JOKER is available to own today January 7th on 4K Blu-ray! Directed, co-written and produced by Oscar nominee, Todd Phillips, “Joker” stars Joaquin Phoenix in this character study of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham City’s fractured society. Here is our review:
Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks — the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel like he’s part of the world around him. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as the Joker.
Review – excerpt from Sean Atkins’ full article.
“Joker is without a doubt the most daring movie to come out with DC Comics associated with a property. While Joker features no superheroes who can talk to fish, or a failed team up of superheroes that will drive a group of rabid fans to demand to see some director’s cut they think exists locked away in a vault hundreds of feet below the Warner Brothers studio lot, there is plenty of risk with associated with this property. It’s a mid-size budgeted comic book movie that features no action sequences, spiffy visual effects, or Bat signal, and is also carries an R rating. It comes from director Todd Phillips, whose biggest titles are The Hangover movies and Old School. And finally, it’s another incarnation of the Clown Prince of Crime, whose previous iterations include a couple that are heralded as some of the best ever villain characters on film. But against all odds, Joker defies expectations and is one of the most memorable comic book adaptations in recent memory, thanks to a powerhouse performance from Joaquin Phoenix and confident direction from Phillips.
Joaquin Phoenix jumps right into the driver’s seat as Arthur Fleck/Joker with stride and sheer force. For this iteration of the Joker, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else coming close to pulling off a performance like this thanks to the screenplay from Phillips and Scott Silver. Phoenix’s performance is every bit as commanding and enthralling as any other performance you’ll see in a movie this year and one that’s sure to land him an Oscar nomination. As we watch Phoenix as Arthur develop his laughter at the beginning to the very end when he tries to get the last laugh, it’s difficult to say how he stacks up against the previous iterations of this antagonist. Only time will tell, but this unforgettable performance will not soon leave the mind of viewers and will certainly open discussions concerning people who deal with depression and/or mental health issues.” (Read Sean Atkins’ Full Review of JOKER right HERE).
Special Features – Reviewed by Keven Skinner.
- Joker: Vision & Fury
- Becoming Joker
- Please Welcome… Joker!
- Joker: A Chronicle of Chaos
One of 2019’s Top 5 films is probably going to be one of 2020’s top 5 Blu-rays as well. JOKER is a tour de force and although the special features aren’t as lengthy as some of the other recent home releases for DC Comics film adaptations like Shazam! or Aquaman, there’s a lot of insight into making this masterpiece and that’s all I wanted. The most eye-opening aspect of JOKER while watching the behind-the-scenes segments is how many different takes Joaquin Phoenix would do for almost every single shot. For example, his entrance for the late night show – he did countless variations, including one where he pops out from behind Robert De Niro, different dances – all kinds of mayhem. Director Todd Phillips says in the bonus features that there’s a thousand different versions of JOKER somewhere because of Phoenix’ need to be as unpredictable as his character while filming the movie.
You’ll get to see a lot of these alternate takes and they are fascinating. Also – it was fun seeing Bradley Cooper (producer) talk up the film so much too. I had forgotten he was involved in this flick and hot damn I bet he’s having a fun piece of the billion dollar box office pie for this masterpiece. Phoenix just won his second Golden Globe for his performance and he’ll absolutely win the Oscar too, but let’s talk about that score. Hildur Guðnadóttir‘s mesmerizing music was created before filming had begun so it was crazy seeing how Phoenix used her beautifully haunting theme for JOKER as inspiration to come up with the dance we see in the bathroom after Joker gets into a scuffle on the subway. She won a Golden Globe as well for her masterful work and rightfully so.
Hildur Guðnadóttir with her Golden Globe after winning BEST SCORE on JOKER
The movie looks perfect on 4K at home and because Gotham is such an integral character in itself, seeing it in this format made the experience feel more devastatingly real. If you loved JOKER – buy this 4K Blu-ray and watch everything here. However, if you don’t own a 4K TV – grab the Blu-ray anyway because the special features are only included on the standard Blu-ray in addition to the 4K disc combo pack.
Rating: 5/5