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JOKER (Dir: Todd Phillips, 2019).
JOKER (Dir: Todd Phillips, 2019).
Joaquin Phoenix stars in Todd Phillips much anticipated movie based on the DC comic book villain the Joker.
Set in a pre-Batman Gotham City, Joker charts the descent into madness of failed comedian Arthur Fleck (Phoenix). Fleck bears a depressing, isolated existence, working as a clown-for-hire by day and caring for his elderly mother by night. Fired from his job and suffering a beating at the hands of Wayne Enterprises employees Fleck turns vigilante on those who those he feels have wronged him, while desperately trying to find acceptance in an uncaring society, ultimately becoming his alter ego Joker.
Joker has divided critics and audiences and I can see why.
Director Phillips found fame with comedy movies Old School (2003) and The Hangover (2009), but his Joker is anything but funny. In many respects it is a love letter to 70s cinema; paying homage, in particular, to the work of Martin Scorsese, notably Taxi Driver (1976) and King of Comedy (1983) and Paddy Chayefsky’s dark media satire Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976). Borrowing its themes and visual style from those movies, Joker could be accused of being derivative, but it certainly is a handsome production; its gritty 70s milieu is arguably its strong suit.
Phoenix’s central performance is undoubtedly powerful and very intense. Many will acclaim this while others, myself included, may find it a little overwrought and lacking subtlety. By contrast, the surprisingly low-key performance by Robert De Niro, as a late night talk show host, is one of his best in recent years. Zazie Beetz, in a relatively small but important role as Fleck’s neighbour was the standout among the cast for me.
Much controversy has arisen over the glorification of violence in the movie. Yes, it is brutal in places but I feel this is inevitable in a DC origins movie about a deeply disturbed, complex character. This is no PG13 or 12A superhero movie. Take heed of the rating, it is a relentlessly dark and very distressing movie and is definitely not suitable for children or young teens. This is a movie whose lead character is suffering mental illness and this was my major problem with Joker. I understand the movie’s conceit that Fleck is the manifestation and result of an unfeeling, disinterested society. However, I feel very uneasy about how mental health is paraded as entertainment and found its depiction here both cruel and potentially damaging.
I wanted to love Joker but I didn’t. I don’t wish to discourage anyone else from watching the movie; this review represents my personal opinion. This may well be a movie that you enjoy as others at the screening I attended obviously did. For me both the handling of the theme and Phoenix's performance were lacking in sensitivity and bordering on the offensive. A disturbing and unsettling viewing experience that I would have difficulty recommending.
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THE INFORMERS aka UNDERWORLD INFORMERS (Dir: Ken Annakin, 1963).
Based upon Douglas Warner's novel Death of a Snout. The Informers, released in the US as Underworld Informers is a police procedural drama shot in a quasi-realist style.
Chief Inspector 'Johnno' (Nigel Patrick) investigates the murder of an underworld informer or 'snout' (John Cowley) linked to a series of bank robberies masterminded by gangsters Bertie Hoyle (Derren Nesbitt) and Leon Sale (Frank Finlay). Hot on the their trail, the hoods set 'Johnno' up so as to appear to have accepted a bribe. On suspension, he takes the law into his own hands and with the help of Ruskin's brother sets to bring the gang to justice.
Ken Annakin was a talented filmmaker, prolific in his time but vastly underrated today. With The Informers he delivers a crime drama which, 56 years after release, still feels uncompromisingly gritty.
Standouts among the cast are the distinctively voiced Nigel Patrick as the wronged 'Johnno' and Harry Andrews as his tough superintendent. Derren Nesbitt makes for a thoroughly unpleasant bad guy, while impressing further down the cast is Colin Blakely as the brother of the murdered snout.
The movie can be seen as something of a ‘missing link’ between the depiction of the friendly copper of TVs Dixon of Dock Green (1955 -76) and the more complex characterisation of the police force in The Sweeney (1974-78). Indeed, it seems ahead of its time in its depiction of the police and their relationship with the criminal underworld. It benefits from use of London locations from the banks of the Thames to backstreet Soho dives, shot in crisp black and white by cinematographer Reginald Wyer.
Some of the characters in Alun Falconer and Paul Durst's screenplay do border on stereotypes, while the climatic big punch up between good(ish) guys and the bad guys verges on the comic, but overall this is still fairly hard-hitting stuff.
With some stylish direction from Annakin and a quality cast The Informers is a solidly entertaining, if occasionally nasty, gangland thriller.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of The Informers. Link below.
KING KONG (Dir: Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933).
RKO Radio Pictures’ modern day Beauty and the Beast is the daddy of all monster movies; chronicling the tale of the Eighth Wonder of the World, King Kong.
Maverick filmmaker Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) and actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) travel to the exotic Skull Island to shoot Denham's latest movie, there encountering the 20 foot tall ape King Kong. Kong falls for Darrow and is used by Denham as bait for the primate's capture. They return to New York with the intention of parading the mammoth beast before a paying public. The plan fails when Kong goes ape, resulting in a climax both thrilling and surprisingly touching and featuring one of the greatest last lines of any movie.
With a cast relatively unknown to modern audiences the real star of the picture is, of course, the gorilla. We are roughly halfway through the movie before we meet Kong. He is mesmerising. Provoking terror and eliciting sympathy from the audience, Kong is completely believable as a living, breathing creature. The animated ape has more personality than most leading men!
Willis O’Brien’s stop motion special effects are astonishing. King Kong is full of breathtaking special effects set pieces which must have seemed miraculous in 1933. Of course the effects do not look as slick as modern day computer graphics but they do have a tactile quality missing from CGI. They are certainly more impressive than the man in the monkey suit of some later Kong movies.
Kong would inspire countless imitations and spawn sequels, remakes and reboots including the forthcoming Godzilla vs Kong (Adam Wingard, 2020). While, admittedly, many of the Kong spin-offs have had their merits, the original has never really been equalled.
A truly astounding piece of filmmaking, King Kong is a work of art that is rightly regarded a masterpiece.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of King Kong! Link below.
THE SIGN OF ZORRO (Dir: Norman Foster & Lewis R Foster, 1958)
Guy Williams stars as the vigilante hero who "makes the sign of a Z" in Walt Disney's feature film version of the hit Zorro TV series, broadcast on the ABC network from 1957-59.
Following a lengthy absence, Don Diego (Guy Williams) returns home to the Spanish Californian pueblo of Los Angeles. Finding his hometown under the rule of cruel Captain Monastario (Britt Lomand), he dons a black cape, assumes the new identity of Zorro and determines to overthrow Monastario and restore order to the pueblo. Cue lots of sword fights!
As with Disney's earlier feature Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (Norman Foster, 1955), The Sign of Zorro was edited together from episodes of a TV series. Screened in black and white but filmed in colour, Davy Crockett was a high quality production that transferred to the cinema with ease. Zorro was a more modestly budgeted production shot in black and white. Its static camera work and proliferation of close-ups did not hold up as well on the big screen. The cobbling together of various episodes results in a somewhat disjointed narrative with multiple climaxes and plot threads which are never properly resolved.
That said, the movie does have it compensations. Guy Williams makes for an appealing, athletic hero and is well supported by Gene Sheldon as mute man servant Bernardo and Henry Calvin as local law enforcer Sergeant Garcia; their deft comic performances nicely complementing the lighthearted heroics.
While the movie did not manage to repeat the success of the superior Davy Crockett, it did well enough to warrant a sequel. However, Zorro the Avenger (Charles Barton, 1959) was marketed solely to international audiences and was not released in the US.
Despite its shortcomings, this is an entertaining movie, thanks to its appealing cast and general good-natured ambience. If, like me, you enjoy a bit of swashbuckling you will find The Sign of Zorro has an easy going charm that is hard to resist. Slightly shabby but a lot of fun!
Check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of The Sign of Zorro. Link below.
VICEROY’S HOUSE (Dir: Gurinder Chadha, 2017).
Viceroy’s House is a fact based drama detailing the events surrounding the Partition of India from British born Indian director Gurinder Chadha.
Set in 1947 Delhi during the dissolution of the British Raj. As the last Viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) is to oversee the transition from British rule to Independence. India is a country divided, between those who wish the independent nation to remain intact and those who wish to establish the separate Muslim country Pakistan. Against this backdrop is the Romeo and Juliet-esq tale of Jeet (Manish Dayal) and Alia (Huma Qureshi) whose love is thwarted as he is Hindu and she is Muslim.
The Partition of India was a bloody mess at the hands of the UK government. As the film's postscript informs us "14 million people were displaced and one million Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs died". It is a dark episode in 20th Century British history rarely spoken of in the UK. For this reason, Viceroy's House is a difficult film to criticise, as it relays such an important story. Perhaps it can only be faulted for not depicting how truly horrific it was.
Hugh Bonneville is very effective as the beleaguered Mountbatten faced with the thankless and controversial task of dividing India. He is surrounded by a quality supporting cast of acting legends including Gillian Anderson, Michael Gambon, Om Puri and Simon Callow. As the star-crossed young lovers Manish Dayal and Huma Qureshi are both touching and appealing.
Director Gurinder Chadha is a talented filmmaker. Her feature is incredibly moving and made more powerful by the knowledge that it draws upon Chadha's own family history; her grandparents were among those displaced and her aunt starved to death on the migration.
It could be argued that Chadra's gentle approach to Partition does make a challenging subject more accessible for audiences. The fact that it addresses an issue largely untold in film is significant, however more palatable that issue has been made. The powerful tale may provide uncomfortable viewing for many, but do not let that dissuade you from watching this ultimately very moving film.
Check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Viceroy’s House. Link below.
THE SON OF KONG (Dir: Ernest B Schoedsack, 1933).
How would the makers of Son of Kong manage to top the groundbreaking, blockbuster original King Kong (Merian C Cooper & Ernest Schoedsack, 1933)? Short answer: they wouldn’t. But neither did they try. Ernest Schoedsack returns as producer/director but Merian C Cooper, his collaborator on the first movie, bowed out when RKO slashed the budget. Scriptwriter Ruth Rose also returns, as do cast members Robert Armstrong as Denham and Victor Wong as Charlie the Cook.
A month after the disastrous events of the first movie, beleaguered showman and moviemaker Carl Denham escapes his creditors by chartering a ship to Kong's Skull Island, in search of mythical hidden treasure. Joined by an animal trainer cum singer (Helen Mack) and shady ships' captain (Frank Reicher) and faithful cook Charlie, the gang are cast overboard by a mutinous crew and arrive on the island via rowboat. After a hostile encounter with the native islanders they encounter the ape sinking into quicksand. Denham and the singer rescue pint-sized Kong who then befriends the pair as they battle a cave bear and brave a massive earthquake in their search for riches.
Although this movie lacks the grandiose special effects set pieces of the original King Kong, Kong Jr is still an impressive beast. Smaller than his pa at 12 foot, as opposed to Kong’s 20ish foot, Kong Jr is also more anthropomorphised than his father. The stop motion ape is, once again, beautifully animated by special effects genius Willis O’Brien. Yet with more human like expressions he is less menacing than his dad, but likewise less sympathetic.
Son of Kong adopts a much lighter, more comic tone than its predecessor and a result the movie is, sadly, less impressive, less poignant and less engaging than the original King Kong. But it is by no means the disaster it was initially perceived to be. Its special effects are still superlative; the performances are strong and at barely 70 minutes it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Lower your expectations (slightly) and you will find The Son of Kong a highly entertaining time waster.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Son of Kong! Link below.
