by Josh Sewell
Joker: Folie À Deux
(Rated R for some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality and brief full nudity. Opens in theaters on October 4.)
Considering I’m not a fan of 2019’s Joker (based on the film’s two Oscar wins and its $1 billion box office gross, I’m in the minority), I was apprehensive going into the pretentiously titled sequel Joker: Folie À Deux, which is French for “Madness of Two.” Director Todd Phillips’ homage to Martin Scorsese’s far superior Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy looks fantastic and boasted an incredible performance from Joaquin Phoenix, but it’s all style and little substance.
I’m happy to report that Folie À Deux improves on the original by course-correcting a lot of the issues I had with its premise. It seems like Phillips, his co-writer Scott Silver, and Phoenix were uncomfortable with how many viewers rooted for disturbed protagonist Arthur Fleck, so they make their message (which was already obvious) even more undeniable this time.
The sequel picks up a little while after the shocking events of the first film, with Fleck (Phoenix) institutionalized at Arkham Asylum and awaiting trial for his crimes. While he struggles with his dual identity and the facility’s sadistic guards (led by Brendan Gleeson), he falls in love with fellow inmate Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga) so hard that they can only express their feelings through song.
Yes, you read that correctly – Folie À Deux is a full-blown musical, despite what you may hear from Phillips, Phoenix, Lady Gaga and others in interviews. The genre’s a tough sell these days, especially when your target demo is the notoriously vocal comics community. Plus, the film’s other narrative element is a throwback to the courtroom drama – not exactly the Joker-style gorefest that fans crave. But it does allow viewers to consider the horrific events of the first film in a different light, with Fleck as the undeniable perpetrator rather than a victim of societal ills.
It’s that perspective that allows Phillips and Phoenix to confront Joker’s admirers with stone cold truth rather than vibes and charisma. It’s kind of like David Fincher making a Fight Club sequel in which Brad Pitt and Edward Norton explicitly tell Tyler Durden fanboys that they don’t know how to watch a movie.
I certainly appreciated the added ethical wrinkles – as well as stellar performances from everyone involved – but it means those anticipating Folie À Deux most will probably end up despising it. Much like Star Wars fans reacted to Rian Johnson’s excellent, sadly misunderstood The Last Jedi, I could easily see Joker admirers doing a 180 on Phillips’ interpretation of the character.
Grade: B
Megalopolis
(Rated R for sexual content, nudity, drug use, language and some violence. Now playing in theaters.)
Francis Ford Coppola is one of our greatest living filmmakers, but his track record is far more hit-and-miss than his most prominent works would lead you to believe. For every The Godfather and Apocalypse Now there’s stuff like Jack and Twixt. And that’s coming from someone who thinks The Godfather Part III isn’t nearly as awful as people make it out to be – especially Coppola’s much improved re-edit, The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, which he released in 2020.
That’s why I was hoping toxic word-of-mouth about Megalopolis, the passion project he’s been working on for decades, was wrong or misguided. The director has made several films that gained respect over time, even if they started off as critically reviled flops. Perhaps that will happen with his latest, which he spent $120 million of his own fortune bringing to fruition, but I don’t see that happening. The ambitious, well-meaning melodrama is simply incomprehensible.
Megalopolis is a fable imagining what the Roman Empire would look like in modern America. New Rome is undergoing massive changes, causing conflict between architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) and Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), the mayor who remains committed to the status quo. That’s the basic premise, but the central focus changes every 20 minutes or so.
I’m not exaggerating – there’s even a subplot about Cesar getting framed in an AI-generated sex scandal with a seemingly underage pop star (Grace VanderWaal) that threatens to ruin his life and is promptly forgotten a few scenes later. Characters change from heroes to villains and back again with little to no explanation.
Terrific actors like Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf and Laurence Fishburne deliver good performances despite playing characters that represent tropes rather than actual people. Not to mention Coppola’s relatives Talia Shire (his sister) and Jason Schwartzman (his nephew) showing up in nothing parts simply to support their family. Also, Dustin Hoffman’s in a couple of scenes for some reason?
Simply put, Megalopolis is hot garbage. It breaks my heart to say that, even though I respect Coppola for literally changing his life and his family’s future to get it made. I suppose that’s a victory for art, although it seems like a pyrrhic one. For now, at least… who knows what the future holds?
Nevertheless, even though the film is a disaster, I’m glad I gave it a shot and saw it on the big screen. I was never bored and at least it’s not the product of a studio playing it safe by pumping out another predictable sequel or reboot.
Grade: D
Book Spotlight
(Rated R for some strong violence, language throughout, some sexuality and brief full nudity. Opens in theaters on October 4.)
Considering I’m not a fan of 2019’s Joker (based on the film’s two Oscar wins and its $1 billion box office gross, I’m in the minority), I was apprehensive going into the pretentiously titled sequel Joker: Folie À Deux, which is French for “Madness of Two.” Director Todd Phillips’ homage to Martin Scorsese’s far superior Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy looks fantastic and boasted an incredible performance from Joaquin Phoenix, but it’s all style and little substance.
I’m happy to report that Folie À Deux improves on the original by course-correcting a lot of the issues I had with its premise. It seems like Phillips, his co-writer Scott Silver, and Phoenix were uncomfortable with how many viewers rooted for disturbed protagonist Arthur Fleck, so they make their message (which was already obvious) even more undeniable this time.
The sequel picks up a little while after the shocking events of the first film, with Fleck (Phoenix) institutionalized at Arkham Asylum and awaiting trial for his crimes. While he struggles with his dual identity and the facility’s sadistic guards (led by Brendan Gleeson), he falls in love with fellow inmate Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga) so hard that they can only express their feelings through song.
Yes, you read that correctly – Folie À Deux is a full-blown musical, despite what you may hear from Phillips, Phoenix, Lady Gaga and others in interviews. The genre’s a tough sell these days, especially when your target demo is the notoriously vocal comics community. Plus, the film’s other narrative element is a throwback to the courtroom drama – not exactly the Joker-style gorefest that fans crave. But it does allow viewers to consider the horrific events of the first film in a different light, with Fleck as the undeniable perpetrator rather than a victim of societal ills.
It’s that perspective that allows Phillips and Phoenix to confront Joker’s admirers with stone cold truth rather than vibes and charisma. It’s kind of like David Fincher making a Fight Club sequel in which Brad Pitt and Edward Norton explicitly tell Tyler Durden fanboys that they don’t know how to watch a movie.
I certainly appreciated the added ethical wrinkles – as well as stellar performances from everyone involved – but it means those anticipating Folie À Deux most will probably end up despising it. Much like Star Wars fans reacted to Rian Johnson’s excellent, sadly misunderstood The Last Jedi, I could easily see Joker admirers doing a 180 on Phillips’ interpretation of the character.
Grade: B
(Rated R for sexual content, nudity, drug use, language and some violence. Now playing in theaters.)
Francis Ford Coppola is one of our greatest living filmmakers, but his track record is far more hit-and-miss than his most prominent works would lead you to believe. For every The Godfather and Apocalypse Now there’s stuff like Jack and Twixt. And that’s coming from someone who thinks The Godfather Part III isn’t nearly as awful as people make it out to be – especially Coppola’s much improved re-edit, The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, which he released in 2020.
That’s why I was hoping toxic word-of-mouth about Megalopolis, the passion project he’s been working on for decades, was wrong or misguided. The director has made several films that gained respect over time, even if they started off as critically reviled flops. Perhaps that will happen with his latest, which he spent $120 million of his own fortune bringing to fruition, but I don’t see that happening. The ambitious, well-meaning melodrama is simply incomprehensible.
Megalopolis is a fable imagining what the Roman Empire would look like in modern America. New Rome is undergoing massive changes, causing conflict between architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) and Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), the mayor who remains committed to the status quo. That’s the basic premise, but the central focus changes every 20 minutes or so.
I’m not exaggerating – there’s even a subplot about Cesar getting framed in an AI-generated sex scandal with a seemingly underage pop star (Grace VanderWaal) that threatens to ruin his life and is promptly forgotten a few scenes later. Characters change from heroes to villains and back again with little to no explanation.
Terrific actors like Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf and Laurence Fishburne deliver good performances despite playing characters that represent tropes rather than actual people. Not to mention Coppola’s relatives Talia Shire (his sister) and Jason Schwartzman (his nephew) showing up in nothing parts simply to support their family. Also, Dustin Hoffman’s in a couple of scenes for some reason?
Simply put, Megalopolis is hot garbage. It breaks my heart to say that, even though I respect Coppola for literally changing his life and his family’s future to get it made. I suppose that’s a victory for art, although it seems like a pyrrhic one. For now, at least… who knows what the future holds?
Nevertheless, even though the film is a disaster, I’m glad I gave it a shot and saw it on the big screen. I was never bored and at least it’s not the product of a studio playing it safe by pumping out another predictable sequel or reboot.
Grade: D
The Wicked Years Series, by Gregory Maguire
(Now available.)
Just in time for the upcoming big screen adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical Wicked, Gregory Maguire’s original novel has been paired with the other three books in his Wicked Years series. Now fans and first-time readers alike can own Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men and Out of Oz in a new box set. In addition, the collection will prepare readers for Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, a prequel about the legendary witch’s troubled upbringing, scheduled to hit shelves on March 25.
(Now available.)
Just in time for the upcoming big screen adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical Wicked, Gregory Maguire’s original novel has been paired with the other three books in his Wicked Years series. Now fans and first-time readers alike can own Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men and Out of Oz in a new box set. In addition, the collection will prepare readers for Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, a prequel about the legendary witch’s troubled upbringing, scheduled to hit shelves on March 25.
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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