Joker

Saw Joker, the Batman-themed remake of Taxi Driver.  The film is a wallow in misery-land, as it follows a pre-super-villain Joker as a standup comic and all-purpose clown as he struggles to survive in the urban decay of Gotham, against some kind of vague mental problems, and against his mother who is losing her mind.  As the film progresses and the Joker is dumped on more and more, we all know it's just a matter of time.

This film is a sour sort of thing.  Like Taxi Driver and Falling Down, it seems to celebrate the use of violence as a means to combat a cruel and indifferent world.  Were not really meant to root for the Joker but, well, he does seem a lot happier when he starts killing people.  It's meant to be sinister but if you are a disaffected man, yearning for respect and recognition, and willing to settle for fear and notoriety, the film shows one way to get it.  The politics are murky, but it's ominous that this film became quoted and discussed a lot in alt-right circles.

Murky politics aside, the film is quite well done.  I loved the physical acting as the main character is becoming The Joker throughout the film.  There's a moment where he's just killed someone and he sits back down next to them.  He adjusts his lapels, pulls a face at the onlookers, stands up and does a spasmodic little dance, sits back down again.  He does all of this in a manic, sarcastic, defiant, arbitrary kind of way.  It's so satisfying!

As a total aside: I'm kind of annoyed at how every damn Batman movie has to go through the stations of the Wayne murder.  Every time we have to see them go out of a theater and into an alleyway, and yes it was the Mask of Zorro!  And that alley was Crime Alley!  And the gun shot like this!  And the pearls flew every which way like this!  And the little boy cried like this!  And oh my god we know already, thank you.  Tedious.  Very minor part of this movie though.

So anyway, this film was very compelling and very nice.  A character study of one of the iconic Batman baddies going bad.  The film fulfills sinister wishes in what I feel is a sort of irresponsible way, but I can't deny the final terrible revenge is satisfying and well-earned.  It's darkly fun just to watch this miserable guy be shat on and humiliated and to think to ourselves "Just you wait.  You'll see.  You'll all see."