In 2019, Todd Phillips’s revisionist DC comic book movie Joker ignited a firestorm of controversy, broke the billion-dollar-mark at the global box office, and ended up winning its star Joaquin Phoenix a Best Actor Oscar. Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, an aspiring stand-up turned psychotic killer, was an everyman antihero for our times – a stumbling loner who murders a celebrity chat show host live on air, develops an army of twisted devotees and sparks mass riots. The film was accused of glorifying violence and potentially endangering the public – Phoenix notoriously stormed out of a British newspaper interview when asked whether Joker could inspire mass shootings.
Those hysterical predictions didn’t actually come to pass, though. Today Joker is best remembered as one of the most subversive and original films of the last decade, while its hugely anticipated sequel Joker: Folie à Deux – premiering in competition at the Venice Film Festival – is just as bleak and formally daring as its predecessor.
Denne historien er fra September 05, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra September 05, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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'Sometimes tears come out, you have to be an animal'
Whether you want him to or not, 40-year-old heavyweight Derek Chisora isn’t ready to stop yet
Legacy of 'transcendent' Senna finds another gear
There’s something about sport, and the global fandom the lead protagonists generate, which triggers a propensity to heroworship.
Misfiring Madrid struggling to find European safety net
After beating the team 20th in the Premier League, Liverpool defeated the side 24th in the Champions League. The similarities may end there: it is scarcely a surprise Southampton occupy that station in England. But Real Madrid, the reigning champions of Europe, find themselves 24th after five rounds.
Hojlund brace secures win in chaotic performance
The banner in the Stretford End was written in Ruben Amorim’s native Portuguese. “Bem vindo a casa,” it read. Welcome home.
Insurance 'mega merger' is no great deal for consumers
The City loves a deal. Consumers, not so much. For them, a tieup between insurance giants Aviva and Direct Line, at a time when car insurance prices are at historic highs, is a far from enticing prospect.
Is the British car industry on the skids once more?
As Vauxhall plans to close its Luton plant putting 1,100 jobs at risk, Howard Mustoe asks if government policy is to blame
Brat girl's down and dirty
Charli XCX starts her victory lap in Manchester with a live show that’s as brazen as it is brilliant
Obsession and darkness at centre of Hitchcock classic
The 1964 psychodrama Marnie’ was blighted by its director’s behaviour towards the lead star Tippi Hedren, resulting in dramatic results on and off screen
CARDINAL SINS
The twisty, Oscar-tipped Conclave’ needed more than shock and awe, writes Clarisse Loughrey, while the beautiful loneliness of All We Imagine as Light’ will speak to your soul
MasterChef host faces the heat away from the kitchen
Gregg Wallace is stepping back from the long-running BBC show while claims of misconduct are probed. Nick Hilton looks at the story of the greengrocer-turned-TV presenter
