Joker, And All The Movies You Need To See This Month
To say that Joker is making a splash is an understatement. It’s trailers alone were able to send shivers down peoples spines, and with opening weekends overseas already being a total smash, there’s no doubt we have a hit on our hands.
Joaquin Phoenix provides a spell binding performance of the antihero Joker, directed by Todd Phillips (War Dogs, The Hangover). Don’t go expecting any Dark Knights swanning around in this movie, this one is all about the Joker’s decent into madness as he becomes increasingly hostile toward the world that’s forgotten him.
This is an uncomfortable but spellbinding watch, every moment of Joker’s screentime is terrifying, and he’s on the entire time. Phillips perfectly matches Gotham’s grim, dark mood to the rest of the film, making the city a character in its own right.
Having already swooped in to pick up the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, word on the street is that this may be the first superhero film to genuinely have a shot at Best Picture at the Oscars. Honestly, it’s deserved. Phoenix’s portrayal of the pseudobulbar affect (a laughing disorder) is as convincing as it looks painful.
No clowning around
This portrayal of the Joker is going to be independent of Jared Leto’s Suicide Squad Joker.
In cinemas now
JoJo Rabbit
Another must-see this month is the Taika Waititi-directed satire about a boy in the Hitler Youth with his imaginary friend, Hitler (played by Waititi himself), learning that our worldviews aren’t always cut and dry. Plenty of laughs and an all-star cast, including Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson and Stephen Merchant who bring all the heart to this film.
In cinemas Oct 24
Gemini Man
Will Smith goes toe to toe with a digitally de-aged version of himself (care of Weta Workshop) in this assassin spy flick. Perhaps the most unneeded use of the technology so far, since the 50 year old Smith hasn’t aged since the early 2000s anyway. Directed by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi), this promises to be an okay action thriller.
In cinemas Oct 10
Terminator: Dark Fate
Forget the trainwreck the Terminator series became after T2, Dark Fate sure does, picking up after T2 and throwing out the rest of the canon in the process (eh, timelines, you know how it is). Picking up an R-rating, re-introducing Linda Hamilton and Schwarzenegger to the movies and adding in James Cameron as a producer, these movies are going back to their roots.
In cinemas Oct 31
Also check out: Hustlers – 10th October – Strippers go out of their way to rob Wall Street scumbags.