Todd Phillips’ Joker (2019) reimagined the supervillain origin story as a study of a fracturing mind with the beaten down incel Arthur Fleck transforming into the weirdly charismatic murdering psychopath clown of the title. In this age of superhero/ villain obsession it was an ambitious and subversive take on an iconic character but not always a riveting one. For those
Read moreBringing to life a full-scale biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte has been something of an Ahab-like quest for film directors. Stanley Kubrick had a Napoleon film (at one point with Jack Nicholson as the French Emperor) in the works for many years before shelving it due to studio budget concerns. Russian director Sergei Bondarchuk tackled the subject with mixed results in
Read moreJoker is possibly the most hyped film of the year. Its arrival has been preceded by salivating reviews and Homeric tales of standing ovations at film festivals. As often happens with massively hyped films, they don’t live up to expectations. This is the case here but that doesn’t mean it’s a poor film, in fact, it has some terrific moments
Read moreGus Van Sant’s latest film, Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far On Foot, which stars Joaquin Phoenix, is the confronting biopic of provocative American cartoonist John Callaghan, a person who, in this film at least, recalls both Robert Crumb and Larry Flint. After unwisely getting into a car with a drunk driver following a party in the late 70’s, Callaghan
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