Joker is the most-nominated film at this year’s Oscars. It shouldn’t win Best Picture.

https://www.vox.com/ ^

[Bender2]

Every year, between five and 10 movies compete for the Oscars’ Best Picture trophy. It’s the most prestigious award that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences gives out every year, announced right at the end of the ceremony. And there aren’t any set rules about what constitutes a “best” picture. It’s the movie — for better or worse, depending on the year — that Hollywood designates as its standard bearer for the current moment.

But it obviously struck a massive nerve with audiences as well as with the industry, which has heaped praise on it beginning with the Golden Lion at Venice. Joker was programmed at most of the major festivals this fall, and Joaquin Phoenix seems all but certainly poised to win the Oscar for his performance.

--SNIP--

The year’s most controversial film (and its highest grossing non-Disney film) Joker is now the Oscars’ most-nominated film, which I find not particularly surprising but a little exhausting. I’ve never felt that this movie had much to say — it reminds me of a game of telephone, in which Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy said it first and then something got lost in translation.

[originalbuckeye]

I didn’t want to see this but my husband did. We both agree that it shouldn’t even be in the running. But you know those Hollyweirdos.....anything that could depress the masses is a real gem. I watched a DVR’d Golden Globes last night and he won for Best Actor in a Drama. All my interior voice said was ‘well, he wasn’t really acting, that is his personality’. That role showed his demons on full display.

[BipolarBob]

I wasn’t interested in the movie until I saw the Youtube link you posted. Thanks for posting.

[olivia3boys]

I don’t like cars either—zero interest—but I think Ford v Ferrari was the best picture of the year. A great biopic. See it!

[Sans-Culotte]

I hated it. Probably because I grew up reading the comics and that was not the Joker. It was just some mentally ill man losing it. The joker is the clown prince of crime. He plans and executes elaborate criminal schemes, designs and creates deadly devices and chemicals.

There is a theory going around on the internet that Joker is not meant to be THE Joker, for the reasons you describe. If that is true, this film is simply about a psychotic loser.

[Sam Gamgee]

IMVHO the best movie from 2019 I’ve seen is Togo on Disney Plus. Great acting from William Dafoe....and the dog. :)

[who knows what evil?]

Ditto.

[MikelTackNailer]

This "Joker" is just one director's take on a character that was made to be perpetually mysterious - the chaotic Yang to Batman's ordered Ying. Other than the brief brushes with the Wayne family this guy would be an anonymous head-case.

Film-makers seem unable to resist sticking to source material. Sometimes that actually improves upon it while they're tasked bringing printed or graphic/comic characters to three-dimensional reality while suspending disbelief. Sam Raimi had the webbing shoot straight out of Spider-Man's body and it didn't hurt those films at all. Letting other directors handle the third one did.

"The Dark Knight"'s Joker never fell into a vat of skin-bleaching chemicals - just wore make-up over facial scars for intimidating effect. And that worked just as well on Heath Ledger throwing his entire soul into that portrayal. He could have acted that out with nothing on his face and still creep me out. THAT Oscar found it's proper home.

[EEGator]

I’ll check it out.

[pulaskibush]

The Jack Nicholson Joker was a mob enforcer with a violent criminal past. The Batman The Animated Series Joker appeared to have the same past based on Mask of the Phantasm. A theory as to the Health Ledger joker was that he was a soldier wounded in battle based on the Everybody loses their minds speech. The Gotham TV series jokers (forgot the actor’s name) both had backgrounds involving intelligent tactics in dishing out crime. Leto Joker appeared to be a mob boss of some kind.

Lots of fans seem to want Joker background story or at least the hint of one that has a basic resume of how to outsmart not only Batman, but the other criminal masterminds in Gotham. Phoenix joker, along with The Killing Joke joker seems a little less believable that a washed up comedian would be able to Make Gotham Insane Again.

[Impy]

What did you think of 1917?

[Impy]

It’s the only nominee I’ve seen.

I liked it, for some reason I really enjoyed the portrayal of Bruce Wayne’s dad as a jerk.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

It was a good movie in the sense that I didn't feel like I wasted my time watching it. I just don't think that it deserves any awards. There was another movie called They Shall Not Be Forgotten where they blended actual restored and colorized WWI footage along with accounts of soldiers who were actually there that was much better IMHO.

[Aut Pax Aut Bellum]

I agree. Watching some guy have mental episodes is not interesting for me. I thought Joker just plain sucked.