…

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  Review by Patrick Willems ★★ 193

  I have this whole series of YouTube videos that are like “what if Werner Herzog directed Ant-Man” or “what if the show Gotham was a teen drama” or “what if there was a gritty Tintin reboot.”

  Anyway Joker is like if someone made a feature-length version of one of those.

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  Review by k(arst)en ★★★½ 66

  This film throws you into a fire and watches you burn to a crisp for 2 hours. By the end you feel, not so much disturbed, but intimidated. The film, however silly the script is at times, feels bigger than you by the end. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance and Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score truly carry this film. Todd Phillips adds barely any originality in regards to the tone. People are gonna hate it for the wrong reasons, people are gonna love it for the wrong reasons. At the end of the day, I’m just a little bummed I saw it instead of Uncut Gems.

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  Review by Lucy ★½ 177

  “i don’t believe in anything”

  surface level fare for audiences that crave some shock value but aren’t willing to go looking for something better, or deeper. i didn’t feel much of anything the entire duration, indifference turning to eventual boredom. the last act definitely gave me something more to work with, but by that point i’d already lost all interest and just wanted to get out of there. joaquin is always good at playing unhinged, sure, but i’d pass on this performance any day of the week for you were never really here or even the master. the former film has what this never could: nuance, intrigue and something to say

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  Review by anya jane ★★ 21

  king bach vine comp

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  Review by nick wibert ★★★ 22

  Some people a few rows behind me applauded when Joker said society

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  Review by Sean Baker 38

  LOVE IT! And I wasn't expecting to. By far Todd Philips's best film... the type of film I expected Todd to have been making his entire career. (I went to NYU with him and was always surprised by his mainstream films because his sensibility in school was punk rock and rebellious.)

  Time traveling production design by Mark Friedberg. Kudos to the entire set direction team.

  Lawrence Sher is one of the greatest DP's working right now. He shot this on:
  Arri Alexa 65, Hasselblad Prime DNA Lenses
  Arri Alexa LF, Hasselblad Prime DNA Lenses
  Arri Alexa Mini, Hasselblad Prime DNA Lenses

  I watched a 70mm film print at The Park Theater in Vancouver. Absolutely gorgeous. Try to see a print…

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  Review by Lucy ½ 291

  best picture showcase: film #2

  “don’t you have to be funny to be a comedian?”

  rancid and vile, a rotting carcass. has no true direction and nothing interesting to say. for a comic book movie, it’s a nightmare, and as a real film, it’s a joke. it would be different if it had clear drive behind it (demented as he is, even someone like lars von trier has unique style, for better or worse) but this thing is a hollow shell. to me this means nothing, and is nothing, and i couldn’t care less

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  Review by Chandler Balli ★½ 28

  Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, 'Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.' Man bursts into tears. Says, 'But doctor…We live in a society.'