Early Review: ‘Joker’

“Joker” – “Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?” – Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) Filled with grime and crime, Gotham City is a mess. Piles of garbage lay in alleyways, a couple generations of crowded graffiti proudly shout from concrete walls and no present-day corporate pleasantries – like Time Square, with its welcoming, Las Vegas-like showmanship – can be found anywhere. Director Todd Phillips’ camera points at a movie theatre with Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out” appearing on the marquee, so the year is 1981.  The…

‘Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot’ gets horribly lost

“Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” – According to Google, a mess is defined as a situation or state of affairs that is confused or full of difficulties. Gus Van Sant’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot” – a biopic about cartoonist John Callahan’s life after a car accident left him mostly paralyzed at age 21 – is a mess. A confusing mess, one that Van Sant overcomplicates and creates narrative difficulties, where none should exist. A successful film adaption of John’s story should be a foregone…

‘You Were Never Really Here’ is purposely brutal but effectively keeps you present

“You Were Never Really Here” – “McCleary said you were brutal.” – State Senator Albert Votto (Alex Manette) “I can be.” – Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) Joe might look like an average one, but he lives in extremes.  Now, he does not partake in extreme hobbies like sky diving, bungee jumping or riding motorcycles at high speeds but instead, he works irregular hours under extreme circumstances.  Ones that only very brave, very resolute or very damaged individuals could pursue. In Joe’s case, he is all three. Writer/director Lynne Ramsay and Phoenix…