" Joker ". Joaquin Phoenix. Do I really need to say more? Arthur Fleck is an aspiring comedian and party clown.  After an assault, a coworker gives him a gun.  Soon, Arthur begins a journey of transformation that will take him from meek and mild nobody to a bold and icon symbol of the chaos of Life... and of Death... As a potential origin story for the DC's The Joker, this one is really quite good, and a bit more plausible than most given.  It is intense, even in it's quieter moments.  While it does take some license with how it deals with mental illness, it still feels suitable to the context of the characters and world they inhabit.  The slow deconstruction of Arthur's mental state, and the rebuilding of it into some else is a sight to see, and an almost horrifying one at that.  Simply a tightly written, and emotional story over all. Other than Arthur, there really aren't that many characters.  It's almost as if, when he's not necessaril...

My first thought after watching Joker -- other than it's one of the best movies of the year -- is it didn't need to be a Joker movie at all. The story of Arthur Fleck, who is brilliantly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is so compelling and well told it could've stood on its own. There's no need to tie it into The Clown Prince of Crime. But I get it. A movie called Arthur Fleck, no matter how good, wouldn't make more than $300 million at the box office. Call it Joker, and success is assured. What we get is a real-world take on the classic Batman villain. This is a Joker who doesn't need to fall into a vat of chemicals to turn to evil. Here we get an already mentally ill man who can't catch a break. The harder, and crueler, his life gets, the more he descends into madness. Phoenix and director Todd Phillips take us on a hell of ride. This is disturbing and powerful stuff that in no way glorifies the character, or what he does. If anything, it provides a ...

Actually, there is no joke this weekend, so the jokes on you, Constant Reader. Once again there is only one major movie coming out, and it's released amidst some controversy, and much praise, among movie critics. Joker, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the iconic comic-book villain, comes from The Hangover director Todd Phillips. But this is no laughing matter, as some parent groups fear the film will insight real-life violence. Meanwhile, critics are praising it as a major cinematic achievement. Suffice to say, Joker is poised to open big! And we're gonna talk more about it when Jason joins Howie Reimer on the Radio NL 610 AM Morning News today at 8:40 a.m. Jason brings another interview with him. This week he spoke with Laura Slade Wiggins, star of the upcoming Along Came the Devil II. You'll get a few minutes with Laura this morning as she discusses the film and her role in it, then the full interview when From The Basement's extended cut podcast drops later to...