JOKER : FOLIE A DEUX - Tuesday 8th October 2024

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'JOKER : FOLIE A DEUX' earlier this week, and this American musical psychological thriller film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Todd Phillips and is the sequel to 2019's 'Joker' - also Directed by Todd Phillips which grossed US$1.08B off the back of a production budget of about US$65M. Loosely based on DC Comics characters, 'Joker' received numerous accolades, including two Academy Award wins at the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Actor (Phoenix) and Best Original Score out of eleven nominations including Best Picture, becoming the first DC film to do so. This film Premiered at this years recent Venice International Film Festival where it was in official competition, and was released in the US last week too. Coming in at a US$200M budget cost, it has divided critics, much like 'Joker' before it, has generated mixed or average reviews, and has so far grossed US$121M.

Set sometime in the early '80's and two years after the events of the first film, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), is now a patient at Arkham State Hospital in Gotham City, and is awaiting trial for the five murders he committed back then. His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), has in mind to argue in his defence that Arthur has dissociative identity disorder and that his 'Joker' personality was responsible for the crimes. Meanwhile, head security guard at the hospital Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) often shares a joke with Arthur and one day takes him over to the other side of the hospital where less dangerous patients are housed, to join a music therapy session, for his recent good behaviour. While there, his attention is drawn to Harleen 'Lee' Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who is part of the group of singers. The pair strike up a private conversation while Jackie's attention is elsewhere, and Lee tells Arthur that she grew up in the same neighbourhood as he did, had an abusive father who died in a car crash, and was committed by her mother to the hospital after burning down her parents' apartment building. Lee also expresses her admiration for the Joker's crimes and personality, and saying that she watched a TV movie about Arthur/Joker twenty times and that is was great.

One evening during a screening of a film, Lee starts a fire by igniting a box of matches and dropping it into a piano. The flames very quickly take hold and all the patients and staff evacuate outside. Lee and Arthur are caught trying to escape, and Arthur is placed in solitary confinement for two weeks. 

Lee visits him at night to say she is being released because he is such a bad influence on her, but she promises to attend his trial, and they have sex. During an interview with television personality Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan), Arthur sings to Lee through the television screen, only serving to deepen her love for him. On the day of the trial, Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) calls witnesses who dismiss Arthur's claims of insanity. During a break, Maryanne reveals to Arthur that Lee was actually a psychiatry student who grew up in the Upper West Side, and her father, a doctor, is alive, and that she comes from a reasonably well off family. Additionally, she voluntarily committed herself at Arkham, checked herself out, and never burned down an apartment building. 

When Arthur confronts Lee with these new found details, she confesses that everyone lies, and her lies were an effort to get close to Arthur. She also announces to him that she is pregnant and has moved into his old apartment building to create a home for them both for when he is freed.

The next day at the trial, Arthur openly dismisses Maryanne and makes it known that he wishes to represent himself. After bringing Arthur's former clown co-worker Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill) and former neighbour with whom he had an imagined relationship Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz) to the stand, Dent rests his case. Arthur, visibly affected by Puddles testimony, offers no defence, although, during his speech, he mentions the Arkham guards in a negative light, by calling them stupid and fat.

Upon returning to Arkham, he is taken to the shower room by head guard Jackie Sullivan and two other guards, where he is brutally beaten before being dragged back to his cell partially naked. Ricky (Jacob Lofland), an inmate and friend of Arthur, verbally confronts the guards, resulting in Jackie strangling him to death. Arthur overhears this from his nearby cell.

During his closing address in court the next day in which Arthur is fully made up as Joker, a devastated Arthur renounces his Joker persona, taking full responsibility for his actions, and stating that he in fact killed six people - his mother was the last one whose face he smothered with a pillow suffocating her. Upon hearing this devastating news Lee storms out of the courtroom, and the jury finds Arthur guilty of first-degree murder. As the foreman reads the verdict, a car bomb explodes immediately outside the courthouse, killing and injuring numerous attendees and scarring half of Dent's face. In the ensuing chaos, two followers also dressed in full Joker garb, help Arthur escape by bundling him into a car.

Arthur jumps from the car and runs through the streets of Gotham eventually encountering Lee outside his old apartment, but she rejects him for renouncing his Joker persona, tells him that she's not pregnant and bids him goodbye as she walks away. The Police arrive, apprehend Arthur and return him to Arkham. The next day, a young patient approaches Arthur and begins to tell him a joke with the punchline being that he repeatedly stabs Arthur in the stomach. As Arthur bleeds out and soon dies from his wounds, the patient takes the knife he just used on Arthur and carves a smile on his face while laughing maniacally.

'Joker : Folie a Deux' was originally intended as a stand alone film and not the sequel we see here. Perhaps had that been the case critic and audience reviews would have been a whole lot more favourable. That said, for me this film also failed to live up to expectations after the mega success of its 2019 predecessor. While the performances of Phoenix and Gaga are on point (although Gaga is a little under utilised here), the plot meanders along without getting very far at all, and the film struggles to decide if it is a musical, a drama, a comedy, a psychological thriller or a super-villain offering. The production values are nonetheless very good, and while the musical interludes are more often that not a continuation of the scene in which they are set, they are at times over bearing and over used. Save yourself the price of your cinema entry and wait for it to arrive on your preferred streaming service. 

'Joker : Folie a Deux' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 3rd August 2017.

With the release this week of the foodies gastronomic road trip film 'The Trip to Spain' it got me to thinking about the history of food, cooking and eating in cinema over the years. And so as a result of some celluloid gourmet research, I cook up for you here my thoughts on the top feature films worth seeking out if you're looking for some food porn, culinary motivation, or cuisine inspired drama, thrills or laughs to entertain you for a night in front of your smart TV. This roll call deliberately leaves out the shopping trolley load of food related documentary films, that could easily constitute another listing in their own right.
* 'Tampopo' - 1985 : Directed by Juzo Itami; starring Tsutomu Yamasaki, Ken Watanabe, and Nobuko Miyamoto; country of origin - Japan.
* 'Babette's Feast' - 1987 : Directed by Gabriel Axel; starring Stephane Audran, Birgitte Federspiel and Bodil Kjer; country of origin - Denmark; Box Office US$5M.
* 'The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover' - 1989 : Directed by Peter Greenaway; starring Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Tim Roth and Ciaran Hinds; country of origin - Britain and France; Box Office US$8M (US).
* 'Delicatessen' - 1991 : Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro; starring Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Dominique Pinon and Marie-Laure Dougnac; country of origin - France; Box Office US$12M.
* 'Like Water for Chocolate' - 1992 : Directed by Alfonso Arau; starring Lumi Cavazos, Ada Carrasco, Regina Torne and Marco Leonardi; country of origin - Mexico; Box Office - US$22M.
* 'Eat Drink Man Woman' - 1994 : Directed by Ang Lee; starring Sihung Lung, Kuei-Mei Yang, Chien-lien Wu and Yu-Wen Wang; country of origin - Taiwan; Box Office - US$7M.
* 'Big Night' - 1996 : Directed by Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott; starring Minnie Driver, Ian Holm, Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini and Liev Schreiber; country of origin - USA; Box Office US$12M.

* 'Chocolat' - 2000 : Directed by Lasse Hallstrom; starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss and Peter Stormare; country of origin - Britain and USA; Box Office - US$153M.
* 'Sideways' - 2004 : Directed by Alexander Payne; starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church; country of origin - USA; Box Office - US$110M.
* 'No Reservations' - 2007 : Directed by Scott Hicks; starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Aaron Eckhart and Abigail Breslin; country of origin - USA; Box Office - US$93M.
* 'Ratatouille' - 2007 : Directed by Brad Bird; starring Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Brad Garrett, Brian Dennehy and Peter O'Toole; country of origin - USA; Box Office - US$621M.
* 'Soul Kitchen' - 2009 : Directed by Faith Akin; starring Adam Bousdoukos, Moritz Bleibtreu and Birol Unel; country of origin - Germany.
* 'Julie & Julia' - 2009 : Directed by Nora Ephron; starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci; country of origin - USA; Box Office - US$130M.
* 'The Trip' - 2010 : Directed by Michael Winterbottom; starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon; country of origin - Britain.
* 'The Lunchbox' - 2013 : Directed by Ritesh Batra; starring Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nakul Vaid; country of origin - India; Box Office - US$16M.
* 'The Trip to Italy' - 2014 : Directed by Michael Winterbottom; starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon; country of origin - Britain.
* 'Chef' - 2014 : Directed by Jon Favreau; starring Jon Favreau, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, Robert Downey Jnr., John Leguizamo and Scarlett Johansson; country of origin - USA; Box Office US$46M.
* 'The Hundred Foot Journey' - 2014 : Directed by Lasse Hallstrom; starring Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Charlotte Le Bon and Manish Dayal; country of origin - USA; Box Office - US$89M.
* 'Burnt' - 2015 : Directed by John Wells; starring Bradley Cooper, Omar Sy, Daniel Bruhl, Sienna Miller and Emma Thompson; country of origin - USA; Box Office - US$37M.
* 'The Trip to Spain' - 2017 : Directed by Michael Winterbottom; starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon; country of origin - Britain.
* 'The Dinner' - 2017 : Directed by Oren Overman; starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall and Chloe Sevigny; country of origin - USA; Box Office - US$1M (recent US release only).

This week then there are just three new release movies coming to your local Odeon, multiplex, or independent picture house. We kick off with a throw back to the late Cold War era Berlin in this action spy thriller that has more in common with 'John Wick' than it does 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' supported by a kick-ass all action female protagonist, wide lapels and a thumping late '80's soundtrack. We then move to two likely English lads in this third course offering that sees them travelling along the Spanish coastline eating and drinking their way through the hot spot restaurants and hotels along the way as they verbally joust with each other, before moving to a RomCom that is inspired by the real life events of the lead actor and his wife in this cross-cultural, health challenged story of love, acceptance, and family.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three new releases as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here warmly invited to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and meanwhile, enjoy your cinematic experience in the coming week.

'ATOMIC BLONDE' (Rated MA15+) - is Directed by David Leitch in his first solo Directorial outing having served as the uncredited Co-Director on 'John Wick' with Chad Stahelski and having served his time over the years as Stunt Co-ordinator and Stuntman on more action films than you can poke a stick at, and in the capacity as Second Unit Director on a good many also, and occasional Producer and Actor too. Next up for this new Director is 'Deadpool 2' currently filming and due in 2018. This film, however, is based on the 2012 graphic novel titled 'The Coldest City' by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart, stars a strong cast and a thumping '80's soundtrack and cost US$30M to make. The film has so far garnered generally positive Reviews and has taken US$26M at the Box Office since its US release at the end of July.

Set back in 1989 at the end of the Cold War and with the Berlin Wall about to be torn down, here sensual, sultry and savage when need be Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is at the top of the spy game in MI6, and an agent who's willing to do whatever it takes to stay alive to complete her mission at hand. Ordered by her superiors she travels into the heart of Berlin to locate and retrieve a valuable document hidden in microfilm in a wristwatch, identify a notorious double agent, and expose and eradicate an espionage ring. Upon arrival, she teams up with an embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy), but he too is not necessarily all he seems. Also starring Sofia Boutella, John Goodman, Toby Jones and Eddie Marsan this is a kick ass thriller in the same vein as 'John Wick', matched by a killer soundtrack and strong performances from the two leads - McAvoy who chews up every scene and Theron who proves herself as a genuine A-List action star.

'THE TRIP TO SPAIN' (Rated M) - in 2010 Director Michael Winterbottom released a film about two likely English lads, one a food writer for The Observer, Steve (Steve Coogan) and his best mate Rob (Rob Brydon) to tour the English countryside and report back on their gourmet eating experiences at the country's finest eateries. That film 'The Trip', spawned a sequel in 2014 also Directed by Winterbottom called 'The Trip to Italy' and starred the two same English likely lads doing exactly the same thing all over again, only this time on a road trip through Italy from Piedmont to Capri. Now in 2017 Winterbottom once again rolls out his two likely lads Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon to travel along the Spanish coastline sampling the culinary delights of the finest hotels and restaurants whilst trading banter, anecdotes, jokes, impressions, war stories and how age shall not weary them along the way all delivered with their usual aplomb. Bon appetite!

'THE BIG SICK' (Rated M) - this is a RomCom Directed by Michael Showalter who also spends his time acting, writing and producing. This film is Co-produced by Judd Apatow, and is written by husband and wife team Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon and is loosely based on the real life romance that blossomed between Nanjiani (a Pakistani American stand up Comedian, Actor and Writer) and Gordon (an American Writer and Producer). Here Kumail playing a version of himself meets an American student named Emily (played here by Zoe Kazan) at one of his stand-up gigs. As they get to know each other and their relationship starts to take hold, Kumail begins to wonder and worry about what he thinks his traditional Muslim parents will make of her. When Emily falls sick and is left in a coma as a consequence, Kumail finds himself having to navigate through the medical crisis and bond with her deeply concerned parents Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano respectively) in ways he never thought possible, whilst juggling the emotional tug of war between his family and what his heart is telling him. The film has received positive Reviews setting it above your standard sugar coated RomCom about cross-cultural love and personal heartache brought about by the couples true life experiences.

With three new releases this week to tempt you out on a cold mid-Winter evening, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-