JASON EVANS' 100 WORD REVIEWS: JOKER


You don’t have time to waste on long, pensive takes on movies. You want to know what it is about, is it any good, and should I spend my hard-earned money on it? So, film critic Jason Evans is hoping to provide you all you need (and nothing more) in his 100 Word Reviews. This week, Joker!

The Premise: Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is trying to quietly live his life in early 1980s Gotham City. He lives in a tiny apartment with his ailing, aged mother and spends his days working for a clowns-for-hire company. Gotham is not a friendly place. There is a huge divide between the rich and poor and the city is dirty and smelly from a garbage strike. Arthur barely notices any of this though, he just wants to make it through each day as he deals with his own depression and mental illness. Eventually, the harsh reality of the city causes Arthur to break, unleashing spasms of violence and terror on anyone who happens to be in his path.   

The 100 Words: Joaquin Phoenix’s transformative performance will surely be in the Best Actor conversation at the end of the year. The film is a slow burn, taking its time to transform a mentally unstable man into a sociopath, but really picks up in the final third when it goes from character study to more of a comic book action movie. Anchored by a sensational score and gorgeous photography, I was transfixed, but this is a movie that may be too disturbing for some. You need to be prepared to be immersed in madness. If you are, trust me, it will not disappoint.

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