Joker

Director: Todd Phillips

Producer: Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper, Emma Tillinger Koskoff

Screenplay: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver

Based on: Characters by DC Comics

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz,

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rating: R

Running Time: 122 minutes (2 hrs & 2 mins)

Production Company:  Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Bron Studios, Village Roadshow Pictures

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Release Date: October 4, 2019

Synopsis: In Gotham City, mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: “The Joker”.

Rating: 5/5

 

My Review

Todd Phillip’s creative vision and Joaquin Phoenix’s phenomenal performance made Joker the perfect recipe for a bold, artistic film that disturbs the comfortable.

When I first found out that Warner Bros. is developing a standalone Joker film with no connections to the established Worlds of DC or dubbed by the public as the DCEU, I had my doubts. I thought of it as a mess and worried that general movie audiences might be confused as to why Ben Affleck’s Batman is a no-show in this film or why the over-all film is far more different than the world where Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman lives. I rolled my eyes about having to explain all these to audiences who might find this standalone Joker film strayed away from a usual comic book film confusing.

A year before its premiere Joker has been making a lot of buzz online, from the casting, to the behind-the-scene photos, and 30-second teaser video that first revealed Joaquin Phoenix’s look as the Joker. I was quite skeptical about his make-up since it was not how comic book Joker looks…at all. But if there’s one thing I learned from DC is to never hastily judge their choices. Everyone was against Heath Ledger as the Crime Prince of Gotham in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, everyone went nuts when they found out about Batfleck, and there’s Anna Diop’s first look as Starfire in DC Universe’s TITANS, but despite the criticisms, they all delivered—and Joaquin Phoenix certainly did a phenomenal performance that I wouldn’t be surprised if he receives a gold statue by the Academy.

Todd Phillip’s story telling and Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is the perfect recipe for a bold, artistic film that disturbs the comfortable. I knew that from the trailer and posters I would love the cinematography of this film and watching it on the big screen was like looking at a masterpiece.

Todd had full creative control in this film, and it’s nice of Warner Bros. to entrust him with his vision. The story’s pacing is slow at first but it’s a tool that gets you to anticipate Arthur’s full transition as the Joker. Every detail makes you wonder what will be the turning point of his descent to madness, is it his mother’s death? or his (imagined) love interest leaving him? There wasn’t a switch, but there was an ignition slowly contributing to his development as the Joker—-the cruelty of society itself. This film is disturbing and violent as it shows the reality of how society treats someone like Arthur Fleck. The ruling class doesn’t give a damn about the oppressed and that people with illnesses will always be misunderstood, left-out and shunned by people. I like the idea of society being the driving force and the breeder of The Joker instead of the established origin story of the Joker as a result of falling into a pit of toxic chemicals.

Arthur Fleck is a victim of numerous violence that led him to be violent himself. He was a product of abuse when he was a child and the cruelty of society as an adult—a human, living in the fucked up reality of the world. Experiences of violence, abuses, and mental illness are factors that would truly drive someone to madness. You cannot blame Arthur for becoming a villain. This is a film of irony; it is a new take on the making of the most notorious comic book villain of all time, but it will make you sympathize with the villain after realizing the factors and circumstances that made him fall into this path. His grievances about the unfair treatment he was getting wasn’t heard until he fully transitioned into the Joker, not until it was too late for someone to apologize. Once you fall into madness, it’s hard to go back.

Aside from altering the Clown Prince of Crime’s origin story, I thought he was full-on taking control of the story by revealing in the letter that Arthur is Thomas Wayne’s son. I knew there was something odd about Patty’s obsession with Thomas, it almost looks like they were dropping hints about the past of the two. Todd Phillips threw a bomb to the fans of the comic book series when he decided to make Batman and The Joker half-brothers. But he took it back and revealed a truth about Arthur’s childhood and identity that became a substantial contribution to the making of the Joker.

One of my favorite scenes in the film would be the bathroom dance. It was so sudden and weird, but you can feel the artistry and depth of the scene because that is the scene that gave birth to the Joker. Who would dance something so slow, peaceful, and graceful after killing three people? Only a mad person. This dance is a symbol of Arthur slowly dying inside and while the Joker’s rising. It’s chilling and disturbing, yet one of the most defining scenes in cinematic history. Learning that Phoenix improvised that scene made it a thousand times better, he’s deeply immensed into the character.

The final minutes of the film would have been better if it ended with the shot of the Joker being glorified by the mob of masked men he inspired; another favorite scene/shot of mine.

I encourage everyone to go see Joker, even my friends who is not a fan of watching of comic book based films loved it for the story, cinematography, acting, theme, and over-all feel of the film. Some media practitioners out there are trying to make a statement that this film encourages violence and might serve as an inspiration  to all people mentally-ill, left out, people to start rioting and use violence but I tell you that it’s just another movement to bring the film down. Warner Bros. and DC should learn from the success of Joker, they have a wide array of materials. They should utilize and be bold to stray away from the superhero film formula Marvel established.

Joker is a film of brilliance.

Booksmart

 

Director: Olivia Wilde

Producer: Megan Ellison, Chelsea Barnard, David Distenfield, Jessica Elbaum, Katie Silberman

Screenplay: Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman

Starring: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis

Genre: Comedy

Rating: R

Running Time: 1hr and 45 min (105 minutes)

Production Company: Annapurna Pictures, Gloria Sanchez Productions

Distributed by: United Artists Releasing

Release Date: May 24, 2019

Synopsis: Academic overachievers Amy and Molly thought keeping their noses to the grindstone gave them a leg up on their high school peers. But on the eve of graduation, the best friends suddenly realize that they may have missed out on the special moments of their teenage years. Determined to make up for lost time, the girls decide to cram four years of not-to-be missed fun into one night — a chaotic adventure that no amount of book smarts could prepare them for.

Rating: 4.7/5

My Review

There’s something about coming-of-age movies that always makes me a sucker for it, maybe because I can relate to what the characters are going through, or the plot is simple—it does not involve extravagant plot twists yet it hits a huge emotional factor, or maybe it’s the constant desire to make independent coming-of-age films; or at least be part of a movie production like this.

I have never seen Booksmart’s trailer, or any marketing material before the film’s worldwide theatrical release. I only got to know Booksmart because it was talked about during its theatrical play, whether they’re praises for the film’s plot, the chemistry of both leads, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, or articles regarding this film’s lack of movie marketing that failed to reach millions of audiences in millions of theaters around the world, which the blame is mostly placed on AnnaPurna.  When several posts and articles about Booksmart popped in my timeline, I got curious. What is this new indie movie? Why are critics raving about it? The curiosity soon grew into excitement when I read the film’s synopsis, two overachievers up for a night of adventure on the eve graduation, that’s enough to get hooked and join the ride.

Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko)

 

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Producer: Genki Kawamura

Screenplay: Makoto Shinkai

Starring: Kotairo Daigo, Nana Mori

Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 111 minutes

Production Company: CoMix Wave Films

Distributed by: Toho

Release Date: July 19, 2019

Synopsis: A high-school boy who has run away to Tokyo befriends a girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather.

Rating: 4.7/5

 

My Review
“It’s a love story that defies destiny, a film that takes flight beyond the sky, but stays grounded on reality”

If it’s a Makoto Shinkai movie, get ready to be in awe with the animation and the rollercoaster of emotions that comes with it.

As a pluviophile, I have always admired it when it rains because of the tranquility and comfort it brings to me and after watching Weathering With You/Tenki no Ko, I think I’ll never be able to think of rainy season and rainy days the same way ever again. The film made a mark on me like a new core memory has been added and with the circumstances that came with watching the film as it is the first time I watched a movie late at night with friends. The rainy season also helped set up the mood as it has been raining the day we watched the movie.

Before diving headfirst into Weathering With You, Your Name/Kimi no Na wa, has become one of my favorite films because of its astounding storyline, animation, and soundtrack. It’s difficult not to compare Your Name with Weathering With You, given that the former became a worldwide phenomenon and that it’s the animated movie that truly made Makoto Shinkai a well-recognized director around the world. Of course, there are prior films to that such as ‘Garden of Words’ and ‘Five Centimeters per Second’ but we cannot deny the popularity and craze ‘Your Name’ has brought. Honestly speaking, Your Name remains on top, even my friends and sister agree. There’s just something about the feelings, fantasy, and emotions it brings that makes it a top tier anime movie. So when I found out that another film by the same director who gave us this amazing animated movie is coming, I immediately jumped into the train and truly, Weathering With You did not disappoint.

Your Name (Kimi No Na Wa )

 

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Producer: Notaka Kawaguchi and Genki Kawamura

Screenplay: Makoto Shinkai

Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi, Yuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kaito Ishikawa, Kanon Tani, Masami Nagasawa, Etsuko Ichihara

Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy

Rating: PG

Running Time: 1 hr & 46 min. (107 minutes)

Production Company: CoMix Wave Films

Distributed by: Toho

Release Date: August 26, 2016 (Japan)
April 7, 2017 (USA)

Synopsis: A teenage boy and girl embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they magically swap bodies.

Rating: 5/5

My Review

” A love that breaks barriers and the rules of time and space in the name of Fate”

Kimi No Na Wa started to gain popularity in 2016. It was creating a lot of buzz but I would just brush it off since I wasn’t interested in watching Japanese animated films back then. My university even included it as part of the movie  line up during our week long celebration of Senior High School week in 2017, my professor in research even invited our class for the block screening of the film, but again, I brushed it off because I couldn’t care less about it.

Two years has passed and I just entered the K-Drama wagon and got interested into watching Eastern Movies. I jumped into the “Hallyu Wave“, why not try Japanese movies too? My curiosity in Kimi No Na Wa didn’t just started because of my current fondness for watching Asian Dramas, I guess it was always there, it lingers at the back of my mind. It kept showing up in my timeline, especially from pages that share emotional movie quotes. A lot of my friends online also kept sharing and talking about it, and those people are the kind of people are the ones who I consider to have great taste in movies and art.

All I can say is this movie is one of the best movies ever created. Everything just fits perfectly—the characters, animation, storyline,  twists and turns in the plot, soundtrack, and the emotional baggage it offers makes watching ‘Your Name‘ a movie experience you’ll never forget and would want to go back to.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

 

Director: Jon Watts

Producer: Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal

Screenplay: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers

Starring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, J.B. Smoove, Martin Starr, Angourie Rice, Tony Revolori

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 129 minutes

Production Company: Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, Pascal Pictures

Distributed by:  Sony Pictures Releasing

Release Date: July 2, 2019

Based On: Spider-Man by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

Synopsis: Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.

Rating: 4.4./5

My Review

Spider-Man Far From Home provides perfect closure to the tragic aftermath of Endgame

Our favorite web-slinger is back, and this time we won’t be seeing him swinging around in New York City instead we see more of him in action at different locations in Europe. Peter Parker tries to have a vacation from being New York City’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man by joining his class trip to Europe, that is until Nick Fury hijacks his vacation by recruiting him for a mission that requires him to fly high and lift himself from the ground as come into terms with following the legacy of the one and only, Tony Stark. That’s a big burden for a kid to handle, but Peter Parker isn’t your typical teenager.

Spider-Man Far From Home serves as a breather from the heartbreaking events of Avengers: Endgame. There’s a lot more of emotional turmoil in Endgame considering it is the denouement to a strong ten year story arc and even though Far From Home is the last film in phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we all know that Endgame was the finale and Far From Home as the closure to Endgame; an acceptance. The whole movie is a tribute to Earth’s greatest hero, Tony Stark a.k.a Iron Man. The story still finds a way to revolve around him, from entrusting Peter to be the new Iron Man to Quentin Beck and his team’s motives.

Aladdin (2019)

 

Director: Guy Ritchie

Producer: Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich

Screenplay: John August and Guy Ritchie

Starring: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family

Rating: PG

Running Time: 2hr and 8 min (128 minutes)

Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures

Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Release Date: May 24, 2019

Based On: Aladdin (1992); Aladdin and the Magic Lamp from One Thousand and One Nights

Synopsis: Aladdin is a lovable street urchin who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes a powerful, wisecracking, larger-than-life genie. As Aladdin and the genie start to become friends, they must soon embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine’s kingdom.

Rating: 4.3/5

My Review

“A  fun and colorful experience”

Disney is bringing a new kind of magic to audience’s cinematic experience with their massive success in creating live-action adaptations of their classic animated films, from the retelling of Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent to straight up remakes of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and The Jungle Book. These live-action remakes bring younger audiences a story to enjoy and nostalgia and a fresh new way of enjoying these classic films for those who enjoyed watching its animated version as a kid. Disney continues to relive the magic with its recent release of the live-action adaptation of Aladdin.

Shazam!

Director: David F. Sandberg

Producer: Peter Safran

Screenplay: Henry Gayden

Starring: Zachary Levi,  Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou

Genre: Action, Adventure Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 132 minutes (2hrs, 12 min)

Production Company: New Line Cinema, DC Films, The Safran Company, Seven Bucks Productions, Mad Ghost Productions

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Release Date: April 5, 2019

Synopsis:  Billy Batson is a streetwise 15-year-old who can magically transform into the adult superhero Shazam simply by shouting out one word. His newfound powers soon get put to the test when he squares off against the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana

Rating: 4.8/5

 

My Review

Let’s admit it, there’s no one better in bringing its B-characters come to life than Marvel, and we all know the DCEU is such a mess is a few years back, so when they announced that they’re moving forward in making a live action movie of the original Captain Marvel himself, I hoped that they know what they’re doing and really putting a spotlight on this character and not just another strategy to play catch up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe; but judging from the reviews and responses the film received, it looks like DC hits another win with Shazam!

Promotional pictures had me skeptical about the success of Shazam, Zachary Levi looks like he’s wearing a cheap muscle suit costume purchased from the comic book store and everyone is bashing it from side to side. The villain Dr. Sivana is also not a promising villain judging from the set photos. But DC Universe’s TITANS and Heath Ledger’s casting taught us that nothing good comes from prejudice and it might actually surprise us, and Shazam! delivered and served us burns when the trailer came out last year during San Diego Comic Con. After watching the trailer for this film, I instantly fell in love with its light-hearted and adventurous tone that certainly fits the theme of Shazam!, after all, he is a fifteen-year-old teenager inside the body of a grown superhero.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Director: Ol Parker

Producer: Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman

Screenplay: Ol Parker

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Andy Garcia, Cher, Meryl Streep

Genre: Comedy, Musical, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 1hr & 54 minutes (114 minutes)

Production Company: Playtone, Littlestar Productions, Legendary Pictures, Perfect World Pictures

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Release Date: July 20, 2018

Synopsis:  Five years after the events of Mamma Mia! Sophie prepares for the grand reopening of the Hotel Bella Donna as she learns more about her mother’s past.

Rating: 3/5

 

My Review

“The film’s high spirit overshadows its faults”

The first film, Mamma Mia! which was released in 2008 is one of the few musicals that makes me want to dance and jive and sing along with classic ABBA songs. I know I’m too young to be a fan of ABBA songs, but hey, music knows no age, and I’m a proud old soul, especially when it comes to music (Thanks, dad! Yes, I’m one of those millennial/Gen Z people who listens to dad songs). Moreover, this film is one of the reasons why I grew to love ABBA songs, so thank you Mamma Mia! for the music and songs I’m listening and singing.

Nearly a decade later and fans of the film rejoiced when news broke that a sequel is in the works. I was thrilled, but skeptic at the same time. Normally, I would grow anxious about the sequel’s performance since nothing beats the original really, plus there are instances where sequels performed poorly than its predecessor.

The first film felt complete and concluded on a nice note, so it was a wonder what the sequel’s story line would be. As one critic said, it was enough and a sequel is completely unnecessary, but that won’t stop studios from producing another hit film that will most likely be profitable given the fan base it garnered thanks to the first film. However, when it was announced that the film would be a prequel/sequel of some kind, it lifted my hopes up and sparked curiosity and excitement, we’ll finally get to see young Donna’s  wild adventures and how her relationship with the three dads started.

Aquaman

 

Director: James Wan

Producer: Peter Safran, Rob Cowan

Screenplay: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Will Beall

Starring: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 143 mins.

Production Company: Warner Bros Pictures, DC Films, The Safran Company, Crueland Unusual Films, Mad Ghost Productions

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Release Date: December 21, 2018 (United States)

Synopsis:  Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world.

Rating: 4.8/5

 

My Review

“There’s nothing more to say except it’s a splashin’ good film. It’s a spectacle you never want to miss”

I have been waiting for this movie since Justice League came out. I’m a huge DC fan and even I won’t deny that Justice League (2017) was a cinematic mess. The reason why I was so ecstatic for this film is because I was hoping that it would redeem the DCEU (or Worlds of DC) back to its glory of creating solo films, after its team up superhero movie failed to impress audiences—and boy, this film didn’t fail at all, in fact it exceeded my expectations; that I am proud to be a DC fan in this world full of DCEU haters.

Aquaman truly is a solo film because it’s the only DC movie that premiered in 2018, and the rest were all Marvel films (Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Venom). To be honest, I was quite afraid that Aquaman might underperform given its preceding DCEU film, Justice League’s bad performance in the box office, and mainly because the success of Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Venom (I know Venom isn’t as critically acclaimed as the first two movies mentioned, but it did bring a massive amount of numbers during its theatrical run) would overshadow the only DC film of 2018. However, Aquaman managed to surpass the depths and rise above the surface as its own unique spectacle, even though the character is dubbed as ‘Wet Thor’ and the plot is compared to Black Panther, where Killmonger is the hero.

The Princess Switch

Director: Mike Rohl

Producer: Amy Krell, Brad Krevoy, Linda L. Miller

Screenplay: Robin Bernheim & Megan Metzger

Starring: Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, Nicki Sagar

Genre: Romance

Rating: TV-PG

Running Time: 1hr and 41 min.

Distributed by: Netflix

Release Date: November 16, 2018

Synopsis: A Chicago baker (V.Hudgens) is competing in a Christmas baking competition in Belgravia. There she bumps into the prince’s fiancee. They look alike and switch for 2 days. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Rating: 3/5

 

My Review

First of all, someone award Netflix as the new home for Christmas movies, because they have dethroned Hallmark in producing cheesy and sappy Christmas themed movies. Of course, the movies produced by Hallmark will remain in hearts, but in today’s time and way of consuming media, I gotta hand it to Netflix.

There is nothing much to say rather than it’s a movie made to entertain audiences (because that’s basically the sole purpose of movies anyway) and to get them into the Christmas spirit (I know, I have). I haven’t seen a lot of negative reviews about this film and the critics seem to love it—and they love it more than Aquaman? Which is absurd in my opinion, given the spectacle and grandeur of the DC Film. Don’t believe me? Head on over to Rotten Tomatoes’ website to compare the critics and audience score of both films, it’s a living proof that critics love hating on DC Films and that audience score is more valuable and authentic anyway.