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This week, there are THREE new films out for you to choose from, led by Joker. Here are the titles, with more info below:Joker
Judy
The Climbers
Joker has a synopsis which states: “Joker centers around an origin of the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone story not seen before on the big screen. Todd Phillips’ exploration of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a man disregarded by society, is not only a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale.”
Now, I know this is an origin movie, but it’s not part of the DC EU (Extended Universe). So, is this canon, or just something they’ve made up in 2019 for the purposes of giving Joaquin Phoenix something to do? And if so, why should we bother seeing it? If it was official, then I could see the point.
Seeing all the big publications give Joker 5 stars leads me to believe that, yet again, this will be one of those films that’s “good” at best, if not rather overblown.
They all get together for certain films to give them 5 stars, even when they clearly don’t deserve them. Blade Runner 2049 was a perfect example of this. Sure, it looked great, but it wasn’t as good as the original, and even THAT was flawed, so I’d give the original 8/10 and the sequel 7/10. It was also a waste that Harrison Ford only turned up from the two-hour mark, but that’s a separate gripe.
And as for the joke “When I said I wanted to be a comedian, everyone laughed at me…. They’re not laughing now(!)”, I hope they’ve paid the estate of Bob Monkhouse for that, since that’s who wrote it.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Judy… Judy Garland, and she’s the titular subject of this biopic, and played by Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones’ Baby).
The plot just states that Ms Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts. She died the following summer, of an accidental barbiturate overdose, so it’s clear that this movie will be a mix of light and dark. It certainly does look interesting.
Director: Rupert Goold
Screenplay: Tom Edge
Stage Play (“End of the Rainbow”): Peter Quilter
Also stars: Bella Ramsey, Rufus Sewell, Jessie Buckley, Michael Gambon, Finn Wittrock, Andy Nyman, Fenella Woolgar
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The Climbers
May 1960. Mount Everest, the second step under the cliff. The four members of the China Everest Climbing Commando are attacking the most difficult and most difficult “second step”. This is their fifth assault. The first four failures have cost them too much physical strength – …finally, the wind and snow stop the gap.
This could be okay, but then it feels all too similar to 2015’s Everest, obviously, so is it particularly necessary?
Director: Rengang Li
Stars: Jing Wu, Ziyi Zhang, Boran Jing
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.